This is really bizarre:

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/05/jews-reclaim-jesus-as-one-of-their-own/comment-page-2/#comments

The teachings of Jesus are several universes away from the teachings of Judaism. The jews at the time of Jesus were still more Canaanite than Jewish. The real story is probably that it is evident that the Old Testament is a mess that cannot be supported or defended. Time to jump ship, hijack the Jesus myth, and ride that boat until it sinks too. Some would argue that the ship has already sunk.

The blog is a Christian proselitizing outreach: to Jews, and is about their efforts to convert Jews to [their brand of] Christianity.

And the above poster is, by all evidence, a troll.

tevainotloggedin Wrote:
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> The blog is a Christian proselitizing outreach: to
> Jews, and is about their efforts to convert Jews
> to Christianity.
>
> And the above poster is, by all evidence, a troll.

The OP is not a troll but it is very evident that megaphone is still being used to troll the internet.

Agree - +10

That is admins job. If you think someone is trolling EMAIL ADMIN or use the report button.

I did not know this.

I apologize, and I will not do it again.

Thank you for telling me.

In fact a little bit of study will reveal that Judaism was changing at the time Jesus was supposed to be around. The Pharisees and Sadducees were not just fighting over resurrection but also the proper role of religion in everyday life. Jesus' teachings have never been unique, there were many who lived in the area during his time that thought the same as Jesus did. Your statement that the teachings of Jesus are universes away from the teachings of Judaism is just false.

jacob Wrote:
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> In fact a little bit of study will reveal that
> Judaism was changing at the time Jesus was
> supposed to be around. The Pharisees and Sadducees
> were not just fighting over resurrection but also
> the proper role of religion in everyday life.
> Jesus' teachings have never been unique, there
> were many who lived in the area during his time
> that thought the same as Jesus did. Your statement
> that the teachings of Jesus are universes away
> from the teachings of Judaism is just false.


There were about half a dozen different Jewish sects 2000
years ago. With the destruction of the Temple and the
dispersion of the inhabitants of Palestine in the decades
that followed, the number of sects dwindled down to two,
and, eventually, about all that was left was rabbinical
Judaism.

The very earliest followers of Jesus probably had roots in
one or more of those contemporary sects. He may have had
followers who were not firmly attached to any of the sects
that we can identify now, looking back over 2000 years.

My strong suspicion is that Jesus and his first followers
blended into the religious-political landscape of their
day, in such a way as to make them rather different from
the Christians of even a few decades later.

If we could somehow recapture the essence of Jesus' first
followers, we could probably find a place for them in modern
Judaism -- but not in the rabbinical mainstream.

Christianity has evolved so far away from (beyond?) the
environment of 2000 years ago that there's not much sense
in anybody today laying an exclusive claim upon the religion
Jesus lived and taught.

If some set of modern Jews wishes to lay claim to his legacy,
that sounds fine with me -- so long as they do not claim
him as the traditional Davidic Messiah. I don't think that
viewpoint would be viable in 21st century Judaism.

UD

Uncle Dale Wrote:
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> My strong suspicion is that Jesus and his first
> followers
> blended into the religious-political landscape of
> their
> day, in such a way as to make them rather
> different from
> the Christians of even a few decades later.
>
> If we could somehow recapture the essence of
> Jesus' first
> followers, we could probably find a place for them
> in modern
> Judaism -- but not in the rabbinical mainstream.

I also "strongly suspect" that the real Jesus was a Jewish apocalyptic preacher who taught the Law of Moses. Later his followers, mostly Paul--who never met the living Jesus, changed it from the religion OF Jesus to a religion ABOUT Jesus. By the time the gospels were written Christianity had morphed into a new religion.

baura Wrote:
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...
> a Jewish apocalyptic preacher who taught the Law
...

There appear to be two major strata to the "Q" Jesus
quotations in the Gospels. Probably the earliest level
is typified by an optimistic, evangelical, communal
message -- eventually adjusted to accomodate a less
enthusiastic, more "end times" oriented sermonizing.

Except for a few words in that final layer, none of
the quoted material fits in well with the passion
narrative of the four gospels --- it is a bit more
compatible with parts of the Gospel of Thomas, though.

Either Jesus himself evolved to a darker warning,
near the end of his preaching, or else some of his
earliest disciples felt a need to emphasize that
sort of stuff after his death.

I have a feeling that he might have fit in rather
well with the provincial Hellenized Jews of Galilee --
the sorts who knew about Socrates and Diogenes, as
well as Moses and Ezra... but, who knows?

UD

The Pharisees won! And Rabbinical Judaism is their godchild.

Mormons are their spiritual descendants.

In Judeaism, a baby boy can be born of Jews, circumsized & bar mitzvah'ed. And then you can re-interpret the OT, start a whole new religion, and even die for it. But the Jews still claim you.

In Mormonism, you can be BIC, baptized & confirmed, and ordained to the priesthood. And then you can study LD$, Inc. history, lose faith, and resign or even be ex'ed. But the Mormons still claim you.

What a crazy place, that House of Israel!