What Isn’t the Law
Now I praise you because you remember me in everything, and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you. 1 Corinthians 11:2 NASB
Traditions – Do you find Paul’s praise a bit misplaced? After all, he’s writing to the Corinthians! These are the people whose orderliness in worship is a mess, whose moral choices are out of bounds and whose general demeanor seems to have opened the door to pagan practices. How can Paul think there is anything worthy of praise in this place?
Ah, Paul notes that they have held firmly (ketecho – to maintain, to hold fast) to the paradoseis. What does that mean? The Greek root is didomi (to give). Paradoseis is something given, that is, transmitted to someone. It doesn’t describe the action but rather the content. What Paul is saying is that what he taught them is still a part of their practice. They have not abandoned the legacy they received.
This is quite an amazing statement since it is seems pretty clear from the rest of Paul’s comments in this letter that the Corinthians had abandoned a good deal of common sense and moral practice. So this begs the question, “What did Paul mean by ‘traditions’?” For the answer, we must turn to other instances of paradoseis. Although used negatively in Matthew and Mark, it is clear that this word indicates the practices associated with the Pharisees that were distinct from the written Torah. In all likelihood, the word describes at least some parts of the oral Torah (which the Pharisees followed). Furthermore, Paul uses the same word to describe his own zeal for ancestral traditions in Galatians 1:14 and uses the word positively in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 and 3:6. Finally, we should note Paul’s own testimony in Acts 23:6 where he calls himself a Pharisee, son of a Pharisee. To be recognized within the legacy of the Pharisees is the equivalent of stating that one keeps both the written and oral Torah. This leads us to surmise that the “traditions” Paul has in mind in his praise of the Corinthians were practices prescribed by the oral Torah. We know that Paul actually employed rabbinic Pharisaic halachah in his letters, so this conclusion has both linguistic and procedural justification. If this is true, it is amazing that the Corinthians whose spiritual and moral lives seem so mangled can still be praised because they are following the teaching of the oral Torah. How many of those in our own assemblies today could merit such praise?
Finally, we should note the theological bias of Christian lexicons. As an example, Büschel says, “Christian teaching is also tradition in 1 Cor. 11:2; 2 Th. 2:15. It must be adhered to by the churches (1 Cor. 15:2). To be valid it must be handed down (1 Cor. 15:3) and must derive from the Lord (11:23).” [1] Notice that he treats this word as if it were exclusively Christian teaching, thus ignoring all of the contextual meaning of the word in Jewish literature. How easy it is to read the verse according to our paradigms.
Topical Index: tradition, paradosis, 1 Corinthians 11:2, 2 Thessalonians 2:15
[1] Büschel, paradosis in Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 168). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
Were all the things that the Pharisee taught wrong? I have struggled with this same type of question in regards to everything I was taught in the church is it all incorrect. I sort of see him, Paul as not discounting what they had received from him when they heard and did what they were taught. Is this what is being said?
I almost hesitant writing on this blot because it seems so educated and intelligent from how beautifully everyone seems to express themselves. I just am a new student in TW and in learning about Hebrew roots. I want to walk in obediance and more than anything to walk in truth and to know my precious Messiah in the very core of who I am.
I realize there are alot of things that are falling to the wayside as far as traditions of men but I don’t want to lose the essence of why I ever wanted to have Him in my life in the first place.
Welcome to the discussion.
I would suggest that you read William Berkson’s PIRKE AVOT, a collection of saying from the rabbis, most of whom were Pharisees. You will discover that a lot of what they said is repeated by Yeshua, and is perfectly in line with the teaching of the New Testament. So, obviously, it isn’t wrong. The Christian Church has systematically castigated ALL Pharisees as incorrect, but this is neither historically or theologically true. It just serves the purposes of the Church. Time to read the real story.
Well said, Babs. I too am new to this blog, but from what I’ve read I would say that most of us are on the same trek: we want to know Yeshua as he was to His first followers, not as the Church has later reframed Him. But that doesn’t mean we toss out everything we’ve learned. What we must do is use Torah as our standard of measure and put all that we think we know beside that measure. If it is good, true and righteous it will not contradict.
But remember too that when something from the NT seems contradictory to Torah, it is usually that our Christian interpretation of that principle is skewed. There is nothing NEW in the “NT”.
Keep trekking, friend. 🙂
Babs, excellent questions and comments.
I continue to struggle with some of the same things, although I’ve been here for a little while. I’m afraid of going too far “off the reservation”. I’m afraid of starting something I can’t sustain. I’m afraid of becoming a jaded and judgmental ex-church member. I’m afraid of starting to emphasize and observe the wrong things first (straining the gnat and swallowing the camel). I’m afraid that I will declare myself a ‘true follower’, by wearing tzitzit or something — and then not live up to the calling.
However, my one consolation is that on a short time down this path — God’s word has opened up like never before. The fruits of walking this direction remind me that I never never want to go back.
Hi Babs,
I too want to welcome you to the community
Read my post below and you will get at least a partial idea of where the Pharisees were in error.
The church – especially Protestant and Evangelical preachers / teachers are very good at creating arguments that confuse people about Torah and Law and Grace. They are skillful at taking Paul’s letters and twisting them to their own ends.
Now, you are lucky to find yourself here as Skip is gifted at pointing out this guile / deception in mainstream Christianity. It is likely that it is God who sent you here to learn! So ask lots of questions and I for one will try to chip in with some answers for you as I am able. And before you know it – you too will be teaching others! That’s how it works for all of us. And don’t forget – this is a life long learning process for all of us. But its the ride of a lifetime!
May YHVH bless you and keep you, may He be gracious to you, may He shine His Face upon you and give you peace
Shalom,
John
Traditions termed as Oral Law, are like midrash, extensions, discussions of the written laws, providing a better understanding to the texts. These should not be counted as additions to the Word, as these are not written down, nor do they mislead to follow something else outside of Tanakh, rather they bring out a fuller understanding.
So, these traditions that Shaul complimented the Corinthians on are the right ones that strengthen their walk. One example among many- the tzitzit, often misinterpreted as an outward sign of Messianics, is a good reminder of the Torah wherever we go, not so much for others to see, but for ourselves. Yahshua wore them at the hem of His garment, where the woman with the issue of blood touched and was healed, and spoken of as the ‘wings’ of healing in Mal 4:2
I tie mine onto my handbag 😉
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia-
An oral law is a code of conduct in use in a given culture, religion or community application, by which a body of rules of human behaviour is transmitted by oral tradition and effectively respected, or the single rule that is orally transmitted.
Whereas, many church traditions are pagan, the sprinkling of ‘holy’ water, making the sign of the cross, pagan feasts, are not found in the Written Word.
We will see more about these “traditions” tomorrow.
Ester, I like!
Shalom
I think I finally get this chapter, or at least the beginning of it. It is not that we dishonor our head (the body part) but we dishonor our head, the covering.
We do not give due and respect to the ” chain of command” and I see that is how we get ourselves in to trouble. I can only cover my wife, when I go to Yeshua and let him cover me. She can only know that I can cover her, as Yeshua is covering me.
This is my thought, I maybe incorrect, or seeing it from a incorrect perspective.
Looks like you have found a promising track to follow
If we don’t follow the oaral tradition,how could we know (how) to baptize?How can we know (when) to baptize?It is only from the talmud that we get this information,the scriptures don’t tell us how and when.In skips money sex and power teaching I finally discovered the (when).Its after discipleship not before.The rabbis first chose disciples,and after years of intense discipleing,the rabbi would then mikvah the disciple.It wasn’t about a salvation declaration.It was about the declareing that they wanted to live a life as the rabbi was living.This comes from the oral law (talmud).
Skip,
I am glad you picked this topic this week. It gives us opportunity to balance out the discussion on the Pharisees last week!
I think traditions are beautiful. They are needful and really evolve naturally by default in any dynamic fellowship group. YHVH wisely did not give us rules for everything. In His Wisdom HE kept His requirements of us fairly simple. For instance, He knew that His people would sometimes find themselves in places where it would be difficult to even keep Shabbat. An example of this in recent times were the thousands of Jews who found themselves in the Gulag – the repressive Soviet prison camps. Try even lighting a Sabbath candle in such circumstances!
Staying with theme of Shabbat for a moment- we notice how YHVH did not give us a laundry list of rules to keep the day holy. Really, He just told us to remember it always, keep it as holy time and knock off the daily work grind for a day, and rest. And I might add, He tells us where possible to not ignore the assembling of ourselves together to worship Him. Beyond that, He mostly lets us develop our own traditions for celebrating Shabbat and His Festivals.
Now, what has happened? Judaism is a very old religion, and we can look and see all the beautiful traditions that have evolved, as an example around Shabbat and the Festivals over the centuries with even differing traditions in different parts of he world. Are newbie followers of Messiah expected to follow all those traditions. Of course not! Surely God allows us to pick some of Judaism’s traditions, as we wish, and develop some of our own traditions based perhaps on the additional knowledge we find in the New Testament. But we are to be careful that our traditions do not contravene Torah. For instance, if a newbie serves a pork roast for Shabbat dinner, they need a little gentle coaching.
So, where do we go wrong?
We go wrong when we develop traditions that contravene Torah. We go wrong when we elevate our traditions to being, in importance, on a par with Torah or even above Torah. We go off the rails when we allow our traditions to make us feel more righteous that the Gentile population around us. This was a trap that Scribes and Pharisees seemed to fall into. Speaking of them, Yahshua said: “They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their tzitzits long, and they love the place of honor at feasts, and the best seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the marketplace, and being called rabbi by men.” (Matt 23:4-7)RSV
This narrative is telling us to be a humble people, not esteeming ourselves above those who may not know as much as we are blessed to know, or have our beautiful traditions. But the vanity and egoism trap is alive and well around us. I was amused a little to see the new pope recently give all his cardinals a good telling down for their pomposity! I wish him luck! In their heyday, churchmen took the errors of the Pharisees to a whole new level! And human nature has not improved one whit since the time of Messiah. Like everything else, a periodic review of all our beloved traditions is surely a wise thing to do. But I am all for traditions!
Last question: Has anyone checked the length of the Tzitzits on Ester’s handbag? Just curious….
Great summation, John. Thanks.
You helped simplify and honor what Torah leads us toward. It’s been a fun journey discovering the life in Torah as demonstrated by Yeshua and all the other great brother/sisters we read about.
It’s funny, those that I kind of parted from in the church claim I’m becoming legalistic under Torah. Quite the contrary has happened. I am experiencing more freedom in my life now than in my previous fanatical ‘grace’ vs ‘law’ viewpoint. Torah has become less law and more instructions for life. I WANT that which points, directs, leads, and provides for life. I hate rigid rules and regulations which are so lifeless in and of themselves. This is not Torah as I know now. Torah, when viewed in the ‘chose life’ scenario plays out as me craving help in moving in the right direction. I want to go there, where He is! No problem with law (loving life instructions) as far as I’m concerned anymore. Yes, it is challenging, difficult, and cataclysmic at times, but with Yeshua in the lead, I’ll take it.
Why would I choose death over life as illustrated and outlined in Torah?
Duh?
As I have written, Torah is freedom because now I know what God demands of me and I am FREE to stop worrying about it.
Well said.
Thanks Michael for your kind words!
Shalom
Hi John, Glad you like my post.
My tzittzit is about 30cm! 🙂
Would be quite easy for anyone who wishes to touch it, though it wasn’t meant for that, if that’s what you’re wondering?
The woman with the blood issue touched only the ‘hem’ of Yahshua’s garment, not anyone else’s, most of those around Him would have been wearing that too. She knew Who to touch!
Shalom!
Hi Ester,
I really meant asking about the length of your tzitzits on your handbags as a silly joke. I was trying to make a play on the Pharisees wearing their tzitzits long to show how more righteous they were than others. Never mind – just another bombed out attempt at some humor….oh well! I had better keep my day job…
In any case, I thank you for responding
Shalom
Hi John,
It’s always joyful to know someone appreciates what one writes.
I thank you for responding 🙂
I sort of sensed you meant it to be ‘funny’, but thought I’d better reply anyway, as it’s a valid question. I would be just as curious.
Shalom!
Good point about what we have been “blessed to know”.
How can we take credit for what has been revealed to us? How silly for us to look to Jesus as our example, and then sorta ‘take credit’ for the insight. It’s not as if we could have deduced the ‘correct path’ from our own intelligence.
So true, Gabe!
Really, we cannot take credit for too much. I keep trying to tell people that the whole game of life is of God. Its all His doing. Nobody decides who their parents are. Neither do we decide where and when we are born, or the circumstances of our birth – our sex, our health, our looks, our brains, our personality etc.,
People think that they have “free” will and can thump their fist at God. O yes they can, but only as God allows them to do so! God retains ownership of His Creation. And why wouldn’t He – its all His handiwork including the creation of Adam and Eve from the dust of the ground. God owns our body, our mind and our so called “free will”. God does not force His Will on us but He surely has the right to do so, by rights of ownership. Even the courts of this world would have to agree on that!
The apostle Paul actually thought he was doing God’s will by persecuting the called out ones until God claimed Paul’s will by knocking him off his high horse on the road to Damascus, reeducating him and laying claim to his will. Paul had nothing to do with it all!
Gabe, everyone will eventually find out, to their joy, that they cannot resist the will of God. As you inspired me to write this, we agree that we are indeed very blessed to know Torah (God’s Will for humanity) and avoid the headache of resisting Him. For the stubborn who refuse to bow the knee to Him (Isaiah 46:23) there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. But no worries, everyone will come around because He is Sovereign over all – including our will!
An Englishman named Arthur Pink wrote a classic little book in the early 20th Century called “The Sovereignty of God” I recommend it to all. Its out of copyright at this point and can be bought for a few bucks or its actually available to read for free on line. Pass the word on!
Yes, thank you for that clarity. Isn’t it amazingly emancipating not being enslaved to restraining diktats from a restricting oppressor but being vitalized by a caring and liberating tutelage of One offering true life and liberty out of pure love and commitment?
This trap that John Walsh mentions is an easy one to fall into and one that I’ve had to escape more than once. I also love traditions and they aren’t all bad. In fact, many are very good! But, in the past, I have had to fight my yetzer hara on occasion when others saw no value in a (new to them) tradition I began “keeping”. It’s difficult to not be offended one way or the other (Keeping a tradition or not keeping it)
My family keeps many traditions from Judaism that we find beneficial to our walk and expression of faith. I think of them as “tools”. But a tool can be a weapon or a great help depending on the use. Which I think is what John W. was saying.
Traditions have a lot of power. I know many of you know this if you’ve given up the Christian traditions that steered us away from the Word and into paganism and/or Greek thinking. Friends and family are often hurt — because they so closely relate the tradition with their faith. I’m working with a family right now that will be celebrating YHWH’s feasts for the first time this fall. They clearly see that the Creator’s calendar is the path they want to walk, but emotions are high as to how to deal with church friends and family. I feel their pain.
But this also happens on the other side of the coin with Jewish tradition. I have seen congregations split over seeming trivial “traditions”. Some issues or pet doctrines become so important to us that we forget the greatest commandments: Love YHWH and love the brethren.
Even after having the realization of the Torah and Spirit in one’s life, we still have a hard time allowing other people the freedom to express their halachah in any way that is not just like our own. (Sadly, I once thought this way) But, this is rather ridiculous when I consider that my personal “walk” has not been stationary. It has changed considerably. I don’t exercise my faith, walk, or traditions in the exact same way as I did 20 years ago, 10 years ago, 5 years ago, or even a year ago. I’ll go out on a limb and say that this is likely true of each person on this blog. We are all on our own journey with YHWH.
Tradition has sometimes hindered and sometimes helped me along the way — usually depending on where it originated. I desperately want to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” And I have no delusions that it isn’t chock full of Jewish tradition. Therefore, I must be ready for more movement, more change, more adjustments to my current “walk”. I look forward to tomorrow’s post! 🙂
Hi K.
My friends and I have had this discussion regarding our individual journeys. It is just that, a journey and it changes you as you walk. Beliefs change and understanding grows and I think even the things you choose to hold close change too. I don’t think that is very well understood or accepted in religious circles. I really think that folks think you are crazy and start throwing around words like heretic or legalist especially when one begins to celebrate Christ’s feasts and stop celebrating things like Christmas and Easter (at least the way the world does).
And, as crazy as it sounds, shunning is very much alive outside of Amish circles too!
There are many traps out there to snare the careless traveler.
Messiah talked often about greater and lesser commandments but the greatest is as you mentioned: Love Y-H and love the brethren.
It is really sad to see how this is set aside over tradition and doctrine. I have seen a lot of broken people because this commandment is forgotten.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts K. You have a good way of speaking what is on your heart as do many posters here. 🙂
Hi Skip,
Perhaps wrongly, I read it this way
The “traditions” refer to the teachings of Jesus and his apostles, of which Paul was one
However, Paul’s followers are not adhering to the Hebraic traditions, which are more hierarchical
Rather than “communistic,” like the early Christians
IMO the oral traditions are too difficult to grasp without considerable academic training
And they require too much discipline for the early Christians
IMO before we understand traditions, we need to understand texts
And the texts have structures that define processes
Without following processes, we get lost