GREAT GRATITUDE AND TOTAL CREDIT
To Brother Joel Premkumar from Tamil Nadu who diligently provided me with a very Scriptural and Satisfactory answer to my earlier Article Question/Statement of, "Identity Crisis among-st New Believers in Body of Messiah". He confidently explained to me how present day Hebraic Worshipers and Followers of Yeshua ha Messiah should be accurately identified or called as Messianic Israelite's. This article was possible due to Joel's scriptural support and points.
MESSIANIC ISRAELITE'S
Before we delve into the modern title and
topic of who and how there are “Messianic Israelites” let’s first start
understanding the history of the word, “Israel” and “Israelite”.
Historical Israelites
The
Israelites and their culture, according
to modern archaeological explanations, branched out of the Canaanite peoples
and their cultures through the development of a distinct monolatristic (The worship of a single deity while
possibly believing in others). —and later monotheistic (belief that there is only one God)—religion centered on the deity
of Yahweh.
Biblical Israelites
According to the Hebrew Bible, the
Israelites were descendants of Jacob, who was later given the name Israel.
After Jacob moved to Egypt with his twelve sons following a severe drought,
they ultimately became the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The Bible says that Moses
led the Israelites away from slavery in Egypt into Canaan, which is today
modern day state of Israel.
Genesis
35:9 - 12
“And
Elohim appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed
him. And Elohim said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be
called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name
Israel. And Elohim said unto him, I am El Almighty: be fruitful and
multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall
come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I
will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.”
Twelve Tribes
The tribes were named after Jacob's sons and grandsons. They were Asher, Dan, Ephraim, Gad, Issachar, Manasseh, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, Zebulun, Judah and Benjamin.
Ten Tribes
As
prophesied by Ahijah (1 Kings 11:31-35), the house
of Israel was divided into two kingdoms. This division, which took place
approximately 975 B.C., after the death of Solomon and during the reign of his
son, Rehoboam, came about as the people revolted against heavy taxes levied by
Solomon and Rehoboam.
Subjects
of King JEROBOAM = 10 Tribes of Israel gave allegiance = Kingdom of ISRAEL.
(Northern Kingdom of Israel)
The other 10 tribes and the remainder of the
tribe of Benjamin – usually spoken of as the Ten Tribes – chose Jeroboam as
their king. The collective Ten Tribes retained the title of Israel, and became
known also as Ephraim, which was the dominant tribe. It became the northern
kingdom, with headquarters at Shechem in Samaria.
Two Tribes
Subjects
of King REHOBOAM = 2 Tribes of Israel gave allegiance = Kingdom of JUDAH.
(Southern Kingdom of Israel)
During Rehoboam's reign, the tribe of Judah
and the majority of the tribe of Benjamin accepted Rehoboam as their king. They
became the kingdom of Judah, or the southern kingdom of Israel, with its
capital at Jerusalem.
1
Kings 11:29 -35
“And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field: And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces: And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee: (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:) Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the mighty one of the Zidonians, Chemosh the mighty one of the Moabites, and Milcom the mighty one of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father. Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes: But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.”
First 10 Tribes unfaithful to Yahweh
Almost as soon as the northern kingdom of
Israel was established, it went into apostasy. Although great prophets such as
Elijah and Amos ministered in the kingdom, the people worshiped false gods and
adopted many practices of Baalism.
The kingdom of Israel was more populous and
powerful, but it fell some 135 years before Judah did. In about 721 B.C.,
Israel was captured by the Assyrians, under Shalmanezer, and carried away, and
subsequently, became lost to the knowledge of men. They are now referred to as
"the lost ten tribes."
Secondly & finally the 02 Tribes were unfaithful to Yahweh.
Judah (the 02 Tribes) in about 588 B.C.,
Babylonia's Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem and virtually put an end to
the kingdom of Judah as its people were taken captive into Babylon. After
nearly 70 years, Persia's King Cyrus subdued Babylon and permitted Judah to
return to Jerusalem. Many of the people of Judah, the majority did return to
Jerusalem.
Modern day Israelites
Modern
Jews and Samaritans have both descended from the ancient Israelites.
Modern Jews claim lineage from Tribe of
Judah, the Tribe of Benjamin and partially the Tribe of Levi since the ten
northern tribes were considered lost following Assyrian captivity, with the
Tribe of Judah absorbing the remnants of them. The Samaritans claim descent
from the tribe of Ephraim and tribe of Manasseh (two sons of Joseph) as well as
from the Levites.
Could ancient Gentiles or Foreigners become part of the Israelite
community during the Exodus of Biblical times?
Exodus
12:38 - “And
a Mixed Multitude went
up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.”
In
Exodus 12:38, we read that when the Israelites left Egypt,
a mixed multitude (עֵרֶב
רַב) went up
with them. Therefore, the question arises: Who were the mixed multitude?
Interestingly, the word עֵרֶב
is also attested to at the time of Nehemiah. In Nehemiah 13:3 the term עֵרֶב is linked
to Nehemiah's reforms against intermarriages. In other texts, such as Jer
25:20; 50:37 and Ezekiel 30:5, the term עֵרֶב
has the meaning "to take on a pledge" or "to give in pledge
exchange." In those instances, the term עֵרֶב
appears in the context of war and those slain by the sword; thus, the term
refers to mercenaries. A clue to the identity of the mixed multitude can also
be found in Exodus 13:18, where the text describes the Israelites at the time
of the Exodus as חֲמֻשִׁים,
a term which can have military implications. The existence of mercenaries in
the ancient world is well known. They were part of David's army and accepted as
part of the Israelite nation. In this paper, we will show that the term עֵרֶב רַב in Exodus 12:38 refers to
mercenaries who intermarried with the Israelites and left armed with them at
the time of the Exodus from Egypt.
Abstract
from Research Article, titled, “Who were the Mixed Multitude?” by Shaul Bar. For the detailed 13 page article please visit
Hebrew Studies, Vol. 49 (2008), pp. 27-39 (13 pages). Published by: National Association of Professors of Hebrew (NAPH).
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27913875?read-now=1&seq=1
So at the time of Exodus and the Crossing of
the Red Sea or Reed Sea, the Hebrews were joined by Egyptians (referred to as
Mixed Multitude) who exercised their faith and allegiance to Elohim Yahweh
after seeing how all of their pagan gods were proven to be false and weak by
the ten plagues of Yah. At the time of the Exodus, Gentiles in grafted
themselves to Israel.
Was the Law/Torah of Yahweh the same for the Israelites and new
foreigners/gentiles who joined the Israelite community?
Ancient Israel was acquainted with two classes of
strangers, resident aliens and foreigners who considered their sojourn in the land
more or less temporary. The latter were referred to as zarim (זָרִים)
or nokhrim (נָכְרִים), terms generally applied to anyone
outside the circle the writer had in view (e.g., Ex. 21:8; 29:33). They
retained their ties to their original home and sought to maintain their former
political or social status. On occasion they came as invaders (II Sam. 22:45–46; Obad. 11). More often they entered the land
in the pursuit of trade and other commercial ventures.
The usual laws were not applicable to them, and they were
protected by folk traditions concerning the proper treatment of strangers (cf.
Job 31:32) and by special conventions resulting from contractual arrangements
between the Israelites and their neighbors (cf. I Kings 20:34). In the legislation of Deuteronomy, an
Israelite may charge a foreigner usury though he may not do so to a fellow
Israelite (Deut. 23:21), and the septennial remission of debts does not apply
to the debts of foreigners (Deut. 15:3).
On the other hand, barred from the cult (Ex. 12:43),
the foreigner was also not bound by the ritual laws, and it was permissible to
sell him animals that had died a natural death (Deut. 14:21). The fact that
Deuteronomy includes a special prohibition against foreigners' ascending the
throne (Deut. 17:15) and that Solomon specifically requested that God listen to
their prayers (I Kings 8:41) may indicate the important
position some foreigners occupied during the age of the monarchy.
In contrast with the foreigner, the ger (גֵּר),
the resident alien, lived more or less permanently in his adopted community.
Like the Arabic jār, he was "the protected stranger," who
was totally dependent on his patrons for his well-being. As W.R. Smith noted,
his status was an extension of that of the guest, whose person was inviolable,
though he could not enjoy all the privileges of the native. He, in turn, was
expected to be loyal to his protectors (Gen. 21:23) and to be bound by their
laws (Num. 15:15–16).
Prior to the Exodus, resident aliens as a class were unknown in Israel. On the contrary, the Israelites themselves were gerim (Ex. 22:20) as were their ancestors (Gen. 15:13; cf. 23:4; Ex. 2:22). Aliens were apparently attracted to their ranks when they left Egypt (Ex. 12:38, 48), and their numbers were further augmented during the time of the conquest of Canaan (Josh. 9:3ff.). By far the greatest number of gerim consisted of the earlier inhabitants of Canaan, many of whom were neither slain as Deuteronomy commands (cf. e.g., 7:2) nor reduced to total slavery (cf. I Kings 5:29; II Chron. 2:16–17). Immigrants also were numbered among them – foreigners who sought refuge in times of drought and famine (cf. Ruth 1:1) and refugees who fled before invading armies.
Since all of the landed property belonged to Israelites (cf.
Lev. 25:23–24), the gerim were largely day laborers and
artisans (Deut. 24: 14–15; cf. 29:10). Both the Book of
the Covenant which classed them among those who were dependent (Ex.
23:12) and the Decalogue which referred to them as "your
stranger" (gerkha; Ex. 20:10; cf. Deut. 5:14) attest their inferior
position in Israelite society. While a few acquired wealth (cf. Lev. 25:47),
most of them were poor and were treated as the impoverished natives. Thus, they
were permitted to share in the fallen fruit in the vineyard (Lev. 19:10), the
edges of the field, and the gleanings of the harvest (Lev. 23:22; see also
Poor, Provisions *for). Like the other poor folk they were also granted a
share in the tithe of the third year (Deut. 14:29) and the produce of the Sabbatical
Year (Lev. 25:6).
Since the foreigners' defenselessness made them vulnerable, the
Israelites were frequently reminded of God's special concern for the weak
(Ex. 22:21–22; cf. Deut. 10:17–19) and were enjoined not to molest them (Ex.
22:20; cf. Jer. 7:6). They were not to be abused (Deut. 24:14) and were to
receive equal treatment before the law (Deut. 1:16; cf. 24:17; 27:19). In case
of accidental homicide, the cities of refuge were open to them as well (Num.
35:15), for there was to be "one standard for stranger and citizen
alike" (Lev. 24:22).
Moreover, the Israelites were enjoined to be especially
solicitous of the welfare of the ger and to befriend him as
one of their own, since they could recall the sufferings of their own people in
the land of Egypt (Lev. 19:34; cf. Deut. 10:19).
With the passage of time, the gerim were
assimilated culturally and religiously. Doeg the Edomite, for instance, was a
worshiper of YHWH by the time of Saul (I Sam. 21:8), as was Uriah the Hittite in the reign of David
(II Sam. 11:11). Hence, the ger,
in contrast to the nokhri, was required in many cases to conform to
the ritual practices of the native Israelite. Thus, gerim were
subject to laws dealing with ritual purification (Num. 19:2–10), incest (Lev.
18:26) and some of the food taboos (Lev. 17:10–16; but cf. Deut. 14:21).
They were expected to observe the Sabbath (Ex. 20:10;
Deut. 5:14), participate in the religious festivals (Deut. 16:11, 14), and fast
on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29). They were permitted to offer up
burnt offerings (Lev. 17:8; 22:18; Num. 15:14ff.) and, if circumcised, even
to sacrifice the paschal lamb (Ex. 12:48–49; Num. 9:14). Indeed,
they, no less than the Israelites, were expected to be loyal to YHWH (Lev. 20:2; cf. Ezek. 14:5–8).
However, social differences did remain, and some gerim were
better received than others. While third generation offspring of Edomites and
Egyptians might "be admitted into the congregation of the Lord"
(Deut. 23:8–9), Ammonites and Moabites were not to be admitted "even in
the tenth generation" (23:4).
Furthermore, even while the Holiness Code admonished Israelites not to subject their fellows to slavery (Lev. 25:39), they were specifically permitted to do so to the children of resident aliens (25:45–46).
A Hebrew slave belonging to a ger could
be redeemed immediately, and if not redeemed served until the Jubilee
Year (25:47ff.), but one belonging to an Israelite served until
the *Jubilee (25:39ff.). Correspondingly, a Hebrew could serve as a
hired or bound laborer (25:40) of an Israelite, but only as a hired laborer of
an alien (25:50). Indeed, the humble position of the ger generally
was emphasized by the usage of the term in the Holiness Code: e.g., "The
land is Mine; you are but stranger’s resident with Me" (25:23; cf. 25:35,
but see *Proselyte).
In practice, of course, there were Israelites who became property
less and destitute and had to support themselves as day laborers (Deut. 24:14;
cf. Lev. 19:13), and no doubt there were also gerim who became
prosperous and acquired land. This narrowed the gap between the two classes and
resulted in frequent intermingling.
Marriages between the two groups did take place, only marriages
between Israelites and the aboriginal inhabitants of Palestine being
prohibited in Deuteronomy 7:3–4. On close examination it appears that even in
the theory (and it was hardly more) of the author of Ezra-Nehemiah only
marital alliances with the non-Israelites of Palestine were illegitimate,
because the laws of Deuteronomy 7:3–4 and 23:3–9 applied to them. The
absorption of converts from other nations is reported with equanimity – Ezra
2:59–60 (= Neh. 7:61–62); Ezra 6:21; Nehemiah 10:29 ("and everyone who
withdrew from the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands [note the plural] to
the teaching of God").
The phenomenon of such conversions is alluded to in Isaiah 56:3
and Zechariah 2:15; 8:20ff., and the predictions of the conversion of the
gentiles in Isaiah and Jeremiah are well known. In late Second Temple times,
the term ger had become virtually synonymous with
"proselyte," and strangers were admitted to the religious fellowship
of Israel (Jos., Apion, 2:28).
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
W.R. Smith, Lectures on the Religion of the Semites (1889,
1956), 75–79; M. Guttmann, in: HUCA, 3 (1926), 1–20; T.J.
Meek, in: JBL, 49 (1930), 172–80; Pedersen, Israel, 1–2
(1926), 40ff., 505; 3–4 (1940), 397, 583–4; Kaufmann Y., Toledot, 2 (1947),
191–2, 459; idem, Golah ve-Nekhar, 1 (19542), 226ff.;
L.A. Snijders, in: OTS, 10 (1954), 1–154; de Vaux, Anc Isr,
74ff.; ET, 6 (1965), 296–304.
Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica.
© 2008 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.
Source of Information and Article Credits: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/strangers-and-gentiles
HOW RUTH A MOABITE BECAME AN ISRAELITE?
The Substance of Kinship: How Ruth the Moabite Became a Daughter in Judah?
Ruth’s consumption of
barley and wheat gleaned from the field of Boaz was an integral step in her
transformation from a “foreigner” who arrived from the fields of Moab to a
“daughter” in Judah.
Ruth in the Fields (detail) Hugues Merle, 1876. Wikigallery.org
The book of Ruth as a
whole narrates the gradual transformation of Ruth the Moabite into an
Israelite, and her integration within the Judahite clan of Elimelech in
Bethlehem. The stages of Ruth’s processual transformation begin with her
decision to remain with Naomi and move with her back to Judah. Ruth’s decision
is articulated in the form of a loyalty oath that she swears to Naomi, her
land, her people and her god:
רות א:טז אַל תִּפְגְּעִי בִי לְעָזְבֵךְ לָשׁוּב מֵאַחֲרָיִךְ כִּי אֶל אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכִי אֵלֵךְ וּבַאֲשֶׁר תָּלִינִי אָלִין עַמֵּךְ עַמִּי וֵאלֹהַיִךְ אֱלֹהָי. א:יז בַּאֲשֶׁר תָּמוּתִי אָמוּת וְשָׁם אֶקָּבֵר כֹּה יַעֲשֶׂה יְ־הוָה לִי וְכֹה יֹסִיף כִּי הַמָּוֶת יַפְרִיד בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵךְ.
Ruth 1:16 Do
not urge me to abandon you, to return from following after you. For where you
go, I will go and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people,
and your god, my god. 1:17 Where you die, I will die, and there I
will be buried. Thus may YHWH do to me and more if death separates me from you.[1]
Mark Smith, a scholar of
biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies at Princeton University (formerly at
NYU), has argued that through this oath, Ruth seeks a “change of identity” from
Moabite to Judahite. This change will be accomplished as part of a process, in
“the steps of life that the two women take together” in the remaining scenes of
the story.[2]
Family, Food, Foreigners
and Fields
Chapter 2 introduces the
character of Boaz, a wealthy member of the extended family of Elimelech, Ruth’s
deceased husband, and immediately juxtaposes him with Ruth the foreigner:
רות ב:א וּלְנָעֳמִי (מידע) [מוֹדַע] לְאִישָׁהּ אִישׁ גִּבּוֹר חַיִל מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת אֱלִימֶלֶךְ וּשְׁמוֹ בֹּעַז. ב:ב וַתֹּאמֶר רוּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּה אֶל נָעֳמִי אֵלְכָה נָּא הַשָּׂדֶה וַאֲלַקֳטָה בַשִּׁבֳּלִים אַחַר אֲשֶׁר אֶמְצָא חֵן בְּעֵינָיו וַתֹּאמֶר לָהּ לְכִי בִתִּי.
Ruth 2:1 To Naomi there was a man, known to her husband,
a man of wealth and prominence, from the clan of Elimelech,
and his name was Boaz. 2:2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi
“Permit me go to the field so that I might glean among the ears of grain,
behind someone in whose eyes I might find favor.” She said to her, “Go, my
daughter.”
Before Boaz’s name is
spoken, two words identify him as an insider connected to Naomi through her
husband: He is a “relative” or “someone known to” (מידע or מודע)[3] Elimelech,
and he is part of the “family” or “clan” (המשפחה) of Elimelech. In contrast,
verse 2 begins by describing Ruth as המואביה “the Moabite,” but ends with Naomi
calling her בתי “my daughter.” These two verses capture the transitional phase
that Ruth finds herself in when she and Naomi arrive destitute in Bethlehem.
As the story continues,
Ruth happens upon the field that belongs to Boaz, a gibbor ḥayil (גבור
חיל)—literally “a powerful hero” but meaning something like “a man of
substance”—and he arrives to find this new woman gleaning in his field. After
learning Ruth’s identity, Boaz immediately grants her permission to glean and
offers her his protection. Both of these acts present Boaz as a kind and
generous benefactor, and the text continues with Boaz giving Ruth three
directives, each of which I will examine in turn.
1.
Stay in My Field
Addressing Ruth as “my
daughter,” Boaz tells her to remain in his field:
רות ב:ח הֲלוֹא שָׁמַעַתְּ בִּתִּי אַל תֵּלְכִי לִלְקֹט בְּשָׂדֶה אַחֵר וְגַם לֹא תַעֲבוּרִי מִזֶּה וְכֹה תִדְבָּקִין עִם נַעֲרֹתָי. ב:ט עֵינַיִךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר יִקְצֹרוּן וְהָלַכְתְּ אַחֲרֵיהֶן...
Ruth 2:8 Listen
my daughter, do not go to glean in another field, and don’t cross over from
this one. Rather, stay close to my young women 2:9 Keep your eyes on the field where they are reaping, and
follow behind them….[4]
As noted by André
LaCocque, Professor Emeritus of Hebrew Bible at Chicago
Theological Seminary, the narrator repeatedly links Ruth to “the notion of
‘field.’”[5] Ruth goes to the “field” to glean and
happens to end up in the “field belonging to Boaz” (2:3). When Boaz asks who
she is, his servant identifies her as “the Moabite” from “the fields of Moab.”
The centrality of the
field is not limited to this passage, but functions as bookends for the
narrative portion of the book. Chapter one identifies Ruth as coming from “the
fields of Moab”(1:1, 2, 6, 22), and in chapter four, Boaz ties her to the field
of Elimelech, indicating that the kinsman who redeems this field will also
acquire “Ruth the Moabite as a wife” (4:3-6). For LaCocque, “Boaz’s field
symbolizes the land of Israel,” and Ruth’s “assimilation among Boaz’s ‘young
women’ is her integration in Israel.”[6]
Anthropologist James
Leach, whose ethnographic research focuses on the Reite people on the Rai Coast
of Papua New Guinea, uses the term “placedness” to emphasize the importance of
“place” in the formation of a person and in the establishment of kinship bonds.[7] He speaks of a person and a land being “enfolded” into one
another in a “process of becoming.”[8]
In this process of becoming, it is not the kinship categories of lineage and descent that are important. Instead, “the life cycle, and particularly the ascription of identity and relatedness through activities” construct relatedness between people.[9] People and places impact and shape each other, such that “places enter directly into the generation of persons, while persons – through their work – engender places.”[10]
This might explain why
we don’t find Ruth sitting around in the house of Naomi. Instead, we see her
immediately go out and work the land; she gleans and gathers in the field
belonging to Boaz. By keeping her eyes on his field and staying close to his
women, she enacts part of her loyalty oath, enfolding herself into a new land
and a new people.
2.
Drink Water Drawn by My Men
Boaz’s second directive
to Ruth is to drink water from his vessels drawn by his men.
רות ב:ט הֲלוֹא צִוִּיתִי אֶת הַנְּעָרִים לְבִלְתִּי נָגְעֵךְ וְצָמִת וְהָלַכְתְּ אֶל הַכֵּלִים וְשָׁתִית מֵאֲשֶׁר יִשְׁאֲבוּן הַנְּעָרִים.
Ruth 2:9 I
have ordered the young men not to touch you. If you are thirsty, walk over to
the vessels and drink from those that the young men have drawn.
Offering Ruth water goes
far beyond what was expected of a landowner in his position and is not
necessary if the goal of the storyteller is simply to present Boaz as generous.
Several commentators, among them Lacocque, have noted that this command is a reversal
of the Rebekah story where Rebekah draws water for Abraham’s servant and for
his camels (Gen 24: 15-21). Noting this reversal, he marvels, “a Judean serves
a Moabite and a woman drinks water drawn by men.”[11] Kirsten Nielsen, professor at Denmark’s Aarhus University,
comments, “drawing water is a woman’s job, women draw water for men, even male
servants.”[12]
Moreover, by serving a
Moabite woman water, Boaz flouts common wisdom. Proverbs 5 warns against
allowing outsiders to steal one’s wealth, “lest foreigners sate themselves with
the product of your labor” (פֶּן יִשְׂבְּעוּ זָרִים כֹּחֶךָ; Prov 5:10). It
then recommends,
משלי ה:טו שְׁתֵה מַיִם מִבּוֹרֶךָ וְנֹזְלִים מִתּוֹךְ בְּאֵרֶךָ.
Prov 5:15 Drink
water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well.
This suggests a belief
and practice of insularity and protectiveness with regard to a family or clan’s
proprietary water source.[13]
Why does the text show
the honorable Boaz, a gibbor ḥayil, worrying over a foreign
worker’s water source? Again, we appear to have a symbolic act here that
demonstrates that Boaz does not consider Ruth a foreigner, but kin. This
tension regarding Ruth’s identity is made explicit in a conversation Boaz and
Ruth have immediately after this directive.
Stranger
or Kin?
In the verse just
following Boaz’s offer of water, Ruth deploys a pun when she exclaims in
gratitude:
רות ב:י מַדּוּעַ מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ לְהַכִּירֵנִי וְאָנֹכִי נָכְרִיָּה.
Ruth 2:10 “Why
have I found favor in your site, that you should take notice of me when
I am a foreigner?”
The wordplay and
assonance between these two words suggest that the “foreigner” or “the
unrecognized one” (הנוכריה) has become one who is “recognized” or
“known,” [14](להכירני).
Boaz responds by telling Ruth that he has heard her story, and by giving her a lengthy blessing that further solidifies Ruth’s claim to the land of Israel by tying her migration to that of Abraham[15] and by placing her under the protection of Israel’s god:
רות ב:יא הֻגֵּד הֻגַּד לִי כֹּל אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂית אֶת חֲמוֹתֵךְ אַחֲרֵי מוֹת אִישֵׁךְ וַתַּעַזְבִי אָבִיךְ וְאִמֵּךְ וְאֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתֵּךְ וַתֵּלְכִי אֶל עַם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַעַתְּ תְּמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם. ב:יב יְשַׁלֵּם יְ־הוָה פָּעֳלֵךְ וּתְהִי מַשְׂכֻּרְתֵּךְ שְׁלֵמָה מֵעִם יְ־הוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר בָּאת לַחֲסוֹת תַּחַת כְּנָפָיו.
Ruth 2:11 It
has surely been reported to me all that you have done for your mother-in-law
after the death of your husband. How you abandoned your father and your mother,
and the land of your birth, and went to a people that you did not know. 2:12 May YHWH reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full
reward from YHWH, the god of Israel, under whose wings you have come for
refuge!
Following this blessing,
Ruth refers to herself for the first time as “your maidservant” (שפחתך), a term
that subtly enfolds her within the clan (המשפחה) of Boaz (2:13).[16]
3.
Sit beside My Reapers and Eat Bread
At mealtime, Boaz adds a
third and more far reaching provision, when he personally invites Ruth to eat
with his workers:
רות
ב:יד גֹּשִׁי
הֲלֹם וְאָכַלְתְּ מִן הַלֶּחֶם וְטָבַלְתְּ פִּתֵּךְ בַּחֹמֶץ
Ruth 2:14 Come here and eat some of the bread, and dip a morsel in the
sour wine.
Ruth then “sits beside
the reapers” (וַתֵּשֶׁב מִצַּד הַקּוֹצְרִים), not with Boaz’s young women or
with the other gleaners. She has a seat beside the male workers who do the main
harvesting. Boaz then serves Ruth:ב:יד וַיִּצְבָּט
לָהּ קָלִי וַתֹּאכַל וַתִּשְׂבַּע וַתֹּתַר.
2:14 He handed her the roasted grain, and she ate until she was satisfied and there was still some leftover.
In this mealtime scene,
Boaz invites Ruth to take part in the staple starch produced in his fields,
bread. He invites her to share in the product of his clan labor, and he
personally serves her “roasted grain” grown on his fields. In fact, the
repeated tying of Ruth to “fields” noted earlier also emphasizes the
significance of the food produced on those fields through the labor of humans
associated with that field.
The importance of Boaz’s
directive to eat together with him is best understood in the context of
anthropological theories about the role of food and shared food consumption in
kinship formation.
The
Processual Nature of Kinship
Anthropologists focusing
on kinship studies in the last several decades have moved away from the idea
that birth into a family establishes one’s kinship with that family for all
time. Instead, they have asserted that kinship or “relatedness” is best understood
as Processual.
Anthropologists Monica
Janowski, who conducted fieldwork in Malaysia, asserts that “sex merely
initiates a person.” It is the ongoing feeding of a person throughout life that
“is vital in the production of a human being.”
Relatedness must be “built up through appropriate feeding throughout life.”[17] Similarly, Janet Carsten, who also conducted fieldwork on Malaysia, argues that “It is through living and consuming together in houses that people become complete persons – that is, kin.” “Personhood, relatedness, and feeding,” she argues, “are intimately connected.”[18]
Emphasizing the
importance of the shared consumption of “everyday food,” Janowski marks a
division between the “core starch” and “fringe” elements of the diet. She notes
that the core starch—rice in Malaysia—is grown on one’s own land and produced
with significant difficulty through one’s own labor. Janowski suggests that the
reason that rice is such a powerful substance in Southeast Asian societies – in
her words “rice constructs kinship” – is that rice is a crop that requires
“human help to allow it to grow.”[19]
Bread:
Ancient Israel’s Core Starch
For ancient Israel, the
staple starch was bread. Nathan MacDonald, professor of Bible at the University
of Cambridge, estimates that “For the typical Israelite, bread or other
grain-based foods such as porridge probably contributed over half their
calorific intake, with estimates varying between 53 and 75 percent.”[20]
Jennie Ebeling, an
archaeologist at the University of Evansville focusing on the Iron I village
economy in the Central Highlands, lists “barley, wheat, and lentils” as the
“main crop” in ancient Israel with vegetables, grapes, olives, and pomegranates
as the supplementary food items.[21] Carol
Meyers, Professor Emerita of Religious Studies at Duke University, calls the
grains of cereal crops “the mainstay of the Israelite diet for most people
throughout the Iron Age.”[22]
In the ancient Israelite village economy, growing and harvesting grain and processing it into bread was a time-consuming, labor-intensive process that required the participation of an entire family.[23] By the time a family gathered around a table to share a loaf of bread, each member would likely have contributed significant labor “by the sweat of their faces.”[24]
Boaz’s directives to
Ruth to stay on his land, drink from his well, and most significantly, to eat
of his grain, must be understood in this context.
Integrating
into Judah and Boaz’s Clan
The sequence of events
in the book of Ruth is significant for demonstrating the role of food and
feeding in the processual transformation of Ruth the Moabite from foreigner to
family. The book highlights the centrality of bread at the very beginning. The
story starts with the announcement of a famine:
רות א:א וַיְהִי בִּימֵי שְׁפֹט הַשֹּׁפְטִים וַיְהִי רָעָב בָּאָרֶץ...
Ruth 1:1 In
the days when judges ruled, there was a famine in the land…
The famine occurs in
Bethlehem (בית לחם), “The House of Bread,”—the book of Ruth delights in
wordplay—and ends when YHWH “remembers to give bread (לחם) to his people” (Ruth
1:6). Eventually, Ruth will marry the man who gives her of his grain and will
become part of his clan.
This is further highlighted by the book’s use of the imagery of fields, as noted above. In chapter one, Ruth swears a loyalty oath to Naomi and relocates from the “fields of Moab” to “the land of Judah.” In chapter two, she finds herself on the “field belonging to Boaz,” where she contributes her labor through gleaning and regularly partakes of the produce of those fields by eating Boaz’s bread and parched grain and drinking water from his vessels. Also, the important scenes in which Boaz blesses Ruth, and in which Ruth appears by his feet at night and asks for redemption, all occur in his fields.
Fields and grain, of
course, are intimately connected, and the main action of the narrative, from
Naomi’s return to the marriage of Boaz and Ruth, all take place in during the
approximately two months spanning the sequential barley and wheat harvests.[25]
During this time, Boaz
provisions Ruth from the grain he grows on his fields, which his workers cook,
and Ruth eats with his people.
This means that by the
time Ruth and Boaz marry and conceive Obed (Ruth 4:13), Ruth is already well
into the process of becoming substantively Judean. Obed, the grandfather of
David, could, at the very least, be considered a little less Moabite on account
of Ruth’s food-based transformation.[26]
Ruth
and Shavuot
The book of Ruth is read
by Jews on Shavuot, ostensibly because of the wheat harvest connection. As Jews
the world over celebrate the festival, they will gather around a table adorned
with fresh flowers and greens and enjoy a family feast rich in dairy.
As family members tuck into the cheese blintzes, they should realize that through the shared ingesting of the flour-based crepes, they are reaffirming their kinship ties in a way reminiscent of Boaz and Ruth’s simple meal of roasted wheat dipped in sour wine. Can somebody please pass the blintzes?
Source of above information and Article Credits: https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-substance-of-kinship-how-ruth-the-moabite-became-a-daughter-in-judah
Did Yeshua (Jesus) start the religion called by the name of
Christianity?
CHRISTIANITY IS A MAN-MADE RELIGION:
No. Yeshua (Jesus) DID NOT start the religion called, “Christianity”.
·
Even a cursory reading of the New
Testament will reveal that the Roman Catholic Church does not have its origin
in the teachings of Yeshua (Jesus) or His apostles.
·
For the first 280 years of Christian
history, the faith of Yeshua (Jesus) was banned by the Roman Empire, and the
Sect of Nazarene’s (Followers of Christ/Messiah) were terribly persecuted by
the Roman Empire.
·
The Almighty God Yahweh of the Bible
NEVER even once ever used the word “Christian”.
·
The word “Christian” has origins
from the Greek language. Hebrew word Messiah is translated in Greek as
Christos, from which in English you get Christ meaning Savior or Messiah.
·
Yeshua (Jesus) NEVER called any of
his followers as “Christians”. He used to speak either Hebrew or Aramaic.
·
The first 12 Apostles NEVER used the
word, “Christian” for each other.
·
The first thousands of disciples of
Yeshua ha Messiah (Jesus Christ) never were called by the Assembly and each
other by the word, “Christian”.
·
The Greek word, “Christian” was
alien and unused by the First Century Followers of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus)
·
ONLY 3 Times, that too ONLY in the
New Testament that too in the Greek language was the word “Christian” used by Non-Believers,
Pagans and other onlookers and people outside the Jewish faith of Yeshua.
·
The word “Christian” all of the 3
times as used in the New Testament had negative connotations.
MODERN DAY CHRISTIANITY WAS STARTED
WITH THE UNHOLY PARTNERSHIP OF POLITICS AND RELIGION BETWEEN EMPEROR
CONSTANTINE AND THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH:
·
For the early part of 300 years
after the Resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus) there was NO Church existing as Roman
Catholic Church.
·
The Roman Empire legally recognized
Pauline teachings as a valid religion in 313 AD. Later in that century, in 380
AD, Roman Catholicism became the official religion of the Roman Empire. During
the following 1000 years, Roman Catholics were the only people recognized as
Christians.
·
The first 12 Apostles of Yeshua
NEVER built any building filled with Idols, called as Church.
· The word CHURCH originates from the Greek word KIRKE But it was wrongly used in English Translations on the forceful power of the Catholic Church to be used for the Hebrew word EKLESSIA which accurately is translated into English language as ASSEMBLY or CALLED OUT ONES.
·
There always was an ASSEMBLY
(Church) in the Old Testament and there was an Assembly (Church) in the New
Testament too.
·
Ekklesia
is a Greek word defined as “a
called-out assembly or congregation.” Ekklesia is commonly and wrongly translated as
“church” in the New Testament. For example, Acts 11:26 says that “Barnabas and
Saul met with the church [Ekklesia]” in Antioch.
·
There
always was a CHURCH (Assembly of Called out Ones) in the Old Testament Bible
times.
American Standard Version
This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel that spake to
him in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received living oracles to
give unto us:
Douay-Rheims Bible
This is he that was in the church in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to
him on mount Sina, and with our fathers; who received the words of life to give
unto us.
King James Bible
This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake
to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received
the lively oracles to give unto us:
Smith's Literal Translation
This is he having been in the church in the desert with the messenger speaking to
him in Mount Sina, and our fathers: who received the living oracles to give to
us:
American King James Version
This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spoke to
him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to
give to us:
American Standard Version
This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel that spake to
him in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received living oracles to
give unto us:
Douay-Rheims Bible
This is he that was in the church in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to
him on mount Sina, and with our fathers; who received the words of life to give
unto us.
Catholic Public
Domain Version
This is he who was in the church in the wilderness, with the Angel who was
speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. It is he who received the
words of life to give to us.
English Revised
Version
This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake
to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received living oracles to
give unto us:
Webster's Bible Translation
This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to
him on the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the living oracles to
give to us:
Godbey New
Testament
And this is the one being in the church in the wilderness with the angel speaking to
him in Mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received the living oracles to
give unto us;
Bishops' Bible of 1568
This is he that was in the Churche in ye wyldernesse with the angel, which spake
to hym in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: This man receaued the worde of
lyfe to geue vnto vs.
Haweis New Testament
This is he, who was with the church in the wilderness with the angel who spake to
him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received the oracles of life
to give unto us:
·
During Yeshua on earth and after his
Resurrection, the earliest followers of Yeshua (Jesus) NEVER EVER built even a
single building called as a Church.
·
The followers of Yeshua for more
than 280 years after Messiah Yeshua used to continue gathering, associating,
assembling and worshiping in the Jewish Synagogues and in private houses of the
brethren.
·
The Jewish faith of Yeshua (Jesus)
for little less than 300 years was never CATHOLIC (meaning: UNIVERSAL).
·
The Followers of Yeshua (Jesus)
never worshiped Idols. The Christian Roman Catholic Church indulges in IDOLATRY
to the max.
·
The followers of Yeshua (Jesus)
never ate unclean foods like Pig meat or Pork. The so called Christian Roman
Catholic Church members love eating pig or pork meat.
·
Yeshua (Jesus) was a Jew. His Mother
Mary and Foster Father Joseph were Jews.
·
The faith of Yeshua (Jesus) was
always JEWISH. It was never Roman Catholic.
·
The followers of Yeshua (Jesus)
always kept the Saturday Sabbath Holy. The so called Christian Roman Catholic
Church FORCEFULLY changed it to the Emperor Constantine’s pagan SUN GOD day of
SUNDAY.
·
The Apostles, Disciples and
thousands of new baptized believers in the faith of Yeshua always met in
Synagogues and NEVER IN CHURCHES.
·
Yeshua did NOT build even a Single
Roman Catholic Church. They never build any physical buildings as churches as
EKLESSIA means CALLED OUT ONES or ASSEMBLY OF YESHUA. Earliest “Christianity”
was always the physical gathering of individuals, NEVER a Church building full
of Idols and pagan priests.
·
SO THE FAITH OF YESHUA (JESUS) WHICH
YOU IN TODAY’S MODERN DAY LANGUAGE CALL CHRISTIANITY WAS ALWAYS JEWISH, NEVER
ROMAN. HENCE IT WAS A JEWISH FAITH OR JEWISH SECT.
YES. MODERN DAY CHRISTIANITY IS A
FAKE AND FALSE NEW MAN-MADE RELIGION HAVING ITS ORIGINS AROUND 300 AD IN
EMPEROR CONSTANTINE AND ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH:
· Everything about the Roman Catholic Church is about Business, Politics, Power and Commercialization.
·
Earlier we saw how a MIXED MULTITUDE of
Egyptians who were Non – Israelites joined the Hebrews in their Exodus and
crossing of the Red/Reed Sea.
·
We have seen how Ruth a Moabite, with
Moabites being banned till the 10th Generation in joining the
Israelite Camp, Still with her dedication and devotion, she choose voluntarily
to become a Citizen of Israel by trusting in Yahweh and by obeying his commandments
and covenant laws.
·
In the book of Esther, we seen Non
Israelite people joining the community of Israel recorded at Esther 8:17 and
Esther 9:27.
Esther 8:17 – “And in
every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his
decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land
became Jews; for the fear of the Jews
fell upon them.” (Restoration Study Bible – 04th Edition)
New
International Version
the Jews took it on themselves to establish the
custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should
without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at
the time appointed.
New Living
Translation
the Jews throughout the realm agreed to
inaugurate this tradition and to pass it on to their descendants and to
all who became Jews. They
declared they would never fail to celebrate these two prescribed days at the
appointed time each year.
The New Testament or New Covenant is it made with New Believers or
Gentiles or Foreigners or people who call themselves Christians?
NO.
ABSOLUTELY AND STRONGLY NO.
Jeremiah
31:31- 34 - “Behold, the days come, saith Yahweh, that I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their
fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land
of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them,
saith Yahweh: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel; After those days, saith Yahweh, I will put my law in their inward
parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their Elohim, and they shall
be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every
man his brother, saying, Know Yahweh: for they shall all know me, from the
least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Yahweh: for I will forgive their
iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
·
In the above scripture no other new Church or Assembly or
Congregation or Fellowship or Organization is mentioned here. Yahweh will make
a New Covenant with the HOUSE OF ISRAEL, AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH. New
Covenant is NOT made with Christians or Gentiles. It is made with ISRAEL only.
· There were 12 Tribes in Israel. There were 12 Apostles. Finally there will be 12 Gates in the New Jerusalem with the 12 Tribes names. – Revelation 21:10 – 12. (Not any Church or other religious group name gate here.) “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from Elohim, Having the glory of Elohim: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:”