They Loved the Torah: What Yeshua's First Followers Really Thought About the Law

by David Friedman

Publisher:

Messianic Jewish Publishers

, 2001

Overview

Did Yeshua observe the Law? Did Paul teach his congregations to abandon the Torah? Was the devout Jew, Peter, persuaded that the Commandments were cancelled? The answers you'll find in this book may surprise you! Even though many Jews believe that Paul taught against the Law, this book disproves that notion. Most Christians are disconnected from the Torah; reading this book will reconnect them. Dr. Friedman makes an excellent case for his premise that all the first followers of Messiah were not only Torah-observant, but also desired to spread their love for God's entire Word to the Gentiles to whom they preached. Topics covered include Yeshua and the Torah; Yeshua's Talmidim and the Torah; reactions to the Torah observance of Yeshua and His followers; and Torah observance: legalism or love?

Contents

Top Highlights

“Still four others—Kohler, Flusser, Lapide, and Vermes” (Page 9)

“Luke 2:21–32, Yeshua and his family fulfilled the Mitzvah of circumcision as mentioned in Exodus 13:2, 11–16 and Leviticus 12:1–8.” (Page 3)

“the Hebrew word tzaddik means a scrupulously Torah-observant person.” (Page 7)

“As I use the term Torah, I am referring to the first five books of the Scriptures—the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. It would be wrong to define the Torah as Law, as is done so often by commentators, translators, and teachers. The richness of the Torah is evidenced by its makeup—narrative history, instructions, instructional songs and poems, legal codes, genealogies, ethical instructions, and covenants. The fuller meaning of the term Torah refers to the full instruction given by God to the Jewish people, in what became known as the Scriptures. Each time the Torah is referred to in this book, however, its meaning is the instruction of God given in the first five books of Moses.” (Page viii)

“Yeshua did not break any scriptural Mitzvot concerning the Sabbath. His differences with various religious leaders, as outlined in the New Covenant, should be understood as typical of the world of first-century Judaism.” (Page 10)

Praise for the Print Edition

…a highly readable, well-presented discussion of a significant subject--the Jewish nature of Yeshua, his followers, and the movement they started . . . a must read.

—Dr. John Fischer, Rabbi, Congregation Ohr Chadash, Clearwater, Florida; Director, Menorah Ministries; author of The Distortion

A book worth reading especially for those who are new to the Messianic Jewish movement and its biblical foundations.

—The Messianic Times, Fall 2001

A well-informed discussion which will help New Covenant believers think about the place of Torah in their lives.

—David Stern, author and translator of the Jewish New Testament and Commentary, the Complete Jewish Bible, and other Messianic Jewish books

…contains not only sound scholarship, but was written by a humble Jewish scholar, one who loves both the living Torah (Yeshua), as well as the written Torah.

—Ariel Berkowitz, author and leader of Kehilat Neve Tzion, Jerusalem

Product Details

• Title: They Loved the Torah: What Yeshua's First Followers Really Thought About the Law
• Author: David Friedman
• Publisher: Messianic Jewish Publishers
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 144

About David Friedman

David Friedman former academic dean of King of Kings College in Jerusalem, holds a Ph.D. in Judaic studies and an M.A. in Arabic.

In 1941, The United States is drawn into World War II. During that same year, Dr. Henry Einspruch publishes his classic book, The Yiddish New Testament, a breakthrough in evangelistic literature for Jewish people. Over the following decades, the publications of Lederer/Messianic Jewish Communications have been widely used to impact thousands of Jewish people with the Good News of Messiah. These books and tracts have been distributed in the Orthodox Jewish community, have been given out to Jews in the former Soviet Union, and have been used by Messianic congregations and Jewish outreaches all over the world. Messianic Jewish Publishers mission is two-pronged: Reaching out to Jewish people with the message of Messiah and teaching the non-Jewish spiritual family about their Jewish roots.