My OPINION is that Yeshua was most likely a pharisee. He debated the other pharisees regarding the proper interpretation/application of the Torah. The sermon on the mount is all Yeshuas oral Torah/interpretation of the Torah. Yeshua was Jewish and therefore practiced Judaism. There was never, ever, a question of whether or not to follow Torah between Yeshua and the pharisees; the question was always HOW to follow Torah. Its the same with the Apostle Paul; he gave instructions to the gentile churches on HOW to apply Torah in their specific context. Paul was also a pharisee by his own admission (Acts 23:6), and therefore spoke against the MISapplications of Torah -- in his view -- by his opponents, not Torah itself. Gentiles, along with the Jews, learned Torah in the synagogues every Sabbath (Acts 15:21) ~ It should be remembered that the Oral Torah was not a rigid legalistic code dominated by one single interpretation. The oral tradition allowed a certain amount of latitude and flexibility. In fact, the open forum of the Oral Torah invited vigorous debate and even encouraged diversity of thought and imaginative creativity. Clearly, some legal authorities were more strict than others, but all recognized that the Sabbath had to be observed. (Dr. Brad Young, Jesus the Jewish Theologian, p. 105)
Posted on: Fri, 16 May 2014 15:57:30 +0000
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