Replacement Theology

[Ben Masada]

Replacement Theology

Replacement Theology is as old as Christianity itself, considering that the etimology of the expression acquired its real meaning with the rise of Christianity.

Some people object to the focusing on Christianity for the reason why Replacement Theology originated, because the Jewish People was not the only ancient people with the original claim to be God's chosen People.

It's true that a few other ancient peoples upheld the same claim, but there was never one to rise with the claim that a people had been replaced by another as God's chosen People.

Christianity became the first religious organization to rise with the claim that a change had occurred in the designs of God, which would define the rejection of the Jewish People, and resplacement with Christianity.

The classical NT document, which would give rise to this Christian policy is found in Galatians 4:21-31.

Paul would compare God's Covenant with the Jewish People as Hagar, who was Sara's slave girl, and the Jews as her son, who was rejected even to share with Isaac, the inheritance of Canaan. On the other hand, he compares Christianity to Sara and Christians to her son Isaac.

To conclude, Paul appeals to cast out the slave girl together with her son for the obvious reason that Israel, the Jewish People, would never be an heir with the son of the one born free.

That's the picture of Replacement Theology and not simply a people claiming Divine election. A group of Interfaith Scholars have classified Replacement Theology as a kind of Antisemitism.

Ben

[Goat]

What are these extra responsibilities?

To follow the Mitvahs (of which there are 613), and to help to try to repair the world (From a philosphical point of view).

[cnorman18]

Let me explicate a bit beyond what Goat has said here.

It is true that a modern revision of the traditional phrase "the chosen people" is "the choosing people," and it is equally true that that "new" idea is a very old one; ancient midrashim relate that God offered his Torah and mitzvot (commandments, small c) to all the peoples of Earth before the Hebrews chose to accept them. (For those who don't know, a midrash is a traditional teaching story, which is acknowledged to be apocryphal and usually takes the form of speculative background to or expansion on the Biblical text.)

Even so, it would be disingenuous to disavow the traditional phrase entirely. As I said in an earlier post, "the chosen people" is not much used among us any more, precisely because its real meaning is so frequently misunderstood and even more frequently deliberately misrepresented by antisemites. As I also said, it never meant that the Jews were especially favored by God, destined for exclusive salvation, or anything else of the kind.

Noting that the Hebrews (later Jews) chose as well as were chosen, that word refers to being chosen for a special task; that task was bringing the message of ethical monotheism to the world.

No one has ever said that the Jews invented ethics; we didn't. No one has ever said that we invented monotheism, either; there were several cultures that worshiped one god before the Hebrews came along, and some of those are probably among the roots of Jewish belief, influences from which Judaism evolved.

Even the combination of the two, ethical monotheism, was not necessarily original with the Jews; but the Jewish iteration of that idea certainly seems to have had the most impact, since in spite of our minuscule numbers, two other major Western religions sprang from it and its influence is felt worldwide.

The concept of tikkun Olam, "repair of the world," is inextricably linked with that concept. In Jewish belief, God intentionally left the Creation uncompleted and imperfect in order that humans could share in the act of Creation by completing and perfecting it. This is not a privilege; it is a responsibility.

This changing of the world is to be accomplished in and through ethical action. the Jewish people were to serve not as rulers, nor yet even as teachers, but as examples. We are charged with demonstrating at least the possibility of living in an ethical fashion, and of making the world better in that manner.

The specific laws of halakhah, Jewish law, are not as important as the principles behind them; the dietary laws of kashrut, for example, are not about following arbitrary lists of senseless rules in order to be "saved." They are about establishing that there is an ethical and moral dimension even to eating; even animals are not to be casually used and consumed without regard to their welfare and "feelings" (nothing else could explain the prohibition of killing a lamb or calf in the presence of its mother).

There is more, of course, but that is the heart of Judaism and of the Jewish mission. Notice that it has nothing to do with "salvation" at the individual level, with repairing or establishing a "saving" relationship with God, nor with the innate "sinfulness" of humans, supernaturalism, a life after death, or any of the usual trappings of "religion." It has to do with human responsibility, human actions. and their consequences.

Please notice, also; these ideas are not dependent on a literalistic interpretation of or approach to Scripture, and are not necessarily even dependent on a belief in the existence of any conventional understanding of God, which is largely left undefined in Judaism anyway. They stand on their own, whether they have evolved through rational thought and debate among human beings or through a revelation from God.

Among Jews, devotion is to the tradition and the teaching, not to a specific theory of where it came from. To touch again on an earlier theme - do Jews believe, e.g., that the Torah was given directly to Moses by God on the summit of Mount Sinai circa 1600 BCE? Answer: Some do, some don't, and we don't bother to argue about it because it doesn't matter. The teaching is the important thing, not its origin. The ideas stand on their own.

[kayky]

Thank you for taking the time to share this with me. I think I have a better understanding now. I think you said you were once a Christian? If I'm not mistaken about that, what led you to convert to Judaism?

[cnorman18]

Thank you for taking the time to share this with me. I think I have a better understanding now.

You are most welcome.

I think you said you were once a Christian? If I'm not mistaken about that, what led you to convert to Judaism?

You will find much of that story here. If you have further questions, feel free to post them on that thread or PM me.

[InTheFlesh]

Let me explicate a bit beyond what Goat has said here.

It is true that a modern revision of the traditional phrase "the chosen people" is "the choosing people," and it is equally true that that "new" idea is a very old one; ancient midrashim relate that God offered his Torah and mitzvot (commandments, small c) to all the peoples of Earth before the Hebrews chose to accept them. (For those who don't know, a midrash is a traditional teaching story, which is acknowledged to be apocryphal and usually takes the form of speculative background to or expansion on the Biblical text.)

Even so, it would be disingenuous to disavow the traditional phrase entirely. As I said in an earlier post, "the chosen people" is not much used among us any more, precisely because its real meaning is so frequently misunderstood and even more frequently deliberately misrepresented by antisemites. As I also said, it never meant that the Jews were especially favored by God, destined for exclusive salvation, or anything else of the kind.

Noting that the Hebrews (later Jews) chose as well as were chosen, that word refers to being chosen for a special task; that task was bringing the message of ethical monotheism to the world.

No one has ever said that the Jews invented ethics; we didn't. No one has ever said that we invented monotheism, either; there were several cultures that worshiped one god before the Hebrews came along, and some of those are probably among the roots of Jewish belief, influences from which Judaism evolved.

Even the combination of the two, ethical monotheism, was not necessarily original with the Jews; but the Jewish iteration of that idea certainly seems to have had the most impact, since in spite of our minuscule numbers, two other major Western religions sprang from it and its influence is felt worldwide.

The concept of tikkun Olam, "repair of the world," is inextricably linked with that concept. In Jewish belief, God intentionally left the Creation uncompleted and imperfect in order that humans could share in the act of Creation by completing and perfecting it. This is not a privilege; it is a responsibility.

This changing of the world is to be accomplished in and through ethical action. the Jewish people were to serve not as rulers, nor yet even as teachers, but as examples. We are charged with demonstrating at least the possibility of living in an ethical fashion, and of making the world better in that manner.

The specific laws of halakhah, Jewish law, are not as important as the principles behind them; the dietary laws of kashrut, for example, are not about following arbitrary lists of senseless rules in order to be "saved." They are about establishing that there is an ethical and moral dimension even to eating; even animals are not to be casually used and consumed without regard to their welfare and "feelings" (nothing else could explain the prohibition of killing a lamb or calf in the presence of its mother).

There is more, of course, but that is the heart of Judaism and of the Jewish mission. Notice that it has nothing to do with "salvation" at the individual level, with repairing or establishing a "saving" relationship with God, nor with the innate "sinfulness" of humans, supernaturalism, a life after death, or any of the usual trappings of "religion." It has to do with human responsibility, human actions. and their consequences.

Please notice, also; these ideas are not dependent on a literalistic interpretation of or approach to Scripture, and are not necessarily even dependent on a belief in the existence of any conventional understanding of God, which is largely left undefined in Judaism anyway. They stand on their own, whether they have evolved through rational thought and debate among human beings or through a revelation from God.

Among Jews, devotion is to the tradition and the teaching, not to a specific theory of where it came from. To touch again on an earlier theme - do Jews believe, e.g., that the Torah was given directly to Moses by God on the summit of Mount Sinai circa 1600 BCE? Answer: Some do, some don't, and we don't bother to argue about it because it doesn't matter. The teaching is the important thing, not its origin. The ideas stand on their own.

What makes you the spokesman for all Jews?
In an example like Jacob and Esau
when you say Jews,
do you refer to one in particular or both?

What is the difference
if you are Jew or Gentile
if you do not believe in God?
Just like you said,
some believe
and some do not.
Faith is what seperates us apart.

I know you won't like this tag,
but you are VERY anti Christ.
Your teachings and his are VERY different.

[cnorman18]

What makes you the spokesman for all Jews?

I have very, very often repeated that I do not speak for all Jews; I speak of Judaism as I understand it. I fail to see why I should add that caveat to every post.

If a Christian speaks about Christianity, is he claiming to speak for all Christians? Are you doing so here?

That said, virtually everything I have said here is thought to be true by virtually all Jews; note that I do not say what Jews are expected to believe, because the correct answer to that would be "nothing."

One of the differences between Judaism and Christianity is that in Judaism, there are no prescribed correct beliefs. "The only dogma of Judaism is that there is no dogma."

In an example like Jacob and Esau
when you say Jews,
do you refer to one in particular or both?

Jacob and Esau lived before the term "Jew" or even "Hebrew" was in use. In any case, Scripture is clear enough; Jacob inherited the birthright and the Covenant; Esau did not. Neither did Ishmael. Their descendants are not considered Jews, and never were.

What is the difference
if you are Jew or Gentile
if you do not believe in God?

Being a Jew is more than subscribing to a belief; any belief. It is also a culture, an heritage, and a community. Albert Einstein, for instance, proudly proclaimed himself a Jew, but was also very explicit about the fact that he did not believe in God.

Just like you said,
some believe
and some do not.
Faith is what seperates us apart.

That is the Christian belief. Jews do not necessarily share it.

I know you won't like this tag,
but you are VERY anti Christ.
Your teachings and his are VERY different.

Why would you expect a Jew to follow or proclaim the teachings of Christ?

The fact that the teachings of Christianity and those of Judaism are very different is a point I have been trying to make here for a very long time; but that does not make me "anti-Christ" or "anti-Christian."

Read some of my other posts. I have never said that Christianity is wrong or false. I have said that Judaism is not Christianity, and Christianity is not Judaism.

I am a non-Christian. If you insist that that means I must be anti-Christian, that's your formulation, not mine.

[kayky]

The concept of tikkun Olam, "repair of the world," is inextricably linked with that concept. In Jewish belief, God intentionally left the Creation uncompleted and imperfect in order that humans could share in the act of Creation by completing and perfecting it. This is not a privilege; it is a responsibility.

I have been meditating on this concept since I read it here, and it explains quite clearly ideas that have been vaguely formulating in my mind for some time.

I don't know if Goat is still following this thread or not, but I notice that he adds to this concept the disclaimer that the "repair" being called for is philosophical in nature. I sense that gnorman18's understanding is more religious in nature. I would be interested in having both of you comment on this difference.

Also, could you provide a phonetic rendering of tikkun Olam? I want to be able to pronounce it correctly.

[cnorman18]

The concept of tikkun Olam, "repair of the world," is inextricably linked with that concept. In Jewish belief, God intentionally left the Creation uncompleted and imperfect in order that humans could share in the act of Creation by completing and perfecting it. This is not a privilege; it is a responsibility.

I have been meditating on this concept since I read it here, and it explains quite clearly ideas that have been vaguely formulating in my mind for some time.

I don't know if Goat is still following this thread or not, but I notice that he adds to this concept the disclaimer that the "repair" being called for is philosophical in nature. I sense that cnorman18's understanding is more religious in nature. I would be interested in having both of you comment on this difference.

My understanding of the concept is neither philosophical nor religious, but practical. The goal is to achieve perfect justice and peace; to eliminate poverty and crime, hatred and misery of all kinds, and to foster human dignity and freedom, of both thought and action. Those strike me as worthy goals, whether one believes in God or not.

Incidentally, the fact that those goals are, practically speaking, impossible is of no account; cynicism and apathy are forbidden here. As the ancient saying has it, "You are not expected to complete the work; but neither are you excused from doing your part toward its completion."

Also, could you provide a phonetic rendering of tikkun Olam? I want to be able to pronounce it correctly.

Tick-oon-oh-lahm.

I think.

[Goat]

The concept of tikkun Olam, "repair of the world," is inextricably linked with that concept. In Jewish belief, God intentionally left the Creation uncompleted and imperfect in order that humans could share in the act of Creation by completing and perfecting it. This is not a privilege; it is a responsibility.

I have been meditating on this concept since I read it here, and it explains quite clearly ideas that have been vaguely formulating in my mind for some time.

I don't know if Goat is still following this thread or not, but I notice that he adds to this concept the disclaimer that the "repair" being called for is philosophical in nature. I sense that gnorman18's understanding is more religious in nature. I would be interested in having both of you comment on this difference.

Also, could you provide a phonetic rendering of tikkun Olam? I want to be able to pronounce it correctly.

Well, that is because of our philosophical/religious differences. I am an atheist/secular Jew, and Cnorman is religious

[kayky]

Well, that is because of our philosophical/religious differences. I am an atheist/secular Jew, and Cnorman is religious

This is something I'm not familiar with. Are you a practicing Jew? I mean, do you observe the laws, holy days, etc.?