|
Wednesday, 18 October 2006 11:53 |
| Walter Ziffer
|
By JIM GENARO
Following his lecture last Wednesday on the origins of Christianity from the matrix of Judaism, religion scholar and author Walter Ziffer answered questions from the audience.
Several hundred attended the talk at UNC Ashevilleës Reuter Center.
"When did the name ǃÚChristianityë become known?" a man asked.
Ziffer replied that while an exact date is unknown, the term is used in the Book of Acts, which was written between 80 and 110 A.D.
"The movement before then was called ǃÚThe Way,ë" he added.
"What commonalities do you see between the Judeo-Christians of whom youëve spoken and todayës Messianic Jews?" another man asked.
"The Messianic Jews are basically trying to replicate, as it were, the early church," Ziffer answered.
Practitioners of the faith live by Jewish laws, but believe Jesus was the messiah predicted in the Old Testament, he explained.
However, he
cautioned that some groups of Messianic Jews are funded by major
Christian denominations that do not reveal their true agenda ÇƒÓ to
ultimately convert the Jews entirely.
The next man who spoke asked who the followers of Paul were.
Most of them were Roman citizens who had grown disillusioned with the pagan practices, Ziffer replied.
"Sitting under a
grate with a bull being sacrificed above you and the blood pouring down
over you ÇƒÓ and being told that you are absorbing the bullës power ÇƒÓ no
longer made sense to these people," Ziffer said. "And it was very
expensive."
Judaism was appealing to the Romans because the Jews had a good reputation for being highly educated and moral, he added.
A man in the
audience then noted that during Jesusë lifetime, many self-proclaimed
messiahs and zealots were crucified. "Was there any reason that Jesusë
crucifixion was unique?" he asked.
"The crucifixion was not," Ziffer answered. "But what happened after the crucifixion was: the resurrection."
He noted that
while there are no authentic accounts of Jesusë actual resurrection, it
is documented that sometime shortly after the crucifixion, the
disciples went from hiding and mourning to joyfully and openly
proclaiming the gospel ÇƒÓ a transformation that seemingly indicates that
something profound had happened to them.
Nonetheless, he added, the "resurrection remains in the realm of an article of faith."
He then noted that the term "Soma Christo" ÇƒÓ literally "Body of Christ" ÇƒÓ is a title given to the Christian church.
The resurrection, he explained, can be understood as the passing on of Christës teachings through his followers.
"It is a resurrection, but it is a resurrection in a body ÇƒÓ a body of people," Ziffer said.
The tale of Jesusë tomb being found empty is most likely a later addition used to metaphorically explain this concept, he said.
A man then asked Ziffer to define the term "messiah," as it was understood by Jews at the time of Jesusë life.
"The expectation was of a political messiah ÇƒÓ someone who would liberate the Jews from their Roman oppressors," he replied.
Another man then
asked whether the emphasis placed by Judaism on circumcision of males
was indicative of a patriarchal tendency that was less common among the
new Christians.
Ziffer explained
that Jewish circumcision has a correlation for women ÇƒÓ through a naming
ceremony. However, he also acknowledged that women played a significant
role in Jesusë life.
"One of the main differences between Jesus and other rabbis ... was that in Jesusë following there were women," he said.
Furthermore,
Ziffer noted, Jesus had a particularly close relationship with his
friends Mary and Martha, which would have been unusual at the time.
The final questioner asked whether the early Christians harbored animosity towards the unconverted Jews.
"Early Jews became marginalized, as far as the Jews were concerned," Ziffer responded.
Though most of them were Jewish originally, they found themselves shut out of their own society, he explained.
"The Christians
see themselves really booted out and deprived of their heritage,"
Ziffer added. "Itës very complex, but then again, itës not
premeditated. Things happen and people react and ÇƒÓ poof ÇƒÓ new things
come into being."
He noted that
had Christianity remained a predominantly Jewish religion, monotheism
likely never would have spread throughout the world because of the
internal nature of Judaism, which does not proselytize and discourages
marriage outside the faith.
Ziffer closed by quoting a friend who said, "Christianity is the missionary arm of Judaism."
|
