Upcoming Events

Wednesday Study

"Galatians - Paul's Letter to the Congregation at Galatia"

Paul’s letter to the Galatians has created a good deal of controversy—primarily because modern readers do not approach it from a Jewish perspective. In fact, the letter is so controversial and so misunderstood, that some even question whether it should be included in the Christian Canon. Others assume that Paul taught things he doesn’t—in fact, could not teach—because it would contradict what has already been revealed in God’s word and accepted as true.

So how is the dilemma resolved? By understanding that Paul was a disciple of the great R. Gamaliel, and was a brilliant Rabbi himself, “a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee,” “extremely zealous for the traditions of (his) fathers.”

He thought and taught like a brilliant Rabbi, and employed accepted rabbinic methods of interpretation to expound and illustrate his views. His arguments reveal rich layers of truth in text after text, each one more profound than the next—without compromising the plain meaning of the texts themselves.

Subjects include; “No Other Gospel,” “Paul’s Personal History,” “Paul Opposes Peter,” “Faith or Legalism,” “Promise or Legalism,” “The Purpose of the Law,” “Heirs of God,” “Paul’s Concern for the Galatians,” “Freedom in Messiah,” “Live by the Spirit,” “Gentle Restoration,” “The Law of Messiah,” “Self-Deception,” “Sharing All Good Things” and “The New Creation.”

Thursday Night Study

"The Gospels" - As Jewish Literature

Contrary to what many believe, the word gospel ("good news") does not first appear in the Apostolic Writings. The idea of a gospel comes from the Hebrew Bible. When it is used in the Apostolic Writings, it refers to the good news that God, through the Messiah, has fulfilled his promises to Israel and that a way of salvation has been opened to all. Therefore, the gospel is not the foundation of a "new" faith - a "new" work that God is doing among the Gentiles - it is about the way God fulfills His promises to His people Israel. The "Gospels" that make up the first four books of the Apostolic Writings are a record of that process and how it works.

But make no mistake - this record is not the preliminary foundation-setting for a new faith - Christianity. Yeshua and his disciples ministered within a cultural milieu that was shaped almost entirely by an established and respected Jewish religious tradition. Yeshua is the Jewish Messiah. His disciples were Jewish. Their worldview was Jewish. They spoke Hebrew. They practiced Judaism. Writing in the middle of the second-century CE, Irenaeus (one of the early Church Fathers) observed; "They (the Jewish believers) practice circumcision, persevere in the observance of those customs which are enjoined by the Law, and are so Judaic in their style of life, that they even adore Jerusalem as if it were the house of God" - over 100 years after Yeshua's earthly ministry was complete.

Christianity came about (or developed) as the result of the teaching of the early Church Fathers - it is not based on the teaching of Yeshua or the writing of his disciples. The Gospels must be appreciated as Jewish Literature - not Christian Literature. At the very least, if one is concerned with what the original authors actually said/wrote to their original audiences.

This study will explore the Gospels as Jewish Literature and come to understand it within the context of first-century Judaism.