The Good News of Judaism - 2,000 years of Judeo-Christian Wisdom and Magic

2,000 years of Judeo-Christian Wisdom and Magic
Even though this has been said before, it should be said again that the sayings, and even the parables, of Jesus Christ were not all of His own, but were the culmination of many centuries of ancient Israelite and Jewish tradition. These words of wisdom did not inspire, nor impress, the Greco-Roman elites and their philosophers or cause them to believe, on the contrary. What did finally cause them to convert was the miraculous transformation they saw in people who were diseased, sick, or in despair, as well as the very real supernatural miracles performed by the Apostles, Disciples, and the dozens of Saints who came after them. The Rabbis crucified R. Joshua ben Joseph because they thought He was practicing black magic or was hopelessly (and helplessly) possessed by the Devil. 2,000 years later, His magic lives on within the most famous compilation of Jewish wisdom and advice ever written- commonly known as the Gospels of Jesus Christ. Enjoy the following comparisons.

MIDRASH: The builder mixes a thick sand with a thinner one in the mortar, by which contrivance the latter becomes very strong and the building more substantial. In creating the first pair, something of this method was adopted. Adam was the strong and Eve the weaker. This mixture of the weak with the strong is beneficial to the human race. (Genesis Rabba 14)
GOSPEL: ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate. (Mark 10:7-9)

MIDRASH: Man was originally formed with a tail like the lower animals, but this was afterwards taken from him out of consideration for him. (Genesis Rabba 14)
GOSPEL: Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:6)

MIDRASH: Man in celibacy is in sublime ignorance of what is meant by the words good, hell, joy, blessing, peace and expiation of sin. He is, in fact, not entitled to the dignified name of man. (Genesis Rabba 17)
GOSPEL: Jesus replied, 'Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others- and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.' (Matthew 19:11-12)

MIDRASH: God designed man for work, to work for his own sustenance. He who does not work shall not eat. (Genesis Rabba 14)
GOSPEL: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

MIDRASH: After Adam's fall came Abraham, who established in the world the knowledge of God. As a builder puts the strongest beam in the centre of the building, so as to support the structure at both ends, so Abraham was the strong beam carrying the burden of the generations that existed before him and that came after him. (Genesis Rabba 14a)
GOSPELS: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. (Luke 9:23-24)

MIDRASH: Dreams, something like prophecy, are the offspring of imaginations and comparisons which we may form whilst awake. (Genesis Rabba 17)
GOSPEL: Because Mary's husband, Joseph, was a good man, he did not want to disgrace her in public, so he planned to divorce her secretly. While Joseph thought about these things, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, 'Joseph, descendant of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the baby in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.' (Matthew 1:19-21)

MIDRASH: After Adam's fall came Abraham, who established in the world the knowledge of God. As a builder puts the strongest beam in the centre of the building, so as to support the structure at both ends, so Abraham was the strong beam carrying the burden of the generations that existed before him and that came after him. (Genesis Rabba 14a)
GOSPEL: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34)

MIDRASH: Here in this life we have the Spirit = the soul, blown into our nostrils, hence it goes from us at death. In the future, the soul, when restored, will be given to us, as it is said in (Ezekiel 37:14): a complete gift never to be returned. - Genesis Rabba 14
GOSPEL: Jesus, when He had cried out again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost...Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee onto a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw Him (again), they worshiped Him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, 'All power is given unto Me in Heaven and on Earth.' (Matthew 27:50, 28:16-18)

MIDRASH: The river Euphrates is the chief and choicest of all rivers. - Genesis Rabba 16
GOSPEL: And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. (Mark 1:4-5)

MIDRASH: The Greeks, amongst other insults which they heaped on Jews, had a satirical saying. The Jews should write on the horn of an ox- alluding to the making of the golden calf, that they are not the portion of the God of Israel. (Genesis Rabba 16)
GOSPEL: They said to Jesus, 'Teacher, this woman was caught having sexual relations with a man who is not her husband. The law of Moses commands that we stone to death every woman who does this. What do you say we should do?' They were asking this to trick Jesus so that they could have some charge against him. But Jesus bent over and started writing on the ground with his finger. When they continued to ask Jesus their question, he raised up and said, 'Anyone here who has never sinned can throw the first stone at her.' Then Jesus bent over again and wrote on the ground. (John 8:4-8)

MIDRASH: Sleep is a sixtieth portion of death, a dream is the same proportion of prophecy and the Sabbath of the Future bliss. (Genesis Rabba 17)
GOSPEL: Then Jesus went back to his followers and found them asleep. He said to Peter, 'You men could not stay awake with me for one hour? Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. The spirit wants to do what is right, but the body is weak.' (Matthew 26:40-41)

MIDRASH: 'Why,' asked a matron of Rabbi José, 'did God steal a rib from Adam?' 'Steal, did you say?' replied the Sage. 'If one were to take away from your house an ounce of silver, and give you in return a pound of gold, that would not be stealing from you.' 'But,' Persisted his friend, 'what need was there for secrecy?' 'It was surely better,' replied R. José, 'to present Eve to Adam when she was quite presentable, and when no traces of the effects of the operation were visible.' (Genesis Rabba 17)
GOSPEL: After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb (of Jesus).There was a violent earthquake, for an Angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow...The Angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples'...So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy...Suddenly Jesus met them. 'Greetings,' he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. (Matthew 28:1-9)

MIDRASH: That woman exercises more influence over man than he possesses over woman was illustrated by a couple who were famous for their piety, but who were eventually divorced. The man married a woman of questionable habits, and soon copied her conduct and became like his new wife, conspicuous for his evil deeds; whilst the divorced woman married a notorious sinner, and converted him into a pious man. (Genesis Rabba 17)
GOSPEL: A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.' Jesus answered him, 'Simon, I have something to tell you'...Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, 'Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.' Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.' (Luke 7:37-48)

MIDRASH: Dreams, something like prophecy, are the offspring of imaginations and comparisons which we may form whilst awake. (Genesis Rabba 17)
GOSPEL: So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, 'Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?'...While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, 'Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.' (Matthew 27:17-19)

MIDRASH: Dreams, something like prophecy, are the offspring of imaginations and comparisons which we may form while awake. (Genesis Rabba 17)
GOSPEL: On coming to the house, they (three wise men) saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. (Matthew 2:11-13)

MIDRASH: Sleepiness and laziness in a man are the beginning of his misfortune. (Genesis Rabba 17)
GOSPEL: Then Jesus went back to his followers and found them asleep. He said to Peter, 'You men could not stay awake with me for one hour? Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. The spirit wants to do what is right, but the body is weak'...Then he went back to his followers, and again he found them asleep, because their eyes were heavy. So Jesus left them and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing. Then Jesus went back to his followers and said, 'Are you still sleeping and resting? The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinful people. Get up, we must go.' (Matthew 26:40-46)

MIDRASH: Man in celibacy is in sublime ignorance of what is meant by the words good, hell, joy, blessing, peace and expiation of sin. He is, in fact, not entitled to the dignified name of man. (Genesis Rabba 17)
GOSPEL: 'The only reason for a man to divorce his wife is if his wife has sexual relations with another man.' The followers said to him, 'If that is the only reason a man can divorce his wife, it is better not to marry.' Jesus answered, 'Not everyone can accept this teaching, but God has made some able to accept it. There are different reasons why some men cannot marry. Some men were born without the ability to become fathers. Others were made that way later in life by other people. And some men have given up marriage because of the kingdom of Heaven. But the person who can marry should accept this teaching about marriage.' (Matthew 19:9-12)

MIDRASH: Rabbi Meier wrote a scroll for his own use, on the margin of which he wrote, in connexion with the words: 'And God saw that it was good,' 'This means death, which is the passing from life transitory to life everlasting.' - Genesis Rabba 9
GOSPEL: Then Jesus said to his disciples: 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For he that will save his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for my sake, shall find it. For what does it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul?' (Matthew 16:24-26)

May the LORD God bless you in the name of the Judeo-Christian tradition.

The Maccabee - Meaning and Morality of Enoch

Meaning and Morality of the Ancient Prophet Enoch

Part I. Meaning of the Ancient Prophet Enoch

- In general, the name Enoch comes from the Hebrew verb 'hanak' meaning dedicate

Various Meanings of Enoch

- Hebrew word for Imprint, pierce into, instruct, make wise (Fuerst's Hebrew & Chaldee Lexicon To The Old Testament)

- Hebrew word for Initiated (Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names)

- Hebrew word for Dedicated (NOBS Study Bible Name List).

Other References to Enoch

- The name Enoch is of Hebrew origin, meaning 'trained and vowed, dedicated; profound'

- The name Enoch is closely related to the Hebrew word 'hanak' and its derivatives. In the Bible, 'hanak' is used in reference to an action in connection to a building (1 Kings 8:63), a wall (Nehemiah 12:27), an altar (Numbers 7:10), or an image (Daniel 3:2). (HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament)

- Hebrew Derivatives of the name Enoch include 'hanik', meaning trained servant (Genesis 14:14) and 'hanukka', meaning dedication (Psalm 30)

- The word Enoch, when used as a noun, also makes a reappearance much later in the Bible as the name Hanukkah, the still celebrated Feast Of Dedication (John 10:22)

- Remarkably, one of the roots of the name Enoch, namely 'hanak' also yields the derivative hek, meaning palate, mouth, with connotation of speech (Proverbs 8:7, Song of Solomon 5:16)

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The Bible of Enoch, Enoch and Enoch

- There are three separate Enochs mentioned in the Bible. Enoch is first mentioned as a son of Cain.

- Enoch is mentioned once again as the name Cain gives to his newly-built city in honor of his son Enoch (Genesis 4:17).

- Finally, Enoch is mentioned a third time as being a son of Jared, of the line of Seth, third son of Adam and Eve (Genesis 5:19). This particular Enoch, who is said to have 'walked with God,' is from the seventh generation of Adam (where Adam is the first). These three different Enochs can be understood in the following manner:

I. Enoch: the son of Cain, father of Irad

II. Enoch: a city built by Cain and then deliberately named after his son Enoch

III. Enoch: the son of Jared, father of Methuselah, from the line of Seth, also a direct descendant of Adam from the seventh generation. As the Bible states; Enoch 'walked with God' and then disappeared without a trace. As this miraculous event has traditionally been understood by both Judaism and Christianity, Enoch, son of Jared, is one of only two men in history (Elijah is the other one) who has never experienced bodily death. Instead, Enoch, like the Prophet Elijah who came after him, was taken directly up into Heaven, both physically and spiritually, by God.

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The Biblical Passages about Enoch

Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son. Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech. (Genesis 4:16-18)

Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch. Then Jared lived eight hundred years after he became the father of Enoch...Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters.So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:18-24)

So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:23-24)

The sons then of Ruben the firstborn of Israel were Enoch, and Phallu, Esron, and Charmi. (I Chronicles 5:3)

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:5-6)

It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, 'Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.' (Jude 1:14-15)

NOTE: Enoch is also mentioned in I Chronicles 1:3 and Luke 3:37

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Part II. Morality of the Ancient Prophet Enoch

The Seven Blessings of Enoch

I. Blessed is he who opens his lips in praise of the God of Sabaoth and praises the LORD with his heart.

II. Blessed is he who opens his lips blessing and praising God.

III. Blessed is he who blesses all the LORD’s works.

IV. Blessed is he who looks down and raises the fallen.

V. Blessed is he who keeps the foundations of his fathers made firm from the beginning.

VI. Blessed is he who imparts peace and love.

VII. Blessed is he who speaks with humble tongue and heart to all. (II Enoch 52:1-13)

The Seven Cursings of Enoch

I. Cursed is he who opens his lips for the bringing of contempt and calumny upon his neighbour, because he brings God into contempt.

II. Cursed is he before the LORD all the days of his life, who opens his lips to curse and abuse.

III. Cursed is he who brings the LORDs creation into contempt

IV. Cursed is he who looks to and is eager for the destruction of what is not his.

V. Cursed is he who perverts the decrees of his forefathers.

VI. Cursed is he who disturbs those that love their neighbors

VII. Cursed is he who speaks peace with his tongue, while in his heart there is no peace but a sword. (II Enoch 52:2-14)

For all these things will be laid bare in the weighing-scales and in the books, on the day of the great judgment. (II Enoch 52:15)

The Six Additional Blessings of Enoch

1) Blessed are those who enter the good houses, for in the bad houses there is no peace nor return from them. (II Enoch 61:2)

2) Blessed is the man who shall bear their yoke and shall drag them along, for he shall be released on the day of the great judgment. (II Enoch 48:7)

3) Blessed are the just who shall escape the great judgment, for they shall shine forth more than the sun sevenfold, for in this world the seventh part is taken off from all, light, darkness, food, enjoyment, sorrow, paradise, torture, fire, frost, and other things; he put all down in writing, that you might read and understand. (II Enoch 67:8)

4) Bessed is the man who in his patience brings his gifts with faith before the LORD’s face, because he will find forgiveness of sins. But if he take back his words before the time, there is no repentance for him; and if the time pass and he do not of his own will what is promised, there is no repentance after death. (II Enoch 62:1-2)

5) Blessed is the man who does not direct his heart with malice against any man, and helps the injured and condemned, and raises the broken down, and shall do charity to the needy, because on the day of the great judgment every weight, every measure and every makeweight (will be) as in the market, that is to say (they are) hung on scales and stand in the market, (and every one) shall learn his own measure, and according to his measure shall take his reward. (II Enoch 44:3)

6) Blessed is the man who has not been born or who has been born and shall not sin before the Lord’s face, that he come not into this place, nor bring the yoke of this place. (II Enoch 41:3)

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Some Timeless Advice of the Ancient Prophet Enoch

Keep Your Heart Pure and Free of Evil

Keep your hearts from every injustice, which the LORD hates. When man puts a good thought in his heart, brings gifts from his labours before the LORD’s face and his hands made them not, then the LORD will turn away his face And if his hands made it, but his heart murmur, and his heart cease not making murmur incessantly, he has not any advantage. (II Enoch 61:1-4)

When the LORD demands bread, or candles, or the flesh of beasts, or any other sacrifice, then that is nothing; but God demands pure hearts, and with all the rest simply tests the heart of man. (II Enoch 45:3)

The LORD see all the imaginings of man, how they are vain, where they lie in the treasure-houses of the heart. (II Enoch 53:2)

If one man makes himself appear good to another by deceit of tongue, but has evil in his heart, then will not the other understand the treachery of his heart, and himself be condemned, since his untruth was plain to all? (II Enoch 46:3)

Do No Harm to your Fellow Man or Risk Judgment

He who works the killing of a man’s soul, kills his own soul, and kills his own body, and there is no cure for him for all time. (II Enoch 60:1)

He who puts a man in any snare, shall stick in it himself, and there is no cure for him for all time. (II Enoch 60:2)

He who puts a man in any vessel, his retribution will not be wanting at the great judgment for all time. (II Enoch 60:3)

He who works crookedly or speaks evil against any soul, will not make justice for himself for all time. (II Enoch 60:4)

The Golden Rule

Just as a man asks something for his own soul from God, so let him do to every living soul, because the LORD knows all things, how in the great time to come there is much inheritance prepared for men, good for the good, and bad for the bad, without number many (II Enoch 61:1)

Turn the Other Cheek

If any harm or damage befalsl you, return (them) not either to neighbor or enemy, because the Lord will return (them) for you and be your avenger on the day of great judgment, that there be no avenging here among men. (II Enoch 50:5)

Always Give to Charity

Stretch out your hands to the poor according to your strength. (II Enoch 51:1)

Whoever of you spends gold or silver for his brother’s sake, he will receive ample treasure in the world to come. (II Enoch 50:6)

Show Kindness Towards Others

Help the faithful man in affliction, and affliction will not find you in the time of your trouble. (II Enoch 51:3)

Injure not widows nor orphans nor strangers, lest God’s wrath come upon you. (II Enoch 50:7)

Hide not your silver in the earth. (II Enoch 51:2)

It is good to go morning, midday, and evening into the Lord’s dwelling, for the glory of your creator. Because every breathing (thing) glorifies him, and every creature visible (physical) and invisible (spiritual) returns him praise. (II Enoch 51:5-6)

Now therefore, my children, in patience and meekness spend the number of your days, that you inherit endless life.(II Enoch 50:3)

Always Fear the LORD your God

There is none better than he who fears God, he shall be more glorious in time to come. (II Enoch 43:2)

Walk before his face with terror and trembling and serve him alone. (II Enoch 67:2)

Endure Suffering with Patience

Walk, my children, in long-suffering, in meekness, honesty, in provocation, in grief, in faith and in truth, in (reliance on) promises, in illness, in abuse, in wounds, in temptation, in nakedness, in privation, loving one another, till you go out from this age of ills, that you become inheritors of endless time. (II Enoch 67:7)

And every grievous and cruel yoke that come upon you bear all for the sake of the LORD, and thus you will find your reward in the day of judgment.(II Enoch 51:4)

Endure for the sake of the LORD every wound, every injury, every evil word and attack. (II Enoch 50:4)

May the LORD God bless you in the name of St. Enoch.

The Maccabee - Against the Documentary Hypothesis

‘Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?’

- Jeremiah 23:29

Understanding the Documentary Hypothesis

Historically speaking, the theory that Moses 'did not write the Pentateuch actually has been around for more than a millennium.' Even so, the vast majority of believers, both Jew and Christian, 'still maintained that Moses was its author' well into the 17th century. It was around this time that the Dutch-Jewish philosopher Benedict Spinoza began to attack this common-held belief about Moses. This led to his eventual excommunication from Judaism by the Rabbinnical authorities some years later. This 'questioning' of the authorship of the Bible continued in the following manner:

- French physician Jean Astruc created the original Documentary Hypothesis in 1753 by listing the different names of God used in the Torah.

- After many changes and alterations, Karl Graf came out with a revised version of the 'initial hypothesis in the mid-nineteenth century.'

- Julius Wellhausen then resummarized Graf’s Documentary Hypothesis and proceeds to preach and promote it 'in European and American scholarly circles.'

- In the end, the refutation of Moses as author of the Torah, known as as the Documentary Hypothesis, also became 'known to many as the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis.'

Since these earlier times, attacks upon the Judeo-Christian belief in the authorship of Moses and the first five books of the Bible have, in fact, 'been thrust consistently into the faces of Christians.' A staunch belief in the Documentary Hypothesis has become near universal in secular settings. One sources notes that this still unproven theory has garnered a cult-like belief in others, especially non-believers:

It is becoming increasingly popular to believe this theory...Numerous commentaries, religious journals, and Web sites consistently promote it. And many professors who teach religious courses espouse it. Undoubtedly, it is champion among the topics discussed in classes on a critical introduction to the Bible. In most “scholarly” circles, if one does not hold to the Documentary Hypothesis (or at least some form of it), he is considered fanatical and uneducated.

To sum it up, the Documentary Hypothesis boldly claims that, instead of being written by Moses around 1,200-1,500 years ago, the 'Pentateuch was compiled from four original source documents -designated as J, E, D, and P.' It further contends that these four theoretical documents were all created 'by different authors, and eventually were compiled into the Pentateuch by a redactor (editor).' According to the classic Documentary Hypothesis, the conjectured dates of authorship can be seen in the following manner:

Alleged Authorship of the Torah

I. The J (Yahwehist) document was supposedly written around 850 B.C

II. The E (Elohist) document was supposedly written around 750 B.C.

III. The D (Deuteronomist) document was supposedly written around 620 B.C.

IV. The P (Priestly) document was supposedly written around 500 B.C.

V. The R (Redactor) document, or final version of the Torah, was supposedly written around 200 B.C.

These unproven, and basically unprovable, source documents, have now been accepted as historical fact by nearly all of those who ascribe to the Documentary Hypothesis. In many ways, the main point of their claims has to openly and boldly deny that Moses wrote the first five books of the Holy Bible. This is spite of the fact that these dates have no scientific validity whatsoever. As one scholar notes:

Every dating of the pentateuchal 'sources' rests on purely hypothetical assumptions, which ultimately only have standing through the consensus of scholars.

- R. Rendtorff

Some believe there is an underlying reason why the followers of the Documentary Hypothesis insist on such late dating of the authorship of the Torah. Their real goal may little more than an attempt to discredit Scriptures and, with it, Christianity. The denial of Moses as the author of the Torah usually provides a stepping stone for further denials concerning the Bible. Here are just a few statements by those who believe in the Documentary Hypothesis:

One of the certain results of modern Bible study has been the discovery that the first five books of the Old Testament were not written by Moses.

- Gottwald, 1959

It is obvious that the Book of Genesis was not written by a single author (Moses).

-Rendtorff, 1998

The most determined biblicist can see that there is no way Moses could have written the Torah.

- McKinsey, 1995

At present, however, there is hardly a biblical scholar in the world actively working on the problem who would claim that the Five Books of Moses were written by Moses - or by anyone per­son.

- Dr. Richard E. Friedman, University of California at San Diego

This conventional wisdom and denial of Moses' authorship has now managed to permeate the entire world of academia and Biblical scholarship. Indeed, it is a given that statements such as those just cited 'have made their way into thousands of classrooms.' The results are quite tragic, as more and more students become non-believers due to this pernicious fallacy known as the Documentary Hypothesis. One source notes: 'Sadly, before hearing skeptics and liberal scholars present their ineffectual arguments for such beliefs, students frequently become so spellbound by the intellectual façade and bold affirmations of certainty that they rarely even consider the evidence at hand.' The evidence, if seen and studied carefully, still seems to indicate that Moses was indeed the real author of the Pentateuch. The scholarly facts, even today, are as follows:

The fact is that there are Old Testament specialists who have been trained in schools like Harvard and Princeton and Chicago University, who have received earned doctorates, who have become skilled in all of the relevant languages and archeological discoveries, who have attended and participated in all of the leading scholarly conventions, and who have authored texts that are studied by college and seminary students all over the world, who still adhere to the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch.

Given all of the misleading scholarship out there these days, it should come as no surprise that when Andrew Brown, author of The Darwin Wars, wrote about a conversation he had with England's leading Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, he became flabbergasted when 'Dr. Sacks defended the proposition that Moses wrote (or dictated) the first five books of the Bible'. Andrew Brown surprised response was simply: 'That is the most shocking thing I have ever heard an intellectual say.' Nevertheless, more and more prominent scholars are now beginning to break with Wellhausen's Documentary Hypothesis and even going so far as to attack it as illogical and irrational. Here is one disgruntled scholar on the need for change:

Redaction history and tradition history are [not helpful]...in explaining the origin of the Pentateuch. There is a preference for the view that much of the Yahwistic material was written later than originally thought, implying a much longer period of oral and written transmission of many of the Pentateuchal narratives. The way literary criticism and tradition history were applied in the past is largely invalidated by current folklore research which should be used as a corrective as well as to devise a new theory on how the Pentateuch originated.

- Van Dyk, P. J., Current Trends in Pentateuch Criticism.

Most importantly, scholars of various stripes are also beginning to tear away at the specifics of the Documentary Hypothesis, most notably the four source document theory (J, E, P and D), which presupposes four unique original sources for the Pentateuch. Noted scholar Professor Kitchen now admits that 'even the most ardent advocate of the documentary theory must admit that we have as yet no single scrap of external, objective...tangible, evidence for either the existence or history of ‘J’, ‘E’, or any other alleged source-documents'. His admission of error is starting to become more typical among the liberal circles of secular Biblical scholarship. Indeed, one writer claims that 'certain liberals have been forced to admit that the JEPD hypothesis is really without merit.' Just recently, a man named Umberto Cassuto, a professor at the University of Jerusalem, wrote a book called The Documentary Hypothesis. In the book, he freely confesses that the main arguments for Wellhausen's theory are 'without substance.' Furthermore, he states that the entire Documentary Hypothesis field of study happens to be 'founded on air' and will inevitably become 'null and void'. In summary, 'there simply is no support for the documentary theories of the higher critics, and there is much evidence against them.'

Refuting the Documentary Hypothesis

The Documentary Hypothesis, sometimes called 'the Graf-Wellhausen hypothesis after the two men, K.H. Graf and Julius Wellhausen, who gave it its classic expression', presupposes that the five Books of Moses, namely the Torah or Pentateuch, are actually derived from four different source documents, called J (Yahwist), E (Elohist), D (Deuteronomist), and P (Priestly Code). These original sources can be organized in the following manner:

J- Starting with Genesis 2:4, it includes large portions of Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy

E- Includes Genesis 15 and Exodus 3:15 for example

D- Includes most of Deuteronomy

P- Starting with Genesis 1:1, it includes large portions of Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers and all of Leviticus.

When going about the business of refuting the Documentary Hypothesis it is necessary to organize the arguments in fairly precise manner. One Biblical scholar R.N. Whybray, as well as others, has concluded that 'the Documentary Hypothesis is founded on four presuppositions.' Those four assumptions, with the pertinent refutation just beneath them, can be listed as follows:

ASSUMPTION: An evolutionary, unilinear approach to Israelite history.

REFUTATION: Most scholars agree that 'Wellhausen built his theory on a now-discredited evolutionary philosophy with its roots in the thought of G.W.F. Hegel.' Since then, the whole philosophy of Hegelianism has been thoroughly discredited. Because of this, it seems more than likely 'that the history of Israelite religion cannot be portrayed in the simple, highly evolutionary manner that Wellhausen thought possible.'

ASSUMPTION: The possibility of dividing the Pentateuchal texts on the basis of stylistic criteria.

REFUTATION: Some of the earliest proponents of the Documentary Hypothesis claimed 'they could easily separate one text from another on the basis of style.' In reality, the entire Torah is written in standard Biblical Hebrew. The only real way a single style could ever really be found for each source document, namely J, E, P, and D, 'would be if each monotonously and rigorously maintained a highly idiosyncratic style.' This has not been the case when it comes to the Pentateuch.

ASSUMPTION: A simple compilation of documents by redactors.

REFUTATION: According to the claims of the Documentary Hypothesis, later editors of the Torah, called redactors, supposedly used the documents they had availible and then proceeded to use a 'cut-and-paste' procedure where they simply cut 'up each document and then joining the whole into a continuous narrative.' There is no actual proof that this sort of organizational effort ever existed. Indeed, 'no true analogy to this somewhat bizarre editorial procedure is available.'

ASSUMPTION: Easy determination of the purposes and methods behind the documents and redactions.

REFUTATION: The founders of the Documentary Hypothesis believed they would be able to easily 'deduce the purposes and methods of the redactors, despite the fact that enormous cultural differences existed between the scholars who studied Genesis and the men who wrote it.' Scholars then began to speculate in a somewhat bizaare manner about the aims of the original writers and later editors (redactors). To be specific 'it was assumed that each writer aimed to produce a single, continuous history but would tolerate no inconsistency, repetition, or narrative digressions.' However, the editors (redactors) 'were said to be utterly oblivious to every kind of contradiction and repetition.' These strange assumptions bear no historical accuracy or proof that they are true.

It must be emphasized that the Documentary Hypothesis blithely assumes that the Torah was originally made up of four documents which were all 'first composed as continuous, single narratives and only later were brought together and edited into the present work.' This false assumption led to many errors in Biblical analysis. To bolster the arguments of the Documentary Hypothesis, many different 'modifications were proposed.' Problems with the original Hypothesis just caused their reasoning to become that much more complex and illogical. Some of the 'modifications' included 'dividing the four sources into even smaller sources...whereas others reduced the number of sources, questioning the existence of E altogether.' When it comes to the authorship of the Pentateuch, here are the seven major claims of the Documentary Hypothesis:

The Seven False Claims of the Documentary Hypothesis

1. TWO NAMES OF GOD: Torah Passages which refer to God as Yahveh originate from the J source document, while passages which refer to God as Elohim originate from the E (or P) source document.

2. DUPLICATION AND REPETITION: Genesis contains some duplicate stories and repetitions suggest they were originally portions of two different documents woven together into one text.

3. CONTRADICTION AND CONFUSION: Genesis contains contradictions which 'indicate the existence of the separate documents.' This implies 'that one document had one tradition, but a second had another.'

4. LANGUAGE AND STYLE: The language and style of the original source documents vary. J is a masterful storyteller, while P is prosaic and wordy. Each document also seems to have its own preferred vocabulary.

5. MEANING AND THEOLOGY: Each original source document, 'when extracted from the present text of Genesis, shows itself to have been a continuous, meaningful piece of literature.' The source documents appear to have 'a specific literary and theological purpose behind each.'

6. COMMON SENSE: Even a simple, basic reading of the Torah seem to indicate that the text 'obviously involve more than one source.' The best example is Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, 'which can hardly come from a single source.'

7. PRIESTS AND LEVITES: The confusion over the 'Israelite priesthood found in the Pentateuch is best explained by the Documentary Hypothesis.' While some passage imply that all levites are priests, other passages state that only the descendants of Aaron are. This suggests at least two separate sources.

To summarize, it has been these seven claims that the Documentary Hypothesis has done fairly well in trying to explain. The fact of the matter, is that Wellhausen's theory explains problematic parts of the Torah without ever suggesting that they may not be problems at all. What follows are detailed refutations of the seven false claims of the Documentary Hypothesis.

FALSE CLAIM #1: TWO NAMES OF GOD:

- The theory that passages using Yahveh (J source) or Elohim (E source) for God come from separate sources 'has been challenged from several directions.' To cite one example, Genesis 22:11 uses the name Yahweh even though it is considered to be a part of the E (Elohim) source document. Also, at the very beginning of the Torah, there is a combination of the two names into 'the unusual Yahweh Elohim.'

- Biblical scholar M.H. Segal also shows that the two different divine names, Jahveh and Elohim, are used interchangeably in other Scriptures which are definitely known to have originated from a single source. In short, later Biblical passages use the two names for God as if the author saw the two names as simply different terms for the same God.

- The so-called decision of E and P sources not to use the name Yahveh (J) is simply a fictitious assumption. Likewise, there is 'absolutely no reason that J should avoid' using the word Elohim.

- The unexplained use of the two different names for God can also be surmised without resorting to the Documentary Hypothesis. In sum, Biblical scholar Umberto Cassuto claims that these two names simply 'bring out different aspects of the character of God.' Yahweh is seen as the covenant name of God, emphasizing his special relationship to Israel, just as Elohim speaks of God’s universality as God of all earth. Seen simply, 'Elohim is what God is and Yahweh is who He is.'

- Another scholar named Segal also contends that 'the interchange of the divine names is often for the sake of variety or reflects popular usage'.

- Biblical scholar Whybray proposes that 'the alternation of names may be unconscious because of the [singular] identity of the two names'.

- It can rightfully be claimed that Yahveh and Elohim have 'semantic overlap'. When the emphasis is about God as the 'universal deity...Elohim is used'. Similarly, when a passage that mentions 'God as covenant savior...Yahweh is more likely to be utilized'. Also, when neither aspect of God 'is particularly stressed, the names may be alternated for variety or indeed for no specific reason'.

- The use of Yahveh and Elohim as different names of God doesn't necessary imply two different sources for the text. Indeed, it appears there are 'many examples from Egyptian and Mesopotamian sources of a single god being called by several names in a single text.' It should be also noted that no 'Egyptologist would ever use divine names for source criticism'.

- In conclusion: 'the criterion of divine names, the historical and evidential starting point for the Documentary Hypothesis, is without foundation. It is based on misinterpretation, mistranslation, and lack of attention to extrabiblical sources'.

FALSE CLAIM #2: DUPLICATION AND REPETITION

- Some believe 'the use of doublets and repetition as evidence for multiple documents in Genesis is perhaps of all the arguments the most persuasive for the modern student'. In reality, it is 'the most spurious and abused piece of evidence'. Given everything, the use of duplication and replication in Biblical passages simply signifies 'rhetorical concepts' which made use of these exact forms of expression.

- On the contrary, when it comes to many ancient texts 'there is no stronger indication that only a single document is present than parallel accounts.' The use of what is called 'Doublets', menaing 'two separate stories that closely parallel one another, are the very stuff of ancient narrative.' They are, in fact, precisely 'what the discriminating audience sought in a story.'

- Given the examples of other documents, it can be rightfully claimed that 'simple repetition, first of all, is common in ancient Near Eastern literature.' This can be seen 'in the Ugaritic Epic of Keret' where a certain King Keret receives specific instructions to go to the land of Udum, ruled by King Pabil, and then demand to marry the King's daughter named Hurriya. The carrying out of these instructions is simply a repetition of what the original instructions actually state in the text.

- Repetition in the Bible is found in both the Old and New Testament. One involves the Book of Genesis 24, where the servant of Abraham meets the future wife of Isaac and the encounter is then repeated as a story. In the Book of Acts, Paul's encounter with Christ on his way to Damascus is described three different times (Acts 9:1-19, 22:3-16, 26:9-18).

- In summary, and 'in light of the love for repetition and parallelism in Hebrew narrative and poetry', it should come as no surprise that 'Hebrew narrative is sometimes redundant even within a single story.' This practice may seem meaningless or pointless in the English language, but in its original tongue it is considered to be quite beautiful.

FALSE CLAIM #3: CONTRADICTION AND CONFUSION

- The Biblical account of Noah and the Flood first states in Genesis 6:2 that he should bring one pair of every kind of animal, but then it says in Genesis 7:2 to bring seven pairs of clean animals, This contradiction can easily be explained in that 'provision had to be made to ensure that there would be sufficient livestock after the flood.'

- The entire flood story, according to the Documentary Hypothesis, is actually two sources (J and P) combined together to create one contradictory story. The reality is that 'recent research has demonstrated the whole narrative to be far more coherent than was once recognized.'

- Some followers of Wellhausen's theory have attempted to cite a discrepancy between the flood's 40 days of rain and also its apparent 150 additional days of rain. This argument is completely wrong-headed and a misreading of Genesis. In reality, 'the present chronology in the text is not the confusion it is sometimes implied to be.'

- One scholar named Emerton still insists that 'there is a discrepancy between the 150 days of rain and the 40 days of rain' in the story of Noah and the flood. To be sure, 'the text nowhere implies that the rain lasted 150 days.' Instead, the 150 days refers to 'the time from the beginning of the flood until the water had abated enough for the ark to ground.' With this in mind, the flood story can be said to be both 'structurally unified and formally of a type of literature (flood narrative) that is far older' than Wellhausen's theory dates it.

- In conclusion, the story of Noah and the flood uses an 'ancient narrative technique, as evidenced in its profound concern for narrative structure'. Given everything written down in Genesis concerning the flood, this account also 'cannot be said to be chronologically confused.'

FALSE CLAIM #4: LANGUAGE AND STYLE

- The Documentary Hypothesis claims to have found 'radically different styles' of writing in the Pentateuch and finds this to be proof that it actually had at least two different sources (J and P). This is simply the 'result of artificially dividing the text.'

- So-called differences in writing style found in the Torah cannot be proven because nobody knows anything 'of the common speech of the people of ancient Israel'. Differing word choices could simply be 'for the sake of a special nuance in a given circumstance, or indeed for the sake of variety'.

- Recent development of computer analysis of the Biblical text now shows that the so-called triple authorship underlying the Book of Genesis is unlikely. Instead, 'there is massive evidence that the pre-Biblical triplicity [J, E, and P] of Genesis' may well be a unity instead. The Documentary Hypothesis claim that Genesis was 'worked over by a late and gifted editor into a trinity' is basically considered to be false.

FALSE CLAIM #5: MEANING AND THEOLOGY

- The original Documentary Hypothesis contended that the evidence for multiple source documents, which then became the Pentateuch, included differences in metaphysical meaning and theology found in the texts themselves. The fact remains, however, that splitting a text into two opposing sources is actually quite easy. In short, opponents of Wellhausen have clearly proven 'it is not difficult to separate a single Biblical narrative into two artificially complete documents.' Because of this, any 'theological analysis' becomes 'all the more tenuous.'

- Even the most staunch supporter of the Documentary Hypothesis has trouble these days in taking seriously any of the broad or sweeping generalizations concerning 'the theological background of Genesis'.

- Under continuing assault by recent Bible scholars, the theological arguments promoting 'the Elohist has disappeared from view entirely and the Yahwist is fast fading from existence.' One scholar named Whybray has gone far in showing that 'consensus for a theology of the Yahwist among critical scholars is collapsing.'

- In conclusion, the hypothesis claiming theological differences in the Pentateuch 'has no value as a guide for continued research.'

FALSE CLAIM #6: COMMON SENSE

- Appealing to their view of the first five Books of Moses, which presupposes Moses did not write it, the Documentary Hypothesis and its adherents claim that common sense dictates in determining that the Pentateuch must have had more than one author who lived much later than Moses. However, recent authors who support the Documentary Hypothesis are now urging more 'caution' strongly suggesting that confidence in Wellhausen's theory is waning and 'that confidence in the criteria has eroded considerably'.

- In growing desperation, supporters of Wellhausen are starting to rely heavily 'on specific texts as justification for continued adherence to the hypothesis.' This is spite of the fact that interpretation of these specific Biblical passages are quite varied and heavily disputed today.

- One scholar makes the point that, even though it may be possible that Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 may originate from separate sources, these particular sources most probably have 'nothing to do with the four documents of the Documentary Hypothesis.'

- In conclusion, no matter what is involved 'there is no text in Genesis which is best explained by the Documentary Hypothesis.'

FALSE CLAIM #7: PRIESTS AND LEVITES

- The Documentary Hypothesis contends that, since there is a discrepancy as to who is actually a Priest (a Levite or descendant of Aaron), there must be at least two authors responsible for the Torah. It also claims to have the 'best explanation of why the term Levite is used inconsistently in the Old Testament.' Nonetheless, there is little historical evidence to prove this to be the case.

- The reality is that, when it comes to the question of who exactly is a Priest, 'a better solution can be obtained by reading the Pentateuch as a work that was substantially produced, as the text affirms, during the period of the Exodus.'

- Similar attempts at finding original source documents underlying the Greek classics the Iliad and the Odyssey proved to be popular in the last century, but are now considered little more than 'antiquarian scholarly curiosities.' It is to be hoped 'that the same fate awaits their sister theory, the Documentary Hypothesis.'

Judaism's Refutation of the Documentary Hypothesis

Although critics accuse biblical writers of revealing erroneous information, their claims continue to evaporate with the passing of time and the compilation of evidence.

- ApologeticsPress.org

Remember, the main theory of Wellhausen and company is that the Torah 'was written by several different authors between about 950 BCE through 450 BCE, at which point it was assembled into the present single document, probably by Ezra.' One should keep in mind that 'this hypothesis is pretty much universally accepted by secularists.' Even so, Judaism has a few resounding refutations to this theory. They can summarized as follows:

The Samaritan Pentateuch- The Samaritans have their own five books of Moses which is nearly identical to the Torah. However, Somaritans 'have not shared a common tradition with Jews since the division of the United Monarchy following the death of King Solomon.' This means that their Torah, and indeed both Torahs, must have written previous to Ezra (450 BC). This is because the Samaritans 'would not have accepted a book composed by Ezra.'

Mention of Jerusalem- There is absolutely no mention of Jerusalem in the Torah, meaning that it was probably written at the time of Samuel or before, because the city of Jerusalem had become 'the center of Judaism from the time of King David (1000 BC) up until the present.'

Religious Documentation- If Ezra (450 BC) assembled the Torah from different documents (J, P, E, and D) then there would most probably be evidence of their existence somewhere in the historical record (950-450 BC). This has not occurred. In fact, 'no copies of the alleged pre-Ezra documents have ever been discovered anywhere, nor are they ever mentioned in any ancient literature.' Logically speaking, if the pre-Ezra had been considered so religiously important to Judaism 'it is implausible that they quickly and entirely disappeared.'

Talmud Without Torah- At the same time that scholars of the Documentary Hypothesis reject the Torah as historically false, they also place great emphasis on a certain passage in the Talmud (Bava Basra 109b) that speaks of the existence 'in ancient Israel a priesthood descended from Moses'. From this single verse, they claim that these priests must have written the E source document.

Two Names for God- The Talmud many times mentions God’s two character traits - the trait of mercy and the trait of justice. Mercy is represented by the name YHVH while justice is represented by Elohim (Midrash Braishis Rabbah 73:3).

Different Styles in the Torah- Advocates of the Documentary Hypothesis point out that different parts of the Torah are written in different styles. There is a simple explanation for this. The Talmud Tractate Megilah 31b states that 'Deuteronomy was written by Moses - it is a speech given by Moses, rather than having been simply dictated to him by God. Based upon this, we can understand why different portions of the Torah are written in different styles although they actually have a Mosaic authorship.'

In conclusion, the scholars who developed the Documentary Hypothesis were woefully ignorant of Judaism and Jewish folk-lore. Because of this, Judaism's refutation of Wellhausen's theology is especially convincing and accurate. Amused by all the fuss, one Jewish scholar simply states: 'Rather than refuting the single authorship of the Torah, Bible critics have merely rediscovered the midrash.'

The Slow Death of the Documentary Hypothesis

If new approaches to the text, such as literary criticism of the type advanced here, deem the Documentary Hypothesis unreasonable and invalid, then source critics will have to rethink earlier conclusions and start anew.

- The Redaction of Genesis by Rendsburg

Is the Documentary Hypothesis a dying theory? Does this mean that Biblical scholarship can now move on into the 21st century, instead of being stuck in a discredited 19th analysis made by Wellhausen and others? Did Moses, in fact, write the first five Books of the Bible? According to some scholars, the answer to all these questions is yes. Even the on-line reference site Wikipedia, which is still in favor of the Documentary Hypothesis, is honest enough to admit it:

While the terminology and insights of the documentary hypothesis-notably its claim that the Pentateuch is the work of many hands and many centuries, and that its final form belongs to the middle of the 1st millennium BC-continue to inform scholarly debate about the origins of the Pentateuch, it no longer dominates that debate as it did for the first two thirds of the 20th century.

- Wikipedia, Documentary Hypothesis

The number of former believers and ex-followers of Wellhausen, and his theory concerning the authorship and dates of the Pentateuch, happens to be growing larger with each passing day. Many of them have realized that the general claim about the Torah being based upon four sources, namely the J, E, D and P source documents, is, in the end, utter nonsense. Some have gotten quite angry with Wellhausen's continuing success and acceptance among modern Biblical scholars. Here are just a few opponents of the Documentary Hypothesis as it stands today:

The time has long passed for scholars of every theological persuasion to recognize that the Graf-Wellhausen theory, as a starting point for continued research, is dead. The Documentary Hypothesis and the arguments that support it have been effectively demolished by scholars from many different theological perspectives and areas of expertise.

- BibleArcheology.org

Gorden J. Wenham points out that there has been a significant change regarding the Wellhausen documentary hypothesis. In the past, rejection of this hypothesis had been from orthodox Jews and conservative Christians. However, questioning of the documentary hypothesis today has come from mainline scholarship.

- HISTORICAL CRITICISM OF THE BIBLE: METHODOLOGY OR IDEOLOGY? by Eta Linnemann

The whole structure of the Documentary Hypothesis is so vitiated with obscurantism and circular reasoning on the basis of unproved and unprovable hypotheses that it hardly deserves the status of true scholarship at all. It appears rather to be an exercise in biased subjectivism that shuns any serious consideration of conflicting evidence.

- Who Wrote the Bible? A Summary Critique, by Gleason L. Archer, Jr

The Documentary Hypothesis must be abandoned. Regardless of the theological presuppositions with which one approaches the text, and regardless of whether one wishes to affirm the tradition of Mosaic authorship or move in new directions, one must recognize the hypothesis to be methodologically unsound.

- BibleArcheology.org

Wellhausen's Documentary Hypothesis has come to an end. Other major scholarly views of the 20th century...are cratering. Nothing substantial, however, has replaced these views.

- Rendtorff, Rolf, The Paradigm Is Changing: Hopes - and Fears

It is now accepted that the documentary hypothesis is hampered with serious difficulties.

- Van Dyk, P. J., Current Trends in Pentateuch Criticism.

We must reject the Documentary Theory as an explanation of the composition of the Pentateuch. The theory is complicated, artificial, and anomalous. It is based on unproved assumptions. It uses unreliable criteria for the separation of the text into component documents.

- Moses H. Segal, professor emeritus at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem

The Wellhausen hypothesis...must be perceived as an exercise in subjectivism rather than a scientific treatment of the objective data bearing upon the date of the composition of the Pentateuch. The whole concept of differing recensions of the Mosaic tradition, a J-document originating in Judah and an E-document developed in the Northern Kingdom, has in this century been called into serious question by disillusioned Wellhausians like Wilhelm Moeller, B.D. Eerdmans, Johannes Pedersen, and Ivan Engnell, all of whom completely reject the whole Documentary Hypothesis as an artificial, modern occidental type of interpretation totally unsuited and irrelevant to ancient Semitic literature.

- Who Wrote the Bible? A Summary Critique, by Gleason L. Archer, Jr

These days, the old truths of Wellhausen's Documentary Hypothesis are becoming less and less accepted with each passing year and continue to be thoroughly discredited by a growing number of scholars and researchers. Indeed, the assumptions of the past concerning the actual origins of the Pentateuch 'have disappeared, and in their place scholars are confronted by competing theories which are discouragingly numerous' as well as 'exceedingly complex'. The simple historical facts of Wellhausen's theory are now gone with the wind. As one noted scholar opines:

The theories current in Old Testament studies, however brilliantly conceived and elab­orated were mainly established in a vacuum with little or no reference to the Ancient Near East, and initially too often in accordance with a priori philosophical and literary principles.

- Kenneth Kitchens, Ancient Orient and the Old Testament

The tried and true J, E, P, and D source documents, which continues to be the foundational cornerstone for the Documentary Hypothesis have also become invalidated by more and more current researchers. In his work The Redaction of Genesis, scholar Rendsburg openly proclaims that 'the standard division of Genesis into J, E, and P strands should be discarded'. He blames their inadequacy on the fact that the Documentary Hypothesis is an old 19th century theology that has been hopelessly outdated. With today's growing knowledge about the ancient world, Rendsburg states 'there is much more uniformity and much less fragmentation in the book of Genesis than generally assumed'. This means that scholars are once again facing the same conclusion of the past, that Moses truly is the author of the Pentateuch . In the meantime, the Documentary Hypothesis, and all that it came with it, continues to pass away, to die, slowly but surely.

Moses Wrote the Torah, the Pentateuch

An objective and truly scientific handling of the evidence can only lead to the conclusion that Jesus Christ and the New Testament apostles were absolutely correct in assuming the genuineness of the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch.

- Who Wrote the Bible? A Summary Critique, by Gleason L. Archer, Jr

When one finally becomes convinced that the Documentary Hypothesis is indeed a incorrect theory, the question remains as to who wrote the Torah, also called the Pentateuch. Traditional Judaism has always believed that Moses was the author of the first five Books of the Bible and Christianity followed suit in the centuries after its formation. There is still every reason to believe that this is the historical truth even though the existence of Moses still cannot be scientifically proven. Considering the severity of laws espoused in the Torah, many Bible researchers say this indicates that it must have been written by Moses, before the people ever slipped into idolatrous practices. One auther states the following:

Consider the implications of Moses’ instructions to his people as recorded in Deuteronomy 13 and 17...In these two chapters we find the death penalty prescribed for any individual, family, or community that became involved in idol-worship. In the time of Josiah, or even in the time of Hezekiah, there was scarcely a community in all of the kingdom of Judah that was not infected with idolatry. Had such a law been propounded and carried out with rigor, it is safe to say that at least 50 percent of the total population would have been stoned to death. No school of prophets or priests would ever have ventured to propound such severe measures...these passages in Deuteronomy fits only a time in the history of Israel when the entire nation was committed to the worship of Yahweh alone. There is no known period which fits into this framework but the time of Moses and Joshua.

Two recent books also bolster the claim that the Book of Genesis may well be a unified document with only one actual author. One of these is called Before Abraham Was, by Kikawada and Quinn, and it shows 'an INCREDIBLE thematic unity and artistry of the composer of Genesis 1-11.' The other book is The Redaction of Genesis, by Rendsburg. This book goes far in proving that there truly 'an INCREDIBLE linguistic unity and artistry of the composer of all of Genesis.' Slowly, more and more modern scholars are returning to the belief that the Torah was written at a much earlier date than that espoused by the Documentary Hypothesis. Here is just one example of this phenomenon:

In the light of these considerations, the objective evidence of the text and of all pertinent historical records bearing upon the career of Israel leads us back to the genuineness of the Mosaic date as the only plausible period for the composition of the Pentateuch...Suffice it to say that the indications in the Pentateuch of a pre-Conquest time of composition of the books of Moses are altogether compelling.

- Who Wrote the Bible? A Summary Critique, by Gleason L. Archer, Jr

In Judaism, Genesis through Deuteronomy was always considered to be a singular work, usually called the Book of the Law. This is cited in 2 Chronicles 25:4 and Mark 12:26. This makes good sense because even a quick glance at the content 'of its individual components will confirm that each book presupposes the one that precedes it.' One scholar notes astutely:

Without Genesis, Exodus reads like a book begun midway; without Exodus, Leviticus is a mystery; and so on. They were not intended to be five separate volumes in a common category, but rather, are five divisions of the same book. Hence, the singular references: “the Law” or “the Book.”

- ApologeticsPress.org

Given this tradition, it seems incredible that the Documentary Hypothesis was ever believed or copied. One should remember, however, that the propenents of Wellhausen's theory were neither Jewish nor Christian believers. It is safe to assume that they had ulterior motives in creating the Documentary Hypothesis. They knew full well that to prove that Moses did not write the Torah was to also discredit, and perhaps eventually, destroy the Judeo-Christian tradition. As one author contends:

Prove that Moses did not write the books of the Pentateuch and you prove that Jesus was totally mistaken and not the infallible Son of God he claimed to be. Upon your faith in Moses as the writer of the five books attributed to him rests also your faith in Jesus as the Son of God. You cannot believe in Jesus Christ without believing what Moses wrote.

- Genesis and Evolution, by M.R. DeHaan

One should also take into account the fact that the authorship of Moses is a given througout the Holy Bible, including the New Testament. Within the Pentateuch itself, one can read numerous times about how Moses wrote the law of God. Here are just a few pertinent passages from Scriptures:

- Moses wrote all the words of the LORD. (Exodus 24:4)

- The LORD said unto Moses, ‘Write thou these words...' (Exodus 34:27).

- Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the LORD. (Numbers 33:2).

- Moses wrote this law and delivered it unto the priests. (Deuteronomy 31:9).

- The law was given through Moses. (John 1:17)

- And beginning from Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:27)

- For Moses from generations of old hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath. (Acts 15:21)

In addition, authors of the New Testament 'showed no hesitation in affirming that Moses wrote the Pentateuch.' Even Paul agreed with this, stating: 'For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law,' It is rather ironic that 'both Jesus’ disciples and His enemies recognized and accepted the books of Moses.' Christian believers should take care to understand that the authorship of the Torah should not be taken lightly and should feel assured in the belief that Moses wrote it. One scholar notes:

A final reason that one must defend the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch, instead of sitting by idly and claiming that “it doesn’t really matter who wrote it,” is because Jesus Himself acknowledged that “the Law” came from Moses....The truth is, by claiming that Moses did not write the books of the Pentateuch, one essentially is claiming that Jesus was mistaken.

- ApologeticsPress.org

May the LORD God bless you in the name of St. Judas Maccabaeus.

The Maccabee - American Male Circumcision, a Judeo-Christian Conspiracy

'Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, 'and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?'

- Jeremiah 23:29

A possible modern conspiracy never mentioned, but worth noting, is that of male circumcision. For whatever reason, the United States is one of the only nations besides Israel and Muslim countries that circumcise their male children. This is a fairly recent phenomenon, most of it occurring after World War II. The practice is virtually unknown in Europe and Asia. Calling it standard medical procedure or claiming it is done for purposes of hygiene doesn’t really explain why Japan and Sweden, with comparable medical expertise, do not practice it. One historian may provide some clues to the puzzle:

All this is of significance because it is concerned with the fact that there is an age-old Western tradition, much battered and destroyed in recent generations, that has sent up new, living shoots of vigorous growth since 1945.

- Tragedy & Hope, by Carroll Quigley, p.1232

Also intriguing is the fact that the future king of Great Britain, Prince Charles, is circumcised in a nation where literally no one else is, besides for Jewish and Muslim citizens. I believe that this conspiracy, if it actually is one, should prosper. As Jesus once stated about the old laws, which included mandatory circumcision for males, ‘Do not think I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.’ (Matthew 5:17) Hopefully, this process will continue and become a permanent Christian tradition that will branch out into other countries until all the nations on earth routinely circumcise their male children. However, the question of how it became a standard American medical practice and who was behind it remains unanswered. Nevertheless, future generations should take heed of the warning that

Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved.

- Acts 15:1

The present American situation of Christian Gentiles circumcising their male children may not last unfortunately. One never knows when the political fringe will organize and begin calling for a ban on circumcision. What happens when, and if, circumcision is declared illegal and considered a criminal offense? Will anyone resist and will anybody care? It is not a good sign that some Jewish mothers of today are making it a point to leave their own sons uncircumcised.

History tells us that, almost two centuries before Christianity, this exact same phenomenon began to occur among the Hellenized Jews. At one point, the Greek rulers of Israel, along with their mainly homosexual, tyrannical Jewish allies, boldly made circumcision a crime punishable by death in order to destroy Judaism. Any Jewish mothers caught with circumcised male infants had their own babies tied around their necks and were then thrown down from a wall to their deaths. It should not be surprising that, among these same Greeks, and later the Romans, the practice of pedophilia (pederasty) was very common, socially accepted, and perfectly legal. State-sponsored and tax-funded temples dedicated to Venus, the so-called goddess of love, included little boys and little girls being forcibly used as temple prostitutes and sex slaves. In contrast, Jewish law condemned pedophilia and made it a capital offense. The Babylonian Talmud states quite clearly:

Pederasty is punished by [death].

- Nezikin III, Sanhedrin 54a

Though it may have taken centuries, the Christian religion eventually imposed a Jewish code of sexual morality upon the entire Roman Empire, and all its citizens, that made child prostitution, along with pedophilia, a heinous crime. Many other perverted practices were also prohibited including rape, incest, bestiality, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexuality, sodomy, fellatio, prostitution, pornography and masturbation. Regardless of St. Paul’s reluctant tolerance, this Christian code of moral law should now include circumcision as a common, perhaps even required, practice among all Christians world-wide. Pedophilia should be a crime, not circumcision.

The Master said: Every precept which was given to the sons of Noah and repeated at Sinai was meant for both Noachides and Israelites

- Sanhedrin 59a

May the LORD God bless you in the name of St. Judas Maccabaeus.

The Maccabee - A History of Purgatory

'Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, 'and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?'

- Jeremiah 23:29

A History of Purgatory

The history of Purgatory is long and detailed. Contrary to the opinions of some misinformed scholars, many of them Protestants, Purgatory is a doctrine that is far older than Christianity. Indeed, it can rightly be said that the concept of Purgatory is more than 2,000 years old and finds it roots in Judaism, especially as described in the two Books of the Maccabees. Two sources note the following:

Roman Catholic belief in purgatory is based, among other reasons, on the previous Jewish practice of prayer for the dead, a practice that presupposes that the dead are thereby assisted between death and their entry into their final abode.

- Purgatory, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Offerings for the dead were known to ancient Jewish practice, and it has been speculated that Christianity may have taken its similar practice from its Jewish heritage.

- History of Purgatory, Wikipedia

The Catholic Church also tends to believe that Purgatory is a doctrine that was taught by Jesus Christ directly to his Apostles who handed it down to the earliest Church Fathers who continued on in this originally Jewish tradition. The theory of Purgatory, in other words, 'the idea of a kind of purgatory… is quite plainly found' throughout numerous different non-Christian cultures and religions and was 'an idea that is representative of a view widely dispersed in antiquity.' One source summarizes:

The Catholic tradition of purgatory has a history that dates back, before Jesus, to the worldwide practice of praying for and caring for the dead, and the practice of prayer for the dead with a view to their afterlife purification, found in Judaism, from which Christianity grew. The same practice appears in other traditions, such as the medieval Chinese Buddhist practice of making offerings on behalf of the dead, who are said to suffer numerous trials. Among other reasons, Catholic belief in purgatory is based on the practice of prayer for the dead.

- History of Purgatory, Wikipedia

When it comes to the earliest stages of the Christian religion, it can said that 'the notion of an interim state of souls after death developed only gradually, partly because it was of little interest as long as Christians looked for an imminent end of the world.' After that time period however:

Specific examples of belief in purification after death and of the communion of the living with the dead through prayer are found in many of the Church Fathers.

- History of Purgatory, Wikipedia

Thus, even though Purgatory cannot be found discussed in the New Testament, this is simply because it was either assumed, or left unspoken, by St. Paul and others who were more interested in the Resurrection and how that affected the living, rather than the dead. Even so, Purgatory was expounded upon by the earliest of Church Fathers. Here are just a few examples of the Church Fathers mentioning the notion of Purgatory:

The Early Church Fathers and Purgatory

- The Church Father Irenaeus (130-202 AD) mentioned a place 'where the souls of the dead remained until the universal judgment', a theory which 'contains the concept of... purgatory.'

- Both St. Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD) and his pupil, Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD), believed in a 'purification after death; this view drew upon the notion that fire is a divine instrument from the Old Testament, and understood this in the context of New Testament teachings such as baptism by fire, from the Gospels, and a purificatory trial after death, from St. Paul.' Origen argued against the idea of 'soul sleep' until final judgement on Judgment Day. Instead he beleived that 'the souls of the elect immediately entered paradise unless not yet purified, in which case they passed into a state of punishment, a penal fire, which is to be conceived as a place of purification.' Many believe that, 'Clement of Alexandria, and his pupil Origen of Alexandria, derived their view from a combination of biblical teachings' who took numerous 'vague concepts of purifying and punishing fire' that predated Christianity.

- Another Church Father Tertullian (160-225 AD) also discused a 'purification after death. In Tertullian's understanding of the afterlife, the souls of martyrs entered directly into eternal blessedness, whereas the rest entered a generic realm of the dead.' In this particular theological doctrine 'the idea of a kind of purgatory… is quite plainly found.'

- Further elaborations concerning Purgatory include those written by 'St. Cyprian (258 AD), St. John Chrysostom (347-407 AD), and St. Augustine (354-430 AD), among others.'

Thus it can be clearly seen that the doctrine of Purgatory was discussed extensively by several different people between the years 130-430 A.D. This puts to rest the notion that the idea of Purgatory was 'invented' by the Church sometime during the Middle Ages more than one thousand years after Christianity began. By the early 5th century, St. Augustine discussed Purgatory extensively and even claimed that the pain of 'purgatorial fire' was 'more severe than anything a man can suffer in this life.' Later on, in the late 6th century, Pope Gregory the Great wrote about Purgatory which specifically shows a 'development in the understanding of the afterlife distinctive of the direction that Latin Christendom would take.' Pope Gregory wrote the following Biblical argument concerning Purgatory:

As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.

- Dialogues, Pope Gregory the Great

In addition to those cited above, 'numerous other famous Christians have mentioned Purgatory in their writings.' This included Bede who had a supernatural 'vision of a beautiful Heaven and a lurid Hell with adjacent temporary abodes.' The same thing happened to St. Boniface. In the 7th century, the Irish abbot St. Fursa also had a vision concerning the afterlife where he was pursued by demons intent on punishing him for his sins. This made him conclude that 'just as the body burns through unlawful desire, so the soul will burn, as the lawful, due penalty for every sin.' Others who have discussed Purgatory include Haymo, Rabanus Maurus (780 - 856 AD), and Walafrid Strabo (808 - 849 AD).

The Catholic Church proceeded to establish All Souls' Day at the end of the 10th century which 'helped focus popular imagination on the fate of the departed, and fostered a sense of solidarity between the living and the dead.' Later 12th century developments in 'the elaboration of the theology of penance helped create a notion of purgatory as a place to complete penances unfinished in this life.' Around 1128, Ermelindo Portela Silva interpreted the words of Diego Gelmírez, then Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, to mean that there indeed was a Purgatory where those who are too sinful for Heaven go to after they die. Most historians acknowledge that the word Purgatory finally came into existence with the Latin term 'Purgatorium.' Medievalist Jacques Le Goff believes this occurred sometime betwenn 1170 and 1200. Around this same time, 'the conception of purgatory as a physical place, rather than merely as a state' also began to take hold upon Christian believers. One source notes the following:

Le Goff also considered Peter the Lombard (d. 1160), in expounding on the teachings of St. Augustine and Gregory the Great, to have contributed significantly to the birth of purgatory in the sense of a physical place.

- History of Purgatory, Wikipedia

Of course, it must be understood 'that the notion of purification after death, without the medieval notion of a physical place, [still] existed in antiquity.' It just became easier for Christianity and its followers to think of Purgatory as a place with a location, usually believed to be underground, below the earth, similar to a grave or the roots of a tree. Because of this, the 12th century became known for its many stories concerning the actual location of Purgatory. Keep in mind that this was in spite of the fact that 'the idea of purgatory as a process of cleansing thus dated back to early Christianity.' The actual tales included descriptions 'about St. Patrick's Purgatory, a cavelike entrance to purgatory on a remote island in Ireland.' The most prominent of these was called 'The legend of St Patrick's Purgatory' (Tractatus de Purgatorio Sancti Patricii) which was originally written by Hugh of Saltry, also known as Henry of Sawtry. Other stories similar to this included the Visio Tnugdali.

Another Purgatory legend spoke of an 'entrance to Purgatory in places such as a cave on the volcanic Mount Etna in Sicily.' This was a distinct era when 'the idea of purgatory as a physical place became widespread on a popular level, and was defended also by some theologians.' All these tales about the location of Purgatory were 'part of a huge, repetitive contemporary genre of literature of which the most familiar today is Dante's.' In his work called 'Purgatorio', Dante imagined Purgatory as the 'second kingdom' of the afterlife which was located upon 'a seven-story mountain situated' at the exact opposite end of the world from the actual city of Jerusalem, just like like the North and South poles.

Here is a detailed historical summary of Purgatory from the years 780 to 2011:

A Brief Timeline of Purgatory

780-856: Rabanus Maurus expounds upon Purgatory.

808-849: Walafrid Strabo writes extensively about Purgatory.

1160-1180: The word Purgatory, or in Latin Purgatorium, first appears as a noun.

1170-1200: The conception of purgatory as a physical place occurs, what Jacques Le Goff terms 'the birth of Purgatory.'

1206: A peasant named Thurkhill in England claims 'that Saint Julian took him on a tour of Purgatory.'

1220: Caesarius of Heisterbach, a Cistercian monk makes the claim that 'purgatory could be in several places at once.'

1254: The First Council of Lyon declared that 'souls...can be cleansed after death and can be helped by the suffrages of the Church...[in] a place of purgation...calling it purgatory according to the traditions and authority of the Holy Fathers.'

1438-1445: The Council of Florence issues a formal declaration concerning Purgatory.

1530: Martin Luther stops believing in Purgatory.

1545-63: The Council of Trent declares belief in Purgatory to be an official Christian doctrine.

1585: The Roman Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church agree at the Union of Brest that 'We shall not debate about Purgatory, but we entrust ourselves to the teaching of the Holy Church.'

1603: Shakespeare publishes 'Hamlet' which features a ghost of Hamlet's dead father from Purgatory.

1865: John Henry Newman publishes 'The Dream of Gerontius' which discusses Purgatory in depth.

1999: Pope John Paul II states that 'the term Purgatory does not indicate a place, but a condition of existence.'

2005: The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes 'Purgatory is the state of those who die in God’s friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven.'

2011: Pope Benedict XVI discusses Saint Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510), and her visions of Purgatory stating 'that in her time the purification of souls (Purgatory) was pictured as a location in space.'

May the LORD God bless you in the name of St. Judas Maccabeus.

The Maccabee - 10 Simple Reasons why Christianity should Practice Male Circumcision

'Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, 'and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?'

- Jeremiah 23:29

For almost 2,000 years, the consensus of Christianity has been that male circumcision is not required for the faith. Nonetheless, there are numerous and fairly valid reasons to finally reintroduce this practice among Christians throughout the world. There are also some specific passages that seem to suggest that the religion of Judaism should also promote and perhaps even require circumcision among the Gentiles as a part of their own faith.

This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

- Genesis 17:10

The covenant of male circumcision started with Abraham, the founding father of the three major faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. For Christianity to truly be a part of the House of Abraham, they should circumcise their male children. After all, Christians have fulfilled the prophecy that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sands upon the seashore. There are some who would claim that Christianity obeys the Seven laws of Noah and that only Jews are actually required to practice circumcision. That is the wrong assumption as the following passages from the Jewish Talmud clearly show:

The Master said: Every precept which was given to the sons of Noah and repeated at Sinai was meant for both [Noachides and Israelites]

- Sanhedrin 59a

But circumcision, which was given to the Sons of Noah, for it is written, 'Thou shalt keep my covenant, and repeated at Sinai, And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised,'

- Sandhedrin 59b

This law was not learned from the teaching of Moses our teacher, until Ezekiel came and taught, 'No alien, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh shall enter into my Sanctuary to serve me'

- Sanhedrin 22b

One should remember that the compromise concerning uncircumcised Christian Gentiles found in the Book of Acts was not a unanimous decision and was probably not meant to be an eternal dictate that Christians didn't need to circumcise their male children. What follows are ten excellent reasons why Christianity should practice circumcision as a standard aspect of their faith:

Ten Reasons Why Christianity should Practice Circumcision

I. The Covenant of Abraham

BIBLE: This is my covenant, which you shall keep…Every man child among you shall be circumcised. (Genesis 17:10)

CONCLUSION: Though many Christians are not blood-related to Abraham, they are a part of his House and subject to the same law. Many followers of Abraham practiced circumcision.

II. The Gospels of Jesus Christ

BIBLE: It is easier for Heaven and earth to pass away, than one part of the law to become invalid. (Luke 16:17)

CONCLUSION: Circumcision is one of the oldest Hebrew laws and was commanded by God Himself. Regardless of past Christian tradition circumcision is still the law.

III. St. Paul’s Obvious Approval

BIBLE: What value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. (Romans 3:1-2)

CONCLUSION: Although St. Paul appears to disapprove of circumcision in some passages, this is because he was fighting against those Christians who still believed it should be required. Paul himself was circumcised.

IV. To Be Like Christ - Christian

BIBLE: When eight days had passed for the circumcising of the child, His name was called Jesus. (Luke 2:21)

CONCLUSION: Jesus Christ was circumcised on the eighth day. To be like Christ is to be circumcised. To be a Christian mother is to be like Mary’s and to circumcise their sons.

V. To Be Like the Apostles

BIBLE: And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child…His mother answered…he shall be called John.- Luke 1:59-60

CONCLUSION: All of the Apostles and all the Disciples were circumcised. Jesus Christ Himself was circumcised along with His father, his brothers and all his ancestors and early followers.

VI. To Honor the Christian Martyrs

BIBLE: They put to death certain women, that had caused their children to be circumcised.- I Maccabees 1:60

CONCLUSION: St. Peter, St. Jason, St. James, St. Stephen, St. Thomas, , St. John & many other Christian Martyrs were circumcised.

VII. To Renew the Hebrew Tradition

BIBLE: Abraham took…every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.(Genesis 17:2)

CONCLUSION: To truly become a member of the House of Abraham, to distinguish oneself from the Pagans, and in order to fulfill the laws of God as commanded by Jesus, all Christians should now circumcise all their male sons by the age of 18.

VIII. To Remove all Pagan Customs

BIBLE: They…leave their children uncircumcised, and make their souls abominable with all manner of uncleanness and profanation. (I Maccabees 1:48 )

CONCLUSION: Today, a growing number of Jewish and Christian mothers leave their sons uncircumcised. In the years to come, more and more Pagans will become hostile to Christianity and to the practice of circumcision. Oppose the Pagans.

IX. To Convert the Jews & Muslims

BIBLE: Ishmael…was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised. (Genesis 17:25) Abraham circumcised his son Isaac at eight days old, as God had commanded him. (Genesis 21:4)

CONCLUSION: Jews and Muslims would more likely convert to a Christianity that practices circumcision.

X. In Tribute to the Early Saints

BIBLE: Mattathias and his allies…forcibly circumcised any uncircumcised boys whom they found in the territory of Israel…They save the law from the hands of the Gentiles. (I Maccabees 2:45)

CONCLUSION: The first 5 Saints of Christianity, St. Judas, Jonathan, John, Simon, and Eleazar were all circumcised Jews who fought against the Greeks who butchered anyone that practiced or opposed the new law that banned circumcision.

Maccabee Christianity is fully supportive of the practice of circumcision by those of the Christian faith. Indeed, read carefully, Scriptures seem to indicate that the practice of circumcision may well be destined to become universal among all men on planet Earth. History, and the Bible, stands as a clear warning to those who would so blithely disdain male circumcision as a barbaric custom of the past. Here are just a few pertinent quotes:

In those days there appeared in Israel men who were breakers of the law, and they seduced many people…They covered over the mark of their circumcision and abandoned the holy covenant; they allied themselves with the Gentiles and sold themselves into wrongdoing.

- I Maccabees 1:11-15

Women who had their babies circumcised were put to death, in keeping with the decree, with the babies hung from their necks; their families also and those who had circumcised them were killed.

- I Maccabees 1:60-61

The King sent messengers with letter to Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah, ordering them to follow customs foreign to the land…to leave their sons uncircumcised, and to let themselves be defiled with every kind of impurity and abomination.

- I Maccabees 1:44-48

May the LORD God bless you in the name of St. Judas Maccabaeus.

The Sign of Circumcision