Hebraic Biography of Y'shua

624 Pages·2012·6.46 MB·English

by  Wimpy Liebenberg

WA Liebenberg

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(Revised edition – Nov 2012)

By

Prof WA Liebenberg

Distributed by:
Hebraic Roots Teaching Institute
Pretoria – South Africa
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: [phone]
www.hrti.co.za
Facebook: "Hebraic Roots Teaching Institute"
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DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to
the Hebrews, YHWH‘s very elect.

--ooo--
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Modern scholars have greater access to documents and research developments relating to first-century
Judaism than at any other time in history. Many scholars, who only a few years ago were trying to disprove
the Bible, are now working together to gain a better understanding of the ancient culture in which Y‘shua
lived. Archaeological finds have become so plentiful that some have hailed these times as the beginning of a
golden age of biblical archaeology.

All of these discoveries have not only given us further proof of the veracity of the Bible, but have given us a
greater understanding of the period in which Y‘shua lived out His life on the earth and further evidence of the
Jewishness of His teaching. He was Jewish and His teachings reflect His Jewishness.

The church at Rome was admonished by Paul that its faith was never intended to be a denial of its Jewish
roots; but rather a branch that "should" grew out of these roots. The essence of this study is that without
Judaism, there would be no Christianity (although been heavily corrupted by the Roman Catholic Church).

Perhaps the most convincing evidence of the totally Jewish essence of Y‘shua is His method of teaching.
Over the past fifty years, studies of the Jewish nature of the early Church have brought to light many new
insights into the First Century documents, especially concerning the idioms and Galilean teaching methods
of Y‘shua. In this exegesis we study the customs, traditions, life cycles and common idioms in the life of
Y‘shua and His disciples.

From the Sages
Accustom your tongue to say "I do not know‖.
(Berachos 4a) Iyar 6

―While no human being can know everything, some people cannot admit any ignorance about anything. For
them, any admission of lack of knowledge threatens their fragile egos. Although they try to impress others
with their omniscience, they accomplish the reverse, because the more they try to conceal their ignorance,
the more prominent it becomes.

Furthermore, the only way we can acquire knowledge is by accepting that we do not have it. People who
claim to know everything cannot learn. Therefore, many opportunities to learn pass them by, and their
denying their ignorance actually increases their ignorance.

We do not have to know everything, and no one expects us to. Today, more than ever, with the
unprecedented amount of information available, no one can be a universal genius. The simple statement, I
don't know‘, is actually highly respected.

We should also open ourselves to acquiring knowledge from every source. Learning from someone whom
we consider to be inferior to ourselves should not be demeaning. As the Psalmist says, 'I became wise by
learning from all my teachers' (Psalms 119:99). A willingness to learn from everyone is a sign of greatness,
while affecting omniscience actually betrays ignorance‖.

May we all admit that there are many things that we do not know, and may we all be willing to learn from
anyone and everyone. (From page 216 of;' Growing Each Day, by Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D., pub.
Mesorah Publications, Ltd., New York, 1992.)
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WARNING

It seems unbelievable that multitudes follow and serve
a God Whom they do not know
- not by Name, neither by His True Will or Purpose!

This study is a MUST for every professing Believer on earth.
To fully understand this study, you must start from the beginning.
To read sections only will cause confusion and misunderstanding of the truth.

The Old King James Version of the Bible has been used and not The Scriptures for a
specific purpose, and that is to make explanations easier to understand
for the new student of the Roots.

Elohim, through the Holy Spirit,
is preparing to restore His Assemble to the biblical principles
found in the Judaic contours of its formative years.
The way it will happen is not by an "outpouring" of the Holy Spirit alone
but through a Word of Elohim revival.

Here is the promise of YHWH:
"My doctrine shall drop as the rain,
my speech shall distill as the dew,
as the small rain upon the tender herb,
and as the showers upon the grass:"
Deut 32:2
The latter rain will be a rain of truth.

What Christians need today is the following:
"…the washing of water by the word".
Eph 5:25-26

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path".

Psalm 119:105
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INDEX
Contents

CHAPTER 1 ...................................................................................................................................................... 1

JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY, YHWH‘S BROKEN VEHICLES TO ACHIEVE HIS
PLAN ................................................................................................................................ 1
Judaism is the Mother of Christianity ............................................................................ 1
WAS Y‘SHUA A JEW AND WAS HE ROOTED IN JUDAISM? ........................................ 1
DID Y‘SHUA GIVE AN INSTRUCTION TO ADHERE TO OUR HEBRAIC ROOTS? ....... 3
WHERE DID PAUL PREACH—IN A CHURCH OR SYNAGOGUE? ............................... 3
IS THERE EVIDENCE OF ―JEWISHNESS‖ IN THE EARLY CHURCH? ......................... 4
The Influence of the Synagogue on the Organisational Structure of the Church .......... 4
Jewish Customs in the Early Church ............................................................................ 5
Hebraic Names for the Early Church ............................................................................ 6
Judaism and Christianity ............................................................................................... 6
IS CHRISTIANITY A ―JEWISH‖ RELIGION? .................................................................... 7
DOES PAUL WARN US FROM DEPARTING FROM OUR HEBRAIC ROOTS? ............ 8
WHAT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS ―JEWISHNESS‖ IN THE CHURCH?......... 9

CHAPTER 2 .................................................................................................................................................... 10

HOW DID WE MOVE AWAY FROM OUR JEWISH ROOTS TO THE GENTILE
CHURCH? ...................................................................................................................... 10
Exploring the formative and definitive developments .................................................. 10
The canonical framework ............................................................................................ 10
How and why the shift occurred .................................................................................. 11
A. The Socio-Political Environment ............................................................................. 11
The existence of the Roman Empire........................................................................... 11
Presence of Jewish communities within the Diaspora ................................................ 11
The existence of sympathisers of Judaism ................................................................. 11
B. Roman Imperial Policy ........................................................................................... 11
C. Community Experience .......................................................................................... 12
Absence of Y‘shua ...................................................................................................... 12
Failure to persuade other Jews of Y‘shua as Messiah ................................................ 12
Responses to the revolts ............................................................................................ 13
The expectations placed on pagan converts .............................................................. 13
Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 13

CHAPTER 3 .................................................................................................................................................... 14

WHAT MAINSTREAM GROUPS ARE THERE IN CHRISTIANITY?.............................. 14
YHWH‘S GRAND STRATEGY: GOING BACK TO OUR JEWISH ROOTS IN THREE
STAGES ......................................................................................................................... 14
Protestantism: The First Reformation ......................................................................... 14
Pentecostalism: The Second Reformation .................................................................. 14
Messianic Renewed Judaism: The Third Reformation ................................................ 14
REVIVING THE ROOTS TODAY? ................................................................................. 15
WHY THE NEED TO GO BACK TO THE BASICS? ...................................................... 15
ARE THE JEWISH ROOTS OUR UNIFYING POINT? ................................................... 15
WHAT ARE THE THREE MOST CRUCIAL QUESTIONS FACING CHRISTIANS
TODAY? ......................................................................................................................... 16

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CHAPTER 4 .................................................................................................................................................... 17

WHY THE NEED TO USE EXTRA-BIBLICAL HEBREW MATERIALS TO IMPROVE
UNDERSTANDING? ...................................................................................................... 17
What additional resources are used in this study? ..................................................... 17
WHY DO WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE NEW TESTAMENT FROM A HEBREW
PERSPECTIVE? ............................................................................................................ 18

CHAPTER 5 .................................................................................................................................................... 20

WHAT IS THE TANACH AND WHY DO WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IT? ................. 20
IS THE TANACH OF HEBREW ORIGIN? ...................................................................... 21
IS THE NEW TESTAMENT A HEBREW BOOK? .......................................................... 21
WAS IT DIFFICULT TO LIVE UNDER THE TORAH (LAW) DURING THE TIME OF THE
OLD TESTAMENT? ....................................................................................................... 22
THE 248 POSITIVE MITZVOT (COMMANDMENTS) .................................................... 22
THE 365 NEGATIVE MITZVOT (COMMANDMENTS) ................................................... 27
DID Y‘SHUA LIVE UNDER THE LAW AND DID HE HAVE TO COMPLY WITH IT? ..... 34
Y‘shua and Halacha .................................................................................................... 34
The Schools of Shammai and Hillel ............................................................................ 35
Did Y‘shua condemn the Pharisees? .......................................................................... 36
Challenging Passages ................................................................................................ 37
Y‘SHUA AND TRADITION ............................................................................................. 38
WHOSE AUTHORITY ARE WE UNDER? ..................................................................... 39
SO WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF MESSIANIC JUDAISM? ............................................... 39
LAW OR NO LAW? ........................................................................................................ 40
The Need for Laws ..................................................................................................... 40
The Purpose of Law .................................................................................................... 40
YHWH's Law Defines Sin ........................................................................................... 40
The Limitations of the Law .......................................................................................... 41
The Law an Instrument of Judgment .......................................................................... 41
Summary .................................................................................................................... 42

CHAPTER 6 .................................................................................................................................................... 43

WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT RULES OF INTERPRETATION? ................................. 43
Proper Interpretation of Biblical Texts ......................................................................... 43
The rules of 'Pardes' interpretation ............................................................................. 43
P'shat (pronounced 'peh-shaht' - meaning "simple") .................................................. 43
Remez (pronounced 'reh-mez' - meaning "hint") ........................................................ 44
D‘rash (pronounced 'deh-rahsh' also called "Midrash"- meaning 'teaching‘) ............... 44
Sod (pronounced sawd or sood (like "wood") - meaning "hidden") ............................. 44
Examples of Pardes from Matthew ............................................................................. 44
WHAT ARE HEBREW IDIOMS? .................................................................................... 45
WHAT ARE MISTRANSLATIONS AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS? .............................. 45

CHAPTER 7 .................................................................................................................................................... 47

WHY UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT OF BIBLICAL PASSAGES? .............................. 47
WHAT IS MEANT BY "CONTEXT"? .............................................................................. 47
Religious/Cultural Context .......................................................................................... 47
"RENEWING" YOUR MINDSET..................................................................................... 47
WHAT IS AN EXEGESIS? ............................................................................................. 48
WHAT ARE HERMENEUTICS? ..................................................................................... 48
WHY DO I USE HEBREW WORDS? ............................................................................. 48
WILL THE REAL Y‘SHUA PLEASE STAND UP ............................................................ 49
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The Jewishness of Y‘shua .......................................................................................... 49
The Son of YHWH ...................................................................................................... 50
Y‘shua HaYehudi (Y‘shua the Jew) ............................................................................ 50

CHAPTER 8 .................................................................................................................................................... 52

WHY THE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE HEBREW DAY, WEEK AND CALENDAR? 52
Why the Need for a Calendar? ................................................................................... 52
The Gregorian Calendar ............................................................................................. 52
The ―Sacred‖ Calendar ............................................................................................... 53
What is a Hebrew day and when does it start? ........................................................... 53
What is a Hebrew month and when does it start? ...................................................... 54
What is a Hebrew year and when does it start? ......................................................... 56
What is a Hebrew week and when does it start? ........................................................ 57
What and when is the Sabbath? ................................................................................. 58
What and when is YHWH's Sabbath Day? ................................................................. 59
What is YHWH‘s appointed time? ............................................................................... 60
Are the Sun, Moon and Stars for us as Signs, and for Seasons, Days and Years? ... 60
What and when is a Hebrew Year of Jubilee? ............................................................ 62
YHWH's Sabbatical - His Cycle of Sevens ................................................................. 62
The Sabbath Day (Shabbat): ...................................................................................... 62
The Sabbatical Year (Shmitta): ................................................................................... 62
The Year of Jubilee (Yovel) ........................................................................................ 63
"The Land Is Mine" ..................................................................................................... 64
"Do Not Sow, and Do Not Reap" ................................................................................ 64
"They Must Not Be Sold As Slaves" ........................................................................... 65
He Is Our Jubilee ........................................................................................................ 65
Summary .................................................................................................................... 66

CHAPTER 9 .................................................................................................................................................... 67

INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL AS SEEN BY MATTHEW ..................................... 67
WHO WROTE MATTHEW? ........................................................................................... 67
WHEN WAS MATTHEW WRITTEN? ............................................................................. 67
WHERE WAS MATTHEW WRITTEN? .......................................................................... 68
WHY WAS MATTHEW WRITTEN? ............................................................................... 69
WHO WAS MATTHEW? ................................................................................................ 69
WAS MATTHEW WRITTEN MORE UPON A JEWISH VIEW OF MATTERS? .............. 69
IS MATTHEW A JEWISH GOSPEL? ............................................................................. 69
TO WHOM ARE THE VARIOUS GOSPELS AIMED? .................................................... 70
DO CHRISTIANS MISINTERPRET MATTHEW'S GOSPEL AND JUDAISM? ............... 70
WHAT ARE THE PRO-JEWISH FEATURES OF MATTHEW'S GOSPEL? ................... 70
FOUR PORTRAITS BUT ONE Y‘SHUA ......................................................................... 72
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 72

CHAPTER 10 .................................................................................................................................................. 73

MATTHEW'S BIOGRAPHY OF Y‘SHUA - TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................... 73

CHAPTER 11 .................................................................................................................................................. 76

A 21ST CENTURY EXEGESIS ON THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES OF THE BOOK OF
MATTHEW ..................................................................................................................... 76

SECTION I INTRODUCTION TO MESSIAH MATTHEW 1:1 – 25 ................................................................. 76
1:1 Titles & Names ..................................................................................................... 77
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1:1-16 Genealogy ....................................................................................................... 78
1:17 The Generation and the deeper meaning ........................................................... 83
1:18 Yoseph & Miriam‘s relationship ........................................................................... 84
1:21 You shall call His name "Jesus" .......................................................................... 84
Why is this Name so powerful—was Y‘shua there from the beginning or only from his
birth? ........................................................................................................................... 86
What is Y‘shua's Objective? ....................................................................................... 86
Who is Y‘shua? ........................................................................................................... 86
How come His name is never mentioned in the Tanach (Old Covenant)? .................. 86
1:22 Spoken of the Lord ............................................................................................. 88
1:23 A virgin shall be with child ................................................................................... 89
Understand the Biblical Root ...................................................................................... 89
YHWH has many names ............................................................................................ 90
Birth of Yochanan (John) foretold ............................................................................... 90
Birth of Y‘shua foretold (we continue to read from Luke chapter 1) ............................ 93
Miriam visits Elisheva (Elizabeth) (we continue to read from Luke chapter 1) ............ 95
The song of Miriam (we continue to read from Luke chapter 1) .................................. 96
Birth of Yochanan (John) (we continue to read from Luke chapter 1) ......................... 96
History of circumcision ................................................................................................ 97
Baby Naming: ............................................................................................................. 99
Birth of Y‘shua HaMashiach (Y‘shua the Messiah) (we read again from Matthew
chapter 1) ................................................................................................................. 101
The visitations (we continue to read from Luke chapter 2): ...................................... 103
John the Baptist, Chanukkah, Pesach, and Succoth ................................................ 105
Biblical traditions on the Feast of Tabernacles and why Y‘shua said certain things later
in his life on these days ............................................................................................ 108
Brit-milah (circumcision) of Y‘shua – the first of the Jewish Lifecycle customs (we
continue to read from Luke chapter 2) ...................................................................... 109
Yoseph and Miriam were observant Jews ................................................................ 118
When they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to
Nazareth ................................................................................................................... 118
How could Y‘shua be Son of Yoseph and Son of YHWH? ....................................... 118
Clearing the issue of Y‘shua‘s Diety in the Genealogies of Y‘shua in Matthew and
Luke .......................................................................................................................... 120
Was Miriam a Cohen (Priestly lineage)? ................................................................... 121
How old was Miriam at the time she was pregnant? ................................................. 122
Childbearing in the Days of the Bible ........................................................................ 123

SECTION I INTRODUCTION TO MESSIAH MATTHEW 2:1-23.................................................................. 125

2:1 Why Bethlehem and not Jerusalem? .................................................................. 126
Y‘shua was born in Beit-Lechem, called the ―Place of Bread‖ .................................. 127
Who was Herod? ...................................................................................................... 129
Who were the Magi? ................................................................................................. 129
Magi from the east .................................................................................................... 129
2:2-4 A Star out of Jacob .......................................................................................... 130
Why gazing at the stars during Succoth (The Feast of Tabernacles)? ..................... 131
The Season of Our Joy ............................................................................................. 132
The Story of the Star in the East ............................................................................... 132
The Historical Perspective ........................................................................................ 133
The Death of Herod .................................................................................................. 133
The Astronomical Perspective .................................................................................. 134
2:4 Priests, Scribes, Pharisees and Saducees ......................................................... 137
The spiritual leadership of YHWH's people in the past ............................................. 137
What were main factions among the religious authority during Y‘shua‘s time? ........ 138
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The ―Chief Priests‖ and ―Prophets‖ in the Bible ........................................................ 138
The Lawyers and Judges: ―Scribes‖ in the Bible ....................................................... 139
Were the Pharisees "Legalistic"? .............................................................................. 140
Now what is a rabbi? ................................................................................................ 140
2:5-6 The voice of the prophet .................................................................................. 140
2:7-10 Herod calls for the ―court astrologers‖ and sends them to Bethlehem ........... 141
2:11 Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.......................................................................... 141
2:12-14 Flight in the Night ......................................................................................... 141
2:15 Out of Egypt I have called my son .................................................................... 141
2:16 Herod slew all the children ................................................................................ 142
2:17-18 "A voice was heard in Ramah..." ................................................................. 142
2:19-21 The return to the Promised Land ................................................................. 142
2:22-23 "... that He should be called a Nazarene" .................................................... 143
The good-looking Y‘shua? ........................................................................................ 143
The Y‘shua that has no beauty that we should desire him ........................................ 144
Y‘shua‘s childhood and upbringing ........................................................................... 146
Y‘shua in the Temple ................................................................................................ 146
Y‘shua at Twelve – getting ready for his Bar Mitzvah – the third of the Jewish Lifecycle
customs .................................................................................................................... 148
Bar Mitzvah ritual ...................................................................................................... 148
Church, how do you avoid losing young people aged 15-20? .................................. 149
Overview: Why Lifecycle Rituals? ............................................................................. 150
Y‘shua's childhood .................................................................................................... 152
Hebrew schools from Biblical times till today ............................................................ 152

SECTION I INTRODUCTION TO MESSIAH MATTHEW 3:1-17.................................................................. 154

3:1 John the Baptist .................................................................................................. 154
The Fifteenth Year of Tiberius: Pilate, Herod, Philip, "Lysanius", Annas, and Caiaphas
.................................................................................................................................. 154
3:2-6 General overviews ........................................................................................... 155
3:2 Repent ................................................................................................................ 157
The Kingdom of Heaven ........................................................................................... 157
Is near or is at hand .................................................................................................. 157
3:3 Spoken of by the Prophet ................................................................................... 157
In the wilderness ....................................................................................................... 158
3:4 Yochanan's appearance ..................................................................................... 159
Yochanan‘s clothing and food – a sign of priestly lineage ........................................ 159
The thread of the ―tallit‖ through the Old Testament ................................................. 159
The ―tallit‖ penetrates the New Testament ................................................................ 161
Why was Y‘shua baptised specifically by Yochanan?............................................... 163
Yochanan‘s food ....................................................................................................... 163
3:5 They went out to him .......................................................................................... 164
3:6 They were baptised by him ................................................................................. 164
Confessing their sins ................................................................................................ 164
The Hebraic Roots of Baptism .................................................................................. 164
3:7-8 The Pharisees and Sadducees ........................................................................ 167
3:8-10 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance ............................................. 168
Sharing ..................................................................................................................... 169
3:11-12 Yochanan prepares the way ........................................................................ 169
3:13-16 Y‘shua‘s baptism ......................................................................................... 170
3:17 My beloved son – the fourth of the Jewish Lifecycle customs .......................... 170
My beloved Son ........................................................................................................ 171
Why was Yochanan the greatest? ............................................................................ 172
Yochanan denies being the Mashiach ...................................................................... 173
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