Re: Is the new poster/new observer still here?

On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 07:22:37 +0000 (UTC), Omega <Omega.d21@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
: Pharisees, Sadduccees, Essenes, Nazarenes (Christians) plus the
: Zeolots seem to be the main sects.

In 69CE, there were numerous Christian sects, none of them large. The
Evionim (Ebionites) were larger than the Notzerim (Nazarenes). The
Notzerim were a messianic movement that was anticipating the redemption
even back in the 2nd cent BCE. We have mention in the Talmud of a Yeshua
the Notzeri as a student of Shim'on ben Shetach, who in turn was Alexander
Yannai's (Janneus's) brother in law. And Alexander Yannai was a Hasmonean
King in the 2nd cent CE. It would seem that the more famous Jesus was
simply given a name common in the religious movement in which he was born.
(If he is not a composite figure, including this earlier Yeshua as a
component.)

: I am interested on this subject. You bring up a good point about the
: Romans corrupting the Temple (Levite) leadership. It seemed that
: everyone had grief with the Temple....

Sure. The priesthood was largely Sadducee. The Hasmonean kings, who were
kohanim, liked Sadducism as it eliminated the need for rabbis. Only one
source of authority -- the priesthood. So, it's unsurprising no one else

: With all the interest in the Dead Sea Scrolls, what do we really know
: about the Essenes? Was Christianity founded on their teachings? Was
: the Freemasons founded by them?

The Freemasons were founded in the 17th and 18th centuries, as the guild
system fell apart. The freemasonry guild kept funds coming in by accepting
rich kids as "speculative masons". Nothing to do with the Essenes.

: BTW, modern Judaism seem to be just as divided.

Big problem, as the Talmud blames the fall of the 2nd Temple on our
divisiveness.

: We have among the Ashkenazi: Orthodox, Conservative-Reconstructionist
: and Reform plus the ultra Orthodox (Chabad-Lubavitch)...

Chabad is only a small percentage of chareidim. The real divisions are
yeshivish, chassidic, litvish, heimish, etc... Only once we drill down
into chassidus do we get Lubavitch, Satmar, Belz, Breslov, Klausenburg,
etc, etc, etc...

: the Sephardic heritage. Frankly I like the Shephardic traditions a bit
: more. The food is interesting, closer to traditional food that might
: have been eaten several thousand years ago. And look at how we now use
: the Sephardic pronuniations rather than Ashkenazi for Hebrew...

"We" do?

: are observant sit along side those who are not. Nor do they go
: overboard, as it seems that the Ashkenazi orthodox do, in being
: observant...

On that last point, you do not know of what you speak. This post is,
to be frank, rife with that.

:-)BBii!
-mi

--
Micha Berger Life is complex.
micha@xxxxxxxxxxx Decisions are complex.
http://www.aishdas.org The Torah is complex.
Fax: (270) 514-1507 - R' Binyamin Hecht
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