My Jewish friends, if I were to read the Tanakh would I not see the prophesies for th
That we as Christians believe forecast Jesus' birth and resurrection?
Theyguy. I am asking because I would like to read the Tanakh. How is my intention so vilified when my question is not rude and hurtful? How is it so strange that one wants to ask a question about a religion they aren't very familiar with and would like to cross reference with their own (Christianity in my case)? Sheesh
PBW, you too? I really want to know; why the flack and hostility? Where can I read these scriptures on line and are they different from the OT?
Misss, thank you for the information; exactly what I was ASKING for :-)
To everyone else, I really appreciate the info. I have been curious about this for some time (cross referencing) and I appreciate the information given.
PBW: I really do appreciate the apology. I respect you as a great source of information about your religion and fully understand that the hostility of this place toward people of all faiths can be disarming at times and have us with our defenses up. I in no way was challenging Jews; I just wanted to know if the same scriptures were there, albeit interpreted differently. Thanks for the links as well.
You would not. Much of the Tanakh (Hebrew scripture) has been mistranslated. For example, the prophecy in Isiah which has been used as a proof-text for the "virgin birth" has been incorrectly translated; the term is not "virgin" but young woman. I would suggest reading a Artscroll translation of the Tanakh.
Also, I would suggest listening to Tovia Singer who discusses this issue at length.
http://torahanytime.com/rabbi_singer.html
No.
But you would see prophecies related to the Jewish messiah:
The Sanhedrin will be re-established (Isaiah 1:26)
Once he is King, leaders of other nations will look to him for guidance. (Isaiah 2:4)
The whole world will worship the One God of Israel (Isaiah 2:17)
He will be descended from King David (Isaiah 11:1) via Solomon (1 Chronicles 22:8-10, 2 Chronicles 7:18)
The Moshiach will be a man of this world, an observant Jew with "fear of God" (Isaiah 11:2)
He will come from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
Evil and tyranny will not be able to stand before his leadership (Isaiah 11:4)
Knowledge of God will fill the world (Isaiah 11:9)
He will include and attract people from all cultures and nations (Isaiah 11:10)
All Israelites will be returned to their homeland (Isaiah 11:12)
Death will be swallowed up forever (Isaiah 25:8)
There will be no more hunger or illness, and death will cease (Isaiah 25:8)
All of the dead will rise again (Isaiah 26:19)
The Jewish people will experience eternal joy and gladness (Isaiah 51:11)
He will be a messenger of peace (Isaiah 52:7)
Nations will end up recognizing the wrongs they did to Israel (Isaiah 52:13-53:5)
The peoples of the world will turn to the Jews for spiritual guidance (Zechariah 8:23)
The ruined cities of Israel will be restored (Ezekiel 16:55)
Weapons of war will be destroyed (Ezekiel 39:9)
The Temple will be rebuilt resuming many of the suspended matzot (Ezekiel 40)
Jews will know the Torah without study (Jeremiah 31:33)[3]
He will give you all the worthy desires of your heart (Psalms 37:4)
He will take the barren land and make it abundant and fruitful (Isaiah 51:3, Amos 9:13-15, Ezekiel 36:29-30, Isaiah 11:6-9)
If you read the Tanakh through the lens of the New Testament, of course you would see Jesus in those prophecies. However, if you read the Tanakh, and read the various verses in context (instead of picking verses out to stand alone), then you would be less likely to see Jesus there. The fact is, as a believer in Jesus, you would probably always see Jesus in the Tanakh. Since we Jews have no preconceived notions of Jesus, we don't have that issue to confuse us; what I mean is.. if faith in Jesus works for you, that is truly a wonderful thing, but he is not the messiah for whom we Jews are waiting.
You would not. It is often difficult for those with one frame of reference to see what applies and what does not; many Christians look at, for example, Isaiah 53, and use that to explain how Jesus is the Moshiach (Messiah). WE remind folks that if Isaiah 52 is read before Isaiah 53, it can easily be seen that ISRAEL is the subject. I suggest discussing your interest with a Rabbi; perhaps you could take some classes or attend a group. Many synagogues have groups/classes on Tanakh, Talmud, and other items.
What we want to see, expect to see and are in the habit of seeing turns out frequently to be what we see.
You and I can look at the same time at the same thing. What we see or perceive may not be the same. You might see prophesies. I might not, especially if we do not share same beliefs. Or maybe I might, were I of your faith.
If you want to read the Tanakh, go ahead and read it. Please read major Jewish commentators such as Maimonides and Rashi if you want to understand it from a Jewish perspective.
There are people, such as Rabbi Tovia Singer, who have studied what Christians claim are and Jews claim are not prophesies. You might look at his work or work like his.
Your questions hits very sensitive nerves. If Jews thought there were prophecies of the Christian Messiah, would they be Jews or Christians?
There's no Jesus in the Jewish Bible.
You can try to fit it to your stories about Jesus and try to predict that that's what the Jews were thanking, but it would be incorrect.
Some of them will certainly be the same - mostly the ones that Christians say will be fulfilled when Jesus returns.
The same verses that are used to say that there will be worldwide peace, etc.
But many of them simply aren't prophecies in the original.
Things like Psalms 22:16: "They have pierced my hands and feet" in the KJV are translated by Jews as "Like a lion, they are at my hands at feet."
Christians say that this is a prophecy of the crucifixion.
But in Hebrew it is a reference back to three verses prior:
14. They opened their mouth against me [like] a tearing, roaring lion.
a tearing lion is a reference to Nebuchadnezzer
It is also a reference to Isaiah 38:13, "13I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me." (KJV)
The problem is that Christians take as a prophecy that Jesus had no broken bones, but in the Hebrew, it is specifically referencing that the lion taking his hands and feet in his mouth would crush them, breaking the bones.
I strongly suggest getting a Tanakh with commentary that takes the Hebrew phrases and compares usages across books and shows how they relate.
There is a good one on line with Rashi's commentary here:
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/63255/jewish/The-Bible-with-Rashi.htm
My Jewish friends, if I were to read the Tanakh would I not see the prophesies for th
