About the Author-Editor Paul Sumner

Since before the Yom Kippur War, I have adventurously navigated the Hebrew Bible and Hebrew currents within the New Testament. My journeys have been far-ranging, ongoing, and existential. In the process of discovering, nourishing and deepening my Hebraic consciousness, I learned from trips to Israel and studied at various schools in the U.S. Some of my research is found in my thesis on the Heavenly Council in the Hebrew Bible, Judaism, and the New Testament. During 1986–1995, I published a small study paper called Yashar [PDF] (Heb, upright, straight, honest), which matured into this website and went online in 1998. From my journeys in Scripture and history, I began to engage in theological archeology as an Messianic originalist.That is, I seek to discover and report on biblical theology: on the overlooked, forgotten, even ignored contents of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. A Messianic approach to Scripture, in my opinion, involves a strenuous (re-)reading of the Bible, historical re-contextualizing, and restoration of Hebraic substreams. For example, I retranslate the Anglo-Saxon name “Jesus Christ” into its original Hebrew as Yeshua haMashiach: Yeshua, the Anointed One. His title “Lord” alludes to the Hebrew word Adon — a God-bestowed title used for him throughout Scripture: Psalm 110:1 — “The LORD said to my Adon, ‘Sit at my right hand.’ ” Acts 2:36 —“God has made him both Lord and Messiah.” 2 Corinthians 4:5 — “We preach ... Messiah Yeshua as Lord.” 1 Corinthians 12:3 — “No one can say, ‘Yeshua is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” In the Bible, I see only one, time-transcending Faith centered in the one Living God who eventually sent the Messiah as his earthly image (Col 1:15) to be an atoning sacrifice (Rev 1:5). Then, after his servant’s death and resurrection, he made him universal co-ruler (Eph 1:20-21) and appointed him as mediator on our behalf (Heb 7:25). I don’t define this “faith” in God and Yeshua as Messianic Judaism. On this, I part company with many contemporary Messianic followers of Yeshua. Paul of Tarsus referred to his advancements in “Judaism” and his zeal for the “ancestral traditions” (Gal 1:13-14). However, once he encountered the resurrected Yeshua, he no longer spoke of Judaism but of the “One Faith” (Eph 4:4) existing within the “Olive Tree” (Rom 11:17), and the “Good News” that was first announced “beforehand to Abraham” (Gal 3:8). For Paul, “Judaism” was not big enough a tent to encompass Biblical Messianic Faith. On the other hand, neither Paul nor Yeshua’s other followers ever speak of “Christianity” to describe their faith. Gentile opponents called them Christianoi, literally Christ-ites or Messiah-groupies (Acts 11:26). The disciples endured this mocking term (Acts 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16). But they called themselves brothers/sisters, believers, disciples, holy ones, and followers of The Way. Therefore, to describe NT faith as Judaism or Christianity (as we know them now) would be anachronistic, since both are often far from reflecting first century bibical faith. Comparing them with Scripture makes this clear. Many of the articles on this website focus on the identity, character and purpose of God and Yeshua, the Messiah. This involves discussions of Monotheism. But “monotheism” is a coin without universal value, because it means different things to different groups. Just unpack the spectrum of definitions among the “three great monotheistic religions.” That’s why I think we should come to the Bible not looking for preprinted maps of monotheism. Let the Scriptures witness to us afresh, originally, so we can explore the landscape with open eyes. Among the navigation constants to which I orient my Messianic faith are these: Daniel 7:13 — “One like a Son of Man ... came up to the Ancient of Days.” John 17:3 — “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and he whom you have sent, Yeshua Messiah.” 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 — “You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven.” Hebrews 12:22-24 — “You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem ... to God, the Judge of all ... and to Yeshua, the mediator of a new covenant.” Some readers already know how immersing oneself in ancient Hebrew streams promotes freshness of mind and health in spirit. These pelagim or streams (Ps 46:4) give us a taste of “the times of refreshing ... the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time” (Acts 3). And yet, we are already in the midst of those refreshing, final days, as Scripture says: God...has spoken in these Last Days through his Son. (Hebrews 1) Thankfully, there is more to come. The Adon will return to inherit what he was given. Spring restoration has only begun. Early Figs (Golan Heights, Israel) [Top] If you wish to comment, Contact me. Directory | Site Map | Explanation Ani Ma'amin | Raven's Bread hebrew-streams.org ℵ