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. . . but I've always been interested in finding out the truth about all the mythology relating to Jesus, so I've done some reading into those matters. I thought perhaps the Jewish community might have some insights, but I can see I'm off track. Thank you for your patience. I hope I didn't step on any toes, with my inquiry.
I believe that Rosends summed it up pretty well. There is a variety of opinions among Jews, and they have little to no effect on the practice of Judaism.
Among your readings, you might consider James, the Brother of Jesus, by Robert Eisenman, and The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception, by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. The latter is probably mistaken in some of its chronology, or at least that is the opinion of many or most researchers, but IMO, that possible error does not detract from most of the points made in the book.
I don't know why, but it seems that the Old Testament (I don't know what else to call it. Feel free to inform me) has been misunderstood, or mischaracterized in certain Christian circles. I haven't studied it, and don't know much about it, nor about the NT, but one hears quotes that God says "I am a wrathful and jealous God" or something like this, and one hears of God meting out punishment of one sort or another. I've never heard of the loving aspect of it, so this, alone, has been quite enlightening. Thank you for sharing.
FWIW, I've been a Buddhist from a very young age, so I don't know much about other Holy Books, but I've always been interested in finding out the truth about all the mythology relating to Jesus, so I've done some reading into those matters. I thought perhaps the Jewish community might have some insights, but I can see I'm off track. Thank you for your patience. I hope I didn't step on any toes, with my inquiry.
When God passed before Moses on Sinai, Moses glimpsed His glory. From that encounter, we understand God to rule the world through these 13 attributes:
– The Lord! (Adonai)–God is merciful before a person sins! Even though aware that future evil lies dormant within him.
– The Lord! (Adonai)–God is merciful after the sinner has gone astray.
– God (El)–a name that denotes power as ruler over nature and humankind, indicating that God’s mercy sometimes surpasses even the degree indicated by this name.
– Compassionate (rahum)–God is filled with loving sympathy for human frailty does not put people into situations of extreme temptation, and eases the punishment of the guilty.
– Gracious (v’hanun)–God shows mercy even to those who do not deserve it consoling the afflicted and raising up the oppressed.
– Slow to anger (ereh apayim)–God gives the sinner ample time to reflect, improve, and repent.
– Abundant in Kindness (v’rav hesed)–God is kind toward those who lack personal merits, providing more gifts and blessings than they deserve; if one’s personal behavior is evenly balanced between virtue and sin, God tips the scales of justice toward the good.
– Truth (v’emet)–God never reneges on His word to reward those who serve Him.
– Preserver of kindness for thousands of generations (notzeir hesed la-alafim)–God remembers the deeds of the righteous for thebenefit of their less virtuous generations of offspring (thus we constantly invoke the merit of the Patriarchs).
– Forgiver of iniquity (nosei avon)–God forgives intentional sin resulting from an evil disposition, as long as the sinner repents.
– Forgiver of willful sin (pesha)–God allows even those who commit a sin with the malicious intent of rebelling against and angering Him the opportunity to repent.
– Forgiver of error (v’hata’ah)–God forgives a sin committed out of carelessness, thoughtlessness, or apathy.
– Who cleanses (v’nakeh)–God is merciful, gracious, and forgiving, wiping away the sins of those who truly repent; however, if one does not repent, God does not cleanse.
So, Creation contains multiple universes? ( Another dumb question.)
In Judaism and in G*d there is only good. Revealed good (which is obvious) and concealed good (not yet revealed). Since the nature of G*d is only good and G*d is within everything then we connect to God in whatever is going on In every situation.
The Hebrew phrase for this is gamzu l'tova. This too is good.
I don't know why, but it seems that the Old Testament (I don't know what else to call it. Feel free to inform me) has been misunderstood, or mischaracterized in certain Christian circles. I haven't studied it, and don't know much about it, nor about the NT, but one hears quotes that God says "I am a wrathful and jealous God" or something like this, and one hears of God meting out punishment of one sort or another. I've never heard of the loving aspect of it, so this, alone, has been quite enlightening. Thank you for sharing.
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Yes that is an accurate observation and I agree with you 100%
If one wants to presume that the texts were intended for a Jewish audience then one could say that the stories of temptation are in the vein of the book of Job in which the Satan is an entity which can take a position/side, or is just a literary construct and the story isn't meant to be taken literally.
In Judaism, the Satan is an angel of God whose job it is to tempt mankind and then prosecute the human after death for his behavior. Jesus' being tempted for 40 days (an allusion to other spans of 40 found in the biblical texts) is not so remarkable as people are tempted every day.
In Judaism, is 'the Satan' ever considered to be a specific angel that exists in reality?
An individual entity? I understand that texts about 'the Satan' could sometimes be considered allegorical. But if even one passage IS considered to be literal, 'the Satan' would be an actual being that exists as an individual. Does this idea exist within Judaism?
Or is 'the Satan' always considered to be a literary construct?
May I ask, do you personally consider the role of 'the Satan' in the book of Job to be a literary construct?
Is Job also considered to be a mythical person/literary figure in Orthodox Judaism?
Is the common view in Judaism that G*d uses an angel or angels to tempt and punish mankind?
Thank you for your responses, this is fascinating.
For a Jew the Torah is our source of life because it is our connection to G*d. The response to anything that distracts us or attempts to pull us away, is for a Jew to turn to Torah. The mind can't think two thoughts at the same time. When we turn (or return) our attention to Torah then distractions are deprived and disperse.
We don't engage with the distraction or battle it we simply "drag it to the the study house" (turn to Torah) and it loses interest and stops pestering us.
Our attention feeds it. So we give our attention instead to Torah and a starved distraction withers and dissipates.
I understand what you are saying here, thank you.
From this perspective, what is the view of reading self-help books outside of the Torah?
Books on psychology or mental health, for example?
I just finished reading Viktor Frankl's book, "Man's Search for Meaning"
Would reading a book like this be discouraged in a conservative Jewish community?
So, Creation contains multiple universes? ( Another dumb question.)
I would say that the bible insinuates that there are many Earths inhabited by people, I don't know about many universes, who knows, there could be no end to universes, but there is reason to suspect that there are many Earths. The greatest promise would to become ruler over an entire Earth, and if we look at Adam in this way, as a spirit inside humans, we might come to the conclusion that Adam had been born and raised some place else and given this Earth as an inheritance where he would be a guiding spirit in all humans, but since Adam's spirit fell, we are all born with a fallen spirit.
I don't know, I suppose I like to imagine things that are neither here nor there, but it is interesting.
Scientist and astronomers say that given the vastness and age of this Universe and just how many Earths there are. If we say that one earth out of a trillion earths could be habitable, then there are so many Earth and so much time gone by, that if the odds are just one in a trillion, it means that there has been at least 4 billion earths that evolved humans, and that the earth lived and went on so many millions of years that it has come and gone, and is now dead.
That's how many earths there are in the universe, if it were just one in a trillion, there would already be 4 billion.
In Judaism, is 'the Satan' ever considered to be a specific angel that exists in reality?
An individual entity? I understand that texts about 'the Satan' could sometimes be considered allegorical. But if even one passage IS considered to be literal, 'the Satan' would be an actual being that exists as an individual. Does this idea exist within Judaism?
Or is 'the Satan' always considered to be a literary construct?
May I ask, do you personally consider the role of 'the Satan' in the book of Job to be a literary construct?
Is Job also considered to be a mythical person/literary figure in Orthodox Judaism?
Is the common view in Judaism that G*d uses an angel or angels to tempt and punish mankind?
Thank you for your responses, this is fascinating.
The Satan is an individual entity. It just so happens that the story of Job is considered by some to be allegorical.
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Another dumb question.)