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KARAISM
& NEHEMIA GORDON
 Karaite
Judaism (Karaism) is an expression of Judaism that is "anti-oral Torah"
(anti-rabbinical authority). Karaites have their own halakhic traditions,
established by Karaite hierarchical Chakam (wise men). Over the last
decade Karaite "Judaism" has been gaining converts away from Christian,
Messianic, Israelite or Ephraimite congregations through the books and teachings
of Mr. Nehemia Gordon. Mr. Nehemia Gordon is an advocate of the
Shem Tob New Testament,
he is not a disciple of Y'shua but makes himself out to be a New
Testament scholar.
Mr. Nehemia Gordon uses New Testament texts to wedge his own religious ideas against the
Household of Faith who follow Y'shua. For example Mr. Nehemia Gordon wrote a
book entitled The Hebrew Yeshua vs the Greek Jesus that he based on a medieval
Hebrew New Testament (1380 AD) text, trying to cast doubt on Aramaic and Greek texts that
predate it by over 1100 years. Mr. Gordon refuses any public debate on the matter
of textual primacy. Mr. Gordon imposes his Karaite cult-like religion as the true
religion that Y'shua (Jesus) followed, which is a lie. Mr. Gordon fails to understand
that Y'shua never came to bring a new religion, or endorse any of the
religious systems of the day, he brought the Kingdom Government of his Father to
earth.
Regrettably, some folks who follow Mr. Gordon's teachings have abandoned
Mashiyach Y'shua in favor of Karaite theology. One man (TC), while
studying Karaitism was advised to break contact with all Torah observant Jewish
followers of Y'shua. In speaking with TC he advised me how Karaites had
shown him that Yeshua could not be the Messiah, and that Yeshua was an invention
of Constantine, the Emperor of Rome (4th Century). TC had been baptized
into the Kingdom a year prior to meeting Nehemia Gordon and the Karaites.
All religious rhetoric aside, Mr. Gordon and others who take on the Karaite
religious label are against Y'shua as Mashiyach. Mr. Gordon has been
publicly upfront about this. But everyone knows that what cometh out of
the church or synagogue basement can be a LOT different than what is said
publicly, or from the pulpit. I've been around. I volunteered for
children's ministry when I was in my teens, served as a youth pastor at 19,
pastor, rabbi, and lived in Orthodox Jewish, Messianic, and Christian
communities all my life. I've seen the politics and religious spirits.
Who hasn't? Being two-faced is a normative in the religious worlds... one
of the many reasons why people hate religion.
As most know, people tell their rabbi or pastor things they wouldn't tell their
wives. The relationship between rabbi and talmid is very close,
confidential and open about anything and everything. It's on this basis I
that write: From my personal experiences with brothers and sisters who
have been devastated by Nehemiah Gordon's religious politics, and for all other
parties concerned including dear Mr. Nehemia Gordon himself.
Shem Tob manuscripts
form the basis of Mr. Nehemia Gordon's two publications, that are being
disseminated to Christian and Messianic audiences. Although Torah requires
"two or three witnesses" to establish all matters of law, Mr. Nehemia Gordon
doesn't apply those same Torah principles to New Testament texts and why would
he? He doesn't hold them as Sacred. Mr. Nehemia Gordon and Mr.
Keith Johnson (co-author of one of his books) are bringing division and confusion to
the Messianic community on many different levels, which is why I and others have
asked him for a public debate on certain NT and Tanakh textual criticism
matters. It's just the right thing to do.
Am I the only one, or doesn't anyone else find it odd that a Karaite Jew holds
himself out to be an authority on the New Testament? And then he tries to
convince everyone that he needs to teach New Testament concepts to those who
hold the New Testament as Sacred text, when he himself does not believe in the
Original Author of those texts? No way! Most people can see the fly
in the ointment, but some just don't get it. It's also interesting to note
that Karaism has strong parallels with the Samaritans who were (are) also
anti-Rabbinic and
who made up their own cult religion and Temple in Samaria, which they assert to
be the "true Temple", while they condemn the Temple and Jews in Jerusalem. This
happens to be in line with the spirit of many Ephraimite (Two House) believers who are also
anti-Rabbinical and who have aligned themselves with Karaite moon watching.
Late breaking News: I've just been advised that Nehemia's own followers
are publicly stating that they were ex-Christians. So sad. Here is
one of the testimonies from an online petition called:
Karaites Advising Nehemia Gordon
(www.petitiononline.com/karaites/petition.html)
Click here to verify this information.
"From a Ger: “I
don't understand this at all. His Karaite community that basically HE [Nehemia
Gordon] established is desperately in need of a leader. Meanwhile he's going to
church services and referring to the sermons ‘as some of the most powerful
speeches he's ever heard.’
Most of us came out of
this background."
Whoever wrote the "From a Ger:" message, probably learnt what a Ger is from a
Torah observant Messianic or Ephraime teacher, really too bad though that these
converts to Karaism don't do their own homework rather than go under the "spell"
of guys like Mr. Gordon.
On Friday March 25th, 2011, Karaite Korner Newsletter] #503: The Aramaic
Letter Exposed. At the beginning of Shabbat, Mr. Nehemia Gordon went on a
stone throwing tirade against Mr. Andrew Gabriel Roth who he labeled as "a
Jewish convert to Christianity". Although Mr. Gordon didn't name the
culprit, Mr. Andrew Gabriel Roth was well implicated by several specifics in Mr.
Gordon's newsletter. Mr. Roth and I are Netzari Jews and brothers in
Y'shua, and I also happen to be his publisher. The letter by Mr. Gordon is full of
misrepresentation, false judgments, allegations and derogatory slurs against
Mr. Roth as "the converted Jew". So sad. In reality Andrew
was raised a Reform Jew, attended Orthodox and Conservative synagogues and
though he became convinced in Y'shua is Mashiyach, he and I are both Torah
observant. Why is Mr. Gordon make such disparaging remarks about us as
being "Christian", which everybody knows nowadays implies those who
have "done away with Torah".
The truth is far from Mr. Nehemia Gordon's lips.
Netzari Judaism is a Jewish Faith. A much more ancient Jewish Faith than
Karaism which was birthed in 9th Century Iraq by Jews who synchronized moon-worshipping-Islamic-paganism
and "Samaritanism" into its own form of Judaism.
Examples of this can be seen in the publication Wheel of Stars,
www.wheelofstars.com.
Mr. Nehemiah Gordon writes on his
website, "Karaism has been around since God gave his laws to the Jewish people.
At first those who followed YHWH's laws were merely called "Righteous" and it
was only in the 9th century CE that they came to be called Karaites. The
question of why God's followers are today called Karaites is really a question
of the origin of the other sects. At first there was no reason to label the
righteous as a separate sect because there was only the one sect which consisted
of the whole Jewish people. Throughout history a variety of sects appeared and
it was only to distinguish the righteous from these other groups which caused
them in different periods to take on such names as Sadducees, Boethusians,
Ananites, and Karaites."
Thanks Mr. Gordon for clarifying that because everyone who studies history knows
that:
1. The Sadducees
denied YHWH's involvement in everyday life. After all who needs God if
you've got a Torah scroll to dance around with?
2. The Sadducees
denied any resurrection of the dead.
3. The Sadducees
denied the afterlife, believing that the soul perished at death, and therefore
didn't believe in either penalty or reward after this earthly life.
4. The Sadducees
denied the existence of a spiritual world, i.e., angels and demons.
The Sadducees were FAR more concerned with politics than the Kingdom of Elohim.
They were concerned Y'shua would bring unwanted Roman attention. It was at
that point that Sadducee and Pharisee hierarchies united and conspired to put
Y'shua to death. It was Joseph Caiaphus the Sadducee high priest who
ordered Y'shua's death, he was NOT a Pharisee, the Pharisees were middle class,
the Sadducees were the aristocrats with the connections to Rome.
The Sadducees are also implicated in the death of Ya'akov haTsadiq (James the
Just, brother of Y'shua) by the historian Josephus. The Sadducees ceased
to exist in A.D. 70, but the spirit of the Sadducees clearly lives on in the
Karaite movement today, you can read all about it from Mr. Nehemia Gordon and
his colleagues.
There are no direct historical links between the Sadducees and modern Karaism,
only the same political religious discrimination and religious hatred against
Orthodox Jews and followers of Yeshua. Gotta tell any folks who aren't
Jewish, as a third generation Netzari Jew I find it very bizarre that Orthodox
Jews and Christians have shown more decency and respect for the Netzari Faith
than Karaites have. Karaites are NOT threatened by non-Jews. Mr.
Nehemiah Gordon is happy to rub shoulders with all sorts of Christians who are
not pro-Torah, but finds cause to condemn fellow Jews who are? Why the
two-faced hypocritical stance? Why the double standard when he is
referring to his own Jewish Torah observant brothers? I think it's
obvious, Mr. Gordon has a hidden agenda. It's no coincidence that Karaites chum
with Ephraimite and Jewish leadership who openly sew doubt on the authority of
the original Aramaic New Testament. This is why Andrew Gabriel Roth has
been targeted by Mr. Gordon for a disinformation and hate campaign.
Nevertheless, in 2009 I invited Mr. Nehemia Gordon to a radio debate
(Hebrew Nation Radio in Salem Oregon) on New Testament primacy, with Mr. Andrew
Gabriel Roth. I was also the instigator who recently suggested Mr.
Roth and Mr. Nehemia Gordon be invited to a pre-programmed TV debate on the same
subject. This matter has been sitting unresolved for a couple years now,
both Mr. Gordon and Mr. Johnson were very well aware of this from before the
Salem Oregon Symposium, however they are making it sound as they are two
innocent little wallflowers who nothing of it. So sad really.
Keith Johnson initially responded enthusiastically about the pre-recorded TV
debate. However, Mr. Gordon quickly convinced him that such debates were
anti-Semitic and that the "ultimatum" [of the debate] was the equivalent of
demanding that Mr. Nehemia be required to wear the hated yellow star. Bear
in mind that Mr. Roth is Jewish. I am Jewish. And the TV station he
indicted just happens to be the largest Torah based Israelitish supporter of the
State of Israel on earth. Their non-Jewish viewer support of Israel,
Torah, and the Jewish people is unprecedented in human history. Someone
please correct me if I'm wrong. This TV station has a cadre of impressive
"Torah Teachers" who are not only Torah Observant, but they are helping hundreds
of thousands of Jews and Christians discover a new vibrant love for Torah and
Mashiyach. I know firsthand that Mr. Gordon and Mr. Johnson are highly
respected men by all the aforementioned. The debate suggestion was simply
to bring basement politics into a public forum... what could be wrong with that?
(I thought)
Regarding the Kadosh Name of YHWH, again, more disinformation coming out of Mr.
Gordon and
Keith Johnson's mouths. Both Andrew and myself are ardent
supporters for restoring the spoken Name of YHWH to His people. For three
generations my family has brought the Name of YHWH forward and we've done so at
huge personal cost, the attacks we faced from all religious sides have been
horrific. Even from the Sacred Name community itself, where some folks put
others in hell if they don't speak the Name of YHWH, which I've rejected as
religious bigotry. Our Father's Name is Set Apart and to be written up our
hearts in love, not shoved down someone's theological throat.
So, bottom line is that in his bid to avoid an open and gentlemanly debate, Mr.
Gordon pulled his feel-sorry-for-the-poor-Jew trump card. It's regrettable
that Mr. Gordon expected the "poor Jew" thing to work between Jews or educated
people who might be reading his newsletter. But then again, I wasn't sure
if Mr. Gordon was serious or joking... you never know with him... he does have a
"wicked" sense of humor.
In his newsletter Mr. Gordon described his lively opponent as "the converted
Aramaic Jew", and stated, "I knew the issue was not really the three
Hebrew texts" and that "as far as Hebrew Matthew is concerned, Keith (Johnson)
and I have never claimed it was the original word-for-word Hebrew gospel written
2,000 years ago. In our book and interviews we explain that Hebrew Matthew has
gone through a long process of textual transmission. Its importance is
that, despite this long transmission, it is not a translation."
Ok, so most folks who read Mr. Gordon's newsletter would have caught his
rhetoric... that the
Shem Tob
Hebrew Matthew is "not a translation" but the product of a "long process of
textual transmission." It would be lovely if Mr. Nehemia Gordon would
educate everyone on what that "long process of textual transmission" was?
Where's the beef? Would it be too much to ask a notable and capable public
orator as Mr. Nehemia Gordon? I don't think so. No lie is of the
truth. I'm no scholar like these big boys, I just would like to know what
Mr. Gordon is talking about. Only an bumbling idiot (sorry "Dr." James
Trimm) would claim that the
Shem Tob
is a word-for-word Hebrew gospel.
Nevertheless,
I would be delighted to learn knew things from
Mr. Gordon or Mr. Roth. I'm not so fussy about who my teachers are really,
as long as they can slap some proof on the table and not speak out of some
"donkey" imagination (but we'll get to that in a bit). What amazes me is
how someone like Mr. Gordon, who claims to have worked with Immanuel Tov (one of
the world's greatest Dead Sea Scroll scholars), can make such a tunnel vision
comment as follows:
"For its part, the Leningrad Codex serves as the basis of the Hebrew Bible used
in every seminary and university in the world." No, not really Mr. Gordon.
(But that statement tells us that Mr. Gordon lives in a very narrow religious
world, doesn't it?) Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint (LXX) (along with
the Masoretic texts) also provide scholars with an eclectic perspective of
Tanakh (Old Testament). In keeping with two or three witnesses, most
scholars use all three ancient texts, as well as Peshitta Tanakh I might add.
Most scholars. Also Mr. Gordon, at the Symposium in Salem we discovered
that you never knew that such thing as a Peshitta Tanakh even existed.
Please forgive me sir. I in know way, shape, or form want to embarrass
either you or my dear brother Mr. Andrew Gabriel Roth. I'm simply writing
a first hand account of these matters because of dear brothers and sisters in
the Household of Faith who are very upset by your wild-eyed and malicious
allegations against a fellow Jew and that you've chosen to publicly throw stones
at.
Any honest scholar (click here for a short list of
Aramaic Scholars) also knows that religion (theologians) tends to "bend"
textual criticism in it's direction. Masoretic text, Dead Sea Scrolls and
the LLX together provide witnesses for and against the worlds major religions.
Anyone who sits on one text as the end all and be all, the holy grail, is a
religious nutbar.
-
It
was a Karaite (Ben Asher) who is
credited for the Masoretic texts
that Mr. Nehemia Gordon elevates as
his holy grail, which is rather self
serving religion. Why?
Because for example, the
preservation of the Name of YHWH
(Yahweh) and scriptures that pertain
to Mashiyach (Messiah) coming in the
Name of YHWH are well preserved in
the Dead Sea Scrolls and LXX but
some verses were adulterated by the
Masoretes.
-
-
It’s
also pretty much commonly held
knowledge among most scholars that
the pronunciation of “Yahweh” was
later revised to the Masoretic and
modern Hebrew “Yehovah.” Yehovah's
witnesses were a prime example of
pseudo-scholars who elevated the
name of Jehovah because of their
ignorance of ancient texts and
dialects – texts of which, I might
add, Mr. Andrew Gabriel Roth happens
to be an expert in, and as such Mr.
Roth would be delighted for the
opportunity to discuss this publicly
with Mr. Nehemia Gordon or
Keith Johnson.
-
-
Dead Sea Scrolls predate the
Masoretic text by 1200 years, the
LXX by 800 years. Masoretic
texts retained Pharisaical
anti-Yeshua rhetoric, the same
rhetoric that modern Karaites have
totally in common with the big bad
Orthodox Jewish oral Torah.
Mr. Gordon writes, "I knew what the ultimatum was really about from a Bible
symposium Keith and I participated in last year alongside the same converted
Aramaic Jew." To clarify this, I, Baruch Ben Daniel was the one who
asked for the debate through Hebrew Nation Radio, but Mr. Gordon was
cowardice. After several months of negotiation Mr. Gordon agreed to a
symposium where Andrew Gabriel Roth, Dr. Russ Hills, Mr.
Keith Johnson and Mr.
Gordon all shared their New Testament perspectives. I have the video
footage and 200 witnesses who would beg to differ with Mr. Gordon's conclusions
of what transpired at that symposium. I will post the full content of that
symposium if I can obtain permissions from the hosts, or perhaps it's already
available through Hebrew Nation Radio. I have plenty witnesses to the fact
that I never invited Nehemiah to debate whether Y'shua is Mashiyach on public
radio. Although I told others that I would love to debate this issue with
him, not one person I spoke with felt that Mr. Nehemiah Gordon would be man
enough to agree to such a debate. Rabbi Boteach and thousands of Pharisees
would in a heartbeat, but not Mr. Gordon. I simply wanted him to put his
Hebrew Matthew stuff on the table. That's all.
"Dr." James Scott Trimm was invited to debate the same topic several years back,
but James Trimm also acted in cowardice. Mr. Gordon and James Trimm are
teachers who claim to be scholars but neither has the gentleman scholar "nature"
that invites open dialogue and education. What we are seeing rather, is
cult-like, hiding in the shadows religious leaders. Just because I state
the obvious truth, Mr. Gordon, please don't shoot the messenger. How about
giving a demonstration of public debate as decent human beings do? Even
some atheists I know have more common integrity and decency than Mr. Gordon.
Say what you mean and mean what you say buddy.
In the newsletter posted on 3/25/11. Mr. Gordon writes of an experience that
occurred during a small fellowship hosted by Hebrew Nation Radio in Salem Oregon
on the Shabbat before the symposium. He states, "What followed were two of the
most painful minutes I've ever experienced. The converted Aramaic Jew virtually
broke his teeth on every letter..." in reference to Mr. Andrew Gabriel Roth's
reading Aramaic New Testament text. What I found rather interesting about
this comment was that it was here, while sitting next to Mr. Gordon, I, Mr.
Roth, and everyone at our dinner table discovered that Mr. Nehemia Gordon
couldn't recognize Aramaic terminology if his life depended upon it. Yet he
found it deep in his heart to criticize Andrew's attention to the technical
specificities of the Aramaic dialect. (James Trimm pulls the same deception and
hoodwinks people into believing his stuff, but runs from invitations for open
and public debate.)
For those of you who are not fluent in Aramaic I can tell you that Mr. Roth
doesn't have a dog in the dialect fight, he's much more interested in laying out
the most accurate translation of the text rather than being a sonic poetic
showman. Some people just don't get that though.
It was because of these types of "misunderstandings" that I invited Mr. Roth and
Mr. Gordon to a public radio debate and when that didn't happen, then I tried
with a programmed TV debate. Such a debate would provide both men the
opportunity to explain themselves in detail, and be available for questions from
anyone about Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic and textual criticism. How could
that be a bad thing?
About a month after Mr. Gordon and Mr. Johnson refused the debate I discovered
Mr. Johnson had authored a book on the name of Yehovah. One would have
thought that a public debate would have been timely at the launch of his new
book? What's up with that?
Mr. Gordon writes, "The low point of the symposium came when the converted
Aramaic Jew pointed at me and with spittle flying from his mouth warned the
audience that Hebrew Matthew is contrary to faith in Yeshua because it never
calls their beloved savior "Messiah." However, Mr. Gordon neglected to add
that there are several "Hebrew Matthew's". The various texts are not
consistent, it is uncertain whether Mr. Gordon is being willfully malicious here
or whether he is simply ignorant of the fact that Mr. Roth was referring to a
survey done on one of the texts. Another sad thing was that Mr. Roth
apologized to Mr. Gordon for not providing a reference for the audience during
his lecture, but then Mr. Gordon berated him in his newsletter. That's not
honest nor is it fair, that's being deceptive. Oh, and there was spittle
was there? I don't recall the first row pulling out their umbrellas, but
after all, I was only running the camera and recording everything. (A dear
sister noted that Nehemia’s characterization here is on the level of the Jewish
propaganda posters that the Nazi’s were famous for, way to go Nehemia.)
Mr. Gordon writes, "Beyond the historical sensitivities, I don't feel it is my
calling to convince Christians to abandon their beliefs or to accept mine.
I have found that one's core beliefs are a matter of personal faith and
relationship with God, not something that yields to hostile argumentation and
disputation." Regrettably, Mr. Gordon has demonstrated the very opposite
of that. Some folks who have converted to Karaism are now being
condescending and hateful towards Messianic / Netzari family members and friends
whom they once loved. Sadly, I've experienced this first hand while in
Jerusalem and so have many others. You lie Mr. Gordon. I don't want
to embarrass anyone about this matter, but let's get real. I had several
lunch and dinner appointments cancelled by a very dear brother who had just
converted to Karaitism--he would make an appointment and then talk with his
Karaite religious "up-line" authorities and then get scared and cancel our
appointments. That's called "brainwashing your converts," Mr. Gordon.
Mr. Gordon writes, "This is an old rumor that I referred to last year in my note
entitled 'The Ass Speaks Out.' What I didn't reveal back then was that the
very same converted Aramaic Jew was involved in that rumor. His exact role
is still unclear to me. However, it was in the context of that rumor I
first heard through intermediaries he was insisting that I engage him in a
public disputation. For the record, I was not then, nor have I been since,
going around trying to convince anyone to change his core beliefs in Yeshua or
against Yeshua. Since the rumor has resurfaced, I think it's time for the
ass to speak out again and tell the whole story I only alluded to the first
time." What Mr. Gordon is doing is called Lashon Hara or the Evil Tongue
in the Jewish world. I was present when Mr. Roth baptized a man named TC
and I was present when the same man ridiculed the name of Y'shua into the dirt
because of hanging around Mr. Nehemia Gordon and his Karaite buddies. Mr.
Gordon claims that he is not responsible for any Christians leaving their faith,
but I know that to be a bald-faced lie.
The sad thing is that I also know some of Mr. Gordon's Messianic slash
Ephraimite buddies in Jerusalem. One teaches that it's ok to have sex with
other women while married--in the Orthodox Jewish world it's called pilegesh
(concubines) mistresses. I'm sorry to inform those who have never heard of
this before, but there are rogue rabbis who endorse extra-marital sex. If
the "old lady" can't make her husband happy in bed then the Rabbi will give
permission to find a young under-sexed mistress who can serve the man's sexual
lusts. Yes, all decent men and women know that is pathetic and wicked, but
that's the company Mr. Nehemia Gordon has been keeping and "sanctifying" his New
Moon with. So sad.
Another "Messyantic" (brother of the aforementioned pilegesh preacher) runs a
Jerusalem Messianic Jewish gossip gestapo, raking money off unsuspecting
Christians while pedaling Ebionite doctrines of demons to all who will take the
bait. So, it's no wonder that Mr. Nehemia Gordon has not had any good,
honest, Jewish Messianic examples whereby he could learn the basics of our Torah
Mashiyach. And bless his soul, but Mr.
Keith Johnson is a powerful
preaching Methodist Pastor but he doesn't appear to know a lick about Netzarim
Judaism or New Testament Aramaic and Greek textual criticism. So sad.
The fact is that more Jews believe in Yeshua (most still call him Jesus)
than Jews who follow any other form of Judah "ism". Yeshua is the
quintessential Jew. Religious men want prominence, power, and religious
status--but Mashiyach came to serve his people. Y'shua is the antithetical
hierarchical King of Kings. Who really cares if pagans turned him into
their blonde haired blue eye cheap grace pagan god? Only a fool would
debate who the most famous Jew on earth is, was, and ever will be.
No other Jew even comes close. But, sometimes I get the impression that
the real reason Jewish leadership rejects Y'shua is because THEY want to be
Mashiyach, or maybe they're just plain jealous of him and his popularity among
the nations?
Mr. Gordon writes, "If you look at the writings of the Jewish counter-missionary
Rabbi Tovia Singer and the Christian apologist Dr. Michael Brown, the arguments
haven't fundamentally changed in nearly 2,000 years. I don't think I would have
a great deal of original thought to contribute to this discussion." This
is one of the more responsible things that dear Mr. Gordon stated in his
newsletter. Just after the Journey to Common Ground Symposium in Salem
Oregon I reached out to Mr. Gordon by writing the nicest pleasant email I could
muster, asking him to answer a few questions about Y'shua, Paul and Karaism.
Sadly, he returned my kindness with stone throwing. I'll cut and paste
the email correspondence below. Mr. Gordon names "Rabbi Tovia Singer",
another psuedo-scholar who runs and hides from public debate with Torah
observant Netzari Jews. Birds of a feather I guess.
What most Jews and Christians don't get is that the religious hierarchies want
to play Judaism off against Christianity--that's what keeps their paychecks
coming in. Religious discrimination and bigotry is the identity of many
religious Jews and Christians. So debating the same old, same old, for
2,000 years is how rabbinical Judaism (rabbis) and Christianity (pastors and
priests) have been able to keep legitimizing their religions. We are
everything THEY are not, another term for that is called... "dead religion".
I’m pretty convinced that Christians repenting of anti-Semitism really don’t
understand what these men are actually doing. Am I the only one who
notices that a whole lot of Jews have their hands out, ready to make Christians
feel guilty over the holocaust and anti-Semitism so they can take their money?
What Mr. Gordon doesn't understand is that Mr. Brown is a Jewish Greek primacy
Hellenized Christian. (Netzari Jews call guys like that Jews-in-Greeks
clothing.) Mr. Andrew Gabriel Roth is a Netzari Jew. From speaking
with Mr. Gordon and Mr.
Keith Johnson it became very apparent to me that neither
men have had fellowship with Netzari Jews. Yes with Ephraimites, with
ex-World Wide Church of God people, ex-SDA folks etc. -- all new to Torah and
representing modern Ephraimite or Two House identities and values -- but still
basing their hierarchical leadership models on their previous Christian
expressions of Faith from whence they've come. Viva la difference.
No, Netzari Judaism is not based on Christianity, never was, never will be.
Christianity is based on Netzari (Nazarene) Judaism with a bunch of paganism
thrown in to "keep it light" and popular. Y'shua came to bring a
government, not a religion. In the final analysis it is Y'shua's halakha
as King of Kings against every other religious leader on the planet who doesn't
bow to His Authority. That's what Mr. Gordon and the Karaites don't get.
That is why they take authority unto themselves to play rosh beit din (head
house judge) and sanctify the new months by their barley and home grown
Islamic-ish "authoritative" crescent moon calculations. (You've probably
noticed the crescent moons on the top of every Iraqian mosque, from whence
Karaite Judaism was birthed.) They make themselves out to be Mashiyach.
In reality, those of us who follow the halakha of Mashiyach Y'shua understand
that the Pharisaical hierarchy would have loved to throw stones at "his
calendar", but they didn't. Do you know why? It's because people
like Mr. Gordon and other leaders in the Ephraimite movement fail to teach you
that there were two Rabbinical calendars, (Hillel 1 and Hillel 2) that have
nothing to do with the modern calendars. Mashiyach followed the ancient
Torah based calendar that calculated the Feasts of YHWH according to the sun,
moon and stars. If the big boys could put down their religious sparing and
stone throwing for a bit they might learn that neither Andrew Gabriel Roth or I
really care what day anyone keeps YHWH's Feasts, that's between each soul and
YHWH. But at least give the anti-Semitism or anti-Pharisaism or
anti-Josephus or anti-Philo religious discrimination a break for long enough to
understand what the ancient's knew about the calendar. Of course when we
do that, we see a much different picture than the World Wide Church of God
theologians, or SDA theologians, or Karaite theologians have to offer.
It was Michael Rood who brought Mr. Nehemia Gordon into the Messianic community.
Mr. Rood is not Netzari, and he's far from being a Hebrew or Aramaic scholar.
I don't believe I've ever heard Mr. Rood claim to be a scholar. I first
met Mr. Michael Rood under a succah in Jerusalem... he seemed very preoccupied
with the business of "moychendizing". Mr. Rood is apparently a marketing TV
sort of Ephraimite evangelist high promotion money making guy who used Mr.
Nehemia Gordon as his Hebrew "scholar" and then "dropped him off" inside the
Household of Faith to be later adopted and loved on by Mr.
Keith Johnson.
When speaking of the commanding impetus to write his derogatory comments of Mr.
Roth, Mr. Nehemia Gordon also wrote: "As I stared down the wild ass, looking
directly into its eyes, I knew what I had to do. When I later looked up
the phrase "wild ass" in the Bible I found the following verse: "Who has
let the wild ass go free? Who has loosed the bonds of the swift ass?" (Job
39:5).
Then
Mr. Gordon summarized his newsletter by saying,
"The wild ass has been set free and no bonds will hold it back from doing the
will of the Creator." Anyone who ever met Mr. Gordon or Mr. Roth or heard
them speak will know this about them... both share a wonderful sense of Jewish
humor. After sitting next to Mr. Gordon on two occasions for dinner, I
could feel the laugh lines on my face.
Mr. Gordon is doing what he believes to be the best to teach the One True
Theology. Mr. Roth believes he is doing the best to teach the One True
Faith. I think they should have a chance to kiss and make up, what do you
think? Who's going to be the bigger man? I say we bring these two
Joyish boys together and let them duke it out with all the Yidishkeit they can
muster.
Nobody was asking Mr. Nehemiah Gordon to do the Rabbi Boteach versus Michael
Brown, Jesus Messiah stuff. Mr. Roth is an ex-anti-Missionary (Jews for
Judaism) expert, neither Rabbi Boteach or Michael Brown would have a hope in
hell of using their old dead religious rhetoric against Netzari halakha, but the
big boys know how to play religious games and stroke the daatim (religious) and
Christian flesh. It's like coke or pepsi, the same demon owns both brands.
Mr. Gordon and Mr. Roth should do the right thing and step forward and hash out
the different New Testament ideas in public. That would be the righteous
and honorable Torah Mashiyach thing to do. Taking cheap pot shots from a
distance is not.
Respectfully,
Baruch Ben Daniel
Instigator of good
stuff.
PS Yeshua rode on
a donkey of course, a foal of an ass... is Mr. Gordon, who speaks as his "wild
ass" encounter, alluding to deep esoteric sod elements of Torah, is he on the
verge of becoming a believer? What's the deep message behind his wild ass
story? Folks. I know of Israeli tour guides and taxi drivers who got born again
dozens of times, it's a hell of a way to get bigger tips. Dear sweet
Christian people want ever so much for Jews to come to know their Messiah whom
they love and cherish. Dear sweet Messianic people have been buying and
reading Mr. Gordon's books and I've heard them tell me that they think he's a
believer. No folks. Read his lips. Mr. Gordon says no he means
no. Might he become one? Maybe, I join my prayers with yours that
Mr. Gordon has the courage to humble himself and reach out to Mashiyach.
But we all know the consequences of that, those of us who have been bad mouthed,
ridiculed and spat on for our Faith in Y'shua by other Jews or Christians.
Nobody was ever mocking Mr. Gordon for being a Karaite, quite the opposite.
I don't seen any Karaite radio stations or TV stations or public gatherings
inviting guys like Andrew Gabriel Roth to address their communities. Nope.
Mr. Gordon doesn't play on a level playing field.
PS Ok now I'm
wondering... is this lashing out stone throwing exercise of Mr. Gordon and Mr.
Johnson simply a ploy to create a big highly charged public fuss and then go
ahead with the textual debate so they will have a bigger audience to sell more
books? If so, bring it on boys.
end
On Thu, Feb
25, 2010 at 6:36 PM:
Todah rabbah for the
link, I just read
your Feb 22nd
Newsletter #449.
Pardon me for all the
questions, I'm writing
an article about Karaite
Judaism from a Netzari
perspective.
In your opinion does
Paul do away with
Torah and
circumcision?
I ask because you
stated in your
presentation that
Netzarim Jews
"continued to remain
as Jews, continued
to practise certain
Jewish ritual such
as circumcision"
(I've tried to
contact Meir Rekhavi
but couldn't find
his email addy)
I'm
wondering do
Karaites
have any
unique
reasons for
disbelief in
Y'shua as
Mashiyach?
So far I've only
read the same
anti-Yeshua
rhetoric on
Karaite sites as
Orthodox sites,
it seems when it
pertains to
Y'shua as
Mashiyach that
Karaites and
Orthodox are in
total agreement,
please correct
me if I'm wrong?
Have you written any
articles where
you've employed
Hebrew NT primacy
perspectives as it
pertains to Torah
observance for
non-Jews or opposing
NT anti-Semitism
etc?
I guess what I'm
asking is how has
your NT studies
brought common
ground between
Karaites and
Netzarim (or
Messianics)?
I'm watching your
Symposium
presentation at the
moment where you
state: "Nazarenes
were eventually
persecuted to
extinction, this is
a fact of history"
Well no, that's
Rabbinical and/or
Christian lore
(depending on your
sources) both camps
have a sustained
baseless hatred and
ignorance towards us
from day one, that
shouldn't suprise
you though.
In every Century
Netzarim have been a
visible historical
opposition to
Rabbinical Judaism
and Christianity.
I know of
Netzari Jews in
India who trace
their family
back to the 4th
Century.
I'll send you my article
when it's done so you
can read it for accuracy
as it pertains to
Karaite Judaism.
In your presentation you
state that "Rabbis talk
about their some of
their documents
(Netzari) that's a whole
nother discussion, I
don't have time, you'll
just have to buy the
book..."
So do you have any
articles then that
address this, other than
what you have written in
"A Prayer to Our Father"
?
You stated in your
presentation that "The
Nazarenes brought this
Hebrew Matthew back with
them" could you provide
your sources for that
statement please?
Much appreciate your
answers and looking
forward to your reply,
Nehemia's reply:
Shalom Baruch,
It is called Karaite Judaism (Yahadut Karait) not Karaitism. This and your past
e-mail sound like you are preparing an article bashing Karaite Judaism.
I'm perplexed how you can ask whether you have any common ground with Karaite
Jews after participating in a symposium alongside a Karaite Jew entitled
"Journey to Common Ground".
Nehemia
REPLY:
Nehemia, you were all laughs two weeks before... what happened dude?
Anyone who has a family members, friends or members of your congregation who has
converted to Karaite Judaism in the last decade please feel free to contact me.
I'm curious to know how many people have lost their faith in Yeshua because of
the Karaite agenda of Mr. Nehemia Gordon. Obviously Karaite converts are
not likely to come forward themselves as their family and friends are being
demonized as "Christians", "Orthodox", "Rabbinical", "Pagans", "anti-Torah",
"unlearned" etc. As was the case with TC he was warned off of speaking
with us.
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“I am Alap,
also Taw,” says the Master YHWH, Elohim; who is, and was, and is to
come, the omnipotent."
Revelation
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