Yeshua said:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
But what was a disciple in first-century Judaism? Perhaps we see a clue in Paul's relationship to his teacher:
"I am verily a man [which am] a Jew, born in Tarsus, [a city] in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, [and] taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day."
But to really know for sure we need to explore some historical sources. So here's a link to a blog post by Jacob Fronzcak that explores this question in more depth:
Well, for one, He meant disciples, not "Ephramites..."
ReplyDeleteRight. No one here is speculating on remote tribal affiliation. This is purely about discipleship and what it meant to first-century Jews such as Yeshua.
DeleteThere were different sects of Judaism in the 1st Century. It was not monolithic. Disciple of the Sichari for example was one who knew how to hold and use a knife....
ReplyDeleteTrue. And Yeshua appears to endorse Pharisaic Judaism in Matthew 23. Not that it was a sect per se. Even Pharisaic Judaism wasn't monolithic.
DeleteSince it was not monolithic, it would be safer to say, He was endorsing those who were leaders(authority), or we would have to say Yeshua also endorsed good ole Ceasar. :D Or Yeshua did not make any bad comments on slavery, thus He endorsed slavery. As funny as this is, this is the very basis for many who interpret the scriptures.
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