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Tradition records for us three heathen who appeared before the two leading rabbis of their time, Hillel and Shammai (both contemporaries of Jesus in the first century) for the purpose of coming to the God of Israel through "conversion". The first potential convert was interested in accepting only the written law's authority, but not the oral tradition; the second, and most famous, asked to be taught the entire Torah (the main essence of the religion of Jesus) while standing upon one foot, while the third aspired to become a convert so that he might attain the office of high priest. Shammai rebuffed them and drove them off with a "builder's measuring rod" harshly, while Hillel's gentleness and patient instruction won them over to the faith of Jesus. Hillel and Shammai flourished during the era of the Second Temple, or end of first century B.C.E. and the beginning of first century C.E., and were contemporaries of Jesus.
Shammai's actions are rather baffling. He scolded the first heathen and had him removed from the premises whereas the latter two were repulsed with a "builder's measuring rod". Many have believed that Shammai was either in the building business or a carpenter by trade. This is all the more puzzling since one of Shammai's favorite teachings was (Avot 1:15) "to receive all men with a cheerful countenance." Was it generally his practice to use his building rod on those he disagreed with?
And Hillel's instruction to the famed second heathen defies
comprehension. To his request to be taught the entire Torah while standing
on one foot, Hillel replied, "What
is hateful unto thee, do not do unto thy neighbor-this is the entire
Torah; the rest is commentary." This negative
metaphoric contraction of the 613 commandments of the Torah finds no
counterpart in Talmudic literature. Two interpretations exist today: 1).
God is referred to in scripture as "neighbor" or "friend,"
or 2) that the prohibitions of theft, adultery and "most commandments"
of the Torah can be classified in this vein. Later commentators adopted
the more literal view that Hillel was referring to the Golden Rule, love
thy neighbor as thyself (Lev. 19:18), but his reference to it in a
negative form was in order to incorporate certain halakhic principles into
the teaching.
TWO TYPES OF "GRAFTING OF GENTILE BELIEVERS INTO ISRAEL" EXISTED IN ANCIENT TIMES...THE GER TZEDEK & GER TOSHAV....& THE LAWS OF NOAH
Gentiles were grafted into Israel as either a "Ger Tzedek" or a "Ger Toshav."
Judaism considers the Seven Noahide Commandments to be the cornerstones of all religion and civilization, having been incumbent upon the human race since the time of Adam. Judaism accepts the opinion today of Rabbi Hillel (a contemporary of Jesus) that a non-Jew who accepts these Commandments as divinely ordained and practices them is considered one of the Hasidim (righteous ones) of the Nations, and merits a share in the World to Come. Judaism has always viewed other religions from the perspective of whether or not they conform to the Noahide Commandments.
According to Exodus 23:33, idolaters
were not permitted to live in ancient Israel, lest they
cause the people to sin. If a Gentile wished to settle there, he would
appear before three learned men, accept
the Noahide Laws, and would then be permitted to settle
with the status of the Ger
Toshav. Convert #2 sought this Ger Toshav status from
Hillel. When he inquired to be taught the entire Torah while standing on
one foot, he was not jesting; he was referring to the Seven Noahide
Commandments, which can easily be imparted in a brief span of time (as one
stands on one foot). Hillel's reply to
"thy neighbor,"
was referring to the second party involved which was understood to
represent God, one's fellow man, and the animal world as well. Hillel was
actually offering a brief synopsis of the Noahide Commandments.
Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcranus, a leading sage of the first century A.D., was a member of the School of Shammai. He held the opinion, as did Shammai his teacher, that a Gentile who observes the Noahide Commandments does NOT merit a share in the World to Come. This was also the stance of the School of Shammai and was prevalent in Israel before the time of the death and resurrection of Jesus. It would a direct result of Yeshua's ministry that this situation would change.
Unlike Shammai, Hillel and his students maintained that righteous Gentiles merit salvation just as Jews do (Hillel, like Jesus, accepted the teachings connected with the Laws of Noah), and it was their hope that a mission to the Gentiles could avert the destruction of their land and win God's approval, thus influencing God to repent of the destruction prophesied in Daniel chapter nine (now you understand another reason for Hillel's and Yeshua's support for a Great Commission to take the Gentiles the Torah). Bet Shammai (the school of Shammai) however looked down upon the Gentile world, holding that NOT even the most righteous Gentiles could merit a share in the World to Come. Shammai believed the Gentiles deserved "eternal separation from God" and no attempts should be made to alter their destiny. The Jewish people and their teachers have since declared Bet Shammai's views to be null and void, as did the Heavenly Voice toward the close of the first century (just the way God spoke at Yeshua's immersion). Shammai and his students from the School of Bet Shammai were indeed the Pharisees and priests that Jesus of Nazareth and Paul of Tarsus had to contend with within the pages of our Bibles, and not the Hillel Pharisees. Paul the Apostle's insistence that Gentiles be admitted into the early Messianic Jewish Church was based on Bet Hillel's (School of Hillel) position that righteous Gentiles merit salvation. Let us not forget that Paul had studied under Rabban Gamaliel the Elder, a grandson of Hillel where he received such instruction! Now you can better understand that the anti-Jewish passages contained in the New Testament were directed against the Shammaites, and not the Judaism which followed Bet Hillel, or even today which follows the instruction and interpretations of Hillel. Jesus was closer to Bet Hillel positions than Bet Shammai's positions as recorded in the New Testament.
When each of these three heathen in our story requested Shammai to instruct them concerning the Noahide Commandments, Shammai would have advised each that a Ger Toshav, Ger Hashar or even an observant Noahide, received no reward in the afterlife. It was this figurative "measuring rod" (his erroneous interpretations of Torah which in this instance taught obedience without immortality) that repulsed the Gentile. The allusion to the tool is not to be taken literally. Shammai would use the same "measuring rod" on the third heathen, by advising him that a Ger Tzedek (a full-convert) had no rights to the high priesthood. Hillel gently pointed our that any Jew not born as a Kohen (descendent of Aaron) was similarly not entitled to the office.
In the case of the first convert, who expressed an interest in the written law only and not the Oral Law or tradition (a Sadduccean position-like the Christian church of today) was a blatant act of heresy. Therefore one can understand another reason that Shammai threw him out. Hillel's (who believed in the Oral Law as well) gentleness won him over.
The gratitude of the two Ger Tzedeks and the "one-footed" Ger Toshav to Hillel are expressed in the Talmud's concluding comment:
"Some time
later the three met in one place; they said, Shammai's impatience sought
to drive us from the world, but Hillel's gentleness brought us under the
wings of the Shekhinah (Divine Presence)."
Thus we can
conclude that the term "conversion" was to be understood as the
transformation of a pagan into an observant Noahide who observed the Seven
Laws of Noah as seen by James' insistence in Acts 15
A FIRST GREAT COMMISSION AND MISSION TO THE GENTILES BY THE HASIDIM
Moses obligated the Jews to spread the knowledge of the Noahide commandments to all mankind. A well known statement of Hillel states (Avot 1:12), "Be thou of the disciples of Aaron, one who loves peace, pursues peace, loves mankind, and draws them nigh to the Torah." Hillel was alluding in this quote to a movement to spread knowledge of the Noahide Commandments to all mankind (Gentile Torah). What better way could one show love for all mankind than to try to bring personal salvation to the Gentiles through faith and observance of the Noahide Laws? With that understanding it is not surprising that Hillel acts as he does with the three heathen men as he explains to each what the Torah expected of them as observant Noahides.
Jesus exceeds Hillel in that he desires that his followers, as Hasidim of the Nations (righteous Gentiles), do even more than the required minimum (Laws of Noah). Such is seen in Yeshua's positive statement: "do unto others as you would have them do unto you," which when observed, goes far beyond the minimum observance of the Seven Laws of Noah. Hillel thus lays the halakhic groundwork for the salvation of all mankind, and Jesus concurs. Historically such an outreach to the non-Jewish nations was undertaken by Hillel and various Essenes in 20 B.C.E. in hopes of adverting the destruction of the Temple as prophesied by Daniel.
Jesus would later command his Apostles to go into all the world and
make disciples of all nations (the Gentiles). Inherent in this is the
commandment for the Gentiles of all nations to adhere to the Laws of Noah
as the basic minimum that God required for the gift of eternal life. It is
in this message that a Gentile becomes a "God-Fearer", is
immersed in Yeshua's name and identifies with his God, and is "Born-Again".
He now is no longer a Gentile but is a "new-creation" and has
become a citizen of the Israel of God. He
has the option to later convert fully (circumcision) to the religion of
Jesus if he so desires.
Once a Gentile came to the understanding of the one true God, he would turn from idols and worship the God of Israel. Such Gentiles were the "God fearers", who accepted certain basic Biblical and Jewish obligations along with the Noachide precepts. According to this, idolatry, shedding of blood, and grave sexual sins were forbidden to Gentile believers. These were originally the Noachide precepts accepted also by the Synagogue on which the Gentiles were obliged. Let me remind you that we see in Acts 15 (at least 25 years after the death of Jesus) the admonition for the Gentiles to adhere to Noachide Laws to be accepted in the believing community of Israel. James, the pastor of the Jerusalem Church, calls these Noachide Laws and Commandments "necessary" and mentions as well that they seemed good to the Messianic believers as well as the Holy Spirit in Acts 15. For me this puts Divine approval of the decision of the Church Council to impose these "necessary" things upon the non-Jews for acceptance into the Israel of God. It is logical that the Apostolic Church of Jerusalem should accept the view of the Synagogue on the conditions which Gentiles needed to fulfill in order to be saved. It can be easily shown that the fulfillment of other commandments of Judaism were not prohibited to Gentiles. On the contrary, the Noachide precepts were only seen as the minimum condition for Gentiles to be recognized as God-fearers. These were so understood by the God-fearers themselves, who were attracted to the Jewish way of life and accepted many Biblical and Jewish commandments without becoming full proselytes (Sabbath, festivals, etc). This was also the attitude of Christian "God-fearers", as may be seen from the Epistle to the Galatians; many of these Gentile believers wished to observe as many Jewish precepts as they could. It is evident that, while the leadership of the Mother Church decided to lay no burden upon the Gentile believers beyond the Noachide precepts, it did not object to their voluntarily observing more (Col. 2:16-17). Among the figures of the early Church who instructed Gentile Christians to observe more precepts than these essential ones was Peter, as we know from Paul's criticism of him for demanding that Gentiles live like Jews (Gal. 2:14). Rather than interpreting the apostolic decree as a minimum, Paul saw in the Noachide precepts the maximum obligations for Gentile Christians. Rather than Peter being incorrect, a more comprehensive understanding of the Bible reveals Paul to be incorrect (see Isa. 56 where God is pleased that the non-Jewish believer goes beyond the minimum).
The liberation of Gentile Christianity from the responsibility to the Biblical and Jewish commandments was a necessary step in order for Christianity to become a Gentile religion, separate from Judaism. It is impossible to know whether Paul was aware that by his "Gospel" he helped to achieve this aim in that he does not speak explicitly about the necessity of separating Christianity from its Jewish roots and he never says that this was his intention, but it is clear that in fact such was his historical role. Paul would later teach that the Jewish way of life in many aspects would had no validity for Christians, but the mother Church in Acts felt differently. For Christian "God-fearers" it was not easy to accept Paul's demand; the complete or partial rejection of Jewish precepts was for many Gentile Christian "God-Fearers" a painful operation. But if Christianity was to become a world religion it had to become "free from the Law". Only a Christian free from the law could separate himself from Judaism and embark upon a path that rejected the very tenants and foundations of Biblical Judaism; the religion of Jesus.
With the rise of Christianity the teachers of Israel sought to distinguish between the heathens of the past and those Gentiles who were subject to religious values and morality. The very term "Ger Tzedek" (righteous gentile) stands for the gentile who turned from idols and made a sincere conversion to the faith of Jesus in the first century. Such a person was respected and welcomed by the Jewish community. The "Ger Tzedek" submitted to circumcision, immersion, and brought a sacrifice to the temple. Upon completion of such, he was considered as "one born in the land." He had full status as a Jew.
There are two other terms for righteous Gentiles: Ger Hashar, and Ger Toshav. In the Bible the Ger Hashar is seen as "the stranger in the gate", and the Ger Toshav was known as "the stranger in the land." These also accepted the faith of Israel (ethical monotheism) and were immersed, but withheld themselves from circumcision. Such "Righteous Gentiles" had a place in the world to come, and it was believed that in the age of the Messiah all Gentiles would come to recognize the one true God according to Zech 14:9.
Once the Ger Tzedek
was accepted as a Jew, he was entitled to all the privileges that Jews
born into the faith enjoyed. Such converts to Judaism were numerous before
the rise of Christianity. Within Palestine and outside,
wherever Jews came into contact with pagans, Judaism held a strong
attraction. It was expected of the Gentile that given enough time, he
would develop from the Ger Hashar to the Ger Tzedek (make a full
conversion to Judaism). The later development of Christianity offered the
attraction of monotheism and at the same time imposed fewer restrictions
on its new adherents than did Judaism. Commencing with the fourth century,
when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, Jews
were restricted in their own worship and were no longer permitted to
continue their missionary activity and we find the conversion of the Ger
Hashar, Toshav and Tzedek dwindling. In spite of the peril to Jews and
proselytes alike, we read throughout history of various instances where
Christians joined the ranks of the oppressed Jews once they had been shown
and taught the truth.
Judaism ruled that Trinitarianism is not to be considered an idolatrous practice if adhered to by a Gentile, whereas it would be so if practiced by a Jew. The above opinion was rendered by R. Jacob Tam; an outstanding twelfth century Tosafist and grandson of Rashi. R. Tam expressed such a concept as within the idea of "Shittuf" (belief in God the Father, along with an additional deity). Such a belief is permitted to Gentiles (Christians) without them being considered idolaters by Jews and Judaism.
Traditional Christians believe in the divinity of Jesus, and many have even sought to convert Jews to this belief. This is not allowed for a Jew as it constitutes gross idolatry before HaShem. Gentile Christianity needs not make Jews idolators by spreading their own corrupt theologies. In this regard we can find only two occasions where Jesus is asking Jews to believe in him as the Son of God (notice I did not say as God the Father or God the Son):
A blind man was considered by the Talmud to be the equivalent of a dead person, and this had halakhic implications (a blind person was exempt from all the Commandments of the Torah). Thus he is exempt from the commandment requiring him to believe in only "one" God. It is believed that Jesus is introducing an halakhic concept here, namely, that Shittuf (Trinitarianism) is permitted in order to save a Jewish life (both the blind man and Lazarus were considered dead, exempt from idolatry as understood by normal Judaism, and could now believe in Jesus as God's Son for healing and life after death). For although the Talmud rules that a Jew must give his life rather than practice idolatry (murder and sexual immorality as well), Jesus would have interpreted this to apply to actual idolatry (worship of sun, rocks, fertility cults, etc.), or at least a lesser form of it. Such a belief in a second deity is permitted to Gentiles in Judaism, despite the Noahide Laws and their ban on idolatry. The ban on idolatry in Noahidism accepts Shittuf (it allows the belief in Jesus as God). Let me also note that the Messiah of God has a beginning and no end where as God has no beginning and no end. God created from Himself the Spirit of the Messiah before the foundation of the world to act as the redemptive aspect of God to man! This anointing has come upon many but on Jesus I believe unlike any other.
At the same time we must remember that even some Christians do not interpret Yeshua's references to himself as the Son of God, as an allusion to his divinity or equality with the Father.
In Matthew 10:5 Jesus informs us that he came to preach "only to the lost sheep of Israel." We can now understand that he wished his fellow Jews to accept Bet Hillel's view that Gentiles too merit salvation. Much Jewish suffering could have been avoided, including the Temple's destruction in the first century, had the Shammaites abandoned their hatred of the outside world and accepted Yeshua's message of love for God and your neighbor (the Gentile).
We can even see in Yeshua's statement to his disciples in Matt. 28:19 (the Great Commission), that following his death, they are to "make disciples of all the Nations (Gentiles).
In this we see Yeshua's love for the Gentile. Again Jesus is negating the views of Bet Shammai (which had poisoned the people of Israel with hatred for the non-Jews (Gentiles) after Hillel's death), while actually confirming Bet Hillel's position that the Gentiles too merit that the message of salvation be given to them.
Such a restoration of the Early Church's Belief System as taught and
handed down by Jesus reveals to us what "true Christianity" is
to be all about. Gentile
converts to Yeshua's movement within Judaism were first taught the "Noahide
Laws" which consisted of laws on idolatry, blasphemy, unchastity,
bloodletting, robbery, eating the flesh of still-living animals, and
courts of justice.
Every Gentile entering the Jesus Movement was obligated to obey the Noahide Laws. In addition they adhered to the Ten Commandments. Besides remembering and keeping the Sabbath observance, they refraining from riotous living, they supported the Temple with the Temple 1/2 shekel tax (notice this is a "usage tax" and is not the tithe), and they observed and kept the Festivals of the Lord. They were not required to be circumcised, but they were required to observe the laws of Kosher and refrained from eating unclean foods in order to not become an obstacle that would prevent worshipping with the Jews and sharing Sabbath meals where they both partook of the Lord's Supper together, as well as share the Feasts and Festivals.
Answer for yourself: Has your church or Pastor taught you "THE" Faith Once Given To The Saints as I have shown you in this article?
Answer for yourself: If not, maybe you should look somewhere else where in truth the real message of Jesus is being taught? Shalom.
Now let us continue our studies into how Jesus teaches the "non-Jew" to get to Heaven.