New Testament From Jewish Point of View - A Temple Israel Long Beach Zoom Class

We had a good turnout on Monday, February 13, 2023!  Jo Ann, Dan, Steve, Karen, Dave, Ruth, Merrill, Randy, Robin, Jay, Norky, and Neil attended.   We were so glad to have Randy and Robin back after their trip to Australia and New Zealand.   We covered quite a bit of material since we read Chapters One, Two, and Three of Hebrews. Below is a summary of what we learned and discussed written by Dan: While reading these initial chapters of Hebrews, it is obvious this book is not a letter to anyone in particular but rather an essay or sermon. The unnamed author immediately throws a lot of information about Jesus at us, all about what his being the son of God means. One cannot imagine this Jesus sitting around a fire on the shores of the Sea of Galilee roasting fish with his disciples. The author of Hebrews describes Jesus as the son of God who existed before the world was created, “heir of all things” and through whom the universe was made. Not bad for a simple man from Nazare...

We had a nice group on Monday, February 2, 2023.  Jo Ann, Dan, Steve, Karen, Dave, Merrill, Neil, and Norky attended.   Below is a summary of what went on written by Dan: “ We read the introduction to the Book of Hebrews today, getting the low down that this book is “the foundation of this idea that Christianity has “replaced” Judaism.” Yikes. There is a discussion about who wrote this book (Unknown), when it was written (later 1st century, either before or after destruction of the 2nd temple), where (possibly Alexandria or Rome) and to whom it was written (General audiences).  We discussed the idea of the Torah and the covenant between God and Israel becoming obsolete because Jesus’ sacrificial death ended the need for further sacrifices. This was unsurprisingly greeted with disapproval, and we noted that the V’shamru said that shabbat would be a covenant between God and the Jewish people forever. If that became obsolete then forever doesn’t mean forever.” Additions from...