Judahites (Jews) could quite reasonably trace their origins back to Adam and Eve. But a second more direct origin came via th... moreJudahites (Jews) could quite reasonably trace their origins back to Adam and Eve. But a second more direct origin came via the patriarch Abraham. He responded to God's call to leave his home in highly civilized Mesopotamia and set up in the culturally lower area of Canaan. He is considered the father of the faithful in both Judaism and Christianity.
Abraham's grandson Jacob, whose name was later changed to Israel, had 12 sons of which the fourth one was named Judah. Judah was very definitely a direct origin of Judaism, our third one. In his dying blessing on his 12 sons Jacob virtually bestowed on Judah the firstborn's birthright even though he was the fourth one born. "The scepter will not depart from Judah... until he comes to whom it belongs" (Genesis 49:8-12 NIV)
The first king of Israel was Saul, of the tribe of Benjamin, but God became unhappy with him and got him replaced by David and his descendents, of the tribe of Judah. The ultimate ruler will be the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who was also from the tribe of Judah. Even the Romans who crucified Jesus, with typical good humour, put the label "The King Of The Jews" across the top of His cross.
Judah was the father of national Judaism. But it wasn't long before all 12 tribes that descended from Jacob finished up as slaves in Egypt. Thus a new origin of Judaism (the fourth one) occurred when Moses led the 12 tribes out of captivity in Egypt and set them up in the Promised Land. Moses was also responsible for the origin of the huge mass of spiritual rules and regulations that have substantially guided Judaic (Jewish) worship down to our own day.
Judaism was itself the origin of key features in Christianity. The annual feasts are a good example. The Passover feast came first in the religious year. St Paul claimed Jesus was the Christian's Passover lamb, sacrificed on the cross.at that very time. Two days after Passover the Jews waved the Firstfruits sheaf of that year's harvest before the Lord. Paul said that the resurrection of Jesus (on Easter Sunday, two days after His crucifixion) was the firstfruits of a gospel harvest. (1 Corinthians 15:20) Fifty days later Jews celebrated Pentecost which marked the end of their harvest season; and 50 days after Christ's resurrection there was a huge Pentecostal gospel harvest. (Acts 2)
Still later in the Jewish year came the blowing of Trumpets, which heralded the coming Day of Atonement. That day was the only day in the Jewish year that the Holy of Holies in the temple was open. If ordinary Jews didn't "deny themselves" on that solemn day they were "cut off" from Israel. (Leviticus 23:29) The New Testament seems to have a parallel situation during the blowing of the seventh and last trumpet in which God's temple in heaven is "opened", and humans are "judged". (Revelation 11:15-19)
A fifth origin of Judaism occurred when King David reigned in Jerusalem. The first king was actually Saul, a Benjamite, but God eventually disapproved of him, and switched kingship to the Judahite David and his descendents. Some time later 10 of the 12 tribes broke away to form the separate kingdom of Israel. Eventually because of apostasy God permitted the Assyrians to deport the 10 tribes into captivity in Assyria, and from then on they effectively disappeared from history. The kingdom of Judah continued on until most were taken as captives to Babylon.
Fortunately that captivity only lasted 70 years and they were allowed to rebuild their destroyed temple; but for the next several hundred years, with only very brief periods of independence, Judah remained under the effective control of Babylonians, Persians, Greeks or Romans. You could call that period a sixth origin of Judaism but it was not a very happy one. It ended when the Romans destroyed their temple, but more particularly when they banned Jews from entering Jerusalem in 135 AD.
The seventh origin occurred when gradually over the centuries since then a Rabbinic Judaism developed that sought to overcome the problems created by the missing temple.
The final origin is futurist. At the second coming of Christ the dead in Christ will be resurrected and, along with the living (in Christ) they will be translated to heaven. There the Judahite King Jesus will rule over them. But, whatever their origins, they are then spiritual sons and daughters of God and of Christ. (2 Corinthians 6:18; Ephesians 1:5) They are therefore spiritual Judahites, and will constitute the eighth and final origin of Judaism.
David A Chesney is the author of the book "Virgins, Harlots and Sex" (subtitle "Earthy Beacons of Divine Light"), details of which may be accessed on Amazon.com. Comments on the above article may be sent to chesney363@bigpond.com
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