Post by SimchatTorah on Aug 2, 2004 18:38:47 GMT -8
Before I begin, I would like to share one thing.
This was the MOST DIFFICULT thing I had ever come across. Since then, I have found an uncountable number of Jewish Believers who have confided in me the same conclusion. Also, since my encounter with this issue (quite some time ago) it broke me of ever being offended by HaShem's truths again.
I was raised in a christian home. I veiwed communion as one of the most holy of all traditions. What I am about to share with you was one of the absolutely most difficult things for me to come to closure on.
Now here it is.....
“Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, hamotzi lechem, min ha aretz.”
“Blessed are You, O LORD our God, King of the Universe, Who has brought forth bread from the earth.”
At the beginning of the family meal, this blessing is said as the bread is broken. The blessing is referred to as “the breaking of bread”.
Sharing meals is a very important part of Jewish family and community life. So important, that special blessings are said at the start and end of the meal. The term “breaking bread” is mentioned several times in the Brit Chadasha writings. It is important that we take a look at what it means in Jewish life, to “break bread”.
In the days of Yeshua, a 'communal meal' was a common practice, particularly among the Jewish Sect of the Essenes. The Essenes, a community living mostly in the Judean hills, were known for their absolute community of goods. Those who came into the Community, had to give all they had: there was one purse for all, and all members had expenses, clothing, and food in common. In the second chapter of the book of ‘Acts’, many of the believers in Messiah began to follow the Essene lifestyle, selling their belongings, having all things in common and breaking bread (sharing communal meals) from house to house: “And all believers were together and had all things in common; and those who had possessions sold them and divided to each man according to his need. And they went to the Temple every day with one accord; and at home they broke bread and received food with joy and a pure heart.”
With the advent of Christianity in the fourth century CE, a “Communion” ritual was introduced as part of Christian worship. This ritual involved the reconstructing of the ‘sacrifice of Christ’, where the worshipers partook of bread and wine, which represented the body and blood of their g-d.
Now, within Judaism, there is no such concept as 'communion', nor has there ever been. There is no Biblical equivalent to 'Eucharist', or ‘Communion ritual’. Actually, the ‘communion’ practice caused many severe problems for the Jews, particularly in medieval times with the strange charges of ‘host desecration’. Jews were accused and executed, for allegedly profaning the communion wafer. It was imagined in Christian circles that the Jews, not content with crucifying Christ once, continued to renew the agonies of his suffering by stabbing, tormenting or burning the host. It was said that such was the intensity of their hatred, that when the host shed blood, emitted voices or took to flight, the Jews were not deterred.
The charge of host desecration was leveled against Jews over all the Christian world, frequently bringing large scale massacre.
So, if the concept of ‘communion’ has no Jewish root, where did the Church’s ritual originate?
In the second century CE, the Roman Ch-rch officially rejected all Jewish custom and Law, stating that Christianity had nothing in common with the Jews. In order to accommodate pagans into the new Roman Empire religion, the practices and rituals of the Mystery Religions were modified to suit Christianity. Let us take a look at the origins of the "Communion Ritual" in the Mystery Religions of Babylon and Greece:
The Ritual of Communion was a ritual called 'Omophagia'. In the Greek mysteries, Dionysus (or Bacchus - his Babylonian counterpart), was one of the main deities. His birth was celebrated on December 25. He was the god of wine. His followers, called “Bacchants” , celebrated the communion ritual of Dionysus by crushing the fruit of the vine and drinking the scarlet lifeblood pressed from its flesh. They also dismembering the animal which represented Dionysus (the bull), and worshipers would tear the bull to pieces with their hands and teeth. By practicing “Omophagia” (the dismemberment of the sacrificial victim and eating the flesh and drinking the blood), it was believed the worshiper absorbed the nature, or life of the g-d into his own. Thus, having consumed the flesh of the bull and the wine representing Dionysus, the worshipers took on his power and character. This was a communion in the g-d's own body and blood - to become like the g-d, they had to consume the g-d.
The second century Ch-rch took this concept and adapted it to ‘Jesus’. For this reason, the miracle of communion was that the symbols of ‘Jesus’, the bread and wine, were believed to literally become his flesh and blood. This is called "transubstantiation", and is a belief of Catholics to this day.
Although the Protestant Ch-rch rejected ‘transubstantiation’, they kept the communion ritual, declaring that in the bread and wine, the believer partakes spiritually in the flesh and blood of the g-d. There are three main doctrines of the Communion rite within Christianity:
1. The Roman Catholic Ch-rch teaches that the wafer and wine of the Sacrament become the actual flesh and blood of Christ (Transubstantiation).
2. The Lutheran Ch-rch teaches that the flesh and blood of Christ are consumed in and with the bread and wine. This doctrine is called Consubstantiation.
3. The Calvinists say that the bread and wine give those who partake of them a spiritual participation of the flesh and blood of Christ.
It has been a common practice of non-Catholic denominations to simply ‘spiritualize’ Catholic doctrines. However, the belief still remains, that by either literally or spiritually partaking in the body and blood of the 'g-d', the believer receives the very life of the g-d.
In the Jewish faith, there is no ritual where a worshiper literally eats a symbol of G-d in order to ‘receive Him’. We are transformed only by the Ruach (Spirit of G-d) in the observance of the Commandments.
If this is the case, then what did Yeshua mean when he used the symbolism of bread and wine and flesh and blood in reference to himself? Let’s begin by taking a look at Yeshua’s words while partaking of his ‘last’ meal with his disciples, before he died:
“And he took bread and gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them and said, ‘This is my body, which is given for your sake; this do in remembrance of me” Luke 22:19.
Most of us know, that at this time Yeshua was having a Passover Seder with his disciples. What piece of bread did he take, describing it as “my body”? He took the Afikomen; not just any piece of matzah, but the piece which was broken and hidden at the start of the Seder, and compared this to his body. This was UNLEAVENED bread, signifying the sinlessness of Messiah. It is only at the Passover Seder, held on the Eve of Nissan 14, that the Afikomen is eaten. The
clearly states that we are to remember our redemption by eating unleavened bread at the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is the only time at which we are commanded by G-d to do this. Yeshua is the unleavened bread. For this reason he said, “Do this (keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread/Passover) in remembrance of me.”
The Afikomen also has many other symbollic purposes. It is broken in two, pierced with a knife, wrapped in a white cloth, and hidden from the children. At the end of the meal, the Afikomen is searched for by the children and when found it is brought to the Father of the household, who then gives the child a small reward in return. What an amazing picture of Yeshua!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Often at a ‘Communion service’ leavened bread is used. Leaven represents sin; Messiah is 'the sinless one'. It is the anti-messiah who is called the 'man of sin'.
When the term “breaking bread” is used in the Brit Chadasha writings, it is either in context of the Passover Seder, or the weekly community meal. We already addressed the “communal meal” in Acts 2, now let us take a look at the following passages:
In 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, there are two issues which Shaul addresses:
1. The sanctity of the Passover as being a meal for 'the redeemed' (the Body).
2. The prohibition of partaking in ‘pagan meals'.
It seems that the Corinthians were attending the Passover Seder and then attending the pagan festivals as well. Shaul says it is an offense to G-d to mix the two. Verse 21: “You cannot drink the cup of our Lord and the cup of devils; you cannot be partakers of the table of our L-rd and of the table of devils.” This is a common problem among Gentile believers, and Jewish ‘Messianics’, even to this day. Many like to attend the Biblical Festivals, but also continue in the pagan ones as well. Shaul stresses the importance of the “community” of G-d as being a “set apart” body: v17, “For just as the loaf of bread is one, so we are all one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread.” There can be no mixture.
.... to be continued....
This was the MOST DIFFICULT thing I had ever come across. Since then, I have found an uncountable number of Jewish Believers who have confided in me the same conclusion. Also, since my encounter with this issue (quite some time ago) it broke me of ever being offended by HaShem's truths again.
I was raised in a christian home. I veiwed communion as one of the most holy of all traditions. What I am about to share with you was one of the absolutely most difficult things for me to come to closure on.
Now here it is.....
“Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, hamotzi lechem, min ha aretz.”
“Blessed are You, O LORD our God, King of the Universe, Who has brought forth bread from the earth.”
At the beginning of the family meal, this blessing is said as the bread is broken. The blessing is referred to as “the breaking of bread”.
Sharing meals is a very important part of Jewish family and community life. So important, that special blessings are said at the start and end of the meal. The term “breaking bread” is mentioned several times in the Brit Chadasha writings. It is important that we take a look at what it means in Jewish life, to “break bread”.
In the days of Yeshua, a 'communal meal' was a common practice, particularly among the Jewish Sect of the Essenes. The Essenes, a community living mostly in the Judean hills, were known for their absolute community of goods. Those who came into the Community, had to give all they had: there was one purse for all, and all members had expenses, clothing, and food in common. In the second chapter of the book of ‘Acts’, many of the believers in Messiah began to follow the Essene lifestyle, selling their belongings, having all things in common and breaking bread (sharing communal meals) from house to house: “And all believers were together and had all things in common; and those who had possessions sold them and divided to each man according to his need. And they went to the Temple every day with one accord; and at home they broke bread and received food with joy and a pure heart.”
With the advent of Christianity in the fourth century CE, a “Communion” ritual was introduced as part of Christian worship. This ritual involved the reconstructing of the ‘sacrifice of Christ’, where the worshipers partook of bread and wine, which represented the body and blood of their g-d.
Now, within Judaism, there is no such concept as 'communion', nor has there ever been. There is no Biblical equivalent to 'Eucharist', or ‘Communion ritual’. Actually, the ‘communion’ practice caused many severe problems for the Jews, particularly in medieval times with the strange charges of ‘host desecration’. Jews were accused and executed, for allegedly profaning the communion wafer. It was imagined in Christian circles that the Jews, not content with crucifying Christ once, continued to renew the agonies of his suffering by stabbing, tormenting or burning the host. It was said that such was the intensity of their hatred, that when the host shed blood, emitted voices or took to flight, the Jews were not deterred.
The charge of host desecration was leveled against Jews over all the Christian world, frequently bringing large scale massacre.
So, if the concept of ‘communion’ has no Jewish root, where did the Church’s ritual originate?
In the second century CE, the Roman Ch-rch officially rejected all Jewish custom and Law, stating that Christianity had nothing in common with the Jews. In order to accommodate pagans into the new Roman Empire religion, the practices and rituals of the Mystery Religions were modified to suit Christianity. Let us take a look at the origins of the "Communion Ritual" in the Mystery Religions of Babylon and Greece:
The Ritual of Communion was a ritual called 'Omophagia'. In the Greek mysteries, Dionysus (or Bacchus - his Babylonian counterpart), was one of the main deities. His birth was celebrated on December 25. He was the god of wine. His followers, called “Bacchants” , celebrated the communion ritual of Dionysus by crushing the fruit of the vine and drinking the scarlet lifeblood pressed from its flesh. They also dismembering the animal which represented Dionysus (the bull), and worshipers would tear the bull to pieces with their hands and teeth. By practicing “Omophagia” (the dismemberment of the sacrificial victim and eating the flesh and drinking the blood), it was believed the worshiper absorbed the nature, or life of the g-d into his own. Thus, having consumed the flesh of the bull and the wine representing Dionysus, the worshipers took on his power and character. This was a communion in the g-d's own body and blood - to become like the g-d, they had to consume the g-d.
The second century Ch-rch took this concept and adapted it to ‘Jesus’. For this reason, the miracle of communion was that the symbols of ‘Jesus’, the bread and wine, were believed to literally become his flesh and blood. This is called "transubstantiation", and is a belief of Catholics to this day.
Although the Protestant Ch-rch rejected ‘transubstantiation’, they kept the communion ritual, declaring that in the bread and wine, the believer partakes spiritually in the flesh and blood of the g-d. There are three main doctrines of the Communion rite within Christianity:
1. The Roman Catholic Ch-rch teaches that the wafer and wine of the Sacrament become the actual flesh and blood of Christ (Transubstantiation).
2. The Lutheran Ch-rch teaches that the flesh and blood of Christ are consumed in and with the bread and wine. This doctrine is called Consubstantiation.
3. The Calvinists say that the bread and wine give those who partake of them a spiritual participation of the flesh and blood of Christ.
It has been a common practice of non-Catholic denominations to simply ‘spiritualize’ Catholic doctrines. However, the belief still remains, that by either literally or spiritually partaking in the body and blood of the 'g-d', the believer receives the very life of the g-d.
In the Jewish faith, there is no ritual where a worshiper literally eats a symbol of G-d in order to ‘receive Him’. We are transformed only by the Ruach (Spirit of G-d) in the observance of the Commandments.
If this is the case, then what did Yeshua mean when he used the symbolism of bread and wine and flesh and blood in reference to himself? Let’s begin by taking a look at Yeshua’s words while partaking of his ‘last’ meal with his disciples, before he died:
“And he took bread and gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them and said, ‘This is my body, which is given for your sake; this do in remembrance of me” Luke 22:19.
Most of us know, that at this time Yeshua was having a Passover Seder with his disciples. What piece of bread did he take, describing it as “my body”? He took the Afikomen; not just any piece of matzah, but the piece which was broken and hidden at the start of the Seder, and compared this to his body. This was UNLEAVENED bread, signifying the sinlessness of Messiah. It is only at the Passover Seder, held on the Eve of Nissan 14, that the Afikomen is eaten. The
clearly states that we are to remember our redemption by eating unleavened bread at the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is the only time at which we are commanded by G-d to do this. Yeshua is the unleavened bread. For this reason he said, “Do this (keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread/Passover) in remembrance of me.” The Afikomen also has many other symbollic purposes. It is broken in two, pierced with a knife, wrapped in a white cloth, and hidden from the children. At the end of the meal, the Afikomen is searched for by the children and when found it is brought to the Father of the household, who then gives the child a small reward in return. What an amazing picture of Yeshua!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Often at a ‘Communion service’ leavened bread is used. Leaven represents sin; Messiah is 'the sinless one'. It is the anti-messiah who is called the 'man of sin'.
When the term “breaking bread” is used in the Brit Chadasha writings, it is either in context of the Passover Seder, or the weekly community meal. We already addressed the “communal meal” in Acts 2, now let us take a look at the following passages:
In 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, there are two issues which Shaul addresses:
1. The sanctity of the Passover as being a meal for 'the redeemed' (the Body).
2. The prohibition of partaking in ‘pagan meals'.
It seems that the Corinthians were attending the Passover Seder and then attending the pagan festivals as well. Shaul says it is an offense to G-d to mix the two. Verse 21: “You cannot drink the cup of our Lord and the cup of devils; you cannot be partakers of the table of our L-rd and of the table of devils.” This is a common problem among Gentile believers, and Jewish ‘Messianics’, even to this day. Many like to attend the Biblical Festivals, but also continue in the pagan ones as well. Shaul stresses the importance of the “community” of G-d as being a “set apart” body: v17, “For just as the loaf of bread is one, so we are all one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread.” There can be no mixture.
.... to be continued....
May HaShem richly bless you for breaking from your former practice not found in His most precious 
