THE HISTORY OF THE EARLY POST 2nd TEMPLE (BEIS haMIKDOSH) PERIOD

I am writing this in that it might inspire even just one person who reads this to pick up where I leave off, to do something for the sake of the world to come. Many of us are ignorant about this history and we base our decisions about Judaism and about Yeshua haMoshiach based simply on what we see today, I would ask that we don’t ever settle for face value, but instead search the d’var of HASHEM (word of G_d) and historical ducuments to let the truth be known, it determines something so very important in our lives and the lives of who we meet. It is said, “He who saves one soul, saves an entire universe”.

R. Sha'ul (Paul) haShaliach, the Pharisee.

An important figure to the early Messianic Jews (Nazarenes) was R. Sha'ul, R. Sha'ul was a influencial leader (Acts 24:5). he was, and continued to be a Pharisee for the rest of his life (Acts. 23:6) and was a student of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). (R. Gamiel was the grandson of Hillel). R. Sha'ul was at first an enemy of the Messianic Y'hudeem (Messianic Jews), however after his vision of haRebbe Yeshua haMoshiach on the road to Damascus, he became a leader in Messianic Judaism. Shimon Kefa haShaliach (or, “Peter”- from the Greek- "Petros") tells us that R. Sha'ul's writings are "hard to understand" (2Pt. 3:15-16). R. Sha'ul knew that his teachings were being twisted and that he was misunderstood as teaching against the Torah (Rom. 3:8; 6:1-2, 15). Rabbi Sha'ul went to great lengths to prove that this was not true (Acts 21:20-26). It was being said that he was teaching that grace replaces Torah, when he was actually saying “chesed (grace) preceeds Torah (instruction)”. Back in In ACTS Ch. 15 There was a council to decide if Gentiles (non-Jews) were going to be allowed into Messianic Judaism, the outcome was decided that yes they should be allowed, but they had to keep the Noachide Covenant. They were like Rus (Ruth) grafted into Judaism without the requirement of having a “Jewish conversion” (although many later on went through conversion by there own choice, for they were not forbidden to do so.).

70 C.E. The Jewish Community Divides

70 C.E. (A.D.) was a very important year to the Messianic Jews (Nazarenes). In this year the Romans laid seige to Yerushalyem and after five months, invaded the city. This event had many profound effects on the Messianic Y'hu'deem (Messianic Jews, Nazarenes). When the city was brought under siege, the Messianic Jews remembered the words of Rebbe Yeshua haMoshiach. And when you see Yerushalyem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those in Y'hudea flee to the mountains... - Lukas 21:20-21a The Messianics heeded these words in HASHEM’s Instruction and fled to Pella, most likely dwelled in the caves of the wilderness outside of Pella. It is likely that the Pharisees, Sadducees, and other Jews resented the Nazarene Jew's flight to Pella as “an act of cowardice”. The flight to Pella itself also had a profound effect on the Messianics. A great deal of confusion resulted.

90 C.E. An attempt to cast The Messianic Yhudeem out of the Synagogues

In 90 C.E. (A.D.) Samuel the Lesser was commisioned to add what came to be called the Birkas haMinim to the Eighteen Benedictions of the Amidah. The Talmud records the event this way: Our Rabbis taught: Simeon ha-Pakuli arranged the eighteen benedictions in order before Rabban Gamaliel in Jabneh. Said Rabban Gamaliel to the Sages: "Can any one among you frame a benediction relating to the Minim?" Samuel the Lesser arose and composed it. (Berakos 29a)

The Birkas haMinim is really a curse against anyone who would turn people away from Torah, however, since Rebbe Yeshua haMoshiach is The Living Torah, and the fufullment of Torah, anyone quoting the Birkas haMinim are, in all reality, just calling a curse down against anyone that would turn people away from Yeshua haMoshiach.

NOTE: As Messianic Y’hudeem (Jews), we do not despise our Jewishness, we love our Jewishness and Judaism as Yeshua himself did, some of are Frum (pious, Orthodox, observant) and some were frum before coming to know that Yeshua is Moshiach, we continue to be frum. I have met those that call themselves “Jewish Christians” or “Hebrew Chrstians” that despise there Jewishness and Messianic Judaism, they would rather live as gentiles in their Churches, they have free will by HASHEM to do so, they will be in the world to come, but I myself have no idea why any Jew would want to give up there Jewishness, OR the Judaism that Yeshua taught. Yeshua never came to start a new religion, he or any of the Shaliach’eem never required that from us, MAN DID! Yeshua also said I have not come to do away with Torah, but to make it full, and if you do not keep my mitzvos and you teach others to do the same, your's will be the least in the kingdom."

APPX-100 onward (C.E.) Non Jewish believers turn on The Messianic Jews in troublesome times.

Non-Jewish leaders in Messianic circles were being persecuted by Rome as a part of this sect of Messianic Judaism (Nazerians), or Messianic Jews. As a result of this many of the Non-Jewish leaders (Justin Martyr, Christosthenim, and others) started preaching messages such to the tune of… “ROME, please do not persecute us as Jews, for we are NOT Jews, we are a separate entity”

This was a far cry from Rus (Ruth) who said “May your G-d be my G-d, and your people be MY PEOPLE!

And also a far cry from what Rabbi Shaul said to The Non-Jewish believers in Rome where he calls Yisroel (Messianic Jews) “The Olive Tree”, he says “Some branches (not all, for in ACTS it says “tens of thousands of Jews came to believe in Yeshua as Moshiach and they were all zealous for Torah”) but SOME of the branches were cut off for disbelief, and you, the non-Jewish believers (wild branches) were grafted in, However do not boast against the tree that you are grafted into, because you can also be cut off.

138-144 C.E. (A.D.) MARCION THE HERETIC.

Marcion, a wealthy shipbuilder from Sinope, which is now northern Turkey, became convinced through a misinterpretation of the Epistles of Rabbi Sha'ul (Paul) to the Synagogues, that "the Torah (Instruction) was fully done away with in Yeshua". He decided that "all things Jewish" in the body of Moshiach must be done away, removed. He even went so far as to demand that the body of believers remove the Torah from the Canon of Scripture, since, in his own personal view, "the "Law" was DONE AWAY WITH in Jesus (Yeshua), and no one was under it" any more. He began to raise a following.

In 138 A.D. he journeyed to Rome and placed his opinions and doctrine before the early leadership of the body of Moshiach. They did not Rule immediately, but thought it would "dry up" and be forgotten in time. It did not go away, but his followers increased, and began to create strife and division in the believing comminity, all throughout the Empire, asserting that the "Law was over", and not for "true Christians". Their misconception of what "Grace" is was wholesale "rejection of HASHEM's Torah". Thus also coining the terms "OLD" Testiment and "NEW" testiment. One replaces the other. Today in replacement theology (supercessionism) the "Church" supposedly replaces Yisroel.

In 144 C.E. (A.D.) a Special meeting of the early Leadership was Convened in Rome to deal specifically with this growing problem. Justin Martyr was also present. In their final Ruling, because he was unrepentant of this "doctrine", Marcion was a Ruled a Heretic and was Excommunicated from the Mesisanic Community of Yeshua haMoshiach, and Marcion's "doctrine" was pronounced Heresy and Apostasy against the Teachings of the B'ris Chadasha (Renewed Covenant-Mattityahu to The Revelation), which Yermeyahu 31:31 says is a merely a revision, or renewal of Torah (B'ris Chadasha) which will be written on our hearts.

(As The Letter to The Messianic Jews, a.k.a. Hebrews says...The office of Kohen haGadol, or “High priest” is transfered to Yeshua haMoshiach, And as always, we obey the laws of the land in which we dwell when it comes to criminal rulings, but all else of Torah still stands for instruction.)

All of Marcion's followers who did not turn from this heresy were likewise discommunicated from the Messianic Community. It was said at that time of there discommunication that Marcionites were "the most dangerous sect". Because of the size of the Empire, many still secretly held to these heretical teachings undetected.

132 C.E. (A.D.) The Bar Kokhba Revolt

In 132 a second Jewish revolt against Rome began. The Emporer Hadrian had banned B’ris Milah (circumcision). In reaction the Jews, Messianic Yhuddem (Nazarenes), and Pharisees alike, took up arms. During the revolt Rabbi Akiva, a leading Pharisee Rabbi at the time, decaled the leading Jewish general known as Bar Kosba to be the Moshiach. Bar Kosba was renamed Bar Kochba (son of the star) and was declared the Moshiach based on a passage where Balam is prophecying in B'midbar 24:17 (Num. 24:17).

The Messianics were willing to fight, but could not accept Bar Kokhba as the Moshiach in disobedience to HASHEM, so they left the army. From this time forward Nazarenes were universally labled "meshumed’eem " (traitors). Though the Pharisees later admitted Bar Kokhba was not the Messiah, their resentment toward the Messianics for refusing to follow him continued. It is interesting that if you change the name “Bar Kochba” slightly it can mean “son of a liar”. After the Romans defeated the Y’hudeem (Jews) around 132 C.E. (A.D.) Y'huda the last of recorded Nazarene Nosi was exiled with the rest of the Jews from Jerusalem. A Gentile believer named Markus was made Leader of Yerushalyem in his stead.

325 C.E., The Nicean Council

In 325 C.E. A Pagan Gentile named Constantine conqured Rome and made himself emperor. Constantine (a Pagan himself), declared Christianity to be the Catholic (Latin: universal) religion, thus making Christianity the enforced state religion of the Roman empire. He mixed many pagan religions with the writings of the Jews (Torah-The B’ris Chadasha, or Genesis to The Renewed Covenant which is Matt to The Revelation). Constantine, who was an anti-Semite called the council of Nicea in 325 C.E. to standardize Christianity. Messianics (Nazarenes) were excluded from the meeting. Jewish practices were banned. For the first time Gentile Christianity officially labled the Nazarenes as apostates and were forced to agree to a certain statement for entrance into the “Church”, thus the religious/political structure known as “The Church” was born. (The word “Church” is not in the Greek version of The Renewed Covenent. The Greek word for Kehilat, “ekklesea”-ACTS ch 7, “The ekklesea in the wilderness with Moses” , and the Greek word “synago’gey” however are there, but replaced by the word “Church” in most modern English translations). From this time forward The Messianic Y’hudeem (Messianic Jews, or “Nazarenes”) begin to be listed in the catalogs of apostate movements (the first of these to include the Messianics was Epiphanius's "Panarion" , around 370 C.E. (A.D.).

Assimilation

By the fourth century the Messianic Jews had communities in Beorea near Colesyria, in the Decapolis near Pella, and at Bashanitis at the place called Kokhba., the Messianic Yhudeem (Nazarenes) by this time were a small sect. At this point the only options for Jews who believed that Rebbe Yeshua is Moshiach had was to assimulate into The Roman Catholic Church and to discontinue living the life of Judaism that Yeshua himself created (we were expected to live a Torah Judaism out of obedience, because of what he did for us). Even until present day does this attitude happen towards Jewish believers, a Rabbi friend of mine had a relative who had become a member of a Church, was forced to keep a pig on his farm and eat pork every time he had the Church elders over for dinner to "Prove that he loved Jesus"! However, what did Yeshua (Jesus) himself say about breaking kashrus (kosher commandments), or any of Torah mitzvos? (commandments). He said Do not think that I have come to do away with The Torah, but to fufill (make full, i.e. show by example), If you do not keep my mitzvos, and teach others not to keep them also, yours will be the least in the Kingdom of heaven”. Yeshua also said “If you love me, you will keep my mitzvos”.

Because of the forced assumulation of Jewish believers to live as gentiles and leave there 1st estate as Jews, it has caused many of us as Jewish people to reject Messiah over the centuries, because they saw this as a foreign religion that had absoluteley nothing to do with Judaism. “If The Jewish Messiah really was Jesus (many of us say), why would he create another religion and fosake everything he has ever taught us?”, My answer is "hey, that is a Good point!", Yeshua didin't create something new, that is why Messianic Judaism is here today, HASHEM is making this happen as a restoration of what man tried to change. The sad thing is many people in Judaisms or Christianities haven’t a clue of the events that took place to cause this rift, so sometimes people from both sides are angered and see Messianic Judaism as a combining of two opposing religions. When in reality it is just HASHEM’s work. Messianic Judaism has just began to get it’s feet under it so we can begin to walk, we have a long way to go, but nevertheless, we (BS"D, with the help of heaven) are here!