I am now facilitating a Zoom class for my congregation Temple Israel Long Beach, California. The class is meeting every Monday morning, Pacific Standard time via Zoom from 9:45 to 10:45 am.
This is the first time I have facilitated a group like this and I’m excited about it! Until Temple Israel’s Tanach class decided to read the New Testament, I had not wanted to look at it due to the fact that I had been forced to read it once and never really understood it. The words seemed like gibberish to me.
Now it is good to read it with others who may want to explore it in a non-threatening environment. The temple’s Tanach class studied all four gospels and Acts, but didn’t want to study further, so I asked the temple’s education director if I could facilitate a class that continued what had been started. We are beginning in Romans.
The class description is as follows:
“Jews and Christians read the same stories differently. Explore and discuss the New Testament from a Jewish perspective and learn more about the Jewish roots of Christianity.”
Below is a summary of what went on during the first class in the form of some emails I sent to the new study group.
-----------------------------------------------
Hi New Testament From a Jewish Point of View group!
Our first study, today, Monday, October 11, 2021, went well and was quite fun.
It was really great to have Debbie from Tel Aviv, Israel join us even though she had to leave early. Debbie has been recovering from a recent surgery.
Athena joined us briefly too. She has applied to be a professor at CSULB, so maybe we will actually see her in person at Temple Israel if the university is interested in her application.
My husband Dan was able to join us today and gave us a summary of what the Tanach study already studied and read: The four gospels and Acts. Unfortunately, we won’t have Dan with us again until after he retires at the end of November, but I will try to get some input from him to share before each study every week. I call my husband “A walking Encyclopedia!”
Dan said this to summarize:
“The four gospels and Acts present the story of Jesus of Nazareth and his disciples. The theme is why Jesus did what he did and why and what happened to him happened is the basics of Christianity. The big deal is that Jesus came to “Save.” But save us from what? Sin. Why did Christianity and Judaism become separate “isms?” Because Christians said the Torah, the sacrifices, the Temple were no longer adequate to save from sin. They said Jesus’ death and resurrection proved that.”
Today we read the first chapter in Romans. We learned that Romans is a very long letter Paul wrote to the gentile Christians in Rome.
We discussed how to look at this as Jews. We discussed how in evangelical churches what is read in Paul’s letters is looked at as a guideline to life. We learned that the verse that starts with “I am not ashamed of the gospel…” was and is the reason we see evangelists preaching with such fervor.
Secular people don’t look at these books at all. Today’s world seems to be filled with all the types Paul described and he even said that they deserve death. I mentioned that maybe this is where today’s Death Penalty comes from when someone commits murder. Dan said deserving death by not following God and doing evil is also mentioned in the Torah though.
We noticed that probably churches that don’t like homosexuality got that idea from what Paul said in this first chapter. We also perhaps understood why there are mega churches out there with leaders that can influence thousands.
The majority of us in this group have never read the New Testament or never thought, as Jews, we should even look at it. We discussed how upsetting some of what is said in the New Testament is for Jews and how anti-Semitic some of the things said in some of the books are. Dave mentioned that the book of Hebrews is very anti Semitic and Dan said that the book of Romans is less anti Semitic.
I really thought it was interesting that Dave also mentioned that Christians don’t really read the New Testament, but listen to pastors talk about what is said in it in the sermons they listen to. Dave mentioned as Jews that when we read it that we don’t have to interpret anything it says.
Dave also showed us a recent photo from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem where Christians were praying on top of a tomb where tradition says Jesus was washed before he was buried. We wished Debbie, who is a tour guide in Israel, could have told us more about that site, but she’d already left our Zoom meeting. Dave says he has actually seen it.
Karen answered the question on what spiritual gifts are: special abilities from God. I commented that Jews don’t usually use that term.
Renee was fascinated with the impact Paul has had on the world.
If anyone in this email thread wants to add more to my summary of today’s study, please do! Or..if you have anything to add to what was discussed or should be discussed, please email this entire group and share your thoughts and input.
Thank you for coming and please share the Zoom link with others at Temple Israel might like to join in.
My goal is for us to have fun and discuss the New Testament in a Jewish style!
Have a great week!
JO ANN
Added note: If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me via email.
—————————————————-
From my husband Dan:
Romans, chapter 1
Writer: Paul the Apostle, aka Paul of Tarsus
What’s it about? Paul is writing to the Christians in Rome, people he’s not met living in a place he’s never been to. He’s heard good things about the Roman Christians and says he hopes to visit them to encourage them and vice versa.
As a way of warming up to these Christians, Paul quotes an early Christian saying which may be one of the earliest Christian sayings (before the Gospels, before Paul’s writings) which states that Jesus became the “son of God with power” at the time when God raised him from the dead.
Paul says that everyone, Jew and Gentile alike is “without excuse” for disobeying God – saying that nature itself tells everyone what is right. He described a list of sins which famously includes homosexuality and other sins from gossip to murder, and says those that commit those sins deserve death. Pretty much means that everyone deserves death.
—————————————————————————-
On Sunday, October 10, 2021, 11:19 AM, Jo Ann Schneider Farris <joannfarris@yahoo.com> wrote:
Below is the link for the new Temple Israel class: New Testament From a Jewish Point of View
9:45 — 10:45 am Mondays Pacific Standard Time starting 10/11/2021
(I will open the room up early every week at 9:30 am for us to just talk and visit before.)
The Zoom link is in the Temple Israel email blasts, so I am not sure who else might just show up. I expect our group may start out small. Feel free to pass this link on to anyone in the temple who might like to join in.
Any New Testament is acceptable to use.
We will be starting with the Book of Romans since the Thursday Tanach Study already read all four gospels and Acts. My husband Dan will be there this coming Monday morning 10/11/2021 for our first class, and will give us a short summary of the gospels and Acts.
JO ANN Schneider Farris
No comments:
Post a Comment