Sheik Palazzi and the Apostle Paul
Salaam Aleikum Sheik Palazzi,
Congratulations on your Frontpage magazine interview! I'm very happy for
you to receive such conservative coverage. It's great. That
being said, please permit me to correct a misunderstanding you
have of my Jewish Christian brother, Paul.
You wrote:
"When Paul of Tarsus converted to Christianity, he started
understanding Christianity in a very different way. There was no
need of circumcision anymore, no need of Temple services and no
need to observe the ritual commandments of Torah. The entire
Jewish tradition was considered to be a temporarily valid
religion, as a preliminary stage for the advent of the Messiah.
Now that the Messiah has come, Judaism was rejected and
meaningless. Jews were the Chosen People since the Messiah was
going to be born among them, but since they rejected the
Messiah, they were changed from Chosen People into an accursed
People."
The strict Pharisee Paul, who continued to call himself a
Pharisee AFTER his Christian conversion, saying, "Men and
brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the
hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!" (Acts
23:6), NEVER said there was no need of circumcision anymore, of
Temple services or ritual commandments of the Torah for the
JEWS, but he did say many of these holy things weren't required
of GENTILE converts to Christianity, agreeing with the Jerusalem
Council that decreed:
Acts 15:19-29
19 Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among
the GENTILES who are turning to God, 20 but that we write to
them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual
immorality,from things strangled, and from blood. 21 For Moses
has had throughout many generations those who preach him in
every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath."
22 Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole
church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with
Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas,
and Silas,leading men among the brethren. 23 They wrote this,
letter by them:
The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who
are of the GENTILES in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:
Greetings.
24 Since we have heard that some who went out from us have
troubled you [Gentiles] with words, unsettling your souls,
saying, "You must be circumcised and keep the law"--to whom we
gave no such commandment-- 25 it seemed good to us, being
assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our
beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives
for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent
Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of
mouth. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to
lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 29
that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from
things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep
yourselves from these, you will do well."
So you see that Paul taught that the GENTILES should keep the
minimum requirements of abstaining from immorality, obeying the
dietary laws, keeping the biblical Sabbath and festivals!
The early Christian fellowship in Jerusalem, led by James the
brother of Jesus (Yashua), tried to correct this STUBBORN STIGMA
AGAINST PAUL that continues to this day and advised him:
Acts 21:20-26
20 And they said to him, "You see, brother, how many myriads of
Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for
the law; 21 but they have been informed about you that you teach
all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying
that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk
according to the customs. 22 What then? The assembly must
certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come. 23
Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a
vow. 24 Take them and be purified with them, and pay their
expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may
know that those things of which they were informed concerning
you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and
keep the law. 25 But concerning the GENTILES who believe, we
have written and decided that they should observe no such thing,
except that they should keep themselves from things offered to
idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual
immorality."
26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been
purified with them, entered the temple to announce the
expiration of the days of purification, at which time an
offering should be made for each one of them....
So here the Jewish-Christian leaders in Jerusalem praised the
zeal and devotion of the Jews, but were acknowledging that wild
rumors and false allegations, disinformation, had been spread
against Paul. To prove such charges were groundless, that Paul
continued to follow halacha, Jewish traditions and Torah, they
encouraged him to go sacrifice with Jews under a Nazarite vow,
which he did! Paul sacrificed in the Temple, but then another
misunderstanding and rumor spread that he had taken a Gentile
into the Temple! Oy veh!
Paul never taught that the Jews' rejection of Jesus changed
their status as the Chosen People! He taught that the prophesied
partial blindness had happened, but that it was all for the
mysterious purpose of God bringing in converted Gentiles into
the Israelite fold, the Israelite root and branch of the Jewish
Church of God!
Romans 11:1
1 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For
I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of
Benjamin.
Romans 11:25-36
25 For I do not desire, [Gentile] brethren, that you should be
ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own
opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the
fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will
be saved, as it is written:
" The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away
ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins."
28 Concerning the gospel they are [presently] enemies for your
sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake
of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are
irrevocable. 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet
have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so
these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy
shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed
them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. 33
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of
God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past
finding out! 34 " For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who
has become His counselor?" 35 " Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?"
36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom
be glory forever. Amen.
Paul acknowledges the animosity between Judaism and biblical
Christianity, but believes, according to his God-given
understanding of the prophecies, that all's well that ends well,
and that it's all for a great purpose that God is working out in
the lives of all mankind. Paul reminds his Gentile audience that
they're grafted into ISRAEL, the Jews aren't grafted into a
Gentile root and branch - that is counterfeit Christianity
represented by the Roman wolves in sheep's clothing!
I know Paul's writings concerning this veiled mystery of partial
blindness and ultimate restoration of all Israel (all Twelve
Tribes) is difficult to grasp, but at least we should clearly
see that Paul NEVER taught that Jews should stop circumcising
their children, forsake the Temple services (he participated in
them!) or abandon the ritual commandments of the Torah. He
merely taught that such things were not necessary for GENTILE
converts to Christianity, as God is witness.
Most sincerely yours,
David Ben-Ariel