Salt in the Wound
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19 ESV
In the name of – In his book, Epidemic: Examining the Infected Roots of Judaism and Christianity, Russ Houck suggests that the phrase “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” was added to the text after Constantine and is not part of the original Matthew gospel. He makes this claim on the basis that “this verse does not exist in any manuscript dated earlier than the Byzantine text of Constantine.”[1] This is absolutely true (hold on, don’t panic yet), but not because, as Houck would lead you to believe, the original text was tampered with. It is true because there are no manuscripts of Matthew prior to the fourth century that contain chapter 28 at all. It isn’t just this phrase. It is the entire chapter (and a few others) that don’t exist in any form prior to Constantine. (Maybe you need to let that sink in a bit.) If you want to check out all of the manuscripts in question and their dates, go here.
In response, Sam Shamoun provides an argument for the inclusion of this baptismal formula from the patristic fathers. He points out that the formula (or hints of it) are found in The Didache, Ignatius, Irenaeus, Tertullian and Victorius, all prior to Constantine. His historical sources are correct, but his conclusion doesn’t really help. Houck is wrong to imply that this particular phrase was added. But Shamoun stands on no more solid ground by claiming that these early church fathers imply the authenticity of the phrase. The early church fathers were all, to a man, Gentile, anti-Semitic, Platonic philosopher-theologians. They had every reason to include a formula asserting a radical and fundamental identity difference between Judaism, even Messianic Judaism, and Christianity couched in the Greek categories of “person.” Shamoun’s solution is no solution. It doesn’t help us get any closer to Matthew’s original text. In fact, philologically, nothing does. We simply do not know, and probably never will know, what Matthew actually wrote. What we have is the Jewish version in the Shem Tov accounts and the Christian version in post 4th Century accounts.
So the question, “Does the baptismal formula of Matthew 28 support the doctrine of the Trinity?” cannot be answered in terms of Matthew’s view. We can only say that the Shem Tov account does not support this doctrine but the ante-Nicene fathers and the post 4th century copies do support the doctrine. What Matthew believed is a mystery.
So we are left with suppositions based on what we know about 1st century Messianic Judaism. And that pours salt into the wound because if you asked any 1st century Jew if God existed in three “persons,” he would think you were an idolater. And then there is Boyarin.[2] More salt in the wound, but from a completely different direction.
What have we learned? Maybe all this frenzy for “the one right answer” just isn’t part of the mix. Maybe the experience of God isn’t contained within a “right answers” theology. Are you willing to settle for some permanent tension?
Topical Index: Matthew 29:19, name, baptism, trinity
The Oneness of God is inconceivable – beyond the human capacity to interpret. It is a mysterious wonder which is revealed to us by God. Yet, all is not at lost because our gracious God and Father grants unto every man – who truly hungers and thirst after His righteousness, the divine privilege to come, taste and see. God is One, blessed be the name of the Lord. But his Oneness is an unfolding mystery for those who seek to “know” him.
God bless you!
“M”
OUCH! Was my first reaction to the topic! 🙂
My simple question will be-
WHY in the NAME of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, if they are the one and the same?
And “what is His Name, and His Son’s Name” if you know/yada (as in intimately) Him? Prov 30:3
Can I write a cheque in the “name of father, son and holy spirit”? It will definitely be rejected anyhow!
“Maybe all this frenzy for “the one right answer” just isn’t part of the mix.” Right.
For whatever is revealed…”The hidden belongs to YHWH our Elohim, but what s revealed belongs to us and to our children forever , to do all the Words of this Torah” Deut 29: 29.
Or being restored, belongs to us, and down the generations-forever!
Restoration can take place when there is an original in the first place.
We rest in YHWH. Shalom! 🙂
Whatever the answer: “Ecc 12:13 The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole man.”
Yes, for sure, this is the end of the matter. Never a question about that. Just trying to sort out the rest to see where it takes me in revising how I think.
Why always the seeking “how to think”?
God’s Word stands alone in great power, the same power that created everything visible and invisible and is held together by Him.
Power is revealed in faith, to him that believes.
“. . . for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Rom 1:16-17)
Learning traditional observances and blessings as well as the Messianic connections is enriching, but the reason I can be certain we do not have to have a Hebraic understanding or outlook is because millions are saved who know nothing else.
Missionaries go into to places and deliver the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Spirit works mightily, sometimes just thru pictures, with no words, and certainly no understanding at all to what this meant to anyone else in the world at any time.
They only know it means rescue, — the Saviour has come — and knocked on their heart’s door. And many have opened and welcomed Him in. He has found a place to stay (this time).
The Jesus Film Project shows movies of the Life of Jesus and people are added to His kingdom.
http://www.jesusfilm.org/
View the free Iran Alive DVD and see:
https://secure.persecution.com/contactus.aspx?form=IranAliveDVD&source=EMAIL103
Nowhere in the Bible do we find Gentile believers being instructed to follow Levitical laws or Jewish customs. There is no superiority in being born Jewish or Gentile. We who are followers of Christ, comprised of many different cultures and lifestyles, are all of value and greatly loved because we’ve entered into the FAMILY of God.
Dear Dorothy,
Your final comment about “nowhere in the Bible do we find Gentile believers” is standard Christian exegesis, which, by the way, is now under considerable scholarly criticism on several fronts. In my “professional” opinion, there is little basis for this claim within the cultural context of Scripture. I think it can be clearly demonstrated that the Christian church accommodated pagan expectations by removing the need for Torah obedience sometime between 165 – 250 AD and that prior to that the believing community, which consisted of Jews and Gentiles, was either fully or partially Torah observant and would never have taught that Torah was not a requirement for Gentiles who were grafted into the commonwealth of Israel.
Now, I realize that you will object to this, claiming along with most replacement theology, that Paul set aside Torah (or maybe even Jesus). But this is an opportunity for you to raise your head above the usual theological doctrine and actually investigate the HISTORICAL evidence for what really happened to the believing community after the first century. I suggest two works: John Gager “The Origins of Anti-Semitism” and Becker and Reed, “The Ways that Never Parted.” Both draw on considerable scholarly work and show without doubt that “Christianity” accommodated itself to Roman culture and identified itself in opposition to Jewish Torah observance in order to distinguish its beliefs from Judaism – AND THAT NO NEW TESTAMENT AUTHOR calls for the abolishment of Torah among the believing community. You may object on the grounds that your interpretation of Scripture says otherwise, but it is not a matter of Scripture alone. The HISTORY demonstrates that the first believers were Jewish in thought and practice (including those who were Gentile ethnically) and it took over 100 years before the “church” began to teach that Torah didn’t matter. In other words, it isn’t Scripture that forces us to say Gentiles are free from the law. It is DOCTRINE, formed by the early church fathers in order to make themselves different than Jews and more like Romans.
Go read. Then tell me where I am wrong about this.
I have to wonder what you would have said about the rest of what I posted if I had left out that one sentence.
Anyway, I went and read my history book and this is what I found out.
Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23-25; Ephesians 2:15; Matthew 22:37-39; Galatians 6:2: Romans 3: 24
Then I read my early church book on how the church came about: (its the same book luckily)
Jesus had promised that He would build His church (Matthew 16:18), and with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), the ekklesia officially began.
3,000 people responded to Peter’s sermon that day and chose to follow Christ.
Jesus, the Jewish Messiah had come to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17) and instituted a new covenant based on His death (Mark 14:24). This message infuriated many Jewish leaders, and some, like Saul, took action to stamp out “the Way” (Acts 9:1-2).
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
When Saul was gone and Paul the new creation appeared…
Paul argued that the Law was gone, except for teaching bad people that they are actually bad. I Tim. 1. For those who have been rescued, Jew or Gentile, enmity of the Law (therefore: usefulness of law) is gone.
“But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.”
Since we are not those described above as who the law if actually for, then it is not for us.
I don’t care how modern this discussion tries to be. Point blank Paul had a face to face meeting with God and I will take his word over any kind of argument that could ever be made by anyone in modern history.
Amen Skip. Thanks for making us think critically!
Torah (or the Law) does matter and does matter to the Christian (me) greatly! ~ the Law of the LORD is perfect ~ I had not known sin except by the Torah (the Law of the LORD). Let’s get down to the real “nitty-gritty” and define “exactly” if we may, just what is Torah obedience, why Torah obedience? and who “exactly” is fully Torah obedient? Only one man I know of (yes, He is very Jewish) who was ever fully Torah obedient, therefore “sinless.”
The Law (The Torah of YHWH) was (and is!) our Schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. It simply says, “all have sinned and stand in need of a Savior. All (gasp!) includes “all.” God’s word simply states (is anything simple at all in the word of God- or do we need a lawyer, a professor and a theologian to sort all this out, when Christ (Himself) said, “suffer the little children to come unto Me?” I could and should immediately cry out to God,- “Please give me the heart and faith of a child!” What an excellent prayer that would be. I am so happy for those who are educated, but I will say this (present company excluded, of course)- “there is no fool like an educated fool”- and let this statement stand on its own. If our Bible, has “holes in it” or if it is “inspired in spots” as some would maintain, then let us all be thankful indeed for those who are inspired to “spot the spots..” I have a good Hebrew word for this (at first I was going to say “balogna,” but I’ll settle instead for a good ol’ “OY!”
This “stuff” (another fine word) should be on talk radio, and there are those among us (no shortage at all) who are and make a good living at being “professional pot stirrers!” Ahh.. the man with the golden spoon.. “what do you think folks?”. No, that’s not going to do it for me. Sorry. Instead, I’d rather depend upon three words that have served me well for decades and will remain with me for (hopefully) decades more.. (Are you listening?) Dear ones, “It is written!” If you cannot pick up your Bible and say it clearly, without stutter or stammer.. “the word of God says..” then what on this green earth are you doing? Why not just come out and say, “you know.. this Book, God’s Book should be doubted for what is written in here is highly contaminated. Now, go watch some T.V.
Hang in there Skip. One interpretation of scripture renders 2/3 + of the Bible as “not for us”, the other view reveals the true harmony of scripture which runs throughout.
Dorothy,
I can see these posts are rattling you a bit. I empathize with you, but there are some things that we must question. I believe Skip’s intention is to seek after God with his whole heart. This also requires our mind (thinking) since the word for heart, lev, is much more akin to the mind.
http://www.egrc.net/articles/Rock/HebrewWords/levav.html
If the ekklesia began in Acts chapter 2, what are we supposed to do with the Septuagint that uses this very word to describe Israel again and again? Even Stephen (after Pentecost) used ekklesia in reference to the children of Israel:
This is he, that was in the church (ekklesia) in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: (Acts 7:38)
And you also brought up 1 Tim. 1:9, “Knowing this, that the law is not MADE for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers…”
In English, it appears as though Paul is saying the law was not MADE (that is created) for a righteous person. Bu the Greek word is “keimai” and means “to lie outstretched”. It has nothing to do with making or creating. The KJV only translates keimai as “made” in this one verse, why? Every other instance has direct connotations of lay, lying, laid, etc.
We have a common saying in English similar to what Paul was actually asserting: “…the law is not “laid down” for the righteous man…”
Even today a Sheriff could say as much about our county laws. The law is only “laid down” for a law-breaker. Those obedient to the law have no fear of punishment. And this makes since with Paul’s statements as well. He goes on in the passage extolling God for His mercy and grace, because Paul realizes that he deserved to have the law “laid down” upon him — he was a law breaker. As Skip has stated elsewhere, what was removed from Paul wasn’t the law, but the punishment he fully deserved. This is exactly what happens for us.
So, of course the law isn’t laid down for a righteous person —- that only makes sense —- they’re obeying the law. The police officer doesn’t pull me over when I obey traffic laws (the law isn’t laid down), but if I run a stop light, the law judges my actions and I’m responsible for my punishment (the law is laid down).
I hope this helps.
K.Gallagher
K Gallagher
I thank you for your empathy.
I’m not rattled — I’m on fire for Christ. Its possible they look alike.
That may appear odd to the world, and often does. I take no care to defend my own reputation. He gave up His reputation for me and endured being called a bastard and a lunatic, even to this day.
His mother gave up her reputation in order to do the will of God and it is still whispered about her, by some, that she engaged in fornication before marriage.
God hasn’t cleared that up yet to the world, — He will. To those of us who believe His precious Words there is nothing to explain — all our time is spent rejoicing at His marvelous plans He carries forth.
Understand that I know I am not learned. I only know Jesus and Him crucified. But I wish to reply to this one thing from your most kind letter to me:
You wrote:
“If the ekklesia began in Acts chapter 2, what are we supposed to do with the Septuagint that uses this very word to describe Israel again and again? Even Stephen (after Pentecost) used ekklesia in reference to the children of Israel:
This is he, that was in the church (ekklesia) in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: (Acts 7:38)”
My reply:
God came to His own and His own received Him not. He came because He loves the whole world. He is no respecter of persons. No matter what country/nationality you come from, if you believe in Jesus Christ, and have received Him and trust in Him for your salvation, then He is yours and you are His. You are the ekklesia/called out.
Called from what? Unbelief, rage, idol worship, vain things.
Not all Israel is true Israel. Likewise, not everyone who claims to be a believer is a believer. Evidence will be revealed fruit inspection, which includes how they respond to Jesus.
Peter writes to the church calling them ‘a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession’ (1 Pet. 2.5, 9)
— all terms which in Exodus 19.5-6 indicate Israel.
I don’t see in Scripture that God has two separate ‘chosen peoples’. The Jewish people need Jesus Christ just like the rest of us. The Word shines a spotlight by using ekklesia for ALL that are called out — we are mixed together in Christ. So what if you are a hand and I am the littlest toe? We are part of the Body of Christ.
There is absolutely no difference between the Jew and the Gentile in the sight of Almighty God. Peter made that ever so clear to the early church: Acts 15: 7-11
We are either with Christ or against Christ. There are two groups of people in the sight of God, the SAVED (chosen/His ekklesia) and the UNSAVED (they have a song in hell — the lyrics are recorded in Jer. 8:20.) The call to salvation has been going out for centuries now, and many have received Jesus Christ (John 1:11-12) but most continue to reject Him and His Gospel. There are people from both of those groups in every tribe and nation of the entire world.
Thank you for sharing your views with me. I hope my view might be of blessing to you as well.
(And I pray I posted in the correct spot!)
the law is not made for a righteous man,
STRONGS NT 1342: δίκαιος righteous, observing divine and human laws/ keeping the commands of God
Hi Dorothy
I so much enjoy how you see Bible as your early church and history book. Makes me think of Jewish kids going to school – having to carry only ONE BOOK. So now I can also use the Tanakh (OT) as my dictionary, set aside my own ideas( very difficult!!), since I need to find out what God’s definition of a word was when He first used it. This is very challenging but so exiting, getting to know the ONE true God better/deeper – I am so thankful for Skip doing plenty of the hard work for us. Brad Scott’s words definitions on his site also helped me and a non-history/early church book: The Tanakh – The Dictionary of the New Testament.
The Tanakh – dictionary of the Apostolic Writings – what a great definition. Thanks. The NT is merely commentary on the OT. At least that’s the way the authors of the NT present it. So, if we want to know what the apostolic authors meant, we need to read them through the Tanakh.
Good Morning to you all, I do agree completely with de Wit “Ecc 12:13 The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole man.” More than that is what we say in spanish “buscarle 5 patas al gato” (looking for the fifth leg of the cat). thoug I have one concern, what do we do with the fact of the whole 28 chapter?
Blessings to all.
I can’t put my hand on it now, but somewhere I heard or read that, prior to Matthew it was Jewish tradition to refer to your repentance/ conversion Mikvah as being Mivah’ed in the name of the Rabbi that was your witness. Do you know if this is true?
Acts 19:3 And he said to them, To what then were you baptized? And they said, To John’s baptism. 4Then said Paul, John truly baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus
…1 Cor 1: 12 Now this I say, that every one of you said, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;
15Lest any should say that I had baptized in my own name.
Here is an article by Tim Hegg on Matthew 28:19: http://www.torahresource.com/EnglishArticles/Matt28.19TexualCriticism.pdf
He does not consider or mention no extant manuscripts of Matthew 28 until the fourth century.
“What have we learned? Maybe all this frenzy for “the one right answer” just isn’t part of the mix. Maybe the experience of God isn’t contained within a “right answers” theology. Are you willing to settle for some permanent tension?”
Yes I am!
And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of you? give an account of your stewardship; for you may be no longer steward.
Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord takes away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much do you owe my lord?
And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
Then said he to another, And how much do you owe? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
Luke 16
The real material world Global economy is on the verge of contraction and collapse because of what is owed on paper, making sure the poor face the full brunt of it.
Could this be the solution in preventing a hard crash? Forgive us our debts AS we forgive those indebted to us. Is it just a vain repetition, reciting the Lord’s Prayer, when it is not applied to the harsh reality facing us collectively?
We who believe are supposed to be the Children of Light, are we not?
Ray, The problem is not MY willingness to forgive others their debt to me-I have and will continue to do so, but the unwillingness of the ‘too big to fail’ bailed-out banks and the international conglomerate corporations who are not willing to forgive my (or your) debt to them. One reason is because, though they are made up of people, their collective group bears no allegiance to those outside their corporate boardroom and certainly not to YHWH’s community of people. So in spite of the US Supreme Courts recognition of corporations as persons, (for political donations and legal relief) they never would meet the standards of YHWH’s definition of people. Satan is the god of this world and he controls his servants with a tight fist. He is not willing to forgive any debt-spiritual or material, and has the chutzpah to challenge even YHWH’s authority to forgive our debts. So while debt forgiveness might appear to be a reasonable solution to our present crisis- it isn’t because it is only one sided. The reality is our economic future doesn’t look bright and we have no one to blame but ourselves. Fasten your seat belt because this soon coming economic crash may be the mother of all crashes-ushering in the anti-messiah whose solutions we won’t like, but the world will be ready to embrace. BTW I’ve enjoyed perusing your web site. Your colorful past is … colorful, but so it is with all His people. Thanks for sharing. Shalom, Michael
Thank you, Michael and Arnella for your comment. In citing Luke 16, naturally, I was thinking in terms of the world being rational and reasonable, looking out for it’s own best interests. It does not appear that is in the mix right now.
I am convinced the 2008 Financial Meltdown-Economic Pearl Harbour/Tsunami was the ‘Writing on the Wall’ the whole world could see for the 1st Time at the same Time since since Daniel recorded it during the captivity of Babylon 2600 years.
They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
Daniel 5:4
We are still in the Captivity of Babylon if you believe Revelation 18 is carried over to the end of the Age.
It’s the economy!
Perhaps I’ve heard the Greek interpretation of 1 Peter 3:15 repeated too many times:
“15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”
… makes me think I need ALL the answers. Thanks for the example to remain humble in “disputed things”.
Regarding Matthew Ch. 28: have we then been ‘sold a bill of goods’? And what are the implications of this for the ‘Gospel message’?
Thank you, Skip, for always challenging us.
I guess, for me, Ecc 12:13 (thank you, Rein, for taking me to that WORD) is what it’s all about. YHVH knows me intimately and He knows exactly what to bring to my mind and heart and how to speak His TRUTH to me. I just want to be open to His voice AND to truly discern that it is HIS VOICE that I’m hearing! Realizing that our English translations (and every other translation) is OFF from what the Hebrews were trying to communicate puts me in a dependent position on my God to clarify stuff… and isn’t that exactly what He wants? We need to pray for spiritual discernment. After all, the Jews don’t have “it” right either!
The more I study with Skip and others who are trying to reach back to our Hebrew roots, the more I see that YHVH manifested Himself in many different ways in order to communicate TO HIS SHEEP! The key word here is SHEEP. We’re not anywhere near as smart as we think we are. It’s YHVH’s grace and mercy that He desires to communicate with us that requires that He put stuff into “dumbed down” terms that we, AS INDIVIDUALS, can understand. He is not a trickster.
The “trinity” shows only 3 ways of manifesting Himself. No longer will I argue the Greek, western mindset of the necessities of believing JUST in the “trinity,” a certain formula for baptism, “fellowship and discipleship” (if you’ve not listened to Skip’s teaching entitled “Money, Sex and Power,” please do) and etc, supposed “essentials” of the “christian faith.”
I just want to be completely devoted to my KING and I want to serve ONLY Him.
Father God, please show me each minute of each day how to do that so that You are glorified.
The following passages are interesting to me because they Jesus as a human being
In Matt 15:23 we see Jesus having a “bad hair day” and implying that Jews are his only concern and that Gentiles (dogs) are not his concern
In Matt 28::18 I’ll go out on a limb and argue that Jesus is speaking like a Prince who is becoming a King and logic itself demands that if there are two things that are the same there is a connection between them
Matt 15:23 But he answered her not a word. His talmidim came and begged him, saying, “Send her away; for she cries after us.” 24 But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Yisra’el.” 25 But she came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
Matt 28:18 Yeshua came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on eretz. 19 Go, and make talmidim of all nations, immersing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Ruach HaKodesh, 20 teaching them to observe all things which I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amein.
“they Jesus as a human being”
oops I meant
they portray Jesus as a human being
“I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Yisra’el.” 25 But she came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
Hmmm
I read the stuff by Hegg on the trinity and suppose it is true and I respect his scholarship
My problem is that how much more do we have to prove to be false
Before we have to throw the baby out with the bath water
Was the immaculate conception true? Probably not
Did Jesus rise from the dead? Probably not
Was Jesus the Messiah ben David? Probably not
If we are followers of the way, do we need a new religion? Probably not
Hi Skip,
About your comment that we don’t know actually what Matthew actually wrote – what do you believe about the Peshitta text, the Aramaic New Testament? I have found it very helpful in getting past pagan Greek theology which was inserted, but have yet to find a Greek-taught theologian who has not been taught against Aramaic primacy (that the New Testament was originally written in Aramaic, preserved unchanged all these years in Aramaic, and the Greek manuscripts are badly-translated secondary documents from the Aramaic originals).
http://www.aent.org/
Blessings from Australia.
Karmel
EXCELLENT PRESENTATION!
I have heard that Houck has changed and has revised the book for next printing.
I pray that the report is correct.
Thank You for your Excellent presentation.
Shalom & Aloha,
Russ Hills (Honolulu, Hawaii)
whew…
“Permanent Tension”
is what we are unlearning, relearning, & LEARNING!
Praise YAH!
Salt in Whose Wound?
By Russ Houck, Ph.D. Th.
In Response to: Salt in the Wound by Skip Moen, D. Phil.
First of all, let me say that I don’t mind being critiqued, reproved, or even found to be in error. I learn from everyone, and I gladly repent whenever I discover that I have believed a lie, been taken in by deception, or simply misunderstood something. I have repented many times and am sure I will again, as more truth is revealed in these last days. So, in that light I rejoice that I have an opportunity to both learn and share what I have discovered on this journey. What I do wish though, is that those who would take on the task of correcting me would at least present the entire argument in context, rather than plucking out a tiny fraction of the point in question, and throwing it to the dogs.
I find it interesting the way Skip Moen goes to the trouble of proving the first part of my research absolutely correct, but then comes to his own conclusion based on a Gnostic document like the Didache, the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles. If Dr. Moen had taken the time to check, I had included the ENTIRE DOCUMENT in my book for reference, proving it was and is a Gnostic document, which the early church fathers he quoted, were quoting. (Did you get that?)
Dr. Moen also fails to address the historical and extremely well documented fact of the addition of I John 5:7 & 8, referred to as the Johannine Comma—another added and altered text—to establish the arguably blasphemous Trinity Doctrine.
1 John 5:7-8, Authorized King James Version (bold print is the Johannine Comma):
7. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
There is not a Biblical scholar on the planet worth his salt who doesn’t know as fact that this is an addition to the Greek text. It was not even “lost in translation,” but instead was a blatant forgery, and all of the “Protestant Daughters” of the Roman Catholic Harlot allowed it to be printed for centuries. Why? They had no clue that Matthew 28:19 was also a forgery, and part of the Anti-Semitic plot to create a “Gentile-Hebrew free (Roman/Greek) religion.” Now that “the book is being opened,” ala Daniel 12:4, we can all find the truth reserved for the last days, and learn to walk in it.
Dr. Moen also seems oblivious of the fact that the most complete manuscript of the book of Matthew, pre-dating Constantine, is in the hands of the Roman Catholic Church, the Harlot Bride who happened to co-create the Trinity Doctrine and baptism. The other two copies of the pre-Constantine manuscript are in England at Oxford, another “daughter” of the Catholic Church.
Further, Dr. Moen fails to acknowledge the numerous times the New Testament commands the disciples or followers to be baptized in the Name of Yeshua (Jesus). Nowhere else in Scripture—except for one instance in Matthew 28:19—does it give us any other way to be baptized, but in HIS name.
How do I ignore Acts 2:38, 8:12, 8:16, 19:5, Romans 6:3, I Corinthians 1:13-16, & Galatians 3:27? While I really consider myself a professional student, not a “scholar,” one of the first things every student is taught in systematic theology is, “to allow scripture to interpret scripture,” and, “to let each truth be established in the mouth of two or three witnesses.” It is hard to ignore four (4) direct witnesses and three (3) implied witnesses. Do we ignore this clear command as my Roman Catholic steeped theologians have taught us? It also troubles me that the vast majority of “Orthodox Christian Doctrine” is the defined theology of the Roman Catholic Church!
That makes seven (7) witnesses, Dr. Moen, that refute Matthew 28:19. Even if I didn’t have all the other history to confirm the point, please tell me: What do I do with the SEVEN undisputed verses above, with only ONE witness for the opposition?
Finally, Dr. Moen makes no attempt to address the many unanswered questions created by this false Trinity Doctrine statement: baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
If the Holy Spirit is the “Third Person of the Trinity,” then:
o What is the name of the Holy Spirit? (He doesn’t have a name, “He” is the Spirit of the Father.)
o Why doesn’t the Holy Spirit have a throne? (Because “He” is not a person, as is the Father and the Son. “He” is the inseparable, omnipresent Spirit of the Father.)
o If the Holy Spirit, (being the third person of the Trinity), overshadowed Mary, (which He did), then—according to your beliefs—Jesus is the Son of the Holy Spirit, not the Father!
The biblical and doctrinal truth of how YHWH (God) exists, as I see and understand it, revealed throughout all of the original scriptures is in my book Epidemic, (4th printing 2013) pages 335-386, which I would ask anyone who is claiming to know my views to read. A quick summary on pages 380-383 is as follows:
SUMMARY:
Who/What is YHWH (God)?
With all that I can understand, knowing that I’m not capable of knowing all of Him or all His ways, this is what I’ve come to believe about Abba God. YHWH is one! One more time, it is written (Deut. 6:4):
Hear, O Israel: The *LORD our **God is one *LORD: (Shema, Yisrael, YHWH Elohim, YHWH echad.)
But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. (1 Cor. 8:6)
There is One Father, God, and King of the universe who exists with a spiritual body and an omni-Spirit. His name is YHWH Elohim.
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Eph. 4:4-6)
There is one God-Supreme Power, Who alone is self-existent; Whose Spirit is Holy, Father of all things including Yeshua (Jesus).
SUMMARY:
Who/What is The Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, literally the breath of the Father. The Holy Spirit is an intricate, inseparable part of Him, not a separate person. The Holy Spirit functions as the power, the comforter, and the teacher of all the children of YHWH. By the cleansing of our hearts through the blood of Yeshua (Jesus), the Holy Spirit indwells our being, thus allowing us to commune with the Father.
SUMMARY:
Who/What is Yeshua (Jesus)?
MY CONCLUSION:
1) He was birthed, not created, making Him the Son of God. He came forth from His Father, YHWH Elohim; and by that birth, He, too, is Elohim or God.
As a…
2) Pluralistic being (just like) the
3) same image and likeness of His Father,
4) before our world was created.
5) He has seven spirits and
6) life within Himself.
7) He was there, at creation (Genesis 1:1), and
8) He was a co-creator with His Father.
9) Yes, Yeshua is also ONE. Both the Father and the Son are Elohim (plural), but they are ONE. Not one together, but one individually, by Themselves! That is the point of the Deuteronomy 6:4 scripture. Each of these plural-both male/female beings- are ONE Entity—echad!
10) Yeshua (Jesus) is God because . . . He came forth from God. It is obvious that YHWH and Yeshua (Jesus) are both undeniable deity. Yeshua (Jesus) was and is Elohim because His Father is. What else could He be? Whatever the parents are, so are the children. While Yeshua (Jesus) is Elohim (God), He is subject to and submitted to the Father, YHWH.
11) Yeshua came as the Lamb, the Son of God, fulfilling the spring Feasts, redeeming that which was lost.
12) He sealed the new covenant with His own blood establishing The Kingdom of God, allowing the individual to become regenerated and holy, a Royal Priest unto YHWH.
13) Yeshua has earned the right to be The Messiah King when
14) He returns on the day appointed by YHWH, thereby fulfilling the fall Feasts.
15) He will reign and rule this earth for 1000 years with all power and authority and then
16) return all that power back to YHWH from whence it came.
Today, He is my personal Messiah-Lamb & King, for He came to set me free from my bondage of sin. He bathed me in His love and allowed the Spirit of YHWH to wash away my pain and guilt. He made it possible for the Holy Spirit to begin molding and shaping me, making me a holy priest that I might be able to walk into the Holy of Holies and call Him and YHWH, Lord!
He is not the reigning Messiah King of this world (yet), “the Christ,” He was never coequal with His Father, YHWH, and is not part of a Trinity Godhead. There is one Lord- Supreme authority, begotten of the Father, YHWH, before time, subject to YHWH, and co-creator with the Father by Whom are all things on this earth and in heaven.
(End quote, EPIDEMIC: Examining the Infected Roots of Judaism and Christianity)
I love learning, and I love finding out more and more on this journey called life. I do not know it all, and “if I live to be a hundred,” as my daddy used to say, I still won’t. As we seek truth to the best of our abilities, as we review each other’s work and research, I do hope and pray that we collectively move the precious Body of our Lord and Savior closer and closer to Him. I also pray that we all grow in the knowledge and stature of our Lord and soon coming King, not comparing ourselves to each other, but to Him, our only true source of righteousness. Mostly, I pray that we never let our knowledge run ahead of our love for one another.
Thanks, Dr. Moen, for this opportunity to help clarify some of my statements for yourself, and anyone else who may be digging for “the right answers” in the (often obscured and revised) rubble of church history.
Dr. Russ “Pappy” Houck
I wish there was a ‘like’ button on the comments! Thanks for this info, Skip. I think I asked you a while ago if you knew of any evidence that that phrase was added. Because I was challenged by the AENT Bible author for a source on this ‘theory.’ No one could answer me, so I am thankful for the information.