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Lesson One
Messianic Terminology is used to express the
biblical faith in the Messiah [ Mashiach] ] because such terminology was how
the New Covenant [ b’rit hadasha ] faith was expressed in its earliest stages.
Messianic believers like talking about their faith in the Messiah in a
manner consistent with Jewish heritage and culture. Belief in the
Messiah is consistent with being Jewish. He is the fulfillment of God's
promises to Israel.
Using Messianic terminology imparts faith in
Messiah to children, friends and family in a manner consistent with
Jewish heritage. Messianic terms communicate biblical truth without the
negative baggage of historical anti-Semitism.
Terms to use
Yeshua
Yeshua
is the Messiah's name. Yeshua is a Hebrew word which has the root
meaning salvation. "You shall call His name Yeshua [salvation]," a
heavenly messenger said to Joseph, "because He shall save His people
from their sins."
Transliterated into Greek as Iesous, (Ιησους) this
word was spelled Jesus when it was imported into English. Messianic
Jews use Yeshua instead of Jesus because Yeshua is the name He was
called when He walked the earth.
Through the centuries Jewish people
have suffered persecution "in the name of Jesus." Consequently, using
the name "Jesus" brings to their minds hatred and anti-Semitism. On the
other hand, the name Yeshua proclaims Messiah as a Jewish option for
Jewish people, as well as for non-Jews.
Messiah
Messiah
is used instead of Christ.Messiah is derived from the Hebrew word
Mashiach (which means "anointed one"). Christ is the English equivalent
of the Greek word christos, (which means "anointed one"). Jumping back
over the Greek word to the use of the original Hebrew term is a way of
emphasizing that the Messiah is for Jewish people and not exclusively
for Gentiles.
A second reason for using this term is that -- as with
the name Jesus -- thousands and thousands (perhaps millions) of Jewish
people have been persecuted and killed by those claiming to act on
behalf of Christ. To Jewish people, the word Christ is not simply a
non-Jewish word out of the Greek language. "Christ" is a word that
carries anti-Jewish connotations.
By Dr Ella J Monckton
Millennial Community Fellowship
President & Founder Millennium Harvest Fellowship Ministries, Inc.
Lesson 2 Messianic Terminology 12-05-09
Believer
Instead of the term "Christian," messianic Jews use "believer." To
Jewish people, Christians are the people who have hated and persecuted
Jews for two millennia. While it can be argued that the word Christian
is a biblical one, it is used only three times in the New Covenant
Scriptures (Acts 1 1:26; 26:28; I Peter 4:16). An earlier term used for
Yeshua's followers is "believer." Believer can be used for those in
Messianic circles as well as for those in traditional churches who
truly believe in Yeshua and seek to follow Him. By using the term
believer, focus is placed on a person's commitment to follow the Lord
and away from the excess baggage of those who have called themselves
Christians but who did not walk as He walked.
Messianic
Messianic refers to believers involved in Messianic congregations,
Jewish or Gentile. Messianic Jews are those in Messianic congregations
who are of Jewish descent. Messianic refers to that expression of the
biblical faith which articulates itself in a Jewish manner.
Messianic congregations
are not called churches. Jewish people often associate churches with
anti-Semitism. In the past, and in some places today, anti-Semitism has
come from those who profess to be believers, both from clergy and
laity. Ecclesia refers to people and not to buildings. The term
congregation has the same reference point. A synonym in the New
Covenant for ecclesia is "synagogue" as it is used in James 2:1-6.
There, it points to a meeting of believers. For this reason, the term
congregation, or even synagogue, is the most appropriate one to
describe organized gatherings of Messianic believers.
Covenant
This is a reference to testament in the sense of agreement or contract.
Instead of saying Old Testament and New Testament, Messianic believers
refer to the two halves of the Bible as Older Covenant, or Tenach (its
Hebrew name) and Newer Covenant, or Brit Chadasha (Hebrew for New
Covenant).
Tradition
Jewish cultural and religious practices, whether in their original forms or adapted to reflect Messianic beliefs.
Liturgy
Jewish liturgical elements in both Hebrew and/or English which may be part of a Messianic worship service.
In
addition to the above terms, some Messianic believers substitute "-"
for "o" in God and Lord, writing them as G-d and L-rd. This is a sign
of respect in Jewish culture, just as many Gentile believers capitalize
"G" in G-d and "L" in L-rd, even though there are no such
capitalizations in the original texts of the Old and New Covenants.
Lesson 3 Messianic Terminology 12-5-09
Words and phrases to avoid:
The
following terms evoke historic anti-semitic images rather than
reflecting a Jewish cultural expression. Therefore, most Messianic Jews
do not use them.
Christian was first used to describe
non-Jewish believers in Antioch (as recorded to the book of Acts).
Although the word Christian is used only three times in the New
Testament, it eventually wound up being the commonly used title for
Gentile believers. After the disappearance of ancient Messianic
Judaism, Christian emerged as the primary title for members of
believing congregations. Over the centuries, the term also became
associated with those who hate Jewish people and who have rejected
everything Jewish. Since Christian was (1) never directly used of
Jewish believers in scripture, and (2) carries a negative historical
reminder of anti-Semitism, the term Messianic is used instead. This
word identifies Jewish believers as followers of the Messiah without
the negative overtones which "Christian" has accumulated. [ See
Believer ]
Conversion
To most Jewish people,
conversion means turning away from being Jewish in order to become a
Gentile (see above). Biblically, of course, conversion refers to
repentance (i.e., turning to God). To communicate this same idea, in
Messianic circles a person is said to have become a believer, or has
become Messianic.
Baptism
Messianic Jews speak
of believer's immersion. That's because baptism evokes memories of the
forced conversions and baptisms perpetrated against Jewish people by
anti-Semites. Horrible things, including forced baptisms, were done in
the name of Jesus. Baptism is a symbol of joining a Christian -- that
is, non-Jewish -- church. So, when Messianic Jews talk about the
immersion of believers, they call it Messianic Mikvah, an act with
origins in ancient Jewish practice. Calling it Mikvah keeps the ritual
from being linked to acts of anti-Semitism or other negative issues
associated with the Christian Church. Saying Mikvah rather than baptism
emphasizes the true Jewish roots of the faith and keeps this sacred act
from being identified with people who have profaned the name of the
Messiah by deeds contrary to His teaching.
Cross
To Jewish people, a cross calls up memories of persecution inflicted on
them by people invoking Jesus' name and brandishing crosses. Jewish
believers prefer to focus on the real meaning of the cross. Thus, they
call the place where the Messiah was sacrificed as the altar or
execution stake.
Years as A.D. and B.C.
Dates
are cited with the initials C.E. for "Common Era" or B.C.E. for "Before
the Common Era." Jewish people prefer these neutral phrases instead of
B.C. and A.D. initial meaning "Before Christ" and "In the year of our
Lord."
Lesson 4
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