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The Roots of Anti-Semitism Were Born Greetings friends, neighbors and brethren. I am happy to present the second half of my dialogue with Mickey Addison, the Catholic Apologist with whom I was engaging in a healthy discourse. This is Part 2 of the last section of Scroll number 9, "By What Authority Do You Speak?" I expected after a spell that he would have replied back as he always did before but he did not. Evidently, I drowned him with so much truthful information that he lost the will and power to defend his Catholic faith. Perhaps, when you read through my research and findings and see from what sources they were derived, you will see that there really no longer remains an argument in support of the Catholic Church or the Papacy. History itself becomes a valuable witness and bears out what really took place leading one to further question, just how brainwashed is our society today? I hope and pray that you take this to heart and understand that the information I am providing is not to lead you to grow in hatreds for your deceived fellow man but rather to understand the deception so that you can avoid it. As Proverbs 4 says, "Do not even pass by it." Most of you should understand and agree that we have a duty and responsibility to reach out and help rescue others from the rampant delusion and hypocrisy that is prevalent in today's religious circles. Those who choose to justify their perversion or sin must be allowed to wallow in their own sewer pit and mire if they so choose. We do not have the license or authority to save or help anyone that does not want to be helped. But we should always be ready and willing, in season and out of season, to defend the true faith that is in Christ Jesus! My last reply to Mickey follows… I agree that we should stay more centrally focused on the issue being discussed, that is, the argument of Church authority. Before I divulge the results of my extensive study, let me express what the Spirit in me indicates regarding "given authority." The Spirit explicitly says, "Authority is given until authority is brought into question." This utterance led me to ask, by what means is authority taken away Lord? The Spirit responding says, "Those who remain faithful and do not stray far are given to protect and defend the eternal truth of My given Word. Those who stray too far are taken out because they succumb to deceitful precepts and are led into delusional reasoning. The authority, which they may once have been given, is taken away and administered to those who remain faithful with My Word and testimony. By this, My Word is protected and by this will it endure." The Catholic Church argues that she was handed the ultimate authority that was granted to Peter and they further teach that they still are the Mother Church who wields that same authority today. In general, it is thought that the Protestant Reformation (Rebellion) was a destructive division of the Church and all subsequent divisions of religion since have further weakened the power of the early Church. The Catholics declare that in order for unity to be restored the whole of divided Christianity must make a return to the Catholic Church. The vehicle, which they employ to achieve this goal, is the concept of ecumenism, which later evolved into ecumenicalism. By uncovering historical records of fact, I will prove that the authority which the Catholic church may have had at one time no longer is relevant because of her own internal rebellion and transgression against Christ's command, pattern and example. This in no way is to add insult or accusation of the Catholic Church but is intended to offer facts in the hope that you will understand man's religious institutions are in error and their respective adherents are in terrible danger of loosing their reward. The Word does testify. Listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. In a 1992 article written by Clarence H Wagner Jr. for the
Jerusalem Courier, he writes: "In the first century AD the
Church was well-connected to its Jewish roots, and Jesus did
not intend for it to be any other way. After all, Jesus is Jewish
and the basis of His teaching is consistent with the Hebrew Scriptures.
In Matthew 5:17, 18 He states: "Do not think that I have
come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish
them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven
and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke
of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything
is accomplished." Before the Temple was destroyed, and Jerusalem razed by the Romans in 70 AD, there was room for debate within Judaism in the bustling, cosmopolitan city of Jerusalem. However, 1) according to David Rausch in his new book, A Legacy of Hatred, the Roman intrusion into Judea, and the widespread acceptance of Christianity by the Gentiles complicated the history of Jewish Christianity. 2) The Roman wars against the Jews not only destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem, but also resulted in Jerusalem's relinquishing her position as a center of Christian faith in the Roman world. In addition, 3) the rapid acceptance of Christianity among the Gentiles led to an early conflict between the church and synagogue. The Gentile Christians interpreted the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem as a sign that God had abandoned Judaism, and that He had provided the Gentiles freedom to develop their own Christian theology in a setting free from Jerusalem's influence. Now, when we look at what Scripture actually foretold and records, we see that "Salvation" would be offered to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. This was prophesied and well documented in the Old Testament's books of the Prophets. Some time after Jesus was crucified, a certain man named Saul from Tarsus was converted while on his way to the city of Damascus by the Lord Himself. "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" After a few more years of growth and development, Saul, who became Paul, had sought out the blessing of his Jewish brethren (the Apostles), namely Peter, to be accepted by them as a brother and fellow disciple. It was not long afterwards that Paul contended with his Jewish brethren that the Gentiles would also receive the ministry of the Gospel and Paul was to travel to Rome, the seat of power in the Roman Government, to pursuade Romans to convert to a Christian faith. This did not at first set well with the Apostles but Paul was convinced that he was being led to do this by Christ Jesus. We know by Paul's epistles that he was given to minister to the Greeks, Gentiles and Jews and was fully convinced that the Spirit of GOD was leading him. In about 50AD, the first council was called at Jerusalem bringing together both Jews and Gentiles to encourage fellowship and recognition as brothers of the same faith. At no point in the outcome of the decisions made in this council can it be ascertained that the Christian Jews and the Christian Gentiles were to develop separately from one another in the faith and the subsequent building of the true Church. Yet, history records that there was indeed a division and split between the two after Jerusalem was sacked and destroyed by the Roman legions in 70AD. Clarence Wagner Jr. continues… "The Jewish sages who managed to survive the revolt assembled in Jabneh (Yavneh), a city in the Sharon Plains near Joppa, and decided that the Bet Hillel School, most closely linked to the Pharisaic sect of Judaism, would be adopted and practiced as halacha or Law. (The Pharisaic teachings were most interested in the relationship of each individual to God, and encouraged the masses to holiness based on a scrupulous observance of the Torah.) Even though Pharisaic Judaism had shown tolerance to Judeo-Christians or Nazarenes prior to the destruction, the assembly at Jabneh concluded a separation between Christianity and Judaism. Unfortunately, the Judeo-Christians had disassociated themselves from the war against the Romans and from the tragedy that had come upon the nation. Believing that the repression of the revolt by the Romans was a sign of the end, they ran off to Pella, east of the Jordan River, leaving their fellow Jews to fend for themselves. Later, in 132 AD, when Bar Kochba orchestrated the Second Jewish Revolt against Rome, the Judeo-Christians had another reason to not participate. Bar Kochba was named the Messiah by Rabbi Akiva. Since the Christians saw Jesus as Messiah, to participate in the revolt under the leadership of Bar Kochba would be a denial of their beliefs. When the revolt was crushed by the Emperor Hadrian in 135 AD, Hadrian expelled all Jews from Jerusalem, allowing them only to return one day each year, on Tisha B'Av, to mourn the destruction of the Temple. Thus, the recording of the first Greek name in leadership of the Jerusalem Church, as the Romans allowed no Jews to enter the city. Hadrian also rebuilt Jerusalem into a Roman city and changed its name to Aelia Capitolina, and Judea to Syria Palestina (Palestine). This was done to erase any Jewish connection with the city of Jerusalem and the land of Israel. By this time, the Church had effectively separated itself from Judaism. Theological and political power moved from Jewish Christian leaders to centers of Gentile Christian leadership such as Alexandria, Rome, and Antioch. It is important to understand this change, because it influenced the early Church Fathers to make anti-Jewish statements." The above is confirmed by the unfolding history of anti-Semitism. The Roman Catholic Church, which began to flourish after Constantine, played a major role in support of anti-Semitism beliefs both, directly and indirectly. Clearly, the face of religion began to change and metamorph itself into something distinctively different than what the early Apostles helped to establish. Herein is where the departure from the apostolic faith began to pick up momentum costing the lives and bloodshed of millions of people over the centuries, both Jew and Gentile Christians. History also tells of the marriage between secular governments and these new sects of Christianity. Religion has since made great efforts to "change the world" through dominion theologies rather than to make a separation from them as was patterned for us in the earlier apostolic ministries. Though some historians may be biased or hide certain critical elements and events, history itself is a confirmation of what actually took place and some are able to discern truth when they look to different sources for verification. We can trust the witness of the gospels because though different authors from slightly different perspectives wrote them, the main jest of the story being told is the same and the books written confirm one another. Think of it like this, If a number of spectators were all gathered in a stadium surrounding a playing field, some on the 50 yard line are going to see the game being played, a little differently than those who are at the far end of the stadium. If the spectators are sports reporters, each one will have had certain advantages and disadvantages on viewing the game and will only be able to report from their own perspectives. Though they all saw the same game and all witnessed the same results on the scoreboard, each one is going to come away from that game with slightly different perspectives. If one was to read all these sports reporters stories in the paper, then one will gain a better understanding of what plays were made and what contributed most to the outcome of that game. The gospels provide us with this same advantage and by reading all of them as they are, from different perspectives, we can then gain a better appreciation and understanding for the minor differences that exist in each of them. The net result for us in the case of studying the gospels should be as if we studied it in "surround sound stereo." We should also then be willing to search out different sources of any recorded history to better ascertain the fuller measure of truth rather than trusting only in the biased witness provided by one religion. Therefore, from the perspective of the Catholic encyclopedias, if you were to read history only from the Catholic perspective without testing it against the written and canonized perspective of scripture and the recordings of other historians who were also witnesses, you might come away with a Catholic only perspective. To read only from one perspective promotes paradox and often times when compared to scripture, will result in contradiction and sharp contrast. Having said that, the relationship of the Christian community to the world may seem differently depending upon one's historical, sociological and theological perspectives because the diverse Christian community is both a creation in the world and an influence upon it. It is a true statement as quoted in the Encyclopedia Britannica, "For the Christian community, the death and resurrection of Jesus call into question all structures, systems and values that claim ultimacy." Following are some other noteworthy quotations from the Encyclopedia Britannica on the history of Christianity. "Radical medieval Franciscans proclaimed that true Christians should divest themselves of money at the same time that the papacy expended great sums to manipulate the political landscape of Europe." "Endorsement of the world emerged in the fourth century with the imperial legal recognition of Christianity by the Roman Emperor Constantine." "The church, like the state, has been exposed to the
temptation of power. The attempt to establish a kingdom of peace
resulted in the transformation of the church into an ecclesiastical
state. This first took place in the development of the Roman
Papal States, but it also occurred to a lesser degree in several
theocratic churches and was attempted in Calvin's ecclesiastical
state in Geneva in the 16th century." In the Byzantine Empire the Emperor Constantine granted himself, as "Bishop of Foreign affairs," certain rights to church leadership, as was demonstrated by his calling of the first ecumenical council to settle doctrinal disputes and formulate "so-called" fundamental Christian doctrines and ratify its decisions. This was referred to in the Byzantine era as "caesaropapism." It was this development which led the Popes to justify their authority by declaring themselves as the rightful heir and Vicar of Christ and successor of Apostle Peter. Encyclopedia Britannica states; "In its administration of justice the church largely depended upon the old imperial law and - in a period of legal and administrative chaos - was viewed as the only guarantor of order. The Roman Popes used this power, which was in fact allotted, to them by circumstances, to develop a specific ecclesiastical state and to base this state upon a new theocratic ideology - the idea that the Pope was the representative of Christ and the successor of Peter." The Popes saw rulers as members of the church and therefore subject to the rule of GOD through Apostle Peter's successors. It was this view held by the Roman Catholic Church that was ultimately the cause of many struggles between Popes and Rulers throughout the Middle Ages resulting in centuries of mass warfare and genocide. Though history may exist in multiple paradigms, it does not consist in multiple dimensions or parallel universes. Therefore, what history records for us should be sufficient to form a larger more complete picture of what actually took place versus what certain religious authorities claim took place. As I said before Mickey, in order to understand what I am trying to convey to you, you must be willing to step out of your "Catholic only" paradigm as I have. Only then can you gain a better appreciation for and understanding of what errors man has made as judged by the fundamental teachings of Christ and the Word of God. The real true test and measure will in the end only be the Word of God and will not be levied by the many opinions and divisive interpretations of men in religious orders. Are you a son of the Catholic Church and man's religion or are you one of the sons of God who are called out to make disciples of all nations of peoples in all the inhabited earth? It boils down to what I've been saying all along. The contest is between man's faith in religion and man's faith (trust) in God. I stand for Jesus and all that He patterned, not the papacy and all they have corrupted. As the Word has judged me, so I also allow it to judge all things else, weather created by God or man. To further dissect and reveal the errors of man's maligned religious pathway, lets look more closely at how the legalized form of Christianity became a suppressive force against Jews whom God loved and sought to save. Referring back to the article written by Clarence H. Wagner, Jr., he states the following understanding: "As the church spread far and wide within the Roman Empire,
and its membership was increasingly non-Jewish, Greek and Roman
thought began to creep in and completely change the orientation
of Biblical interpretation through a Greek mindset and not a
Jewish or Hebraic mindset. This would later result in many heresies,
some of which the Church is still practicing. He continues in saying, "In this, we find the beginnings of a Replacement Theology which placed the Church triumphant over the vanquished Judaism and Israel. This replacement theory became one of the main foundations on which Christian anti-Semitism was based, even to this day. Incidentally, the N.T. speaks of the Church being grafted in, adopted sons of Abraham and spiritual Israel, NOT usurpers of the covenant and a replacer of physical Israel." Mr. Wagner reveals as affirmed by other historical recordings that in 313 AD, the Edict of Mila outlawed synagogues, and in 315 another edict allowed the burning of Jews if convicted of breaking the law.
In 321 AD, Constantine decreed all business should cease on
"the honored day of the sun" and so by substituting
another day for worship, he further advanced the split. From this time forward the Roman Empire became known as the Holy Roman Empire. Using the Catholic Church as a vehicle of expansion in their newfound Christian faith, they sought to expand into pagan cultures and other countries taking territory as a prize adding to it the sizable Roman Empire and forced the conversions of millions of people to their new brand (sect) of what I call, "so-called" Christianity. Hatred for Jews grew stronger in the advancing centuries as evidenced in some of the writings of these early Church fathers. Clarence Wagner Jr. sites an example of this while speaking of the Middle Ages. He states, "Early in this period, we find examples of anti-Jewish bias in Church literature. At the end of the 4th century, the Bishop of Antioch, Chrysostom, a great orator, wrote a series of eight sermons against the Jews. He had seen Christian talking with Jewish people, taking oaths in front of the Ark, and some were keeping the Jewish feasts. He wanted this to stop in an effort to bring his people back to what he called "the true faith," and the Jews became the whipping boy for his sermon series. To quote him, "The synagogue is not only a brothel and a theater; it is also a den of robbers and a lodging for wild beasts. No Jew adores God." I whole-heartedly agree with his summary of the development
of anti-Semitism springing from the Catholic Church. He summarizes
this in the following, "The monarchs of the Holy Roman Empire
thus regarded the Jews as serfs of the chamber (servi camerae),
and utilized them as slave librarians to maintain Hebrew writings.
They also utilized the services of Jews in another enterprise
- usury, or money lending. The loaning of money was necessary
to a growing economy. However, usury was considered as endangering
to the eternal salvation of the Christian, and thus forbidden.
So, the Church endorsed the practice of lending by Jews, for,
according to their reasoning, their souls were lost in any case.
Much later, the Jewish people were utilized by the Western countries
as trade agents in commerce, and thus we see how the Jewish people
found their way into the fields of banking and commerce. History records that during the crusades, the Catholic Church
really started taking on an uglier image of religion thus further
defiling itself in the mass murder and persecution of Jews and
Muslims. At Mayence, the Archbishop invited 1,300 Jews into his
palace for refuge. This became an invitation to slaughter, for
under his supervision, they were all killed, and he even shared
in the spoils confiscated from the corpses. Incidentally, Emperor
Henry IV heard of this massacre, confiscated the property of
the Archbishop, and permitted the Jews who had been forcibly
baptized to return to Judaism. Moving forward through time, the Catholic Church through its
governing authority, which was upheld by Canon Law, precipitated
more mass genocide in the Spanish Inquisitions. Clarence Wagner
Jr. writes; "According to Canon Law, the Inquisition was
not authorized to interfere in the internal affairs of the Jews,
but to seek out Christian heretics who had backslidden. However,
this law was rescinded on the ground that the presence of Jews
causes heresy to develop in the Christian communities.
The Church was not allowed to execute the victim, so they
passed them to a secular arm of the Inquisition Court. Blood
was not allowed to be shed, thus the burning. This they justified
by a text from John 15:6, "If a man abide not in me, he
is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them,
and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. The Christian centuries largely influenced by Catholicism, had persecuted Jews for theological reasons, but this errant "teaching of contempt" is what set the course for all anti-Semitic themes in future generations. Ultimately, the Catholic Church believed the Jews were a uniquely rejected people within human society and are to be regarded as "unworthy" in God's New Covenant with mankind. This again sharply contrasts with the apostolic examples immediately following the ministry of Jesus. As I pointed out earlier, there was a coming together between Christian Jews and Gentile Jews when Apostle Paul came on the scene but this rapidly deteriorated after the sacking of Jerusalem and the death of the last Apostle. How many centuries does it take for a people to forget that Jesus was a Jew and the original twelve disciples were also of Jewish background, symbolically chosen to be representative of the twelve lost tribes of Israel? Much of the Canonized New Testament are epistles written by Paul, the thirteenth Apostle, given to witness also to the Gentiles. Where Mickey, does history record that the Gentile Church age followed Paul's teachings? I don't see it. I don't see it because it largely does not exist. What does become clear though is that the Catholic Church adopted the secular world and all its secular ways rather than making, keeping and maintaining a separation from it. Let's jump forward to the twentieth century and see if the Catholic Church ever repented of her long history of genocide and anti-Semitism. What does history record for us here? As outlined in the above, there developed a mutual relationship between Church and State. It began of course with Constantine legalizing Christianity. Encyclopedia Britannica states in reference to this in the following excerpt. "The religious interpretation of the Christian Emperor reinterpreted in the Christian sense the ancient Roman institution of the god-emperor who played the role of pontifex maximus (high priest) in the state cult - took the central position within the church as well. He summoned the Synods of Bishops, "as though he had been appointed Bishop by GOD," presided over the synods and granted judicial power for the empire to their decisions. He was the "protector" of the church of the Christian faith and who fought not only as a warrior but also as an intercessor, as a second Moses during the battle against God's enemies, "holy and purely praying to God, sending his prayers up to Him." The Christian Emperor entered not only the political but also the sacred succession of the Roman god-emperor. Next to such a figure, an independent leadership of the church could hardly develop." We see a similar manifestation of this paradox occur in Germany.
Encyclopedia Britannica records, This letter would become another book if I extrapolated the
founding views of the relationship between church and state from
its earliest authors: Eusebius of Caesarea and Augustine. So
lets be content and agree that what I provided you thus far will
be sufficient in supporting my earlier argument that the Catholic
Church is not the supreme power and authority of Christ's Church
but is in fact, as history proves, an abomination and perversion
of fundamental Christianity in large contrast to what the early
Apostles demonstrated. Clearly, mankind has been led astray from
the will and divine revelations of God's purpose and intent of
the Christian Church. Since you cannot find evidence of the one
who has been behind this perversion from secular sources, we
must be content on allowing the Word of God to tell the whole
story and accept that it has always been Satan as the undermining
source of corrupted religion. I will further submit, if man's
propensity for lust of power and wealth were not so strong in
his nature, Satan would not have such a grasp on man's works,
ideology and religion. But scripture reveals he has always been
the source and man's weakness and unbelief is what caused him
to be duped and led so far astray. Ultimately, the churches today
are under judgment and God's Word confirms it, "Judgment
begins with the household of God." Since the Word
declares this, don't you think it more important to apply ourselves
only to Christ's doctrine and faith without intermixing it with
contrasting religious dogma and things that were not sanctified
by Christ's redeeming work on the cross? And what about all the
graven images that adorn every Catholic Church I've ever attended?
Come on Mickey, you have to admit that there are some real large
contrasts here between what Jesus commands and sanctifies versus
what the Catholic Church considers Holy. May our Lord shower
you with the humility and grace I've become so familiar with.
I pray He grant you the eyes to perceive and ears to hear so
that you may have the mind to understand and accept the faith
that was once delivered to the Apostles. James 1:22 "But
be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your
own selves." AMEN As quoted from Exhortation number one in my book, "Apostasy Revealed"… "Tear down your temples of so-called contemporary
religion and let His temple be built in you, that more may see
it and believe and that you will become living testimonies of
the living God. Serve Him with your whole heart, mind and body
and love your neighbor. Do not allow sin to exist in your lives
but rather, strike at the very heart of it, putting it to death
just as my Master has shown you, so do it!" Proclaims the
Spirit in me. I want to thank the handful of brothers and sisters out there that responded cheerfully to my plea and admonishment for the need to supply others needs which come to us and pour into the ministry at a constant rate. "God loves a cheerful giver." Proverbs 4:1-27 "Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding: For I give you good doctrine; Forsake ye not my law. For I was a son unto my father, Tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. And he taught me, and said unto me: Let thy heart retain my words; Keep my commandments, and live; Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth; Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee; Love her, and she will keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote thee; She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her. She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace; A crown of beauty will she deliver to thee. Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; And the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in paths of uprightness. When thou goes, thy steps shall not be straitened; and if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: Keep her; for she is thy life. Enter not into the path of the wicked, And walk not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it; Turn from it and pass on. For they sleep not, except they do evil; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: They know not at what they stumble. My sons, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart. For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a wayward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Make level the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn neither to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil." With all God fearing sincerity and love for my brethren, Nicholas A. Stivers, humbled man, scribe and messenger. Author; Apostasy Revealed
published 2003 by Mountainview Publishing ISBN: 1-928602-92-4 |