Why does your ministry use the terms “God” and “Lord” for YHWH, when these are well documented terms used in ancient paganism?
Greek
I have encountered many, many Messianic people who claim that the English name “Jesus” is of pagan origins. Does this have any substantial basis to it? I am an intelligent person, and I do know that the Messiah did not speak English, and that “Jesus” is not what He was originally called.
One area that receives some discussion, in various parts of the Messianic movement, is whether or not the five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)—which we usually refer to as the Torah—should ever be called the Law. A statement that can be heard from time to time in our Messianic faith community, is: The Torah is teaching. The Torah is not the law. It is said that Torah just means Teaching or Instruction, and should never be referred to by the term law.
Messianic Apologetics editor John McKee was the designated reader for Greek, from Acts 2.
Languages in order: English, Hebrew, Greek, German, French, Ukrainian, Romanian, Spanish, Bulgarian, Hebrew, English
Many people in examining Hebrew or Greek matters, never get beyond Strong’s Concordance.
I saw a teaching that discussed the “Hebrew versus Greek mindset.” What does this mean?
Many Messianic Believers think that it is important to learn the Hebrew language, the language of the Tanach or Old Testament. This is to be commended and encouraged, as these texts make up the first two-thirds of our Bible that many Christians, sadly, ignore or feel are important only for Bible history. However, there is another portion of the Bible, the Apostolic Scriptures or Messianic Writings, commonly known as the New Testament, which were not written in Hebrew, and should not be cast by the wayside.
The claim that the New Testament was originally written in Hebrew is something that must be substantiated by those who believe it with historical references, textual support, and most of all extant manuscripts in Hebrew. These references must be credible, the textual claims must be supported within a relatively conservative framework of exposition, and the manuscripts must be verified as authentic by organizations such as United Bible Societies or the American Bible Society. Thus far, no one in the Messianic community has been able to prove a written Hebrew origin for the entirety of the New Testament on the basis of these factors.
