Digging with Darren » Heresy

Pagan Influences in Christianity & Judaism

Darren — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:11:14 +0000

Beth Alpha synagogue mosaic

Many people have disparaged Judaism as being filled with paganism, particularly orthodox Judaism’s rabbinic leadership. Some even claim that it is satanic at the root (G-d forbid). Many people have had similar remarks about Christianity, especially when they discover Messianic Judaism and discover all that Christianity has forgotten over the last two thousand years in relationship to it Jewish origins. Everything is then questioned, and its origins suspect. For instance: What is the origin of the Christmas tree? Was it originally an asheroth pole? What about the Easter bunny, and the name “Easter” itself? Are they connected to Ishtar, the pagan goddess of fertility? Was the star of David originally a magical symbol used by the pagans? Questions such as these continue to pound away at both Judaism and Christianity.

Biblical Archaeology Review recently published an article examining pagan symbols in Jewish worship, specifically looking at the various synagogues unearthed in Israel which portray zodiac symbolism in their floor mosaics. The most famous is the Beth Alpha synagogue, which sports a very large floor mosaic (28×14 meters, roughly 90×30 feet) whose central panel shows the complete zodiac. It is described as follows:

Figures of four women were at the four corners, with inscriptions (in Hebrew) identifying each as a season of the year. Inside the square was a wheel, 3.12 meters in diameter, with a smaller circle (1.2 m) in its center. The wheel was divided into 12 panels, each with a figure and a name identifying it as a sign of the zodiac. And in the center, a man was pictured driving a quadriga (four-horse chariot) through the moon and stars. Rays of the sun were coming out of his head; it was clear that he was Helios, god of the sun.¹

This article continues to describe in detail several such synagogues found in Israel with this type of imagery. Although there is still some mystery surrounding the use of these symbols (particularly in a house specifically designed for study & worship), I feel the author’s explanation of them plausible.

This brings a lot of questions to mind (for which I do not have the answers). When and how were pagan symbols introduced into Judaism and Christianity? What do we “accept” and what do we “reject”? Where do we draw the line? How far is too far? Are there such things as coincidence? What are the “majors” and what are the “minors” in all of this? If others believers continue to unknowingly incorporate pagan symbolism in their sincere worship, what is our responsibility? These are a lot of difficult questions. Fortunately, someone has done a lot of homework on the subject.

First Fruits of Zion has recently published a 4-disc audio teaching on this very subject. It’s called “What About Paganism?” Toby Janicki tackles this subject and brings in a ton of information relating to both Christian and Jewish practice which may or may not be pagan in origin and gives suggestions as to our response. This is a good starting point to get some honest discussion on the table in regard to this topic, rather than living on our assumptions. It is based on historical evidences and the teachings of Yeshua. When we abide in the teachings of our Master, Yeshua, we will “know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

From the BAR article. ↩

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To Whom Shall We Go?

Darren — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 22:12:14 +0000

Better late than never… Here are my notes from the “To Whom Shall We Go?” seminar last month. I hope they come in handy for someone. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about trying to decipher them.

Right-click (pc) or Control-click (mac!) to download:

To Whom Shall We Go? notes

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For the Record…

Darren — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 16:45:05 +0000

In case there was any confusion with my last post, here is my “official” stance on the Messiahship of Yeshua. I believe (with perfect faith) that Yeshua of Nazereth is the long awaited Mashiach proclaimed by the Torah and the Prophets. The evidence within the Apostolic Scriptures is overwhelmingly convincing when viewed with the proper linguistic and cultural understanding to conclude otherwise. Yeshua is HaMashiach.

In the days ahead we (a group of my colleagues and I) will be making available a large repository of conclusive evidences of the validity of his messiahship from both classic perspectives as well as fresh, scholarly insights. If you have insights you would like to include, please contact me in this regard as we are in the compilation process.

shalom chaverim,
-Darren

ps. Happy Hanukkah! Yeshua is the Light of the World! (And YOU are the light of the world…Matthew 5:14-16… Flip the switch!)Similar Posts:

Proving the Messiahship of Yeshua

Darren — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 15:52:24 +0000

Following on the heels of Boaz’s comments (http://www.diggingwithdarren.com/blog/index.php?p=154#comment-423), I thought we could move the discussion over to this post and keep it focused. If you have sources that you believe to prove the Messiahship of Yeshua, then please post them here.

Jay – I know you will enjoy playing devil’s advocate here. Feel free to post your prooftexts of why you feel that he is not.

Everyone – please keep your comments focused to the topic, and keep personalities out of the way. This is a great exercise for being able to actually back up what we believe, as Peter encourages us to do

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
1 Peter 3:15,16

Lastly, Mr. Benzvi – I appreciate your concern. However, I believe you would do well to heed the words of Peter, also.

I look forward to a healthy discussion on a vital topic.

Shalom,
-DarrenSimilar Posts:

Holy Blood, Holy Lies

Darren — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 18:33:59 +0000

It seems dubious author Michael Baigent has thrust his pen into the side of Yeshua again in his new book The Jesus Papers. A followup to his 1982 hit and miss Holy Blood, Holy Grail in which he has Jesus escape the cross through drug use and elope to France with Mary Magdalene. This was the inspiration behind Dan Brown’s overwhelmingly popular, over-hyped, fraudulent and highly imaginative DaVinci Code. (As a matter of fact, Baigent filed a lawsuit against Brown for “stealing” his material.) It “just so happens” to fall right on the heals of the publication of The Judas Gospel and the DaVinci Code blockbuster hit. But he claims it is only “coincidence.”

Baigent’s premise in The Jesus Papers is the same as Holy Blood, Holy Grail, only this time he takes it a step further. He claims to have found what he calls the “Jesus Papers,” written letters from Yeshua to the Sanhedrin uncovering the “truth” about Yeshua’s feigned death and the ensuing details of his “life after death.” Hershel Shanks has a good time poking fun at this wasted ink called a novel in his recent review of it. Take a peak and have a few laughs, and don’t worry about it shaking anyone’s faith but those who have none.Similar Posts:

Gospel of Judas

Darren — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 04:25:00 +0000

Yawn…

Yet another Gnostic “gospel” has surfaced and gained immediate praise from the media. I don’t want to spend much time on it, but for the “inquiring mind” I must address this, if ever so briefly.

In brief, the “Gospel of Judas” is a pseudopygraphal, Gnostic account of the life of Jesus in which the tables are turned on the authentic rendition of the teachings of Jesus. The good guys are the bad guys, and the bad guys are…well…you guessed it—good. It was originally composed some time around the end of the second century, and discovered in the early 70′s in the Egyptian desert. After several years of trying to be sold, it finally ended up in the hands of those who would be able to fund its restoration and translation. As of this year, the translation was completed, and the entire text (of what was not damaged beyond recognition) is publicly available from National Geographic.

This particular gospel begins by letting us know that it is giving us a “secret” account of Jesus that has previously never been told. The reader then learns that only Judas, of all of the disciples, really has intimate fellowship with the Master. He is the only one truly on the “inside” of Jesus’s agenda. As a matter of fact, at the onset of the narrative, he is told to remove himself from the others, because he alone is on the path to enlightenment. Several other amusing tales are told, such as Jesus often appearing to them in different form—a little child.

In conclusion, there are sure-fire ways to know whether this “gospel” has any credibility or not. The first of which is if it has the word “Gnostic” or “secret knowledge” tied to it in any shape, form or fashion, then it’s bogus. The Gnostic teachings that spread rampantly in the early second century forward ruthlessly attempt to strip Jesus from his Jewish context. If this were the case, he would definitely not be the Messiah. The second is its lateness in composition. The mere fact that it was composed so late, tells us that this could not be an eyewitness account, nor transmit accurate information from the time of Jesus. While the Gospel of Judas might be great for Hollywood, it’s only bird cage liner for true followers of the Master.

For further study, check out the following resources:

The Gospel of Judas and the Da Vinci Code
An audio teaching by Daniel Lancaster of Beth Immanuel (and FFOZ).

National Geographic
Read all of the details of the discovery, the timeline of the events related to the Gospel of Judas in conjunction to the events of Church history, and even download the text of the Gospel of Judas in PDF format.Similar Posts:

Islamic Christianity

Darren — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 05:13:00 +0000

In the snowball of weak-minded, politically correct, anti-Semetic actions from organizations which inaptly label themselves with adjectives such as “Christian” and “church,” the United Church of Christ has become the latest to crumble to the peer pressure of Jew-squashing rhetoric. They have recently joined the ranks of so-called “Christian” denominations such as the Presbyterian Church USA, the World Council of Churches, the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church in bullying the Jews and their sympathizers through divestments of Jewish businesses. And what is the rest of the world saying about it? “Bravo.”

WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU PEOPLE THINKING???

Sorry. I just had to get that out of my system. This is just absolute madness. However, it shows the continuing sway of the spirit of the Anti-Messiah over those who call themselves by the name of Messiah. It shows the growing distinction between what we have traditionally called the “Church” and the faithful of Messiah. In the days, months and years ahead we will see those lines become clearer, and it will eventually boil down to two camps: Israel and the nations. If you’re not sure which camp you’re currently in, today is the day you need to make that decision. Today is the day you need to determine your allegiance.

What if those who call themselves “The Church” would invest as much effort to boycott all Islamic relations and financial ties just within our own country, much less a divestment within the international community? What if we stopped purchasing from Islamic-owned convenience stores? Stopped eating at Islamic-owned or operated restaurants? Didn’t stay in Islamic-owned or operated hotels, etc.? What kind of impression do you think that would make on the Islamic wallet that directly supports terrorism abroad?

But why don’t we have such things happening already? It’s because of what I call “Islamic Christians.” These are “Christians” who are a little too ecumenical for their own good. They sympathize with the enemies of Hashem, rather than the children of Hashem. They would rather label the Palestinian terrorists as “freedom fighters” and the Israeli defenders as “Christ-killers.” They would rather see Zion swallowed up by her enemies for her “rejection of Jesus” than they would see Hamas lay down arms. In short, they are the paradoxical “Islamic Christians.” They are the friends of Hashem’s enemies, and will eventually become the object of His wrath.

Does this sound fanatical? Maybe. It depends on who’s definition you’re using. If you’re using the definition of the media who remains drunk from the Islamic wine of deception, then ‘yes,’ this is the epitome of fanaticism. If you are using the Bible as your reference, then it is only normalcy. For anyone who claims the Deity of the Bible should be zealous over Zion, and protective of the apple of His eye. He, Himself, has said, “I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves” (Genesis 12:3). Who are we to erase His words and replace them with the vileness dripping from the mouths of the Islamic wolves? Who are we to believe we can bless those whom Hashem has cursed, and curse those whom He has blessed? Was Balaam successful? Neither shall we.

Psalm 3
A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of me, there is no help for him in God. [Selah]

But thou, O LORD, art a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cry aloud to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy hill. [Selah]

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me. I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about.

Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! For thou dost smite all my enemies on the cheek, thou dost break the teeth of the wicked. Deliverance belongs to the LORD; thy blessing be upon thy people! [Selah] Similar Posts:

The Real War

Darren — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 13:44:00 +0000

I just wanted to make mention of the “real” war that is fought day in and day out–the battles that are lost and the ground that is taken each and every day without so much of a mention. It is a war in which we all contribute to each and every day. Only, we support the enemy by giving it ammunition and killing our own through friendly fire.

What ware am I talking about? It’s the war of propaganda. Propaganda for what? You name it. From sympathy towards the terrorist organization of Islam to the pharmaceutical mofia. We are all being lured into their hypnotism and churned into drones for the mass distribution of lethal propaganda that sucks the very life from us. The media is geared to present Islam as a viable religion superior to Judaism or Christianity but with a very small fraction who are prone to terrorism. The pharmaceutical companies are using the media to poison the minds of the masses into paranoia and conditioning us to have a “need” for their mind-altering drugs. What is more is that they have the doctors in their back pockets by giving them commission bonuses for the number of drug perscriptions they write per month. Do you think this helps doctors to be objective in their perscriptions when writing just a few more perscriptions will ensure literally tens of thousands of dollars PER MONTH continue to flow into their personal bank accounts? Our minds are being poisoned from side of the spectrum to the other and we do nothing. We accept it, drink it, swallow it.

What will you do? How will you respond? What propaganda have you swallowed? How will you now respond?Similar Posts:

ISLAM = TERRORISM

Darren — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 22:37:00 +0000

It’s a fact that can’t be denied. However, if you say it on the job you can be fired. Just ask Michael Graham of WMAL radio in Washington D.C. who was let go just hours after making the comment on air. ABC / Disney was backed into a corner moments after his comments (which were even Pro-islam in their original context) which led to his release. Read the story here. And if you want to see how the muslims responded, sending out a massive message to its massive hord, you can read it here.

The fact remains:

ISLAM = TERRORISM & PAGAN RELIGIONSimilar Posts: