I love your work Jack. I would have added the source of all this mysticism. Satan is very good at his job. Paul warned the elders at Ephesus (Acts 20) that wolves would come dressed as sheep, right from within their own ranks. Overall, the "church" lacks any real zeal for the hard truths of the Word. We default to seeker-friendly formats that ignore a sanctified life as our goal and we blend in with our world as we seek the social gospel. We want "bums on seats" without due reverence to whom we are slaves. We "serve" everyone, without a real commitment to carrying our own cross in an exchanged life. Bless you Jack. Keep up the fight.
I've been thinking about this very issue a lot lately have family members looking beyond what can actually be revealed by strictly following the scriptures. I say they like to add 2 + 2 and get 5, they stretch to try and make connections to think they have a deeper understanding of the text, when we should all realize the basic truths are the most important and enough to concentrate on. I think your article nails this point. Good job, and as always appreciate your insights.
There’s definitely a lot of this kind of thing going around. I believe the desire for greater knowledge can be good, but it’s also easily misdirected into speculation. Though it’s not the exact same thing, I think what Paul said to Timothy about people arguing over genealogies and myths applies.
The heart-central issue here, for uncircumcised ‘old wineskin' hearted foolish virgins from Christ’s Bride, is the carnal-minded delusion that causes them to self-righteously miss the theocratic forest of Christ’s holy kingdom for the democratic trees of Uncle Sam’s accursed Masonic Pax Americana. It doesn’t matter if they can Pharisaically expound about the regenerating Gospel of Ezekiel 36:25-27.
What eternally matters is whether or not Christ has chosen to baptize your sinful carnal-minded self-willed life in the death of His crucifixion, and miraculously resurrects you, transformed with the infilling Spirit of His holy will (i.e. ‘New Wine’ filling circumcised ‘new wineskin’ heart), leading you and your sanctified family spiritually, etc. What truly matters is that the indwelling Comforter teaches you the basic Truth of Jesus Christ’s most holy faith and how the mind of Christ’s Spirit exegetes the Gospel of Ezekiel 36:25-27 that enables you to self-examine the fruit being produced by your heart.
Great article. I would say that "open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law" (Psalm 119:18) calls us to look deeper, but I agree that we must be careful where & how we look. I would love to see a deeper dive into the Eastern Orthodox issue. I have also observed the appeal they seem to have. One who has left Calvinism, for example, is looking for something they think is equally as "robust".
I might take a deeper look eventually because you’re right, it really is becoming noticeable.
Short version, I think the trappings of high church appeal to people who are (rightly) turned off by preachers in flip flops, pop music bands on stage, and a constant stream of “We just want you to be comfortable here” messages. But Roman Catholicism has a bad reputation, so EO is the next stop.
Thanks for your thoughtful treatment. The hospital if Christ just remain central, for sure.
I often find fascinating nuggets of background data to Scripture, frequently in the original language. In the last year, I had the great pleasure of taking a seminar for my PhD coursework on ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman literature which covered much from the time of Nehemiah to Philo and Josephus. Having read all of this, I've seen what seems to be a cultural awareness within the New Testament text of many of these writings. It's almost like I can't unsee it.
I'll give you one brief example:
John 1:1-3 is unmistakably connected to Genesis 1:1. When reading Targum Neofiti to Genesis 1:1, you see something very interesting in the way the Targumist renders the Hebrew in Aramaic: "In the beginning, with wisdom, the Son of God created the heavens and the earth." Is the a potential connection point for John the point to the sonship of Jesus as the divine word and the Messiah?
Michael Shepherd (Cedarville University) argues that the Targums (Aramaic translations of the Hebrew text) are explicitly messianic interpretations of the Hebrew text.
Setting aside for the moment many of the debates about the extant targum manuscripts, what do you think about this idea?
The world of Targumic studies is vast and still developing, but I can offer brief thoughts.
WHAT THEY ARE
The Targums are Aramaic translations of the OT Hebrew text. There are a few collections of targumic texts, based on which portion of the OT is in view or who wrote it and when:
- Targum Onkelos (Torah)*
- Targum Jonathan (Prophets)*
- Targum Yerushalmi/Pseudo-Jonathan (Torah)
- Targum Neofiti (Torah)
- Fragmentary Targums
Those with the asterisk are the official Targums, but obviously, others were written.
WHAT THEY DID
While the official Targums offer a rendering of the OT text that is largely as close to the Hebrew as possible, some argue that the Targums were written to enable the post-exilic Jews to understand Scripture. This may have been the case for the official Targums. Still, the unofficial Targums seem to have an alternative agenda, particularly to spotlight places where the Messiah should be read and understood, as referenced in the text.
HOW THEY WERE USED
In a final comment, the Targums were used within the synagogues in conjunction with the Hebrew text. In short, there were rules established in the Midrash and Talmud specifying the number of Hebrew vs Aramaic (Targum) verses to be read during a service. The Targum was used as an explanatory, in-line commentary. When asked, Rambam and other highly revered rabbis viewed the Targums as nearly on par with the Hebrew text, though they never spoke 100% for or against this.
EDIT:
I neglected to mention that it would seem that Targums were in existence from the time of Nehemiah 8:8, where the Levites gave the meaning of the text in an oral form. Some argue, and I tend to agree, that these oral traditions were maintained through the years and only written at a much later time because they were forbidden to be written. In this way we have the extant copies today.
I love your work Jack. I would have added the source of all this mysticism. Satan is very good at his job. Paul warned the elders at Ephesus (Acts 20) that wolves would come dressed as sheep, right from within their own ranks. Overall, the "church" lacks any real zeal for the hard truths of the Word. We default to seeker-friendly formats that ignore a sanctified life as our goal and we blend in with our world as we seek the social gospel. We want "bums on seats" without due reverence to whom we are slaves. We "serve" everyone, without a real commitment to carrying our own cross in an exchanged life. Bless you Jack. Keep up the fight.
Thank you, Geoffrey!
Great thoughts.
I've been thinking about this very issue a lot lately have family members looking beyond what can actually be revealed by strictly following the scriptures. I say they like to add 2 + 2 and get 5, they stretch to try and make connections to think they have a deeper understanding of the text, when we should all realize the basic truths are the most important and enough to concentrate on. I think your article nails this point. Good job, and as always appreciate your insights.
There’s definitely a lot of this kind of thing going around. I believe the desire for greater knowledge can be good, but it’s also easily misdirected into speculation. Though it’s not the exact same thing, I think what Paul said to Timothy about people arguing over genealogies and myths applies.
RE: The Most Important Point
The heart-central issue here, for uncircumcised ‘old wineskin' hearted foolish virgins from Christ’s Bride, is the carnal-minded delusion that causes them to self-righteously miss the theocratic forest of Christ’s holy kingdom for the democratic trees of Uncle Sam’s accursed Masonic Pax Americana. It doesn’t matter if they can Pharisaically expound about the regenerating Gospel of Ezekiel 36:25-27.
What eternally matters is whether or not Christ has chosen to baptize your sinful carnal-minded self-willed life in the death of His crucifixion, and miraculously resurrects you, transformed with the infilling Spirit of His holy will (i.e. ‘New Wine’ filling circumcised ‘new wineskin’ heart), leading you and your sanctified family spiritually, etc. What truly matters is that the indwelling Comforter teaches you the basic Truth of Jesus Christ’s most holy faith and how the mind of Christ’s Spirit exegetes the Gospel of Ezekiel 36:25-27 that enables you to self-examine the fruit being produced by your heart.
Great article. I would say that "open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law" (Psalm 119:18) calls us to look deeper, but I agree that we must be careful where & how we look. I would love to see a deeper dive into the Eastern Orthodox issue. I have also observed the appeal they seem to have. One who has left Calvinism, for example, is looking for something they think is equally as "robust".
I might take a deeper look eventually because you’re right, it really is becoming noticeable.
Short version, I think the trappings of high church appeal to people who are (rightly) turned off by preachers in flip flops, pop music bands on stage, and a constant stream of “We just want you to be comfortable here” messages. But Roman Catholicism has a bad reputation, so EO is the next stop.
Jack,
Thanks for your thoughtful treatment. The hospital if Christ just remain central, for sure.
I often find fascinating nuggets of background data to Scripture, frequently in the original language. In the last year, I had the great pleasure of taking a seminar for my PhD coursework on ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman literature which covered much from the time of Nehemiah to Philo and Josephus. Having read all of this, I've seen what seems to be a cultural awareness within the New Testament text of many of these writings. It's almost like I can't unsee it.
I'll give you one brief example:
John 1:1-3 is unmistakably connected to Genesis 1:1. When reading Targum Neofiti to Genesis 1:1, you see something very interesting in the way the Targumist renders the Hebrew in Aramaic: "In the beginning, with wisdom, the Son of God created the heavens and the earth." Is the a potential connection point for John the point to the sonship of Jesus as the divine word and the Messiah?
Michael Shepherd (Cedarville University) argues that the Targums (Aramaic translations of the Hebrew text) are explicitly messianic interpretations of the Hebrew text.
Setting aside for the moment many of the debates about the extant targum manuscripts, what do you think about this idea?
(This is a genuine question, I assure you 🤓)
That’s interesting. I’m not familiar with the Targums other than in name. Are they claiming to be translations, or are they adding commentary?
The world of Targumic studies is vast and still developing, but I can offer brief thoughts.
WHAT THEY ARE
The Targums are Aramaic translations of the OT Hebrew text. There are a few collections of targumic texts, based on which portion of the OT is in view or who wrote it and when:
- Targum Onkelos (Torah)*
- Targum Jonathan (Prophets)*
- Targum Yerushalmi/Pseudo-Jonathan (Torah)
- Targum Neofiti (Torah)
- Fragmentary Targums
Those with the asterisk are the official Targums, but obviously, others were written.
WHAT THEY DID
While the official Targums offer a rendering of the OT text that is largely as close to the Hebrew as possible, some argue that the Targums were written to enable the post-exilic Jews to understand Scripture. This may have been the case for the official Targums. Still, the unofficial Targums seem to have an alternative agenda, particularly to spotlight places where the Messiah should be read and understood, as referenced in the text.
HOW THEY WERE USED
In a final comment, the Targums were used within the synagogues in conjunction with the Hebrew text. In short, there were rules established in the Midrash and Talmud specifying the number of Hebrew vs Aramaic (Targum) verses to be read during a service. The Targum was used as an explanatory, in-line commentary. When asked, Rambam and other highly revered rabbis viewed the Targums as nearly on par with the Hebrew text, though they never spoke 100% for or against this.
EDIT:
I neglected to mention that it would seem that Targums were in existence from the time of Nehemiah 8:8, where the Levites gave the meaning of the text in an oral form. Some argue, and I tend to agree, that these oral traditions were maintained through the years and only written at a much later time because they were forbidden to be written. In this way we have the extant copies today.
Great job!
Thank you for addressing this issue.