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Before we begin our analysis of Christianity and the reliability of their religious texts as compared with the Hebrew bible there are a few important points to keep in mind.
The most important lesson that you should learn is the method of dealing with the study of passages in our Bibles and Christian "proofs-texts." Understand going into such a study that you will find that many, many passages in our Christian Bibles will be shown to be purposefully corrupted, mistranslations, and misquotations when compared with the Hebrew texts found in the Hebrew Bible. This is something we will prove upon comparison of the texts as we follow their "trail" of translation; or should I say "purposeful mistranslation." In examination of texts you can often get overwhelmed by what you see. I would like to encourage you to be patient and learn the method of "textual examination" that will help you not only consider "one" passage and Scripture but them all. If you develop this pattern of examination in your studies then you guarantee your success in discerning "truth" from "error" that sadly is passed off today in our Christian Bibles as "Divine truth." This is not as hard as it may seem at present. One only needs to learn and follow a few rules of Biblical interpretation and use them EVERY TIME he approaches a Biblical passage in order to make certain that he is confident that he is discerning and reading "truth" and not "contrived fiction." This article entails a simple elaboration of a few key procedures which will enable anyone to see the inadequacy or falseness of many Christian "proof-texts" when compared with the Hebrew Scriptures from which they were supposed to be derived...but weren't.
Here are the procedures that you need to learn and develop as a pattern for your Biblical study:
When reading the New Testament or the Old Testament in your Christian Bible then understand what you are reading is "SUPPOSED TO BE A FAITHFUL TRANSLATION OF THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES." SADLY YOU WILL FIND THAT THIS IS NOT ALWAYS TRUE WHEN YOU COMPARE THESE HEBREW SOURCE SCRIPTURES WITH THE CHRISTIAN TEXTS WHICH PURPORT TO BE FAITHFUL TRANSLATIONS BUT ARE NOT. THIS IS EASILY DONE BY A VERSE BY VERSE COMPARISON WITH THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES IN THE HEBREW/ENGLISH BIBLES AS THEY ARE THEN COMPARED WITH THEM AS TRANSLATED IN OUR CHRISTIAN OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS.
When reading a quote or a passage taken from the Old Testament in your Christian Bible you must:
We must interpret all passages in light of the context of the passage. Look at the entire context of that verse-usually this alone will suffice. Consider the larger context as well: which author? what time period? Never view a passage in isolation from its surroundings. The context should be considered the most important kind of evidence in the interpretation of a passage. Usually the context supplies all we need to know. We should turn to other explanations only when we can find no critically feasible interpretation based on the Hebrew and later "English texts in context". Anyone who claims to see a break in context bears the full burden of proof. Any passage quoted in the New Testament or even the Christian Old Testament which can be shown to be lifted and taken out of the context of the original writer and what he intended is a "lie." Sadly there are many such passages in our Christian Bibles and unless we study we cannot identify them and go on reading them as if "true" because of our unfamiliarity with the Old Testament as contained in the Hebrew Bible that Jesus used. Failure to examine each quote in the New Testament as well as comparing each "prophecy" in our Christian Old Testaments [and their quotes in the New Testament] with their Hebrew originals guarantees us being led astray and never knowing because the deception is great and there are no road signs in our Christian Bibles to warn us of such falsehoods. In order to do such comparisons one has to obtain for himself and become accustomed to using a Hebrew/English Bible. These are great study aids that reveal such corruptions in our Christian Bibles. The Stone Edition Tanakh, my favorite, and the JPS Tanakh can be obtained at http://ww.artscroll.com/ or at http://www.amazon.com/ or at http://www.bibliofind.com/. If you have in your city a Barnes and Noble bookstore or a Boarders bookstore then these can order them for you. You will quickly find that these Bibles are not optional once you begin to discover the abundant falsification of Messianic prophecy in our Christian Bibles.
Once you have a Hebrew/English Bible you must examine each passage to see if the verse has been mistranslated or misquoted or even "created" out of thin air as you read them in your Christian Bibles and compare them with the Hebrew texts from which they were to come. You should always try to look up every quote in the original Hebrew/English Bible that you find in your New Testament to verify it's reliability. If you do not know Hebrew, find a friend who does know the Hebrew language or attend a synagogue and ask the Rabbi about such verses if you can.
See if the verse seems to be misinterpreted-see if the interpretation is forced into the words artificially. This will entail you discerning when comparing with the original Hebrew if words have been artificially "added, subtracted" when compared with the Hebrew/English texts. Remember not all words added in our Christian Bibles are in "italics" so be on guard when doing your comparisons. Then read these selected verses and try leaving out the words in italics or those added and read by inserting the words omitted. The meanings of course will be often very different and again understand this often is done to steer you in another's theological agenda.
When interpreting a passage it is important to interpret the passage grammatically. "Subjects" are subjects and "direct objects" are not subjects. The historical-critical method assumes that words and expressions have a relatively stable meaning during given periods of history. Therefore, we begin by taking what we can determine as the normal, everyday meaning of the words, phrases, and sentences to the extent possible.In other words, our interpretation must correspond to the words and grammar in the text in a reasonable way in relationship to the language in which is written. A Hebrew word has a "Hebrew" meaning and it quite often is not the same when expressed in Greek or English although that might be the intent. What the words "meant" to the writer, speaker, and hearer in his culture and language must mean the same things to us or else we have end up with a different meaning that was not originally intended or else our religious beliefs and actions end up wrong! And remember this...the Hebrew language is the source for all meanings. Jesus was a Jew and the mind of Christ is "Jewish" and not Greek or Roman. Otherwise, the reader most likely will assign a meaning of his own without objective control. The Bible would become a horoscope of vague sayings we try to plug into our lives however we are able based upon our experience instead of what the words meant and the way they were used by the original writer, speaker, or hearers.
When interpreting a passage it is important to interpret the passage first in it's "historical interpretation." This means that we take into account the historical background of the author and the recipients as possible. The Bible was written to common people, and is understandable anyone. However, it was written thousands of years ago to a different culture. Therefore, as modern readers, we have to try to recover a general sense of the meaning of words, phrases and concepts in the ancient cultures addressed in Scripture, primarily, Hebrew culture and Greco-Roman culture of the first century. We are not interested at first in the question, "What does it mean to me?" but rather, "what did it mean to those to whom it was originally written?"
All passages must be interpreted in harmony with other scripture. The Bible is not supposed to contradict itself; when it does we have found "error." Now it is up to us to discern which of the two contradictory passages or meanings are in error. Therefore, never interpret scripture in such a way that it clearly contradicts other scriptures. What did it mean to those who wrote and heard it "first." We have to understand what it meant then before we can understand how it applies to us. First discover the allowable range of meaning for a passage, then choose the interpretation that doesn't contradict other scriptures.
Whatever we read must be interpreted "critically." Your interpretation must make rational sense. If interpretation is permitted to contradict, there in no reason for hermeneutics since we may make a passage say whatever we want.
See if the verse points exclusively to Jesus; see if the verse could apply to another person as well. Don't be guilty of eisegesis by reading into the passage ideas or people like Jesus when the original author had no such intended purpose in the text.
Never be on the defensive. Be aware that you are dealing with your own brainwashing over years as forged texts were read repeatedly and indelibized upon your mind. Up to now you never knew that your had "forged" religious texts in your Holy Christian Bible but now you are seeing them for yourself. There is therefore no reason to feel defensive or uncomfortable; remember that G-d is allowing you to see such truths that have been buried over centuries by religious agendas of powerful people that never wanted you to know the truth about the Jewish Jesus nor his faith of Judaism.
It is also very important to remember that thirty invalid proofs, misquotations, misapplication of Hebrew texts, verses lifted out of context, and purposefully misquoted verses as found in our Christian Bibles do not prove anything at all.
Furthermore, I would like to apologize for my use of the term, "the Old Testament." I am convinced that there is only one authentic "testament" from G-d, and that is the text known as the Torah. It happens to be the same thing as that which is called the Old Testament, but the word "old" is used to connote that which is replaceable, or that which was replaced. That is what the Christians mean when they say "the Old Testament," and that is why Jews resent that term. However, for the purpose of effective communication, it unfortunately must be used. Thus, you will find the word "Torah" used often, and other times, "Old Testament"; they mean the same thing.
Before we begin, there are two most crucial points to make. As we all know, any change in a status quo needs to be justified. If everyone is marching in a single file, and one person decides to step out of the line, one normally asks that person to explain his change of the status quo. We do not ask those in the line why they were in the line (if there is a fairly obvious reason for a line). As you know, the Jews were in Israel for around 1000 years before Jesus appeared. The Jewish people had a definite concept of what the Messiah would be like-there was a status quo regarding the nature of the Messiah. The Essene/proto-Nazarene Christians appeared and introduced an entirely different picture of what the Messiah would be like (son of G-d, G-d incarnate, born of virgin, two comings, Angel-Messiah, Sun-g-dman, etc.). Thus, the Christians changed the status quo concept of the Messiah, and so the full burden of proof rests upon them to prove their faith and when you see that their texts are little but forgeries when compared with the Hebrew Bible such proofs are lacking. Once these Hebrew/English texts are examined the harsh truth hits home; they cannot prove their case thoroughly and conclusively, then their thesis must be thrown out. Keep this in mind throughout this website as you examine Scripture after Scripture to see these "changes" for yourself.
Bennoah1@verizon.net