Among topics most thoroughly discussed in scholarly Christian circles, the “Holy Trinity” is one of the leaders of the pack. From the times of the councils appointed by Constantine, the first Christian Caesar, in the early fourth century in the city of Nicaea (Iznik, in modern Turkey), the debate over the legitimacy of this “Holy Trinity” hasn’t been silenced even for a moment as the doctrine has been defined, transfigured and transformed over and over again throughout the generations. Today we have also achieved a certain maturity that allows us to open the subject for discussion, even if the discussion is conducted among us with the same militancy that characterized the darker periods of the cellars of the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition. The truth is that we could say the Shehechiyanu for the willingness to discuss the subject and give our brothers in the faith an opportunity to share from their hearts...

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Every person has a variety of identities, particularly their personal and national identities. Neither of the two offers a lot of room for maneuvering, despite the fact that since the Enlightenment in Europe and the Declaration of Independence in the United States, there is a strong feeling in the West that identity is a private issue, open to free choice any time of the day or night. In fact, a person’s identity is primarily determined by his national, cultural, ethnic, linguistic and faith affiliations. Most of these affiliations are attributed to a person, regardless of his personal preferences, before he ever draws his first breath...

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A dear friend of mine declared that since Yeshua had accomplished eternal atonement there was no need to fast and pray on Yom Kippur in order to obtain atonement. To tell you the truth i was rather flabbergast at his statement. First of all nobody in our congregation thinks that by fasting and praying on Yom Kippur he gains atonement. If we say that the Messiah has provided the atonement and obviated the need for the Day of Atonement, then by the same logic we may say that Christ is our passover sacrificed for us, so there is no need to celebrate Passover. ...

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Mel Gibson’s film, ‘The Passion of the Christ,” has again raised the question, “Who killed Jesus?” This topic always raises a concern in the Jewish community. Historically, every time that Christians ask, “Who killed Jesus?” there is a wave of hate and persecution against the Jewish community. Jews are fearful with good reason when Christians discuss who killed Jesus. However, I wish to bring up the issue from a different point of view to the question. ...

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In his classic Holocaust text, The Sunflower, Simon Wiesenthal recounts the following experience. As a concentration camp prisoner, the monotony of his work detail is suddenly broken when he is brought to the bedside of a dying Nazi. The German delineates the gruesome details of his career, describing how he participated in the murder and torture of hundreds of Jews. ...

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It should be noted that I am speaking of the orthodox camp and not of the ultra orthodox who have never recognized the state of Israel as a fulfillment of G-od’s prophetic promises to Israel. In the M.E. religion and politics have always been mixed and that is what makes our life so “interesting.” ...

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It is interesting that the first story in the Acts of the Apostles after the account of Pentecost is happening in the entrance to the Jerusalem Temple. It seems to me that this is not an accidental order that Luke was just retelling as he received from his sources. When one starts looking for the place of the Jerusalem Temple in the life of the early church, and specially as it has been accounted in the book of Acts it is immediately evident that the Temple in Jerusalem had a very important place at least in the mind of the writer of the Acts of the Apostles. Here is a list of the stories and passages that speak of the Temple in the Acts of the Apostles...

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A certain Rabbi in Nashville, Tennessee was very worried about one of the main families in the synagogue because they had stopped coming to the services, The children stopped coming to the community center and they were for months and months out of contact with the congregation and with the community. But, the rabbi did not know exactly how to deal with this separation from the community, and because this was a very influential family the Rabbi didn’t want to offend them. ...

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The first record of Jews in Sofia, Bulgaria, is from 811 A.D. Before that time the center of Jewish life, which has a continues existence in Bulgaria since the early days of the Roman Empire, was in the city of Viddin. Jews came to Sofia with the return of Krum, the victorious king, who brought to Sofia some 30,000 prisoners, among whom there were also many Jews from Asia Minor. To these Jews were added also Jews who ran away from the persecution in Hungary, and Austria. ...

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These questions were possed by two very good friends and Bible Scholars who have been rea/ding the commentary on the Book of Romans. I have seen this as an opportunity to put my answers on the Web Page so that others can get the benefit. ...

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“We are Jews by nature, and not sinners from among the Gentiles” (v. 15.) Galatians 2:15-21 is addressed to Jewish believers and speaks in a context of Jews who believe in Yeshua. The context is that of Messianic Jews. Paul reports on a confrontation between himself and Peter in Antioch when the Jewish believers began to withdraw from table fellowship (i.e. the Lord’s Supper) because of the influence of some strongly observant Messianic Jews from Jerusalem. Paul opens his address to Peter with these words:...

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It is Shabbat morning in Rome, or Corinth, or Antioch, or Alexandria, or Ephesus or any number of other cities or towns throughout the empire, and wherever there were enough Jews to constitute a community, they would be assembled for prayer and study in the synagogues. For Saul of Tarsus, or Paul the Apostle as he is better known, the synagogue was a natural forum for bringing the good news of Messiah Yeshua to the Jewish people scattered about the known world, as well as to the Gentiles. Saul was a Jew and a Roman citizen, born in the Diaspora and educated in Jerusalem...

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This article addresses one of the key elements concerning the nature of Scripture as a sacred text: how it is inspired. To state its rather simple, yet indubitably challenging, thesis right at the beginning: our claim is that the “doctrine of Inspiration” is dependent upon a prior theory of hermeneutics which regards “Holy Writ” as a holy - or wholly - written text, no more and no less. The inspiration of Scripture is further bound up with the interlinked ideas of authority and canon: what constitutes “Scripture” because it (whatever that “it” is) is recognized as authoritative for those who accept its jurisdiction. The issue at stake is precisely what the composure of this “it” is that at one and the same time and token is inspired, sacred, and authoritative. ...

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The word “Torah” has several meanings. It can as is well known represent the first five books of the Bible. Or in a more general way represent the whole of the Hebrew Scripture, including the prophets and the writings. For Rabbinic Jews it means all that the Rabbis ever taught. But Torah can also stand for the covenant that God made with the people of Israel after the Exodus. The terms of this covenant are recorded in the Pentateuch. Archaeologists have learned...

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The story of the Exodus from Egyptian slavery is the story of REDEMPTION and SALVATION. If you want to understand how G-od works the work of Salvation you must understand the Exodus story. The Feast of Passover is a feast given for Remembrance. I have come all the way from Jerusalem to help you remember what G-od has done and what G-od will do for you as people. ...

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This topic was given to me by the editor of 21st. Century Christian. As a Jew who believes in Yeshua the Messiah I can easily ask the questions that many Jews have asked about Christianity for many centuries. The questions that are asked by Jews who do not believe that Yeshua is the Messiah are valid, and we as His disciples ought to come up with some valid answers. The answers to these questions are not as important for the Jewish people as they are for us as Christians. ...

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Question 1 – Why is the term “Zionism” used for the first time in 1893, 111 years ago, and what is the significance of “Zionism” today?

The Jewish people have been in exile since the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. During these years of exile, Jews were scattered all around the world, even up the Amazon valley. Most of these years, Jews were persecuted, driven away from their cities and states by tyrants and kings, all over Europe, Russia, and even to South America. ...

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One would think that with all the different institutions of higher learning that exist within the framework of Evangelical Biblical Faith, we would not need a hybrid referred to by nature and by name as a messianic yeshiva.” However, the need for a messianic yeshiva arises intrinsically from two basic presuppositions: ...

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Netivyah has operated our Kol haYeshuah radio station for more than 10 years in Hebrew. After we started, some groups of Ultra-Orthodox extremists tried to stop our broadcasts three times by challenging the Minister of Information. They were not successful, however, because the radio waves are broadcast from outside of Israel’s borders. Kol haYeshuah reaches a very broad area. People can hear us even from the island of Santorini and from parts of Russia. We have some regular listeners who are Israeli Arab Christians living in Jordan who know Hebrew because they used to live in Israel. Now they live in a Muslim environment and have no fellowship except for our radio broadcasts. We have listeners in Nahariya who are encouraged by our broadcasts and one blind professor who became a believer through Kol haYeshuah. ...

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A certain Rabbi in Nashville, Tennessee was very worried about one of the main families in the synagogue because they had stopped coming to the services, The children stopped coming to the community center and they were for months and months out of contact with the congregation and with the community. But, the rabbi did not know exactly how to deal with this separation from the community, and because this was a very influential family the Rabbi didn’t want to offend them. ...

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The word “Halacha” comes from the Hebrew word, - “to walk.” It is a technical term used for the rules that govern Jewish religious life. The term “Halacha” is an ancient term that is already reflected in the New Testament especially in Paul’s letters. Paul uses the word, “walk” in some form in almost in every one of his letters. The word “walk” introduces practical instructions as to the way that the “Christian” should walk and conduct his life. Following will be a few examples of this point: ...

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