Description

Judaism’s claim to scriptural authenticity rests on a unique foundation: national revelation. Unlike private visions claimed in many other faiths, the Tanakh records God speaking to the entire nation at Sinai. Critics sometimes cite the Aztec legend of Huitzilopochtli as a parallel, but Huitzilopochtli’s revelation came to the nation through a priest. The Sinai event really seems to be history’s only claim to a national encounter with the Divine. This is significant; a shared national memory seems nearly impossible to fake. Let’s say that, on this basis, we accept that the Tanakh is authoritative; the question is then one of succession between Judaism and Christianity (I have already ruled out Islam here). Which one inherited the Covenant, and which one is schismatic? In order to answer this question, we’ll examine historical events, scriptural themes, and covenantal continuity.

Note that this article assumes some basic awareness of Biblical history. If you need that, I have a summary here.

Covenants

The Tanakh establishes a Covenantal paradox. God promises a glorious “New” and “Everlasting Covenant” through which He will restore amity between Himself and mankind (Jer. 31:31-33, 32:38-41), but also promises wrathful judgment to the Jews for violating the extant Covenant (Deut. 32:23-27, Zech. 11:1-6) – sometimes even concurrently (Ez. 16:59-63, Mal. 3:1-4). In Deuteronomy, God says that because the Jews made Him jealous with false gods, He would “hide [His] face from them” and make them jealous with a “foolish nation” (Deut. 32:20-21). Many prophecies reiterate this plan to cut off the Jews and blind them as a punishment for disobedience (Deut. 28:28, Ps. 69, 118-Is. 8-Is. 28, 6:10, 29:9-13) while sparing a “remnant,” a purified core (Is. 11:11-12, Jer. 23:1-6, Mic. 5:3-8, 7:15-18, Zeph. 3:11-13, Zech. 13:8-9, Joel 2:32; note: this theme primarily developed in relation to the Babylonian exile, but the cited prophecies refer to a post-exilic period).

First century rabbis recognized that this great judgment was coming imminently. The Talmud says that in 30 AD, God ceased giving miraculous signs that He had accepted the Yom Kippur atonement, such as miraculously turning the scarlet thread tied to the Temple door white. Josephus and the Talmud report that they instead received signs of impending destruction, most notably the massive Temple gates opening by themselves, which the rabbis connected to Zechariah’s prophecy: “Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars” (Zech. 11:1). After 40 years, the Romans destroyed the Temple, razed Jerusalem, dissolved the Sanhedrin, and began the diaspora which would result in the Levitical (priestly) bloodline being lost forever. Every essential element of the Old Covenant was destroyed. Josephus and the Talmud noted that the Second Temple’s destruction occurred on the anniversary of the First Temple’s destruction by Babylon, a sign of providence.

But how could God render His everlasting Covenant with the Jews impossible to keep, and why did He cease to cooperate with it in 30 AD?

Daniel 9 provides one answer: the Messiah came and ushered in the New Covenant. Modern Rabbis claim Daniel 9 is not Messianic, but historians agree that Josephus referenced it as the primary reason the people were confident the Messiah was coming in the first century, and DSS 11Q13/11QMelch corroborates this. Daniel prophesies that the Messiah would come 69 “weeks” (each “week” is seven years) after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem following the Babylonian Exile. In the middle of one final “week,” He would confirm a covenant, be killed, and end Temple sacrifice (Dan 9). Ezra recounts this decree coming from God through Artaxerxes in his seventh year of kingship, 457 BC. 69 “weeks” brings us to 27 AD, the year Jesus of Nazareth began preaching (Luke). One half-week later, 30 AD, Jesus established a “New Covenant in His blood” (Luke 22:20), suffered crucifixion, and God refused Temple sacrifices thereafter.

Jews may protest by saying that the Messiah is a conqueror. Indeed, the Talmud confirms that Daniel 7 describes the Messiah as a conqueror. But what does He conquer? Again, according to the Talmud, the Messiah would conquer Rome after a time of persecution (Dan. 7:21-27). And in 381, after centuries of persecution, Jesus conquered Rome’s very soul. Jews may protest the idea of the Messiah atoning for sins by His death and resurrection. But Isaiah 53, which the Talmud, Midrash, and Maimonides confirm is Messianic, says: “[The Messiah] was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray… [but] the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all… He will see the light of life… because he poured out himself to death.”

Jews may finally protest that scripture never identifies the Messiah as God. But Isaiah 9:5, which Maimonides confirms is Messianic, calls the Messiah – an infant – “Mighty God” – a phrase repeated in Isaiah 10 referring to God. According to the Talmud, God calls the Messiah His Son in Psalm 2:7. According to the Talmud, Jeremiah 23 is also Messianic; in this passage, God first says that “[He Himself] will gather the remnant of [His] flock,” and raise up a king named “God Our Righteousness” (Jer. 23:3-6). He says He will go to the Second Temple and initiate the New Covenant (Mal. 3:1) making it more glorious than the first (Hag. 2:9). In Zechariah 2, God says, “I am coming… I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you” – suggesting that God will send Himself to live among men.

The prophets foretold Israel’s judgment. Jesus judged. They foretold a chosen remnant being spared; Ezekiel 9 says the remnant would be marked by the TAV – a Paleo-Hebrew cross-shaped letter. The prophets foretold both the Messiah and God shepherding the people. Jesus identified Himself as the Messiah and the Son of God (Matt. 16:16-17); sent by God (John 20:21), yet also God Himself (John 20:28-29). The prophets foretold a New Covenant. Jesus, the suffering servant established it in blood (Luke 22:20). The New Covenant incorporated gentiles, fulfilling God’s promise to bless and gather the nations through Israel (Gen. 22:18, 49:10, Psalm 22, Isaiah 2, 54, 56, 60, 66, Jeremiah 3, 19, Micah 4, Jonah 3) and His promise to make the Jews jealous with a “foolish nation” – starting with Rome, which the Jews coveted, but which was given to Jesus.

The General Narrative

But we can go much further than this. The Old Testament is a story without an ending; struggle, bloodshed, promise, hope, but never a conclusion. What it’s all about and how it all comes together is inscrutable. But the Gospel solves this problem. Jesus is the conclusion to the story; and not only this, Jesus also serves as the key which unlocks the meaning of all the scriptures which preceded Him:

Adam is made from the dust of the earth. Jesus is born of a virgin. Adam and Eve desire to be gods, so they disobey. Jesus is God, yet chooses to obey. Adam and Eve take fruit from the tree of life, and through their disobedience, sin and death enter the world. Jesus, the “fruit of [Mary’s] womb,” is attached to a tree of death, and through He and Mary’s obedience, sin and death are destroyed. God tells the snake who tempted Eve that he would strike at the heel of her offspring, but would be crushed. Jesus is that offspring – suffering and dying at the hands of the snake, but defeating him in the same stroke.

Cain makes an imperfect sacrifice and kills his brother, the shepherd, who made a good one. The Jewish priests, who sacrifice animals, kill their brother, Jesus, the good shepherd and the perfect sacrifice. God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son, but stops him, differentiating Himself from the pagan gods. In Jesus, God fully reverses the pagan sacrifices by sacrificing His son, for us. Judah sells Joseph, the beloved son of Israel, into slavery for a few silver coins. He rises from that state and eventually rescues his 12 brothers and their tribe from famine. Judas sells Jesus, the beloved son of God, unto death for a few silver coins. He rises from that state and rescues His 12 Apostles and the whole world from death. As Jacob clothed himself with wool to receive the firstborn’s blessing from Isaac, Jesus clothes the gentiles with justice to receive grace from the Father.

Moses ventures into the desert for forty years before starting his ministry. Jesus fasts in the desert for forty days before starting His. Moses protects his people from death through the blood of the lamb, and then the manna in the desert. Jesus is the perfect Passover lamb who protects men from spiritual death, and makes His body the eternal Manna at the Last Supper, when He transforms the bread into His body and the wine into His blood and commands the Apostles to do likewise. This also fulfills the bread and wine offerings of Melchizedek. Moses led his people out of Egypt through the Red Sea; Jesus washes away man’s sin through Baptism. Moses healed his people from poison by placing the icon of the snake on the pole. Christ heals His people from death through His placement on the cross.

The Old Covenant was made at one time with all the people present and all those to come (Deut 29:9-15). God ratifies it by sharing a meal with the elders (Ex. 24:8-11). Jesus makes His future sacrifice present to the Apostles at the Last Supper and ushers in the New Covenant before the crucifixion. Both covenants stand outside of linear time, both involve the Covenant leaders sharing a feast with God. God revealed Himself to Moses through the fire of Mt. Sinai, providing the law written on stone. The Holy Spirit revealed Himself to the Apostles through tongues of fire, replaced their hearts of stone with flesh and wrote the law on them, as prophesied by Ezekiel and Jeremiah (Ezekiel 36:26, Jeremiah 31).

Under King Hezekiah, God replaced the wicked vicar Shebna with Eliakim, saying of Eliakim “I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I will drive him like a peg into a firm place” (Is. 22:21-23). King Jesus replaced the wicked religious leaders with the Apostles, saying to Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:18-19). Joshua, heir to Moses’ authority, subdues the pagan nations by the sword and wins the Promised Land. Peter, heir to Christ’s authority, subdues Rome by martyrdom and wins the Eternal City.

Jesus and Elijah both demonstrated power over the elements, denounced sin among the ruling class, prophesied, multiplied bread, raised the dead, fasted forty days and nights, and ascended. Jesus reveals that Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel’s “glorious dwelling place” is Heaven, and their “place of judgment” is Hell. He is the “Suffering Servant” in Isaiah. He establishes the New and everlasting Covenant promised to all three. Jesus fulfills and adds to the moral and liturgical law of the Torah, as Ezekiel did. His descriptions of Heaven complete Ezekiel’s vision of bodily resurrection and everlasting life. Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Saul, David, Solomon, Elijah – all the chosen ones sinned and fell short. Jesus did not, fulfilling the old covenant and ushering in the new epoch.

Continuity

The key, objective features of the religion of Moses were right sacrifice, God’s presence, and authoritative dogma from God. These distinctions separated the Jews from the pagans. Judaism has none of these features. Proper sacrifices depend on a Temple which no longer exists, and a lost priestly bloodline. The Temple and the Ark, which contained God’s presence, are lost. The Jews have not recognized a Prophet in 2,500 years, which has led to a functional disintegration of dogma and divine purpose. Judaism is a religion of footnotes, its meaning varying from Rabbi to Rabbi, and a religion of legalisms, such as surrounding a neighborhood with thin wire so it’s “legally one private space” thereby permitting observant Jews to carry things like keys or push strollers in public, which would otherwise be prohibited on the Sabbath. “[You] worship me in vain; [your] teachings are merely human rules” (Is. 29:13).

The Catholic Church, which claims to be the true continuation of the religion of Moses, claims all three of these distinguishing features:

(1) At every Mass, the sacrifice of Christ is present. That is, there was only the one true sacrifice, but to be at Mass is to be there, the same way entering into the Mosaic covenant was to be there at Mount Sinai. The sacrifice fulfills all three of the ritual requirements for a Todah, a sacrifice of thanksgiving. The Priest offers bread, which sacramentally becomes the true and real body of Christ, fulfilling the need for a flesh-offering, and a bread-offering. Then the Priest offers wine – another part of the Todah – which becomes Christ’s blood, sacramentally splitting His body and blood – the sacrifice. Then all parties consume the victim, completing the Todah. The Midrash, interpreting Jeremiah, says all forms of offering except Todah will be abolished. With the Temple gone and Mass said every day, it appears the Midrash was right.

(2) The Tabernacle contains the Eucharist; it is the new Ark of the Covenant. The Ark contained three things: manna, the bread which kept the Jews alive when wandering the desert. Aaron’s staff, symbolizing the High Priest’s authority. The Ten Commandments, symbolizing the Covenant. In the Eucharist, the body of Christ, these three symbols are replaced by the true realities. Manna gave life; this Bread is life. Aaron’s staff symbolized the High Priest; Christ is the High Priest. The Decalogue symbolized the Covenant; Christ is the very Word of God. Judaism is the religion of the lost Ark; Catholicism is the religion of the found Ark.

(3) All Catholics unite under the authority of the Bishops and Pope, fulfilling the role of the Levites, Sanhedrin, and Prophets. The ordinary Jewish authorities constituted an unquestionable judicial body of biological and merit-based succession. In instances where the ordinary authorities strayed significantly, God would send a prophet with the charism of infallibility through the Holy Spirit (proven by infallible prophecy and their ability to write infallible scripture, Deut. 18:20-22) to bring the people back to Him. The Apostles fulfill both roles. They express their ordinary judicial authority with the power to excommunicate, and their succession is spiritual, following a chain of ordinations going back to Jesus. At the Last Supper, Christ gave the Apostles “the Spirit of truth” to “abide forever” and “teach [them] all things” (John 14:16-18); the very same Spirit which animated the prophets animates the Apostles today, protecting the Church from error.

To understand why the “Firstborn” (Israel) was moved aside for the “Younger” (the Church), we must look at the scriptural motif of unmerited election: God favoring certain people or communities without their doing anything to deserve it and blessing them over their natural superiors for the sake of this love. Isaac, the “child of promise” receives God’s inheritance over Ishmael, the firstborn. When Jacob (Israel) and Esau were in the womb, God told Rebekah that “the older would serve the younger.” Like Isaac was to Abraham, Joseph is born to Israel in his old age, and God gives him powers of prophecy and eventually rulership over all his older brothers. This motif repeats with Ephraim, Moses, Samuel, David, and Solomon. The New Testament is the “final election,” through which God blesses the undeserving gentiles with the fullness of revelation.

Summary

The New Testament is the only way to make sense of Jewish scripture. It explains numerous prophecies which have already come true and concludes and explains the Tanakh. Modern Judaism has no key to unlock the narrative, and cannot derive any clear, unified, authoritative instruction from it. It totally lacks the substance of Mosaic religion, which included worthy sacrifice, the physical presence of God, and authoritative promulgation of dogma. Judaism only maintains the externals of Mosaic religion, not the substance. Meanwhile, the Catholic Church has the three key claims: worthy sacrifice, God’s real presence, and definitive, divinely revealed dogmas through the magisterium in communion with the Pope. It fulfills the prophecies related to the New and Everlasting Covenant and the motif of unmerited election.

In closing: suppose I’m wrong about all of this. Where does this leave Judaism? It leaves the Jews with an unfinished holy book, no sacrifice, no prophets, and no Covenant authorities (Levites, Sanhedrin). It leaves them with numerous unfulfillable prophecies, such as the Messiah conquering the Roman empire, God initiating the New Covenant in the Second Temple, and the Messiah taking the scepter from Judah. Finally, it leaves them with an exile 28 times longer than the Babylonian exile and no particular explanation for it. Does this sound reasonable? Or could it be that the Messiah came, that the Jews rejected Him as they did the prophets, and consequently “will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or household gods” (Hosea 3) while the gentile nations, through the New and Everlasting Covenant, enjoy and praise the God of Abraham day and night?