Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ
Synagogue (Acts xviii. 8), who, according to tradition ("Constituit
Apost." vii. 46), was afterwards Bishop of Ægina; Clement, of Rome, who,
according to Bishop Lightfoot, was an Hellenistic Jewish convert or son
of a convert. The bishop came to this conclusion, after weighing much
the internal evidence of his Epistle to the Corinthians.[1]
[1] Rev. Dr. Giles writes: "In the 'Homiles and Recognitiones,' falsely
ascribed to Clement, his father is said to have been one Faustinus,
descended from the family of the Roman Cæsars, and this absurd fable is
copied in the 'Liber Pontificates,' or book of the Roman Pontiffs, and
in the work of Eusebius, Bishop of Lyons." ("Hebrew Records," vol. ii.
294).
Two of the converts of the first century are mentioned in the Talmud and
receive there an excellent testimonial. The first is Nicodemus,
identical, according to the writer in the "Jewish Encyclopædia," with
Nicodemus ben Gorian. He is said to have been a great saint. The other
is Jacob of Kefar Sakanya (Simai). He once met R. Eliezer in the upper
market-place of Sepphoris and asked his opinion on a curious ritualistic
question bearing upon Deut. xxiii. 8. As R. Eliezer declined to give an
opinion, Jacob acquainted him with the interpretation of Jesus derived
from Micah i. 7. R. Eliezer was pleased with the interpretation, and was
consequently suspected of Christian leanings by the governor (Abodah
Zarah, 17. a). On another occasion, Jacob went to heal R. Eleasar ben
Dama of a poisonous bite by a serpent in the name of Jesus, but his
uncle, R. Ishmael, would not allow it. Jacob said to him, Rabbi Ishmael,
my brother, let me heal him, and I will prove to you from the Torah,
that it is allowed, but R. I. was obstinate. In the meantime the patient
died, and his uncle apostrophized the corpse in these words: "Happy art
thou Ben Dama that thy body is pure and thy soul departed in purity, as
thou hast not transgressed the words of thy fellow rabbis" (Abodah
Zarah, 27. b).
CHAPTER II.
SUB-APOSTOLIC OR PATRISTIC PERIOD.
Besides Hegesippus, one reckoned among the church fathers was
Epiphanius, a native Jew of Palestine, who embraced Christianity at
sixteen years of age, and eventually became Bishop of Constantia, and
died at sea (according to Bartolocci) in 403 A.D. He wrote a book
entitled, "Panarion," in which he gives information about eighty
heretical sects, including Jewish; also a treatise on Biblical weights
and measures and on the lives of the Prophets, in which he makes Hebrew
quotations.
Another noted Jewish convert belonging to this period was Joseph, a
physician of Tiberias (called by the Jews "The Apostate"). He had been a
member of the Sanhedrin in his native town, was sent by them as a
delegate to the Jews in Cilicia, where he became acquainted with the
Christian bishop, who gave him a New Testament. According to Milman
(vol. iii., p. 179) he was detected reading it, was hurried to the
synagogue and scourged. The bishop interfered. But he was afterwards
seized again and thrown into the river Cydnus, from which he hardly
escaped with his life, and was baptized. On his return he told his
friends in Palestine that the Gospel made progress among the enlightened
Jews. The Emperor Constantine elevated him to the rank of Comes or Count
of the Empire, and he devoted his life to the building of churches at
Tiberias, Capernaum, Nazareth, and Sepphoris (Dio Cæsarea). It is worth
mentioning in this connection the report of Epiphanius that Hillel, who
succeeded his father Judah II. in the patriarchate of Tiberias, embraced
Christianity and was secretly baptized on his death-bed by a bishop.
Joseph, his physician (says Milman) had witnessed the scene which
wrought strongly upon his mind. The house of Hillel after his death was
kept closely shut up by his suspicious countrymen. Joseph obtained
entrance, and found there the Gospels of St. John and of St. Matthew,
and the Acts in a Hebrew translation.[2]
[2] This is denied by Gräetz. See article in the "Jewish Encyclopædia,"
where it is asserted that this Hillel was honoured by Julian the
Apostate. But we have also the solution of the difficulty there. It is
avowed that there is no clear distinction between Juda II. and Juda III.
Milman says distinctly that this Hillel was the son of Juda II., whereas
Jewish writers make him to be the son of Juda III.
Tabius, of high priestly descent, son of one Anan, probably the one who
was sent on embassy to the Emperor Claudius, is also mentioned by
ecclesiastical writers as having embraced Christianity.
Asher ben Levi, called Abed al Masih, lived in the fourth century in
Sinjar Mesopotamia. His school companions, both Zoroastrian and
Christian, shunned him, but the latter on one occasion baptized him.
Asher's mother hid him from his father, who was a warden of the
synagogue, fearing his anger, but he was eventually killed by him. A
church was built afterwards in his memory. There is a Syriac MS. which
contains this story.
Jacob, of Kefar Neuburaya, another Hebrew Christian of the fourth
century, is mentioned in the Talmud as one whose opinions met with
approval by the rabbis in two instances. One of those may be quoted. In
the School of Cæsarea he interpreted Hab. ii. 19 as being a rebuke of
simony. On the same occasion he indicated Ben Eleazer as being a worthy
candidate for the rabbinate (Yer. Bik. iii. 3. Midr. Shemuél vii.). Isi,
of Cæsarea counts him among the Judæo-Christians, applying to him the
Biblical word sinner (Eccl. R. vii. 47). The appellation Jacob Minah I.
= Jacob the heretic, met with in the Medrashim, may refer to the same
subject of the article in the "Jewish Encyclopædia." As its author is
Dr. Max Seligsohn, the official editor, we may assume that it is now
granted that by the word Minim in the Jewish Liturgy is meant Jewish
Christians. No wonder then that these have always protested, and
sometimes rather too vehemently, against the collect, and wished it to
be expunged.
CHAPTER III.
THE PERIOD OF THE PUBLICATION OF THE TALMUD.
When the Jewish Christians fled to Pella, at the time of the destruction
of Jerusalem, their brethren the rabbinists were very angry with them,
and probably accused them of want of patriotism, as we know they did
afterwards, because they did not enlist in the army of the false
Messiah, Bar-Cochba. However, during the first Christian centuries the
separation between them was not quite so wide and marked as after the
publication of the Talmud. The Talmud itself testifies that asperities
were occasionally smoothed over by continual intercourse and exchange of
thought on religious and other topics. Yes, even friendship was
possible. It is related that a heretic sent once on one of his own
feasts an imperial coin as a present to R. Juda Nasia. (Abodah Zarah
5._b_). The feeling of resentment against Jewish Christians gradually
diminished. This may be seen from the following amusing story. A certain
heretic once annoyed R. Joshua ben Levi whilst he was reading the
Scriptures, probably with questions as to the meaning of a Messianic
prophecy. R. Joshua, believing that there is a certain moment in the day
when God is angry, because it is written, "For His anger endureth but a
moment" (Ps. xxx. 5), and believing too that this moment is indicated
by a curious natural phenomenon, when the comb of a cock gets red, he
tied a cock to the foot of the bed and patiently watched for the sign,
so that he might have a good opportunity of cursing the heretic during
the moment of God's anger. But before that moment came he fell asleep,
and when he awoke he noticed that the cock's comb remained white as
before, so he concluded that it was not right to curse any one, for it
is written "The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all
His works" (Ps. cxlv. 9). Again "Also to punish the just is not good."
(Prov. xvii. 26) (Abodah Zarah 4_h_.)
The two classes used generally to meet in a public library called
[Hebrew: bi avidan] or in another place of assembly called [Hebrew: bi
netzrafi] and we may rightly infer that some, at all events, of the
beautiful sayings in the Talmud which resemble N. T. passages are due to
the influence of the Hebrew Christians upon the rabbis in their
discussions with them during the time when the Talmud as such, or at
least the Gemara, was only in the course of formation. One passage will
suffice to show that the rabbis during this period were well acquainted
with the N. T. There was once a discussion between R. Gamaliel and a
Christian (called a philosopher) with regard to the law of inheritance.
The Christian maintained that inasmuch as a woman is placed on an equality
with a man in the N. T., she has an equal right with her brother to inherit
the parental property. To that Gamaliel replied by quoting Matt. v. 17,
with a very slight alteration to suit his purpose. [Hebrew: ana lo
lemifhat min oryata demoshe etiti velo leosfi al oryata demoshe etiti.]
"I have not come to destroy the law of Moses, nor have I come to add to
the law of Moses" (Shabbath 116 b). Moreover, the fact that some Rabbis
at that time thought that the Evangelium should be burned--and also
Hebrew Christian books generally--proves that they were acquainted with
the contents, but does not shew that they were very bitterly hostile to
their brethren, and they may have even referred to gnostic writings.
Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho, probably R. Tarphon mentioned in
the Talmud, is well known.
It was otherwise after the Babylonian Talmud was finished in the fifth
century. This huge building--which Scribes, Tanas, Amoras, and later
gaons, tosafits, and quite a number of commentators in successive
generations have reared up--was like the Tower of Babel, and brought
confusion within the ranks of the Jews. The following is the language of
one who took a leading part in laying one stone upon another: What is
Babel? R. Johanon said: It is confused in the Scripture, confused in the
Mishnah, and confused in the six orders of the Talmud. "He hath set me
in darkness as they that be dead of old" (Lam. iii. 6). Rav Yirmiah
said: This refers to the Babylonian Talmud. It formed an iron partition
between Judæo-Christians and their brethren. While formerly tradition
was only handed down by word of mouth, and many were liable to forget or
disregard it, when once it was written, codified and taught in the
synagogues and schools to all except women, the poor, unenlightened
people in their joy at being at last able to read the oral law, which
was pretended to have been given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai at the
same time as the written law, clave to it with all the enthusiastic
ardour of their souls, and refused to have anything to do with the
Gospel or the Christian religion.
Milman relates a legend of this time which was current in the sixth
century; though it is in an exaggerated form, yet on the whole it is
quite credible. "While Menas was Bishop of Constantinople, the child of
a Jewish glassblower went to church with the rest and partook of the
sacred elements. The father inquiring the cause of his delay, discovered
what he had done. In his fury he seized him and shut him up in the
blazing furnace. The mother went wandering about the city, wailing and
seeking her lost offspring. The third day she sat down by the door of
the workshop, still weeping, and calling on the name of the child. The
child answered from the furnace. The doors were forced open, and the
child was discovered sitting unhurt amid the red-hot ashes. Subsequently
the mother and child were baptized." (Milman's "History of the Jews,"
vol. iii. p. 230.)
For several centuries we do not hear of many distinguished Jews
embracing Christianity, and though it is asserted that whole