The crucified rabbi : Judaism and the origins of Catholic Christianity

171 Pages·2009·0.96 MB·English

by  Marshall

T C R
HE RUCIFIED ABBI
J O
UDAISM AND THE RIGINS
C C
OF ATHOLIC HRISTIANITY

T M
AYLOR ARSHALL

O C C T
RIGINS OF ATHOLIC HRISTIANITY RILOGY
V O
OLUME NE

S J P
AINT OHN RESS
MMIX

Copyright © 2009 Taylor Reed Marshall

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the permission in
writing from the publisher or author.

Please visit The Crucified Rabbi on the web at:

www.crucifiedrabbi.com
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ךיחאמ ךברקמ איבנ
הוהי ךל םיקי ינמכ
וילא ךיהלא ׃ןועמשת

- Deuteronomy 18:15

εἰ γὰρ ἐπιστεύετε Μωϋσεῖ, ἐπιστεύετε ἂν ἐμοί περὶ γὰρ ἐμοῦ ἐκεῖνος ἔγραψεν. εἰ δὲ τοῖς
ἐκείνου γράμμασιν οὐ πιστεύετε, πῶς τοῖς ἐμοῖς ῥήμασιν πιστεύσετε;

- John 5:46-47

Notus in Judæa Deus : in Israël magnum nomen eius.

- Psalm 75:1-2 Vulgata

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C
ONTENTS

How I Discovered the Jewish Origins of Catholicism
Introduction
1. Jewish Messiah, Catholic Christ
2. Jewish Kingdom, Catholic Church
3. Jewish Tevilah, Catholic Baptism
4. Jewish Passover, Catholic Mass
5. Jewish Kohenim, Catholic Priests
6. Jewish Vestments, Catholic Vestments
7. Jewish Temple, Catholic Cathedral
8. Jewish Synagogue, Catholic Parish
9. Jewish Nazirites, Catholic Monastics
10. Jewish Marriage, Catholic Marriage
11. Jewish Holy Days, Catholic Holy Days
12. Jewish Tzaddikim, Catholic Saints
13. Jewish Afterlife, Catholic Afterlife
Epilogue: Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
Appendix: Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus Christ
Bibliography

About Taylor Marshall, Ph.D.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book began as a collection of notes for a series of public lectures that I delivered at the
Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C. during the Spring of 2007. I am grateful to
the Rev. Msgr. William Stetson who encouraged me to organize these notes into the book
that you now have before you. I would also like to thank Kevin Jones at the Catholic
Information Center for his feedback.
I don’t know how to begin thanking Jeffrey Morrow, Ph.D. Jeffrey is a Jewish convert
to Catholicism and is one of the most gifted young theologians of our day. He read the
manuscript and provided comments of incalculable worth—everything from theological
observations to specifics regarding Hebrew grammar and vocabulary. Thank you Jeff. I am
also grateful to Dwight Lindley who edited the manuscript. Special thanks are do to Albert
Doskey for his edits and suggestions regarding the distinctions between Pre-Pentecostal
Judaism and Post-Pentecostal Judaism, which are now found in the fourth printing of this
book. Charles Page gave the manuscript an extra polish by correcting mistakes found in the
first printing.
My thanks are also due to Bishop Kevin Vann to whom this book is dedicated, to
William Cardinal Baum, Archbishop John Myers, and Bishop Kevin Farrell for their
support and encouragement, to Rabbi Jacob Neusner for his earnest engagement with
Christianity, to Mark Drogin, David Moss, Roy Schoeman for their perspective as Hebrew
Catholics, to Douglas Greene and Michael Kelly at Westminster Theological Seminary for
teaching me Hebrew, to Peter Enns, Peter Leithart, and James B. Jordan for opening my
eyes to the Old Testament, to N.T. Wright, Scott Hahn, James Dunn, Michael Barber,
Mary Moorman, Matthew Levering, Mike Aquilina, Brant Pitre and Pope Benedict
XVI for their theological insights, to Thomas Howard, Marcus Grodi, Jim Anderson,
Robert Barham, Robert Dunikoski, Dave Armstrong, Bill Soltesz, Christopher Malloy,
Doug Pearson, Klemens Raab, Dave Palmer, Neal Judisch, Bryan Cross, Tim Troutman,
Sean Dollahon, Tom Brown, Matt Yonke, Tom Riello, Andrew Preslar, John Kincaid,
and Jonathan Deane for their friendship and encouragement along the way, and to David
Mills and Raymond Arroyo for introducing me to the realm of publishing. I would like to
thank the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal for their prayers. My gratitude is also due to
my loving and supportive parents William and Jennifer.
Most of all, I thank my wife Joy who is for me the virtuous and noble wife of the
Hebrew Scriptures:

Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all (Prov 31:29).

Her influence and advice are present on every page of this book.
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With profound humility, I present this book to our Lord Jesus Christ and pray that
every bit of chaff be disregarded and that anything of worth be attributed to His divine mercy.
xi

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T J O C
HE EWISH RIGINS OF ATHOLICISM

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H I D
OW ISCOVERED
J O C
THE EWISH RIGINS OF ATHOLICISM

A priest and a rabbi walked into a hospital…
This is not the beginning of a joke, but the beginning of my journey to the Catholic Faith.
I discovered the Jewish origins of Catholicism while I was still a Protestant clergyman, an
Episcopalian priest to be exact. God quickened the process of my conversion to the Catholic
Faith with an insight that I gained from a Jewish rabbi. Without his knowing it, this rabbi
opened my eyes to a connection between biblical Judaism and Catholicism. As I pursued the
matter, I began to see that Jesus Christ fulfilled the Old Testament by instituting the Holy
Catholic Church. As a minister in the tradition stemming from King Henry VIII’s break from
the Catholic Church (the Church of England), I realized that I had no other choice—I
renounced my ministry and sought reception into the Catholic Church.
This journey began one morning as I sat at my desk in a black suit and white clerical
collar. I had been ordained as an Episcopalian priest only a few weeks. The pastor of the
parish came into my office with a smile on his face. “Taylor, someone has requested a
hospital visit.”
This was my first official hospital visit as a clergyman. The pastor continued, “Now
when you get to the hospital, be sure to introduce yourself at the administration office. Tell
them that you are a new minister and that you need clerical tags for your car so that you can
park in the ‘reserved for clergy’ parking spaces. This will save you time and you won’t have
to pay for parking.”
“Great. I’m on my way.”
“One more thing. Always wash your hands before going into a hospital room, and be
sure to also wash your hands when you leave the hospital. Make sure that you always wash.
Washing protects you and it protects the patients.”
“Got it. Anything else?”
“Oh, and when you talk to people in their hospital beds, always be sure to stand at their
feet so that they can see your face and hear your voice. Don’t make the mistake of sitting
next to the person’s head, otherwise the poor soul must stretch his aching body to look you in
the eye.”
“Get parking tags. Wash my hands. Stand at the end of the bed. I’ll be sure to do that.
Anything else?”
“Make sure you bring a prayer book. Sometimes a medical situation can become tense
and you may not know how to pray. It’s good to have a few standard prayers to which you
can turn in a time of confusion.”
“Alright. I’ve got it. Let me get my stole and I’ll be on my way.”
“You’ll do fine. I’ll say a prayer for you,” said the pastor. “Do you have any questions?”
“Just one,” I replied.
“What’s that?”
“Who am I going to see?”
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The pastor told me the name of a woman who would be receiving a surgery at 1:00 pm. I
wrote down her name, and then grabbed my prayer book, stole, and holy oil.
When I arrived at the hospital I obtained my “clergy parking” tags, washed my hands,
and went upstairs to surgery. The waiting room was packed with people waiting for their
loved ones to return from surgery. I went to the desk, smiled at the receptionist, and said,
“My name is Father Taylor Marshall and I’m here to see someone before she enters surgery.”
I reported the woman’s name.
Her fingernails stopped clicking on the keyboard. “Great. You can just go on back there
and see her.”
I turned around and saw two swinging medical doors at the end of the waiting room.
“Through there?”
“Yes, Father. Just go on in. She is already with the anesthesiologist.”
It was clear that she believed that I had done this before, but it was my first time. As I
came to the doors, I pushed the button and the automatic doors swung open. I walked
forward and they closed behind me. Everyone beyond those doors seemed to be scrubbed
and masked. I was amazed that no one stopped me. I expected someone to say, “What are
you doing here?” or “How did you get back here?” The white collar around my neck opened
door after door as I navigated my way toward the room where patients prepared for surgery.
Finally, I came into a large room with eight beds. A nurse smiled at me.
“Pardon me. Can I help you?”
I reported the woman’s name and asked if I could pray with her.
“She’s over there in Bed Number One.” She pointed to the bed. “The anesthesiologist
has already been here. She’s probably already asleep.”
“That’s okay,” I said. “I’d still like to pray for her.”
The nurse had no problems with this and left me alone in the room.
I walked over to Bed Number One and saw a woman already fast asleep in her hospital
gown. I opened my copy of the Book of Common Prayer where a gold ribbon marked the
section entitled, The Order for the Visitation of the Sick. I then gently laid my right hand on
the arm of the sleeping woman.
Her eyes flung open with an expression of fright. “Who are you!” The anesthesia had
not yet begun its work.
I was as startled as she. I pulled my hand away from her arm. “Excuse me. My name is
Father Taylor. I’m here to pray with you before you go into surgery.”
She took one look at my clerical collar and said, “But I’m Jewish!”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have the wrong bed. I was looking for someone named Joanna.”
“That’s me. I am Joanna.” She obviously had no idea why a Christian minister stood
over her bed with a prayer book in his hand.
I paused and thought to myself: Is this some sort of joke that older priests play on new
priests? The pastor sends me off on my first hospital call with all sorts of sound advice, but
neglects to tell me that the lady is Jewish! I collected myself.
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“Wait, I recognize you,” the lady said. “I was at St. Andrew’s with my husband a few
weeks ago.” She yawned. “You preached a sermon on the creation of Adam from the dirt—
how people are supposed to have humility because we come from the earthly humus of the
ground. I liked that.”
I remembered the sermon. I had compared Adam’s creation from the earth to Christ’s
resurrection from his earthen tomb. I knew why she found the portion about Adam
particularly interesting, and not necessarily the part about Christ. Nevertheless, my
confidence returned with the compliment.
“Well, would you like me to pray for you before you go into surgery?” I asked.
“Oh, I would love that. Thank you so much.”
I placed my right hand once again on her arm and began with a petition from the Book
of Common Prayer:
O GOD of heavenly powers, who, by the might of thy command, drivest away from
men’s bodies all sickness and all infirmity. Be present in thy goodness with this thy
servant, that her weakness may be banished and her strength recalled; that her health
being thereupon restored, she may bless…
The prayer ended with, “thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” Secretly in
my heart, I prayed that last line, but I didn’t know whether it would be appropriate to invoke
the name of Christ given the circumstances. Thinking fast, I continued instead with the
words:
…that she may bless the holy Name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Amen.
She responded with a heartfelt “Amen,” likely amazed that this young priest had brought with
him a prayer book containing Jewish prayers recalling the memory of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob. I shared some words of comfort, but already her eyes were growing heavy with sleep.
I left the room by the way I entered.
As I came back into the waiting room, I saw a bearded rabbi enter the reception area. So
the priest (me) walked up to the rabbi (him) and said, “Are you here to see Joanna?”
The rabbi answered, “Yes. As a matter of fact I am.”
“Go through those doors and follow the hallway to the left. Bed Number One. She’s
already asleep.”
Looking into the perplexed eyes of the rabbi, I could see what he was thinking: “Why
does this priest know all of this about Joanna?” He thanked me and disappeared behind the
automated doors with a push of a button. He had obviously done this before.
Just after that, I recognized someone in the waiting room. It was Mr. Smith from St.
Andrew’s. Now I understood why I had been called upon to pray with a Jewish woman—she
was married to an Episcopalian. Up until now, I had not known that his wife was Jewish. He
was nervous about her surgery and we talked for a while until the rabbi returned to the
waiting room. Mr. Smith formally introduced me to the rabbi, and we shared an interesting
conversation about how some Jews bend their knees and raise up on their toes when they
pray.
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