Opposition to Christianity in Chazalic literature
Encyclopedia
In a collective approach to the volume of Rabbinic disagreement with Christianity, the Opposition to Christianity in Chazalic literature consists of direct questioning and at times invalidating of Christianity as found in Chazal
ic literature.
Of the notable reasons of Chazalic opposition to Christianity is that Christianity is founded on the belief of the Trinity
whereas Judaism follows the belief of strict Monotheism
. Another source of opposition is the belief that the Torah
, as given by Moshe Rabbeinu (exclusive of the New Testament
), along with its interpretation
by Chazal
, is the supreme and exclusive indicator of Yaweh's instruction to Jews and mankind.
. A brief mention—albeit allegorically—is found in regards to a Jew who incises his skin on the Shabbat
with the intent to engrave a tattoo. the Tanna
Rabbi Eliezer is quoted as liableizing (for transgression of Shabbat) the offender for performing one of the activities prohibited on Shabbat, as this is a solid form of penmantry work. As proof, Rabbi Eliezer cites that the "Ben Sitda" stole his knowledge of sorcery from Egypt using this type penmantry -hence proving its potency as a viable form of writing. Chazal
did not accept Rabbi Eliezer's proof with the counter-claim of "due to one shoteh (fool) we should make liable all the normal folk?".
Following the debated assumption that ben sitida is indeed a reference to Yeshu, it is inferable from this mentioning that Yeshu -as founder of Christianity- used sorcery as a method of achieving supernatural events -a method discounted by Chazal as illegtimate.
ic literature contains a number of references to Christianity. Of note is the Midrash's insistence that the rise of Christianity—as well as its illegitimacy as being servicial to Yaweh—was foretold to all nations of mankind by Bilaam the sorcerer:
, the Midrash ha-Gadol
—in relation to Yeshu—cites the ideal state of Judaism as that where no students or members of the religion "step out" and publicly profess the Rabbinic interpretation of the Torah as invalid.
and its associated works—is recorded as exclaiming dissatisfaction to those that forgo the Torah
in favor of its antitheses:
—relative to other Rabbinic sources—takes a unique approach to Christianity in the sense that in differentiates between Yeshu himself—who is portrayed as a complete Jew wanting to remain under his Rabbi's tutelage—and the religion he ultimately established -which the Talmud frowns upon.
In Sanhedrin 107b and Sotah 47a Yeshu is mentioned as a student of Yehoshua ben Perachya who was sent away for misinterpreting a word that in context should have been understood as referring to the Inn, he instead understood it to mean the inkeeper's wife. His teacher said "Here is a nice Inn", to which he replied "Her eyes are crooked", to which his teacher responded "Is this what your are occupied in?" After several returns for forgiveness he mistook Perachiah's signal to wait a moment as a signal of final rejection, and so he turned to idolatry;
Chazal
Chazal or Ḥazal is an acronym for the Hebrew "Ḥakhameinu Zikhronam Liv'rakha",...
ic literature.
Of the notable reasons of Chazalic opposition to Christianity is that Christianity is founded on the belief of the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
whereas Judaism follows the belief of strict Monotheism
Monotheism
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one and only one god. Monotheism is characteristic of the Baha'i Faith, Christianity, Druzism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Samaritanism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.While they profess the existence of only one deity, monotheistic religions may still...
. Another source of opposition is the belief that the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
, as given by Moshe Rabbeinu (exclusive of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
), along with its interpretation
Meaning (linguistics)
In linguistics, meaning is what is expressed by the writer or speaker, and what is conveyed to the reader or listener, provided that they talk about the same thing . In other words if the object and the name of the object and the concepts in their head are the same...
by Chazal
Chazal
Chazal or Ḥazal is an acronym for the Hebrew "Ḥakhameinu Zikhronam Liv'rakha",...
, is the supreme and exclusive indicator of Yaweh's instruction to Jews and mankind.
In Tosefta
References to Christianity are rarely found in ToseftaTosefta
The Tosefta is a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the period of the Mishnah.-Overview:...
. A brief mention—albeit allegorically—is found in regards to a Jew who incises his skin on the Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
with the intent to engrave a tattoo. the Tanna
Tannaim
The Tannaim were the Rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 70-200 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 130 years...
Rabbi Eliezer is quoted as liableizing (for transgression of Shabbat) the offender for performing one of the activities prohibited on Shabbat, as this is a solid form of penmantry work. As proof, Rabbi Eliezer cites that the "Ben Sitda" stole his knowledge of sorcery from Egypt using this type penmantry -hence proving its potency as a viable form of writing. Chazal
Chazal
Chazal or Ḥazal is an acronym for the Hebrew "Ḥakhameinu Zikhronam Liv'rakha",...
did not accept Rabbi Eliezer's proof with the counter-claim of "due to one shoteh (fool) we should make liable all the normal folk?".
Following the debated assumption that ben sitida is indeed a reference to Yeshu, it is inferable from this mentioning that Yeshu -as founder of Christianity- used sorcery as a method of achieving supernatural events -a method discounted by Chazal as illegtimate.
In Midrashic sources
MidrashMidrash
The Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....
ic literature contains a number of references to Christianity. Of note is the Midrash's insistence that the rise of Christianity—as well as its illegitimacy as being servicial to Yaweh—was foretold to all nations of mankind by Bilaam the sorcerer:
In the Midrash HaGadol
As the featured Midrashic text of Yemenite JewryYemenite Jews
Yemenite Jews are those Jews who live, or whose recent ancestors lived, in Yemen . Between June 1949 and September 1950, the overwhelming majority of Yemen's Jewish population was transported to Israel in Operation Magic Carpet...
, the Midrash ha-Gadol
Midrash ha-Gadol
Midrash HaGadol or The Great Midrash is an anonymous late compilation of aggadic midrashim on the Pentateuch taken from the two Talmuds and earlier Midrashim. In addition, it borrows quotations from the Targums and Kabbalistic writings , and in this aspect is unique among the various midrashic...
—in relation to Yeshu—cites the ideal state of Judaism as that where no students or members of the religion "step out" and publicly profess the Rabbinic interpretation of the Torah as invalid.
In the Zohar
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai—as the chief contributor to the ZoharZohar
The Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
and its associated works—is recorded as exclaiming dissatisfaction to those that forgo the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
in favor of its antitheses:
In Talmudic sources
The TalmudTalmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
—relative to other Rabbinic sources—takes a unique approach to Christianity in the sense that in differentiates between Yeshu himself—who is portrayed as a complete Jew wanting to remain under his Rabbi's tutelage—and the religion he ultimately established -which the Talmud frowns upon.
In Sanhedrin 107b and Sotah 47a Yeshu is mentioned as a student of Yehoshua ben Perachya who was sent away for misinterpreting a word that in context should have been understood as referring to the Inn, he instead understood it to mean the inkeeper's wife. His teacher said "Here is a nice Inn", to which he replied "Her eyes are crooked", to which his teacher responded "Is this what your are occupied in?" After several returns for forgiveness he mistook Perachiah's signal to wait a moment as a signal of final rejection, and so he turned to idolatry;