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Analyzing Pauline Traditions

Paul of Tarsus and the Origins of Syncretism in the Christian Church

—  Page 11  —

Paul Taught That The Reconciliation Between Israelites And Non Israelites
Was Achieved By Abolishing The Law Of Moses!

In Ephesians 2:11-22 Paul, essentially, teaches that it is the Law of Commandments contained in Ordinances — the Law of Moses — that separated the Gentiles from the Israelites. But he says that Yeshua had reconciled both Gentile and Israelite to HaShem, and that the manner that he has done so is by abolishing "the hostility, the Law of Commandments contained in Ordinances" — the Law of Moses! Is this the manner that Yeshua reconciled both Gentile and Israelite to HaShem — by abolishing the Law of Moses?

Both HaShem's And Yeshua's Words Disprove Paul's Teachings

From our examination above, of HaShem and Yeshua's words, we know that the Law of Moses — what Paul calls "the hostility, the Law of commandments contained in ordinances" — was not abolished. Therefore Paul's theory of the manner of Yeshua's reconciliation of Israelites and Gentiles is totally wrong. Therefore Ephesians 2:11-22 could not have originated with HaShem, as it is contrary to HaShem's Word and Teaching.

Does HaShem's Word Uphold Paul's Word On Permissible Food?

In 1 Timothy 4:1-6 Paul suggests that all humans are to receive all types of food. On what basis does Paul say this? What does HaShem say on the issue?

Upon Creation HaShem Permitted Humans To Eat Only Vegetables And Fruits

Genesis 1:29-30 reads,

^1:29 Elohim said, "Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food. ^1:30 To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food." And it was so.

At the time of man's creation, the only living things that HaShem gave him for food were seed yielding vegetables and seed yielding fruit trees.

After The Flood HaShem Permitted Humans To Eat All Flesh

Genesis 9:1-7 reads,

¹ Elohim blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fertile and increase, and fill the earth. ² The fear and the dread of you shall be upon all the beasts of the earth and upon all the birds of the sky — everything with which the earth is astir — and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hand. ³ Every creature that lives shall be yours to eat; as with the green grasses, I give you all these. ⁴ You must not, however, eat flesh with its life-blood in it. ⁵ But for your own life-blood I will require a reckoning. I will require it of every beast, of man too. I will require a reckoning for human life, of every man for that of his fellow man. ⁶ Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for in his Image did Elohim make man. ⁷ Be fertile, then, and increase; abound on the earth and increase on it.

After the Flood, HaShem extended the range of living things permitted humans for food, including now every moving thing. Did HaShem, by this Permission, permit humans to eat human flesh, provided they were not responsible for the death of the human flesh they ate, seeing that humans fall into the category of "every moving thing that lives"? In other words, did he permit humans to eat the flesh of other humans who died of themselves? Evidently not.

HaShem Restricted The Flesh Whuch He Permitted
The Children Of Israel To Eat

Leviticus 11:1-47 reads,

¹ YHWH spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them: ² "Speak to the Israelite people thus, These are the creatures that you may eat from among all the land animals: ³ any animal that has true hoofs, with clefts through the hoofs, and that chews the cud — such you may eat. ⁴ The following, however, of those that either chew the cud or have true hoofs, you shall not eat: the camel — although it chews the cud, it has no true hoofs: it is unclean for you; ⁵ the daman — although it chews the cud, it has no true hoofs: it is unclean for you; ⁶ the hare — although it chews the cud, it has no true hoofs: it is unclean for you; ⁷ and the swine — although it has true hoofs, with the hoofs cleft through, it does not chew the cud: it is unclean for you. ⁸ You shall not eat of their flesh or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you. ⁹ These you may eat of all that live in water: anything in water, whether in the seas or in the streams, that has fins and scales — these you may eat. ¹⁰ But anything in the seas or in the streams that has no fins and scales, among all the swarming things of the water and among all the other living creatures that are in the water — they are an abomination for you ¹¹ and an abomination for you they shall remain: you shall not eat of their flesh and you shall abominate their carcasses. ¹² Everything in water that has no fins and scales shall be an abomination for you. ¹³ The following you shall abominate among the birds — they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, and the black vulture; ¹⁴ the kite, falcons of every variety; ¹⁵ all varieties of raven; ¹⁶ the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull; hawks of every variety; ¹⁷ the little owl, the cormorant, and the great owl; ¹⁸ the white owl, the pelican, and the bustard; ¹⁹ the stork; herons of every variety; the hoopoe, and the bat. ²⁰ All winged swarming things that walk on fours shall be an abomination for you. ²¹ But these you may eat among all the winged swarming things that walk on fours: all that have, above their feet, jointed legs to leap with on the ground — ²² of these you may eat the following: locusts of every variety; all varieties of bald locust; crickets of every variety; and all varieties of grasshopper. ²³ But all other winged swarming things that have four legs shall be an abomination for you. ²⁴ And the following shall make you unclean — whoever touches their carcasses shall be unclean until evening, ²⁵ and whoever carries the carcasses of any of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening — ²⁶ every animal that has true hoofs but without clefts through the hoofs, or that does not chew the cud. They are unclean for you; whoever touches them shall be unclean. ²⁷ Also all animals that walk on paws, among those that walk on fours, are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses shall be unclean until evening. ²⁸ And anyone who carries their carcasses shall wash his clothes and remain unclean until evening. They are unclean for you. ²⁹ The following shall be unclean for you from among the things that swarm on the earth: the mole, the mouse, and great lizards of every variety; ³⁰ the gecko, the land crocodile, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. ³¹ Those are for you the unclean among all the swarming things; whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening. ³² And anything on which one of them falls when dead shall be unclean: be it any article of wood, or a cloth, or a skin, or a sack — any such article that can be put to use shall be dipped in water, and it shall remain unclean until evening; then it shall be clean. ³³ And if any of those falls into an earthen vessel, everything inside it shall be unclean and the vessel itself you shall break. ³⁴ As to any food that may be eaten, it shall become unclean if it came in contact with water; as to any liquid that may be drunk, it shall become unclean if it was inside any vessel. ³⁵ Everything on which the carcass of any of them falls shall be unclean: an oven or stove shall be smashed. They are unclean and unclean they shall remain for you. ³⁶ However, a spring or cistern in which water is collected shall be clean, but whoever touches such a carcass in it shall be unclean. ³⁷ If such a carcass falls upon seed grain that is to be sown, it is clean; ³⁸ but if water is put on the seed and any part of a carcass falls upon it, it shall be unclean for you. ³⁹ If an animal that you may eat has died, anyone who touches its carcass shall be unclean until evening; ⁴⁰ anyone who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and remain unclean until evening; and anyone who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and remain unclean until evening. ⁴¹ All the things that swarm upon the earth are an abomination; they shall not be eaten. ⁴² You shall not eat, among all things that swarm upon the earth, anything that crawls on its belly, or anything that walks on fours, or anything that has many legs; for they are an abomination. ⁴³ You shall not draw abomination upon yourselves through anything that swarms; you shall not make yourselves unclean therewith and thus become unclean. ⁴⁴ For I YHWH am your Elohim: you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not make yourselves unclean through any swarming thing that moves upon the earth. ⁴⁵ For I YHWH am He who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your Elohim: you shall be holy, for I am holy. ⁴⁶ These are the instructions concerning animals, birds, all living creatures that move in water, and all creatures that swarm on earth, ⁴⁷ for distinguishing between the unclean and the clean, between the living things that may be eaten and the living things that may not be eaten. "

It is evident that HaShem restricted the diet of the children of Israel, categorising some flesh as clean and others as unclean to them, and forbidding them to eat the unclean. Why? Having delivered them out of the land of Egypt, and entering into covenant with them to be their Elohim and that they be holy, they needed to avoid eating flesh that would render them unholy, thereby making them out of harmony with his own holiness. As he is holy, he required those he entered into covenant with to be their Elohim to maintain holiness, even in their diet.

So, because the children of Israel are HaShem's own children, and they are a holy (set apart) people to HaShem, a people chosen by Him for his Own Possession, above all the peoples on the face of the earth, HaShem commanded them not to eat of any abominable thing. Included in the category of forbidden flesh are clean flesh that die of themselves.

Should Non-Israelite Worshippers Of HaShem To Have
The Same Diet As Israelite Worshippers Of HaShem?

Does this Principle HaShem here shows applying to the children of Israel extend to other human families or other human beings who care for Him? In other words, if one Gentile has HaShem as his Elohim, and should therefore be holy (set apart) even as HaShem is Holy (Set Apart), is that person prohibited from defiling oneself by eating flesh that HaShem has categorised us 'unclean' and therefore not to be eaten by those who have him as Elohim and are holy (set apart)?

A person (Jew or Gentile) who worships HaShem in spirit and in Truth is a person who sets himself apart for such purpose according to the Way of HaShem, and not by mere human understanding and regulation. Therefore, for any Gentile who intends to sejourn within the spiritual realm of Israel, there is a very clear Regulation that defines this issue in Exodus 12:49,

⁴⁹ There shall be one Law for the citizen and for the stranger who dwells among you.

According to this, those who have a heart for HaShem must comply with the Law of Moses, including its dietary Regulations, as well as the Command of Circumcision, keeping the Shabbath, etc. Despite what Paul may have said, there is only one single Law which equally applies for the Jew and the Gentile. Obviously, his constant intent was to discredit and upturn Exodus 12:49 as much as he could — something he also attempted to do with the rest of Torah and the teachings of Yeshua.

Are Gentiles To Have The Same Diet As The Israelites?

Deuteronomy 14:1-21 reads,

¹ "You are children of YHWH your Elohim. You shall not gash yourselves or shave the front of your heads because of the dead. ² For you are a people consecrated (set apart) to YHWH your Elohim. YHWH your Elohim chose you from among all other peoples on earth to be His treasured People. ³ You shall not eat anything abhorrent. ⁴ These are the animals that you may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat; ⁵ the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, the mountain sheep, ⁶ and any other animal that has true hoofs which are cleft in two and brings up the cud — such you may eat. ⁷ But the following, which do bring up the cud or have true hoofs which are cleft through, you may not eat: the camel, the hare, and the daman — for although they bring up the cud, they have no true hoofs — they are unclean for you. ⁸ Also the swine — for although it has true hoofs, it does not bring up the cud — is unclean for you. You shall not eat of their flesh or touch their carcasses. ⁹ These you may eat of all that live in water: you may eat anything that has fins and scales. ¹⁰ But you may not eat anything that has no fins and scales: it is unclean for you. ¹¹ You may eat any clean bird. ¹² The following you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, and the black vulture; ¹³ the kite, the falcon, and the buzzard of any variety; ¹⁴ every variety of raven; ¹⁵ the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, and the hawk of any variety; ¹⁶ the little owl, the great owl, and the white owl; ¹⁷ the pelican, the bustard, and the cormorant; ¹⁸ the stork, any variety of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat. ¹⁹ All winged swarming things are unclean for you: they may not be eaten. ²⁰ You may eat only clean winged creatures. ²¹ You shall not eat anything that has died a natural death; give it to the stranger in your community to eat, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a people consecrated to YHWH your Elohim. You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk."

It is noted that HaShem permits the children of Israel to give the flesh of such animals to sojourners within their gates for food, or to foreigners, but not to their own brethren. For while their brethren are holy, and therefore forbidden from eating such flesh, sojourners within their gates or foreigners are not holy, and therefore are not forbidden from eating such. This affirms the distinction between the children of Israel and those not the children of Israel, whether or not these non-Israelites are living among the children of Israel.

Therefore YHWH's Word shows that the children of Israel do not have the wider latitude of eating all flesh that non-Israelites have. Israelites should therefore not eat food that HaShem has categorised as abominable to them. Non-Israelites may eat what is forbidden Israelites, provided they are compliant with what HaShem commanded Noah shortly after the flood.