The Jewish Background of the New Testament
It was a regular custom of Apostle Paul to attend the synagogue every Shabbat. In every new town where Paul arrived (in predominantly Gentile regions), he went to a synagogue. In synagogues, he met with Jews and Gentiles alike who were interested in the Word of G-d: “…there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures" (Acts 17:1-3).
This situation lasted for a while. For at least a century after Jesus’ death, there were people who believed that he was the Messiah, but who also attended synagogue, kept Shabbat, ate kosher and circumcised their sons. Birkat ha-Minim (בִּרְכַּת הַמִּינִים, "benediction concerning heretics"), a Jewish curse on heretics, was composed after the Bar Kochba revolt and was aimed specifically at those who followed Jesus and had still been in synagogue.
The later Christian councils, especially the famous Council of Nicaea and its successor, the Council of Constantinople, drove a final separation line between traditional Jewish beliefs and practices and the new religion of Christianity. Before that, however, and unlike now, many people didn’t see any problem in being both a Jew and a Christian. Enroll today in our “Jewish Background of the New Testament” course, to learn more about the first Jewish believers.
