P'nei Adonai resources for walking in the presence of God
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P'nei Adonai resources for walking in the presence of God
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• Introduction The Kingdom
• of God? of Heaven? The King
• in the Tenach Entering the Kingdom
• who goes to Heaven? Sharing the Good News
• praying with people
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Messianic Jewish TerminologyIn the 1960s, when American Messianic Judaism was newly blossoming, its religious vocabulary was quite important for sharing the good news and communicating to Gentile churches the Jewish roots of Christianity.Today terminology is not as important. Many Gentile churches are waking up to their responsibility to understand the Jewish roots of their faith so they can present Yeshua with a Jewish "faith" and achieve the fullness Paul write about in Romans 11. Also, the expansion of relativism in American society means that younger generations of American Jews often have no more difficulty in discussing "Jesus" or "a Church" than they do "Yeshua" or "a Messianic synagogue". Thus our discussion of terminology is thus pays most attention to what is most accurate, and only comments on what is most socially acceptable.
CongregationStrictly speaking, the word "temple" is reserved in Jewish culture for the Temples that once stood in Jerusalem. Other Jewish places of worship should be called synagogues. But liberal American Judaism often uses these two words interchangeably. The Yiddish word shul (pronounced "shool") means synagogue, and might also come up in conversation.Typically, a Messianic Jewish place of worship is called a synagogue. The community of people may also be called a synagogue but is usually called a congregation. To some people, the term "congregation" is preferred because it emphasizes the people, not the physical place. For other, the term "synagogue" is preferred since it more strongly emphasizes the community's Jewish culture. The terms are pretty much synonymous. We have never heard of any group becoming upset about having someone call them by the other term. In certain parts of the country, a Messianic Jewish group calling itself a synagogue might open itself up to a lawsuit. (These have never succeeded, but have been a huge bother.) The word "church" comes from the Greek kurius, which at the time meant a pagan temple. The Greek language had no ready-made word for a place where the followers of Yeshua would meet! Because of the root of this word, most Orthodox rabbis consider all churches to be associated with idolatry. Because of this history, some Messianic Jewish congregations take offense at being called a "church". The Greek of the New Testament uses the words sunagoge and ekklesia to refer to religious communities. The word sunagoge refers to a physical meeting-place, but had no specifically Jewish meaning at the time. This is why the otherwise-redundant phrase "synagogue of the Jews" occurs four times in the book of Acts. The word ekklesia simply meant "assembly", and could be used in Greek not only for assemblies of people but even for collections of books. The word ekklesia is used to refer to general groups of people (see Acts 19), the local Body of Messiah, and the global assembly of all followers of Yeshua.
MaggidIn our congregation the leader is called a maggid, which is Hebrew for "preacher". The word is used somewhat in the Chasidic movement, but mainly had use in the former Soviet Union to refer to someone who led a local congregation but lacked the academic credentials provided by a Rabbinic Academy. The title also has the connotation of focusing on messianic hope. (For more information, visit the online Jewish Encyclopedia.)In most Messianic Jewish congregations the leader is called a "messianic rabbi". There are three potential problems with this. First, in some academic communities (such as Eugene) the title "rabbi" is more about having academic credentials than leading a congregation; there may even be local rabbis who do not lead congregations. Second, Messianic Judaism makes efforts to be distanced from yet respectful towards rabbinical Judaism, and it seems odd to not let rabbinical Judaism decide who gets the term "rabbi". Third, the phrase "messianic rabbi" is simply long and cumbersome for causal conversation and routinely gets shortened to "rabbi" in informal settings. Since a congregation leader is a "shepherd to the flock", the term "pastor" is sometimes used, or even "messianic pastor" for added clarification. In American Messianic Judaism, this is the most common terminology for the rare cases of someone who is does not have Jewish lineage yet who leads a Messianic congregation. This is a workable term, but to some extent it emphasizes providing care, guidance, and protection to the "flock" while neglecting the leader's priestly and sacramental role of helping the congregants identify with Yeshua and in doing so become united with God. The terms "priest", "father", and "reverend" are seldom (if ever) used for Messianic leaders. We can think of no examples.
MessiahThe Greek work christos literally means "rubbed", and was used to describe rubbing a leather shield with oil. It was the best possible fit for the Hebrew concept of "anointed", the literal meaning of the Hebrew word mashiach.There is nothing wrong will referring to Yeshua as "the Christ", since that is the proper and literal English term for "anointed messiah". However, the word "messiah" means the same thing and establishes more connection with Jewish culture and literature. Many American Jews do not know that "Christ" means "Messiah". To them, "Christ" is simply the last name of a person whom Christians have named Jesus.
YeshuaThe name Yeshua comes from the Hebrew word that means "provide victory". This was the name Yeshua's contemporaries would have called him (see Matthew 1:21).The name Jesus is a valid English adaptation of that name, but is seldom used in Messianic Judaism since it lacks the connection that the name Yeshua has to history and Hebrew. How did the name linguistically evolve from Yeshua to Jesus? In Greek there is no "sh" letter, so the name was transliterated as Ee-ay-soo. This in turn became "Yesu", as we see in the song "Yesu, Joy of Man's Desiring". At some time the final "s" was added. Then when scripture was translated into German at the time of the Reformation, all the initial Y's became J's.
Messianic JewA Jewish person who accepts Yeshua is most clearly and simply called a Jewish Believer. ("Believer" is the currently popular and safely generic term for someone who has accepted Yeshua as Lord and entered into Yeshua's new covenant, although it is academically a bit odd since everyone believes something!)The phrase "Messianic Jew" is normally used to refer to anyone participating in a Messianic Jewish congregation. But in some situations I have seen a distinction made between "Messianic Jews" and "Messianic Gentiles", based upon people's ancestry. Earlier in the 1900s, the terms "Jewish Christian", "Hebrew Christian", and "Completed Jew" were used for Jewish believers. Today the phrase "Jewish Christian" is sometimes used to distinguish a Jewish Believer who is not participating in Messianic Jewish congregations (i.e., attending a gentile church) from a Messianic Jew. The term "Christian" must be used with sensitivity to what the people involved in a specific conversation understand that term to mean. If someone who understands the word "Christian" to mean "anyone who accepts Yeshua" asks us if we are Christian then we might say "yes" and explain more. If someone who understands the word "Christian" to mean "someone culturally Christian, not culturally Jewish" asks us if we are Christian then we would say "no" and explain more.
AdonaiScripturally, the four-letter personal name of God is used to refer to all three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. The correct vowels that accompany yud-hey-vav-hay (abbreviated YHVH in English) have been lost, and so its pronunciation is unknown. Jews use "Lord" or the Hebrew word Adonai (Hebrew for "my Lord") instead of writing or pronouncing this name in a manner quite similar to how Christian Bibles use "the LORD".This name was definitely not pronounced "Yahovah". That form is due to a scribal error. Authors of Jewish writing used the vowels for Adonai with the letters YHVH to remind readers to say "Adonai". A thirteenth-century monk who did not know any better simply wrote YHVH with the vowels AOA and came up with "Yahovah". Later, during the Reformation, when transliteration in to German changed so many initial Y's into initial J's, the form "Jehovah" appeared. Similarly, the version preferred for casual use by modern academics, "Yahweh", is also almost certainly historically incorrect. Thus Messianic Jewish congregations follow rabbinical tradition by using "Adonai". Since we do not know anything more accurate, it seems folly to try to pronounce the name (offensive to many Jews) while being almost certain to guess it incorrectly. The difference is that Rabbinical Judaism uses "Adonai" to refer to God the Father, whereas we realize it refers to Father, Son, and Spirit. (For more about Trinity doctrine, please see our essay on that subject.) In scripture (even the New Testament) the word "God" is not used for the Trinity, but for God the Father. However, strictly following this practice often confuses people, so we are careful.
Holy SpiritThe phrase "Holy Spirit" is scriptural, appearing almost one hundred times. There is usually no cultural need to avoid this phrase. Some congregations use its Hebrew version: Ruach HaKodesh.The phrase "Holy Ghost", fron the King James translation, sounds very Catholic to many Jewish ears and tends to be avoided. Because some Jews lack the context for what the Holy Spirit is and how it is a very Jewish concept from the Tenach we often say "God's Spirit" instead.
Torah, TenachThe first five books of scripture, which Christians often call the Pentateuch, are called the Torah. This word means "teaching", and in Rabbinical Jewish literature you may encounter phrases such as "the torah of Hillel" to refer to the teachings of a particular rabbi.The Old Testament is called the Tenach. This word is an acronym for its three subdivisions: Torah, Nevee-eem (Prophets), and K'tooveem (Writings). (The letter K in K'tooveem more generally makes a CH sound; thus Tenach instead of Tenak.)
ScriptureThe word "scripture" is easiest for most Jewish people to consider with sensitivity to who is speaking, because "scripture" means whatever the speaker considers to be divinely inspired or guided writing.In contrast, many Jews consider that the term "Bible" refers to either only the Tenach (for older Jews) or only a Christian Bible (for younger Jews). Using the term "Bible" is not offensive, but the person you are speaking to might assume you mean a different set of scriptural books than you really mean. The phrase "Word of God" is foreign to some American Jews. It is not offensive, but may be confusing.
New TestamentThere are some Jews that consider the phrase "New Testament" offensive. These are mostly older Jews who have been taught that Christians believe the New Testament is complete unto itself, and thus the word "New" is emphasizing that the Old Testament is unimportant. (This used to be quite true, but Replacement Theology is fading quickly since Israel became a state in 1948.)Today the phrase "New Testament" usually lacks such meaning. Certainly the word "New" does not mean "replacement" without context. (If I say, "I have new shoes" or "I have a new computer game" there is no implication that I intend to stop using my old ones, whereas the sentences "I have a new computer" or "I have a new house" typically imply I will be switching to the new one from the old.) Thus the phrase "New Testament" has become less offensive as Christians have demonstrated more respect for the Tenach, and is increasingly used by Messianic Jews. It is still more common to use the phrases "Apostolic Writings" or "Writings of the Emissaries". These tend to be confusing, but are be helpful in situations where "New Testament" would be offensive. The term "Brit Chadashah" has recently gained popularity, but is inaccurate when used to mean "New Testament". It means "New Covenant". The New Testament is a testament, not a covenant. It testifies to the good news. Describing the terms of Yeshua's covenant is only a part of what it discusses. Mixing up these two ideas of testament and covenant is not helpful. And it retains the possibly offensive use of "New..." (A sentence such as "The brit chadashah which Jeremiah foretold and Yeshua initiated..." uses that vocabulary sensibly. As a prhase it creates no problems as long as it is used to mean "new covenant".)
PaulMany Messianic Jews know of an anti-Pauline prejudice among the local Rabbinical Jews. They say "Sha'ul" instead of "Paul" when referring to that apostle even after Paul's change of name. In Eugene, Oregon, this issue does not seem significant.There are some Jews (as well as non-Jews) who believe that Paul radically changed the Christian faith from Yeshua's original intentions. It is wise to be able to disprove this lie. People with this belief usually consider Yeshua to have only taught about love and acceptance; seeing how the messiah is portrayed in all of scripture (not just the four gospels) is often enough correction. Early Church history can also be valuable as an aid in this endeavor: the early groups of believers were concerned much more with loving each other than with Paul's guidelines about marriage and dress.
SavedThe succinct verb which scripture uses most often to mean "having accepted Yeshua as Lord and entered into his covenant" is simply "saved". Among most Jews of younger generations there is no reason to avoid this term. Older Jews often find its use arrogant or offensive. The difference is whether the hearer assumes believers are "saved from the evil inclination" or "saved from hell" (or neither). If my language claims I am saved from the power of sin there is no offense; if I am simply confusing there is also usually no offense. But if someone thinks I am claimed to be saved from hell, the implication is that my jargon is emphasizing that they are destined for hell, and this jargon-emphasis is understandably considered rude.Because of Matthew 1:21 there is a common belief among Messianic Jews that the Hebrew verb root yod-shin-ayin means "to save". This is an okay translation, but not optimal. The verb is better translated "to provide victory" and is most often used in the Tenach to describe God giving the Israelites victory over their enemies. Yeshua is given his name because he provides victory over the power of sin. The phrases "born again" and "born from above" are also sometimes used, especially among older Jews. The term "converted" is potentially accurate if used to refer to what Colossians 1:13 describes. But it is avoided in Messianic Judaism because to most people raised Jewish it is not about being taken from darkness to light, but about abandoning a culture to adopt a different culture. As mentioned earlier, the currently popular and generic term someone who is saved is "a believer".
ImmersionThere is seldom any Jewish offense to the concept of immersion. The ritual of immersing in a ritual bath (in Hebrew a mikvah) is scriptural, and is also part of the process for converting to Rabbinical Judaism.The word "baptism" is usually avoided simply because it is ambiguous. Modern English uses it for both immersion and sprinkling. In Jewish culture only immersion is used. (Also, the person being immersed submerses themself; no one leans them backwards.) Some congregations use the Hebrew word for immersion: t'vilah. The Greek word baptismo is quite meaningful. It was used to describe fabric being immersed in a dye to take on the characteristic of that dye. When the translators for the King James Bible came across this Greek word they new they could not safely translate it as "immerse", so they simply left the word transliterated; thus the creation of the English words "baptism" and "baptist".
Good NewsThe term "gospel" has many different English meanings. Since many Christians are convinced that a false definition of "gospel" is correct (about being saved from hell, not being given victory over the evil inclination in this life), we usually use the phrase "good news" to avoid offending.
Holiday NamesMessianic Judaism uses the Hebrew, scriptural names for the holidays: Shabbat (not Sabbath), Pesach or Passover, Shavuot (not Pentecost), Yom Kippur, and Sukkot (not Tabernacles or Booths).The name "Rosh Hashanah" is not scriptural, but is traditional and used as often as "New Year". (The scriptural name for the day is Yom Teruah, the Day of the Sounding of Trumpets. But this is seldom said conversationally.)
Seudat HaMashiachMany Messianic congregations say "The Lord's Table" or "The Lord's Supper", instead of "Communion" to avoid confusing those Jews would assume than anyone using the word "Communion" believes in transubstitution.In recent years the Hebrew versions of the phrases ("Seudat HaMashiach" or "Seudat Adonai") have gained popularity among Messianic Jews. We use Seudat HaMashiach because it is most common in Rabbinic literature.
OutreachEven modern American Reform congregations do outreach to try to share how their faith makes sense and attract new members. There is nothing offensive about "outreach".Historically, many Jewish communities have had violent experiences with "missionaries". Especially around older Jews, the terms "missionary" and "missions" may still be offensive. Because of its secular definition, the verb "evangelize" means to most Jews "to try to convince me with arguments that your religion is true". Since unbelieving Jews have a spiritual "veil" (see Second Corinthians 3:15-16) that prevents them from being argued into the Kingdom it makes no sense to continue using the term "evangelize". It is less confusing to say "doing outreach" or "sharing the good news" or "proclaiming Yeshua's covenant". Some congregations use the Jewish term Tikkun Olam ("Repairing the World") to refer to outreach. This can be dangerous, for it gives the impression that the congregation has replaced charitable work (what Tikkun Olam normally refers to) with outreach.
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