|
(Psalm 46:4) |
|
Concerning Yeshua of Nazareth the New Testament has a unified voice:
Based on these texts, we can say that Yeshua was ben David, ben Yehudah, ben Abraham and ben Elohim. That is, he was David’s son, of the tribe of Judah, then a son of Abraham, and ultimately the unique son of Abraham’s God. To best understand the ancient, original New Testament witness about Yeshua, one must go down to the stones and living streams of his native land: to the Hebrew streams flowing through Hebrew Scripture into the NT. The goal of this website is to explore those streams and delight in forgotten, neglected or buried insights. One major difference from other educational sites like this is its dual purpose:
The site attempts to do this (1) by promoting study of and interest in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), (2) by advocating a restoration of its interpretive authority, and (3) by emphasizing the Hebraic streams that flow within the New Testament.
A range of topics will be discussed here, but the core interest is found in two related questions:
To approach these questions, this site explores Scripture using theological archeology. This expression refers to discovering the Bible’s own inner theology or traditions about God — distinct from and independent of those that evolved after the first century within Catholic (universal, orthodox) Christianity and Rabbinic, Talmudic Judaism.
In order to return to pristine Hebrew streams . . .
1 — This website uses the names Yeshua and Messiah in place of the English names “Jesus” and “Christ.” The English names represent the first century Greek words Yesous and Christos. Greek was the international language in the Mediterranean and Near East, and the NT came down to us in that language. But behind the Greek lies the Hebrew language and Bible.
On the Hebrew meaning of the name “Yeshua” see the page Shem Yeshua. [Top] 2 — For some nineteen centuries, Yeshua has been interpreted by the universal Church, often through the lenses of allegorical fancy, speculative philosophical presuppositions, and anti-Jewish prejudice. The resulting accumulated body of theorizing and bias has led to misunderstandings of much biblical content and the dissemination of distorted views of Jesus and the New Testament. Whenever Jesus is separated from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), he becomes inauthentic. He becomes a dehistoricized, transcendent, divine figure who is the object of free-for-all imaginative recreations by maverick minds and outlaw groups. To counter this deJudaizing of Jesus, this website seeks to distinguish the Jesus/Yeshua of the New Testament from the numerous non-Hebraic, non-Semitic, Christian traditions about him — whether mainstream, sectarian, or cultic. 3 — Because the articles here focus on ancient strata and streams, the main tools used are history, linguistics, and literary analysis. The reference sources mentioned throughout are readily available to most readers. There is nothing esoteric about the contents of this site.Some facts or perspectives here may be new to some readers. But the ideas and conclusions were not derived from ancient Gnostic gospels, newly discovered Aramaic Nazarean texts, scrolls from Dead Sea caves, or previously hidden Vatican documents. Nor were they divined from privileged personal revelations. [Top] Undergirding this website is my belief that the Bible is the reliable source of truth about the living God, his character and purposes. And it (He) gives light to anyone who seeks truth with the right spirit — no matter who you are or where you live — or your education. It especially sheds light upon people who have lived under totalitarian regimes (whether political or religious), where suppression of the pursuit of truth reigns supreme. Our times are marked by tohu va vohu — the initial condition existing prior to the moving of the Creator's Breathing Presence (Genesis 1:2). Today, however, we’re at the other end of creation. We’re reentering the realm of tohu va vohu. Broken trust in authority and rejection of the concept of ultimate truth have de-created people who have no grounding on solid land; they are floating islands of self-defined reality. This causes either total disregard of biblical religion or angry, defiant efforts to rewrite the Bible to make it say whatever one prefers. Sadly, the primordial seas claim many victims who bought the lie that they can't believe the Scriptures are inspired or contain the mind and will of the Creator. Not a few sites on the Web today reveal a spirit of hubris and self-aggrandizement by authors who promote esoteric views about the Bible; views that betray ignorance of the Text — and especially the unbelief of the authors. Those in prosperous Western secular democracies seem less and less receptive to the Bible. Being glutted with knowledge and contradicting outlets of religious teaching interferes with a person's acceptance of truth and reality. Westerners today who turn from the true God will, I fear, soon be told — to paraphrase Paul of Tarsus — “Since you repudiate the Scriptures and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we are turning, without you and your witness, to the people of the Southern Hemisphere, the communist countries, and Muslim societies — they will listen to this yeshuah (salvation of God)” (Acts 13:46; 28:28).
Hebrew Streams is not a religious group or a movement. It does not solicit gifts or investments, or offer travel packages to the Holy Land. It doesn't sell esoteric books or have rich Israeli recipes. It is an educational site and does not promote a particular sectarian view, other than what I believe to be Mere Messianic Faith. For a sketch of my history, see About Author.
• Paul Sumner
[Top] |
Statement of Faith 9
|
