Tradition and Inspiration Clash
With Cornelius’ acceptance of the Good News, the House of Ephraim had taken the first step of their two-thousand-year-long journey back home. However, as Kefa returned to Jerusalem, he was immediately accused of having eaten with uncircumcised men; which is against the rabbinic law:
1 Now the Apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of Elohim.
2 And when Kefa came up to Jerusalem, those of The Circumcision contended with him, 3 saying, "You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!" [Ma’aseh (Acts) 11:1-3]
The group that accuses Kefa is called ‘The Circumcision.’ This is the same group of men that will show up in Acts Chapter Fifteen; and we will talk more about them in the next chapter of this book.
When accused of breaking the rabbinic law (in that he went to, and ate with ‘Gentiles’), Kefa defends himself by relating the vision he was given, and by recounting how Cornelius and his countrymen had all been given the same gift of the Spirit as the Apostles had. Therefore, he asked, how could he possibly withstand what Elohim had brought to pass?
The Prophecies all spoke of the return of Ephraim. Perhaps Cornelius was but the first of these returning Gentile Ephraimites?
17 “If therefore Elohim gave them (i.e. the Gentiles) the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Master Yeshua Messiah, who was I, that I could withstand Elohim?"
18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified Elohim, saying, "Then Elohim has also granted to the Gentiles (i.e. Ephraim) repentance to (eternal) life.”
[Ma’aseh (Acts) 11:17-18]
We will talk more about the specific beliefs of the group called ‘The Circumcision’ in the next chapter. For now, however, it should be apparent that they believed on Yeshua, because they were among those with whom Kefa related the events regarding Cornelius. Remembering that, let us continue the narrative:
19 Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over (the death of) Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.
20 But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Master Yeshua. 21 And the hand of YHWH was with them, and a great number believed, and turned to YHWH.
22 Then news of these things came to the ears of the assembly in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch.
23 When he came and had seen the favor (or grace) of Elohim, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with YHWH.
24 For he was a good man, full of the Set-apart Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to YHWH.
25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Shaul.
26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they gathered with the assembly and taught a great many people.
And the disciples were first called ‘Christians’ in Antioch.
[Ma’aseh (Acts) 11:19-26]
The Christian mythology is that Acts Chapter Eleven is when the disciples first began to share the Good News with ethnic Greeks. This is a beautiful theory, but it does not really work.
Verse 20 tells us that the disciples had been witnessing to ‘Jews only.’ Remembering that the New Covenant is full of slang (idiomatic language), what this really means is that the disciples had been witnessing only to other Hebrews (meaning other religiously-observant, Torah-zealous Jews).
Even Shaul went primarily into the synagogues on the Sabbath. Therefore, what actually happened in Acts Chapter Eleven was that the disciples first shared the Good News with the Hellenized Jews in the synagogue in Antioch.
This is far from the picture the Church paints.
Rather than visiting the Temple of Apollo in an effort to convert cult-sun-worshippers to Christianity, the Apostles did the logical thing: When they came to Antioch, they went to the local synagogue to worship, and there they felt led to witness to some Hellenized Jews. These Greek Jews believed on Yeshua, and the Spirit was poured out on them also.
One of the reasons Hellenized Jews are some times (derisively) called Greek Jews is that they do not always place much emphasis on the Hebrew language. More than just never having learned it, a Greek does not believe there is any real need to learn the original divine tongue (just as Christianity teaches).
In other words, while Greeks might like to learn Hebrew, they feel it is not really important. Therefore, so long as a reasonably good translation exists in a language they already know (for example, the Greek Septuagint, the Latin Vulgate, or even the English King James Version), they find no compelling reason to learn to read the Word in YHWH’s original divine tongue. Because they feel that Greek is every bit as good a language as Hebrew, the Hebrews (derisively) called them Greeks.
Having no zeal for the Hebrew tongue, Greeks will readily substitute foreign words for the original Hebrew terms. Therefore, the Greek-language term Christ (which is derived from Krishna) is readily substituted for the Hebrew word Messiah; and the Greek finds no problem with this practice.
However, while Hellenists and their Christian descendants may find nothing wrong with considering pagan tongues the equivalent of Hebrew, Hebrews find this practice repulsive. We should remember, then, that the Nazarene authors of the New Covenant were definitely Hebrews; and the Hebrews traditionally kept a discreet distance from all others.
We can only imagine why the disciples originally felt led to share with the Hellenists in the synagogue at Antioch. However, share they did, and the Spirit was poured out on the Hellenized, as it had been on them.
The profoundly stunning impact of this event is lost on the average modern Christian because, in Christian society, the ability to graft into the Nation of Israel by belief is taken completely for granted. However, back in the First Century, this was still real news, and so Shaul wrote about it:
For you are all sons of Elohim through faith in Messiah Yeshua. 27 For as many of you as were immersed into Messiah have put on Messiah.
28 There is neither Jew (Hebrew) nor Greek (Hellenist), there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua. 29 And if you are Messiah’s, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
[Galataya (Galatians) 3:26-29]
Shaul is not equating Hellenistic and Hebrew worship practices. Rather, we must remember that Shaul was a Jew (a Hebrew), and the Jews always considered that since living beings reproduced after their own kinds (see Genesis One), that it was of the utmost importance to pay strict attention to parental lineages. Indeed, the Orthodox Jews still pay close attention to this today.
Contrary to this, Shaul tells us that if one accepted Yeshua’s sacrifice, He could regather you back to the Covenant, regardless of whether your parents were Jewish, Greek, or Gentile.
The returnees from Babylon had taken great pains to keep their children set apart from the pollutions of the Gentile nations. They had also taken pains to set their children apart from their Greek Jewish brothers (whose forefathers had not shown enough zeal for the Torah to return from Babylon). In fact, the Hebrews looked at these Greek Jews as criminals, in a sense, because they had broken the Laws of Elohim.
In modern society, if one comes from a family where the parents live a life of crime, one might expect that the children will also turn to crime. However, if the children make a clean break with the past, turning their hearts back to Elohim, then Elohim accepts them, and so must we. That is all the Apostle Shaul was really trying to say.
However, the ruling of the rabbis had been (and remains) that one must never eat (or even associate) with those from bad families (i.e. with those whose forefathers disregard the Torah). To the Jews, then, such association was (and is) strictly forbidden by rabbinic Law. So strong is the influence of these laws that even the Apostle Kefa got confused when he came out to see what Shaul and Barnabas were doing:
11 Now when Kefa had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from Ya’akov (James) he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and set himself apart, fearing those who were of The Circumcision.
13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.
14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the Good News, I said to Kefa before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? [Galatians 2:11-14]
The rabbinic ruling was that one must never eat with those whose parents have left the Torah; but that Jews must eat at a physically separate table.
The problem was, however, that if Elohim had accepted the Gentiles and the Hellenized back into His Covenant based on their repentance, then how could Kefa justify setting his table apart (i.e. eating at a separate table), in accordance with the rabbinic ruling?
Especially, how could he do this after he had been told to minister the Good News to Cornelius?
Even though Kefa was Spirit-filled, he was still only human. Being human, he feared what ‘The Circumcision’ (verse 12) might say.
As we will see in the next two chapters, ‘The Circumcision’ was a sect of believing Pharisees (who are the forerunners of the Orthodox Jews) who believed that Yeshua was the Messiah, but yet they still believed the rabbinic doctrine that Salvation derives from the works of one’s hands (with regard to the Torah). It is interesting to note that many modern-day Orthodox Jews who secretly believe on Yeshua (and also many Messianic Jews) still believe similarly.
As we will see in the next chapter, the problem with The Circumcision’s doctrine is that the rulings of the rabbis frequently contradict Yeshua’s Words, as well as the Torah (and even themselves, on occasion).
Although we will see later that Yeshua kept many of the rabbinic traditions, we cannot believe that the words of the rabbis are ‘inspired.’ This is because Yeshua tells us that the rulings of the rabbis (here called the ‘traditions of the elders’) frequently go against the Torah (making it of no effect):
1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Yeshua, saying, 2 "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
3 He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of Elohim (the Torah) because of your tradition (Talmud)?
4 “For Elohim commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’
5 “But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to Elohim 6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of Elohim of no effect by your tradition.
7 “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
8 “‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.
9 “‘And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commands of men (the Sages in the Talmud)’.”
[Mattithyahu (Matthew) 15:1-9]
The Church teaches us that Yeshua was speaking against the Torah in this passage. This is hardly the case. Yeshua was actually defending the Torah against the traditions of the elders (the rulings of the rabbis), a fact that the Christian elders would also do well to consider.
Another reason the Jews rejected Yeshua was that Yeshua taught that one’s parental lineage was not really critical. He said it would be possible for Ephraim to come back to the Covenant at the last hour; and that returning Ephraim would still receive the same eternal reward as the Jews:
1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers (Jews) for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others (converts) standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went.
5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.
6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others (i.e. Gentiles) standing idle and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'
7 They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’
8 "So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’
9 And when those (Gentiles) came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.
10 But when the first (Jews) came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.
11 And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, 12 saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day!'
13 But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”
[Mattithyahu (Matthew) 20:1-16]
After all the sacrifice the Jewish nation had endured in coming back from Babylon, and after all the many persecutions, Pogroms, Inquisitions and Christian Crusades (at the hand of their brother Ephraim), this message does not sit well with Judah.