kata ta biblia

a blog exploring Christian origins, biblical studies, social/cultural history, method, education and the journey through academia

Why do Jews use the Old Testament?

Don’t look at me! It’s not my question. Someone actually googled that inquiry to get to this blog post.

So… anybody have a good answer for this visitor? ;)

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2 Comments by Patrick George McCullough  /  July 16, 2007  /  Posted in: google search, hebrew bible, judaism, old testament
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  • Camassia

    It makes a better doorstop.

  • slaveofone

    After the three Jewish revolts (two in Palestine, one in the diaspora), the many sectarian forms of ancient Judaism were reduced to a single dominant group, the Pharisaic-Rabbis. Some time shortly after these revolts, this group approved a list of texts (and forms of those texts) different from many of the previous sectarian groups’ lists of texts (and forms of texts), which we call today the Old Testament.

    Since competing groups with their alternate text lists (and text forms) had virtually disappeared, and since the Rabbis became the only authoritative bearers of Judaic tradition and instruction (although it appears even at the time Rabbi Ishmael’s Mehkilta was being compiled that the Rabbis were still vying with the Levitical priests over who had the right and authority to teach), Jewish society would for the most part only recognize the text list and text forms approved by the Rabbis.

    This neglects, however, the other Jewish sectarian group that survived the great revolts–the Nazarines. However, there is not as much historical information on the Nazarines as we would hope for, so it is hard to say much about them for certain. These Jews, of course, were the first followers of Yeshua and the foundation of the early church.