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Jerusalem Blade · #10 (**permalink**) 09-29-2006, 10:40 AM

Andrew,

I will have to look into Calvin’s remark, “As all the Hebrew Bibles at this day, without exception, have this reading [as a lion –SMR], I would have had great hesitation in departing from a reading which they all support, were it not…”

For, as I said above, the Ben Chayyim edition reads “pierced”, and it was published in 1525. I have read some Jews suspected it as Jacob Ben Chayyim (I have seen him called by the first name Abraham also) converted to Christ.

I have the TBS edition of the Ben Chayyim text and it reads “pierced”. I would imagine it was available to Calvin.

LadyFlynt,

I had to look up what henotheism was! Is their take on it like there are many “gods” – what we would call angelic beings – but only one true God?

Perhaps the best books for one dealing with religious Jews (I am a Jew myself) is Dr. Michael Brown’s 3-volume set, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus (Baker, 2003). In volume 3 he has an extended discussion of Psalm 22, with verse 16 taking a number of pages. His is a scholarly – but strongly evangelistic – approach. He has studied the various Rabbinic sources and the Talmudic writings. I am not enamored of his theology at all (he is a great lover of Charles Finney, for starts), but his Jewish scholarship is excellent. His discussions, in vol 2, of the triunity of God, drawing upon Jewish sources as well as Scripture, are superb.

I like to tell the Jews there is a great celebration going on in the nearly completed Temple the God of Israel Himself is building. Which temple He shall fully manifest on earth after the great resurrection, with abundance of shalom for all those blessed to be in His glorious Kingdom. I talk about the eternal High Priest, who is a friend of sinners (He is Himself Messiah), and His Torah has been distilled down to the essence of righteousness and grace, easy to love and observe – for those who have His Spirit. I believe this is what Paul meant by provoking them to jealousy.

I’ll be praying for Him to touch their hearts through your gracious and informed witness.

Steve

[Edited on 9-29-2006 by Jerusalem Blade]