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RE: The Gentiles Knew the Torah

in #gospel8 years ago

"Likewise, Gentile adult circumcision, outside of the situation described in the Torah, is also a tradition.

Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. 1 Corinthians 7:18-19"

I don't believe in Paul, but I disagree that your interpretation is necessitated here. He also mentions being in slavery and marriage in the same type of language in the same chapter. One could interpret this as Paul saying one did not have to get circumcised due t the present distress (1Corinthians 7:26), the great tribulation they were going through in those times, fleeing from their persecutors, which would have been extremely difficult, next to impossible, if one had recently been circumcised and was in the state of recovery. Just like how it would be hard do so with as a man with a wife and children to take along. And slaves being disobedient to their masters and trying to get out of their position would cause their masters to be angry with them and think that religion is bad, giving it a bad reputation, and bring more persecution on Christians.

Overall I don't buy it though that Paul was pro-Torah. How almost everybody who reads his letters comes to opposite conclusions and have done so all throughout Christian history, including me when I first read the Bible, 2Peter admitting he's hard to understand and easy to twist into lawless, therefore admitting his epistles are incoherent, and certain hints in his epistles and in Acts, these things lead me to think that the traditional Church position on Paul is probably generally the correct message he was trying to get across.

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Paul was absolutely pro-Torah. It was his life. If he was not, he would never have been accepted among the believers in Jerusalem, who are also pro-Torah. Zealous for the Torah!

Then they [the believers in Jerusalem] said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the Torah. Acts 21:20

Our modern translations have mangled Paul's already difficult language in his letters to the Gentiles. Paul refers to the law of the flesh (sin) and the law of the Spirit (Torah). But anti-Torah and Anti-Jewish interpretations by Christians have destroyed his point in many cases. This is a very ancient misunderstanding of Paul. Even in his day, rumors were circulating that he was teaching to forsake Moses. A 2000 year old rumor, still circulating today.

But they are under the impression that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or observe our customs. Acts 21:21

Paul did not teach the Jews or Gentiles to forsake Moses (God forbid), but rumors were circulating in Jerusalem that he was teaching Jews to forsake Moses and not perform the 8th day circumcision on children. This is a false testimony.

Paul participates in the Nazarite vow (Numbers 6:1–21) to demonstrate his adherence to the Torah spoken by the mouth of God.

Therefore do what we advise you. There are four men with us who have taken a vow. Take these men, purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that there is no truth to these rumors about you, but that you also live in obedience to the Law. Acts 21:23

Paul did abandon the Pharisaical practices, which Yeshua called hypocritical. To other Pharisees, made him look lawless. But Paul made a practice of obeying the commands of God over the traditions of the elders. There were numerous attempts on his life for this. Peter and the apostles also followed this practice:

But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29

They loved the Torah. Yeshua is the Torah made flesh.