Jewish Bible?

Submitted by Anne Julienne (Australia), Dec 7, 2020 at 13:20

I beg to differ on the notion that the Jewish Bible consists of the Old and New Testaments. These are Christian names. The Jewish identity developed precisely in response to the rise of Christianity. The Jews were those who denied that Jesus was the Messiah. This is what set them apart, with or without the claim of deicide.

There is a Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, written almost entirely in Biblical Hebrew.

The New Testament was written in Greek. Admittedly, mostly by Hebrew authors, but all converts to Christianity. The Jews were the ones who refused to convert.

I just don't think it's helpful to Christianise the Jews like you've done. It's as if you're embracing them for something they are not.

Jews need to be loved for what they are, not for what any of us would like to imagine them to be.

I do, however, agree with your conclusion, that Jews are the beginning and ending of something human and related to gifts like conscientiousness. Though faith might be their greatest gift.

We are all Jews, in the sense that we need to be loved for what we are, not for what others might like to imagine us to be. It is also helpful not to be hated for strange sins imagined, mostly conjured up by envy (as you say) and fear.

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