Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ

The history of the Mission to the Jews is coeval with the history of the Christian Church. The names of Christ's disciples mentioned in the Gospels are nearly all those of Jews, and in the Epistles a great many of them are of Jewish converts. But the general reader of the New Testament does not realize the fact, because it was the fashion among the Jews at that time to assume Greek names. For instance, several of St. Paul's relatives bearing Greek names became Christians, but we should not know that they were Jews if the Apostle had not written, "Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen." Again, "Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen" (Rom. xvi. 7 and 21). Whilst where we have not this information with regard to other such names, we take it for granted that they were Gentiles. For instance, Zenas, mentioned in Titus iii. 13, is naturally taken by the general reader for a Greek, yet scholars maintain that he had formerly been a Jewish scribe or lawyer.

The aim of this work is to shew that God had at all times in the history of the Christian Church a considerable number of believing Israelites who, after their conversion to Christianity, rendered good service to their fellowmen and to the Church of Christ at large. Out of this company of "the remnant according to the election of grace," only a very few comparatively have their names recorded in history. The names of the great majority are written in the Book of Life alone. But as in the prophet Ezekiel – Noah, Job and Daniel – and as in the Epistle to the Hebrews – the short list of the Old Testament saints – are the representatives of a large number, so may the converts mentioned in this book be considered as representatives of a vast number of their brethren who had the courage and the grace given them to take up the cross and follow Jesus.

Yet, of course, to give a mere nomenclature, or catalogue, of persons would not signify much unless it were followed by a description of the life and work of the persons concerned. The material thereto is abundant – there is a vast literature upon the subject – as will be presently seen, with the exception of that which refers to Jewish converts of the Eastern Church. The sublime maxim, "One soweth and another reapeth," is peculiarly applicable to a biographical writer. He cannot and must not be original, but has to state the facts in the life of the person whom he attempts to delineate, just as he finds them recorded in books, or letters, or as he knows them from personal observation. But it is obvious that the latter can only be the case when the subject of a biographer's writing is a contemporary and known to himself.

The following are the sources from which the writer has immediately drawn his information: —

(1.) "The Jewish Encyclopædia." Every contributor to this remarkable work of 12 volumes is well-known in the literary and religious world as a reliable authority upon the subject of his article.

(2.) "Juden Mission, a history of Protestant Missions among the Jews since the Reformation," by Pastor de le Roi, well-known and esteemed in the churches on the Continent and beyond its borders.

(3.) "Christen und Juden," by the late Rev. A. Fürst, D.D., formerly a Missionary and Pastor at Amsterdam, and well acquainted with Spanish literature.

(4.) "Jewish Witnesses that Jesus is the Christ," by the Rev. Ridley Herschell (father of Lord Chancellor Herschell), who gives his autobiography and the lives of several personal friends.

(5.) "The People, the Land and the Book," by B. A. M. Schahiro, of the Bible House, New York.

(6.) "The Hebrew Christian Witness," by the Rev. Dr. Moses Margoliouth, 1874-5.

(7.) "Sites and Scenes," by the Rev. W. T. Gidney, M.A.

(8.) "The Talmud," whose testimony is very reliable when it speaks of Jewish Christians.

Ultimate sources of information, and ulterior literature, to which nearly all these writers refer, are as follows: "Wolf, Bibliotheca Hebraica." "Gräetz, Geschichte der Juden." "Hetzel, Gesch. der Hebraischen Sprache." "Fürst, Bibl. Jud." "Steinschneiders Bibliographisches Handbuch." "Catalogue Bodl." "Dict. Nat Biog." "Meyer's Conversations Lexikon." "Da Costa's History of the Jews in Spain." "Kalkar, Die Mission unter den Juden." "The Jewish Missionary Intelligence." "The Jewish Missionary Herald." "Saat auf Hoffnung," by Professor F. Delitzsch, of Leipzig. "Nathanael," by Professor Strack, of Berlin. Other biographical dictionaries and histories.

CHAPTER I.

Apostolic Period

The Apostolic Period began on the day of Pentecost when the disciples who were gathered together were a hundred and twenty in number (Acts i. 15), but were only a section of the 500 brethren who had seen the Lord after His resurrection (I. Cor. xv. 6). On the same day, as the result of St. Peter's first missionary sermon, "there were added unto them about three thousand souls" (Acts ii. 41). A short time afterwards "the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith" (Acts vi. 7). This progress continued to such a degree that St. James, after hearing the interesting missionary report of St. Paul, "about the things which God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry," said to him, "Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe" (Acts xxi. 20). How glad we should have been if we had some account of, at least, the more prominent converts of that period, and knew something of the sufferings that they had to endure for the sake of Christ. Nevertheless, the Acts of the Apostles, though containing much in relation to the progress of the Gospel among Jews and Gentiles, gives but little information with regard to Jewish individual conversions, and mentions only two Jewish Christian martyrs – namely, St. Stephen and James the Elder – and is even silent about the exclusion of Jewish converts from the Temple, which we gather only from the Epistle to the Hebrews. This fact is to us an evidence that St. Luke, the first ecclesiastical historian, had no design to shew to the world the inherent power of the Gospel exemplified by the conversion of many of the very people who had rejected Christ, and it proves the genuineness and authenticity of the Acts of the Apostles and the date commonly assigned, for had it been written later, as some critics maintain, the author would surely have taken the trouble to give his readers some detailed information concerning at least one per cent. of that vast multitude of Jewish converts mentioned by St. James. Such is the method of the ecclesiastical historian in modern as well as in ancient times, as the following two examples will shew: Pastor de le Roi, Jewish missionary historian, has for years not only collected statistics of Jewish converts in various churches, and summed up the whole number as being 224,000 in the nineteenth century, but he has also furnished us with a great deal of information concerning the history of many of these converts. For, as the Rev. W. T. Gidney rightly says, "Jewish converts must be weighed as well as counted." The second example is Hegesippus, who, according to Eusebius, was a Palestinian Hebrew Christian, and lived in Rome about 150 A.D. He is the father of Church history, and wrote a book under the title "Hyponeymata Pente," with the special design to answer the question of the Pharisees, "Have any of the rulers believed in Him?" and to shew that the Gospel made rapid progress among the Jews in the first century in spite of great opposition. Of this opposition the Jewish Liturgy to this day bears witness in the so-called "Blessing against the heretics," which Samuel the Little composed in the Synagogue of Yabne, in the presence of Gamaliel the Elder. Justin Martyr in his Dialogue, Origen in Homily 18, Jerome on Isaiah, complained of it, and it has, alas, been a source of trouble to the Jews at various times throughout the Christian ages. Hegesippus supplies information about a number of Jewish sects, who regarded each other as heretics. It is a pity that the greater part of his book has been lost, and we have only a few fragments in "Euseb. History iv.," and an extract in "Photius Bibliotheca" (page 232). That probably contained detailed information about the more prominent converts in the Apostolic age. Still, the most valuable relic for us is his list of Hebrew Christian bishops in regular succession in the mother Church at Jerusalem. These are as follows: James, the Lord's brother (Gal. i. 19), of whom Hegesippus states that he was martyred while praying in the Temple. Symeon about 62 A.D., Justus I. 64, Zacchæus 112, Tobias 114, Benjamin 116, Justin 118, Matthias 120, Philip 122, Seneca 125, Justus II. 126, Levi 128, Ephres 130, Joseph 132, Jude 133. The shortness of their episcopates probably indicates that it was a time of great tribulation. To this list may perhaps be added Ananias, who baptized Saul of Tarsus at Damascus, and, according to tradition, was subsequently bishop there and suffered martyrdom (See "Schaff. Bible Dictionary"); Crispus, Chief of the Jewish Synagogue (Acts xviii. 8), who, according to tradition ("Constituit Apost." vii. 46), was afterwards Bishop of Ægina; Clement, of Rome, who, according to Bishop Lightfoot, was an Hellenistic Jewish convert or son of a convert. The bishop came to this conclusion, after weighing much the internal evidence of his Epistle to the Corinthians.1

Two of the converts of the first century are mentioned in the Talmud and receive there an excellent testimonial. The first is Nicodemus, identical, according to the writer in the "Jewish Encyclopædia," with Nicodemus ben Gorian. He is said to have been a great saint. The other is Jacob of Kefar Sakanya (Simai). He once met R. Eliezer in the upper market-place of Sepphoris and asked his opinion on a curious ritualistic question bearing upon Deut. xxiii. 8. As R. Eliezer declined to give an opinion, Jacob acquainted him with the interpretation of Jesus derived from Micah i. 7. R. Eliezer was pleased with the interpretation, and was consequently suspected of Christian leanings by the governor (Abodah Zarah, 17. a). On another occasion, Jacob went to heal R. Eleasar ben Dama of a poisonous bite by a serpent in the name of Jesus, but his uncle, R. Ishmael, would not allow it. Jacob said to him, Rabbi Ishmael, my brother, let me heal him, and I will prove to you from the Torah, that it is allowed, but R. I. was obstinate. In the meantime the patient died, and his uncle apostrophized the corpse in these words: "Happy art thou Ben Dama that thy body is pure and thy soul departed in purity, as thou hast not transgressed the words of thy fellow rabbis" (Abodah Zarah, 27. b).

CHAPTER II.

Sub-Apostolic or Patristic Period

Besides Hegesippus, one reckoned among the church fathers was Epiphanius, a native Jew of Palestine, who embraced Christianity at sixteen years of age, and eventually became Bishop of Constantia, and died at sea (according to Bartolocci) in 403 A.D. He wrote a book entitled, "Panarion," in which he gives information about eighty heretical sects, including Jewish; also a treatise on Biblical weights and measures and on the lives of the Prophets, in which he makes Hebrew quotations.

Another noted Jewish convert belonging to this period was Joseph, a physician of Tiberias (called by the Jews "The Apostate"). He had been a member of the Sanhedrin in his native town, was sent by them as a delegate to the Jews in Cilicia, where he became acquainted with the Christian bishop, who gave him a New Testament. According to Milman (vol. iii., p. 179) he was detected reading it, was hurried to the synagogue and scourged. The bishop interfered. But he was afterwards seized again and thrown into the river Cydnus, from which he hardly escaped with his life, and was baptized. On his return he told his friends in Palestine that the Gospel made progress among the enlightened Jews. The Emperor Constantine elevated him to the rank of Comes or Count of the Empire, and he devoted his life to the building of churches at Tiberias, Capernaum, Nazareth, and Sepphoris (Dio Cæsarea). It is worth mentioning in this connection the report of Epiphanius that Hillel, who succeeded his father Judah II. in the patriarchate of Tiberias, embraced Christianity and was secretly baptized on his death-bed by a bishop. Joseph, his physician (says Milman) had witnessed the scene which wrought strongly upon his mind. The house of Hillel after his death was kept closely shut up by his suspicious countrymen. Joseph obtained entrance, and found there the Gospels of St. John and of St. Matthew, and the Acts in a Hebrew translation.2

Tabius, of high priestly descent, son of one Anan, probably the one who was sent on embassy to the Emperor Claudius, is also mentioned by ecclesiastical writers as having embraced Christianity.

Asher ben Levi, called Abed al Masih, lived in the fourth century in Sinjar Mesopotamia. His school companions, both Zoroastrian and Christian, shunned him, but the latter on one occasion baptized him. Asher's mother hid him from his father, who was a warden of the synagogue, fearing his anger, but he was eventually killed by him. A church was built afterwards in his memory. There is a Syriac MS. which contains this story.

Jacob, of Kefar Neuburaya, another Hebrew Christian of the fourth century, is mentioned in the Talmud as one whose opinions met with approval by the rabbis in two instances. One of those may be quoted. In the School of Cæsarea he interpreted Hab. ii. 19 as being a rebuke of simony. On the same occasion he indicated Ben Eleazer as being a worthy candidate for the rabbinate (Yer. Bik. iii. 3. Midr. Shemuél vii.). Isi, of Cæsarea counts him among the Judæo-Christians, applying to him the Biblical word sinner (Eccl. R. vii. 47). The appellation Jacob Minah I. = Jacob the heretic, met with in the Medrashim, may refer to the same subject of the article in the "Jewish Encyclopædia." As its author is Dr. Max Seligsohn, the official editor, we may assume that it is now granted that by the word Minim in the Jewish Liturgy is meant Jewish Christians. No wonder then that these have always protested, and sometimes rather too vehemently, against the collect, and wished it to be expunged.

CHAPTER III.

The Period of the Publication of The Talmud

When the Jewish Christians fled to Pella, at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, their brethren the rabbinists were very angry with them, and probably accused them of want of patriotism, as we know they did afterwards, because they did not enlist in the army of the false Messiah, Bar-Cochba. However, during the first Christian centuries the separation between them was not quite so wide and marked as after the publication of the Talmud. The Talmud itself testifies that asperities were occasionally smoothed over by continual intercourse and exchange of thought on religious and other topics. Yes, even friendship was possible. It is related that a heretic sent once on one of his own feasts an imperial coin as a present to R. Juda Nasia. (Abodah Zarah 5.b). The feeling of resentment against Jewish Christians gradually diminished. This may be seen from the following amusing story. A certain heretic once annoyed R. Joshua ben Levi whilst he was reading the Scriptures, probably with questions as to the meaning of a Messianic prophecy. R. Joshua, believing that there is a certain moment in the day when God is angry, because it is written, "For His anger endureth but a moment" (Ps. xxx. 5), and believing too that this moment is indicated by a curious natural phenomenon, when the comb of a cock gets red, he tied a cock to the foot of the bed and patiently watched for the sign, so that he might have a good opportunity of cursing the heretic during the moment of God's anger. But before that moment came he fell asleep, and when he awoke he noticed that the cock's comb remained white as before, so he concluded that it was not right to curse any one, for it is written "The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works" (Ps. cxlv. 9). Again "Also to punish the just is not good." (Prov. xvii. 26) (Abodah Zarah 4h.)

The two classes used generally to meet in a public library called בי אבידן or in another place of assembly called בי נצרפי and we may rightly infer that some, at all events, of the beautiful sayings in the Talmud which resemble N. T. passages are due to the influence of the Hebrew Christians upon the rabbis in their discussions with them during the time when the Talmud as such, or at least the Gemara, was only in the course of formation. One passage will suffice to show that the rabbis during this period were well acquainted with the N. T. There was once a discussion between R. Gamaliel and a Christian (called a philosopher) with regard to the law of inheritance. The Christian maintained that inasmuch as a woman is placed on an equality with a man in the N. T., she has an equal right with her brother to inherit the parental property. To that Gamaliel replied by quoting Matt. v. 17, with a very slight alteration to suit his purpose.

אנא לא למיפחת מן אורייתא דמשה אתיתי ולא לאוספי על אורייתא דמשה אתי תי.

"I have not come to destroy the law of Moses, nor have I come to add to the law of Moses" (Shabbath 116 b). Moreover, the fact that some Rabbis at that time thought that the Evangelium should be burned – and also Hebrew Christian books generally – proves that they were acquainted with the contents, but does not shew that they were very bitterly hostile to their brethren, and they may have even referred to gnostic writings. Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho, probably R. Tarphon mentioned in the Talmud, is well known.

It was otherwise after the Babylonian Talmud was finished in the fifth century. This huge building – which Scribes, Tanas, Amoras, and later gaons, tosafits, and quite a number of commentators in successive generations have reared up – was like the Tower of Babel, and brought confusion within the ranks of the Jews. The following is the language of one who took a leading part in laying one stone upon another: What is Babel? R. Johanon said: It is confused in the Scripture, confused in the Mishnah, and confused in the six orders of the Talmud. "He hath set me in darkness as they that be dead of old" (Lam. iii. 6). Rav Yirmiah said: This refers to the Babylonian Talmud. It formed an iron partition between Judæo-Christians and their brethren. While formerly tradition was only handed down by word of mouth, and many were liable to forget or disregard it, when once it was written, codified and taught in the synagogues and schools to all except women, the poor, unenlightened people in their joy at being at last able to read the oral law, which was pretended to have been given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai at the same time as the written law, clave to it with all the enthusiastic ardour of their souls, and refused to have anything to do with the Gospel or the Christian religion.

Milman relates a legend of this time which was current in the sixth century; though it is in an exaggerated form, yet on the whole it is quite credible. "While Menas was Bishop of Constantinople, the child of a Jewish glassblower went to church with the rest and partook of the sacred elements. The father inquiring the cause of his delay, discovered what he had done. In his fury he seized him and shut him up in the blazing furnace. The mother went wandering about the city, wailing and seeking her lost offspring. The third day she sat down by the door of the workshop, still weeping, and calling on the name of the child. The child answered from the furnace. The doors were forced open, and the child was discovered sitting unhurt amid the red-hot ashes. Subsequently the mother and child were baptized." (Milman's "History of the Jews," vol. iii. p. 230.)

For several centuries we do not hear of many distinguished Jews embracing Christianity, and though it is asserted that whole congregations in Candia did so in the seventh century, it is not our object to investigate this. Undoubtedly, after the rise of Mohammedanism, the Church had enough to do to stand on her defence against the new and even more fanatical antagonist, and the Jews were on the whole neglected. Besides, there were scarcely any Christian teachers who understood Hebrew, and the N. T. was not yet translated into the sacred tongue. Yet we find one very distinguished Jewish convert in the seventh century. This was Julian of Toledo, Primate of Spain, called by one of his successors, "A rose among thorns." He was baptized in the cathedral of his native place, became archdeacon in 656, Bishop in 680, and died in 690. He was President of the Twelfth Council of Toledo when he urged King Erwig to pass some severe laws against his former co-religionists, prohibiting them to blaspheme the Trinity and to possess Christian slaves. Nevertheless, the writer in the "Jewish Encyclopædia" speaks of him "as a man of great sagacity and discretion, prudent in judgment, very charitable, and tempering severity with mildness," and further informs us that he used to associate with the Jews. Consequently, he could not have been so very hostile against them. But on this point it is necessary once for all to remark that the severe opinion that used to be held by the Jews in general about Hebrew Christians was, to a great extent, owing to the unfair judgment passed upon them indiscriminately by Jewish historians. It is now acknowledged that even the modern Gräetz was unfair in this respect. We by no means want to exonerate the few bigots and fanatics like Nunes Henrique who acted as spy of the Maranos, or others who agitated for the burning of the Talmud, and strongly condemn men like Dr. Briman, so-called Justus, the associate and abettor of the Roman Catholic Theologian Rohling at Prague, in recent times, but it must be remembered that there is a great difference between anti-Talmudists and anti-Semites, and that by far the vast majority of Jewish converts, even in the ages of predominant bigotry among Christians and Jews, have defended their brethren against false accusations, as will be seen later on. To return from this digression to Julian. He wrote, "Historia rebelleonis Pauli," also a book under the title, "De comprobatione ætatis sextæ contra Judæos." The work deals with Messianic prophecies of the Bible, in which he adopts the chronology of the Septuagint, and addresses the Jews with these words, "Viam perdidisti viam ergo se quere, ut per viam venias ad salutem."