Jewish Christianity

Jewish Christianity is a tradition within Christendom that involves of the practices of adherents with Jewish roots and their proselytes that profess some Jewish tradition mixed in with Christianity.

Etymology of the Identity

The term “Jewish Christianity” is referred to the early apostles of Yahoshea who were of Hebrew root. The term was coined by modern scholars because there is no evidence of the use of “Jewish” before the 8th Century when the Kazar Jews occupied the Yahudean territory and claimed of Yahudean descendants.

It was through the occupation of Kazars that originated the term “Jews” to identify as the people of Yahuda. It is based on this occupation that the term “Judaism” came to existence. Prior to that age, the Hebrews do not pronounce “J” as alphabet but were known with “Y”. The use of “J” character in replacement of  “Y” in Yahudean texts was an act of Modern scholars that took root from the occupation of the Kazar Jews who were traditionally stemmed from Turkey. The modern scholars referred the early apostles as “Jewish Christians” as well as the citizens of the nation of Israel that later joined up with Christianity. The better term is the “Yahudean Yahosheans” which referred to people of Yahudea that followed Yahoshea.

Truly, since the physical exit of Yahoshea Meshiyach and his first hand disciples, the issue of his proper identification and his mission has been a matter of much debate and argument. People argue over his true name, mission, accounts and moreover that of his assembly.

The argument over the true identity of his established assembly runs through its identical name and the real people and percepts that associate the fold. These simple identification matters got mixed – up, became confusing or totally lost during ages of political and religious wrangling between the Hebrews and the assembly on one end supported by the occupation of Greek hellenism over it.

There are varieties of conflicting claims over the authentic name of the savior and of his fold amongst various religious communities that claim to represent him presently. The savour is addressed with different forms of names as Jesus Christ, Yeshua, Yashua Ha Messiah, Isa, Yahoshea Meshyiach etc.

Likewise his fold is identified with various conflicting names by various religious sects that claim to have inherited him. Such names include Christianity, Nazerenes, Notsrim, Messians, Messianics, Messianic Judaism, Christian Hebrews, Christian Jews etc.

In same manner, these different religious groups parades various distinct doctrines, customs and rites and all claiming to be in possession of his scepter.

Our questions are, which is his real name? Which is the real identical name of  his assembly and which of the sects parade the true set of doctrines as approved by Yahoshea Meshiyach?

Any sect that is with his true name will bear the true identity because his followers are named after him.

As religion is matter of extremism, each stock hold firm to its conviction and such calls for proper investigation through scriptural views and known history of the sect.

Equally, there are some passive believers who are not worried over his real identical name or that of his Assembly. To this group, he can be called any name and what matters is to follow him.

This confusion took position from the first four hundred years of the religious community that was founded by Yahoshea Meshyach. The mentioned moment can rightly be termed as the formative age of the ministry.

The ministry of Yahoshea Meshyach is entirely uncompromising religion to pagan altitudes. For this reason, it had to contest with the assembly of Hebrews in the tribe of Yahuda which is presently identified as Judaism over some doctrinal differences. The differences aggravated to high-rated competition over control of rights of sacred wisdom bequeathed to the Hebrew nation from their forebear-Abraham.

However, Hebrew authority under Roman colonialism romanced with the Roman authority to persecute the saviours fold. This ugly romance led to execution of Yahoshea Meshyach  and his immediate disciples.

Assembly After The Founder's Exit

After the death of Yahoshea Meshyach as accounted, the disciples carried out intensive mobilization or evangelism of the good news of Yahoshea in the Hebrew territory as well as other Roman controlled areas. The acts of these disciples attracted converts of Pagans into the fold as put by Elaine Pagels as thus- “As the saviour's fold emerged within the Roman Empire, it challenged pagan converts, too, to change their attitudes and behaviour. Many pagans who have been brought up to regard marriage essentially as a social and economic arrangement, homosexual relationships as an expected element of male education, prostitution, both male and female, as both ordinary and legal and divorce, abortion, contraception and exposure (to death)   of unwanted infants as matters of practical expedience embraced, to the astonishment of their families, the saviour's message which opposed these practices”.

The conversion of Roman pagans into the fold inflexed the ministry of Yahoshea Meshyach with philosophical framed Greeks and Romans which posed a great threat to the ministry during second century A.D.

The religious conscience as put in place by Yahoshea Meshyach was challenged by the philosophies of Greece who joined the ministry and with passage of time became dominant above the Hebrew brethren and their principles.

Through this unfortunate development, the doctrines and dogmas that were laid down by Yahoshea as the founder of the sect were replaced by Greek and Roman Pagan traditions and customs. This development brought into the assembly among others the abominable heresies and terminologies that took over from the simple scriptural teachings of the fold. This ushered in the era of confusion of true identification and mission of the fold.

These intra- conflicts ensued in the fold till entrance of the state authority who mixed up the religious community along with others that do active business to form what is presently known as Roman Catholic Church.

Advent of the state religion brought acute seduction or marriage of pure doctrines of Yahoshea and those of Pagan Roman. Historian Will Durant put it in this form, “The church took over some religious customs as forms common in pre-Yahoshea's era – the stool and other vestments of Pagan priests, the  burning of candles and everlasting light before the alter, the worship of the saints, the architecture of the Basilica, the law of Rome as basis for canon law, the title of  Pontifex Maximus for the Supreme Pontiff, and in the fourth century, the Latin language… soon the Bishops, rather than the Roman prefects, would be the source of order and the seal of power in the cities, the metropolitans, or Archbishops would support, if not supplant, the provincial governors, and the synods of bishops would succeed the provincial assembly. The Roman Church followed in the footsteps of the Roman state”.

As the Church of Rome took over the religious rights of Yahoshea's fold, it effected changes that include his personal name, the identity of his fold and the doctrines or mission of his manifestation.

By these deadly changes, the only and original name of the savior Yahoshea Meshyach became changed to Izeus Soter and later to Jesus Christ of this age. By this unfoldment,  the identical name of his assembly changed from Yahosheanism  to Christianity.

Emergent Of The Group

Under the identity “Christianity”, the church pacified its intension of rooting out all Hebrew consciousness in the new formulated fold. By 4th century, Constantine the Great through edict consolidated the transfer of the culture of Sabbath rest or worship of the Yahosheanism faith to Sunday worship of Sun God followers.

Edict

The edict of Constantine over Sabbath rest was followed up by succeeding Emperors and Popes who decreed against observation of Sabbath rest by the church or its faithful.

By 5th century Ad, laws against Sabbath keepers were promulgated and too many sincere seekers or followers of Yahoshea who violated the orders of Roman Catholic Church were either imprisoned or killed. This marked the darkest era in which all changes of truth with regards to Yahoshea's life and ministry were carried out and way of truth being closed. The church became entirely Roman business and Hebrews were forced to withdraw interest or be coerced into worship of Pagan traditions of Rome as Christians.

Equally, as Christianity usurped   the religious rights and position of Yahosheanism, there was no congregational structure for faithful that intend to follow the real path laid by Yahoshea Meshyach. Many Hebrews who were keenly interested in following of the Yahoshean percepts reluctantly became  converted into Christianity and were identified as “Christian Hebrews” or “Jewish Christians”. As the church persecuted the Hebrews, they returned the persecution to their brothers (Jewish Christians) and their citizenship were at stake since Hebrew nation viewed a Hebrew from the angle of  the Hebrew religion.

Hebrew religion shared many things in common with Yahosheanism but there were areas of difference which were spotted by Yahoshea Meshyach during his ministration.       

        Many Hebrew citizens worked along with Greek brethren during the later days of the immediate disciples of Yahoshea or early after their exit. Such people include Euodius who was appointed by apostle peter as the overseer  of Antioch in 53 AD. His appointment took place in the time of Claudius Caesar and he retained his post till his martyrdom in 68 AD.

Likewise, Evaristus was a Hebrew citizen who was appointed as the overseer of Rome in AD 100. He was equally murdered as a martyr.

Another Hebrew national that was prominent amongst Greek dominance over the Yahoshean brethren was Hegesippus who was regarded as one of the first church historians. He quoted largely from the goodnews scripts to the Hebrews as the final authority on the life and teachings of Yahoshea.

In the records that bore of him, he witnessed that some of the books of Apocrypha were forged during his lifetime.

When the church has consolidated itself with full swing of pagan Roman doctrines, many Hebrew citizens who were later referred as Jews squeezed themselves into the sect and made it their basic religious conviction. Some of them rose to high ranks and profile in the church and became veritable allies or weapons for evangelism to the Hebrews by the church. Some were fanatic extremists that made them to be regarded as Hebrew Apostates.

Judaist Apostates

One of such Hebrews was Halevi Solomon, who was renamed Pablo De Santa Maria in 14th century AD. As an ardent Christian, he was promoted to serve as the Archbishop of Burgos and is known today as Paul De Burgos.

Church record bear that Halevi (Abnor) did everything in his power to combat Rabbinic Judaism which he claimed prevented the Hebrew people from hearing or accepting the gospel of the church. He became known amongst Hebrew circle as the most virulent representative of anti-Judaism. He initiated an intensified persecution of Hebrews in Spain during the 14th and 15th centuries by formulation of complete theory which claims the necessity and justification of such persecution.

He advised the Roman authority to abolish the Hebrew's autonomy, arguing that messiah could not come to the Hebrews until the Hebrews possess no authority, not even such petty power as is exercised over them by their Rabbis and communal warders who hold vain promises to them in order to keep them under constant control.

The Hebrew citizens that were referred to as Jews in Christianity progressed in population. in 19th Century, many of them began to be uncomforted by many doctrines of the Churches that are rooted in Greece and Roman and began to make U-turn towards search for Hebrew roots and tradition. These group began to formulate different groups of Messianic Judaism or Hebrew root movements.

Conclusion

Jewish Christians were people of Hebrew descent that eventually took to Christian faith as when the station and way of Yahoshean assemble at Yahuda became closed.

As they made Christianity their belief, they were faced by suspicioun by their Hebrew kinsmen as well as the Christian group. Though their state tarried for centuries but they were never comfortable because they could not openly claim a Hebrew before their kingsmen.

Truly, Jewish Christianity was never a way of maintainance of restoration of the way of Yahoshea. It was all about Christendom and its bundle of Roman traditions.