Thoughts on Christianity and Perhaps Judaism and Perhaps Vice Versa

The following thoughts and comments that I will make should not be misunderstood because I do not subscribe to the ideology of “sola scriptura.” However, I do agree that the Bible is the word of God, but Christianity is not based on what the Scriptures say alone because it is simply based on following Jesus Christ and believing in him. A question one might ask with relevance to this is what came first the Scriptures or the Church? The answer is, of course, the Church. If anything we can be certain about with regards to Jesus is that John 1:1-4 tells us:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men (ESV Bible)."

For some reason most Christians I have met today in the Evangelical type Church have read the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament or Tanakh), and also the New Testament and they have also studied them. However, most Jews that I have met today have never read the New Testament which is understandable, but they have also never read the Old Testament either and studied it. I do understand that most emphasis is on Talmudic studies, and the Torah portion. However, why not study the entire canon of the Tanakh. And, I do suggest studying the New Testament, I am certain that studying it is not a waste of time because the writers of the New Testament were Jews, and studying it does give insight and opens the window to ideas Jews had 2000 years ago and so on. Moreover, it is looking at Judaism in a much older cultural context, one might say. Of course, this is simply my thoughts and I am not sure if many Rabbi’s would agree to this idea; however, I think that if your Faith is solid than I don’t think reading ideas from other worldviews is going to change my thinking much, although it can perhaps enhance my thought process.

I posted something on my Facebook status recently in which I was saying that I just laugh at how people that are not theologians seem to think that they are experts at understanding theology and Scriptures. For some weird reason, they seem to only rely on expert opinions for other matters, except religion. Perhaps when they have a math question they go to a lawyer, and when they have a pharmaceutical question they go to an architect, I wonder? If you want to make an attempt at understanding Scriptures and theology why don’t they simply actually go to an institution of higher learning and do so, but please don’t try to tell me or misguide others about something you think you understand or claim that the Holy Spirit gave you revelation on the matter because the guy with the opposing view also thinks that the Holy Spirit revealed his personal exposition or interpretation to him. I don’t really have an issue with studying, but I do have an issue with not studying and making an attempt understand or making statements as if one understood.

Recently, I heard someone say that the Bible is the word of God, but not necessarily the words of God. The foregoing thought is by no means heretical; however, overly interpreting Scriptures puts them into the context of the interpreter, and by no means in the hearing context of the listener. Why is the previous idea true? Because the listener of a lectionary reading hears what God says to them individually perhaps, and when you use excessive exposition you change and alter the image that God intended for the listener to view in their minds. Finally, what I am saying is that theology is not Scriptures alone. Well, I don’t want to sound like I am rambling on, but then again these are just some simple thoughts I have on Christianity and perhaps Judaism and perhaps vice versa, but it does not make them your thoughts. I am done with this, blessings!

References:

ESV Bible