Why You'll Never Be Accepted by Orthodox Judaism or an Orthodox Shul

I've taken the trouble of typing up some excerpts from a wonderful book by Attridge entitled "Eusebius, Christianity, and Judaism" that explains the history behind the fact that if you're an Orthodox Messianic Jew, you will ALWAYS be excluded from modern Orthodox shuls (if you're open about your beliefs).





"...following amendment of the twelfth of the Eighteen Benedictions, Christian Jews were legally excommunicated from the synagogue sometime in the 80s.  The fourth gospel was written in the midst of this conflict with the intention of clarifying Christian self-identification by showing that Jesus is more than the expected Jewish Messiah, that he is God himself," pg. 366

pg. 356 "When the Temple was destroyed during the First Jewish War, the Jewish people were plunged into chaos...In the midst of this chaos, however, a new movement appeared:  rabbinic Judaism.  Under the leadership of Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zacchai...they parted company with apocalyptic messianism [Messianic Judaism].  This was the beginning of Jewish orthodoxy.
During the course of this reformation of Judaism, the Beth Din, probably in the 80s, approved a revision of the Eighteen Benedictions.  If J. L. Martyn's thesis is correct, the twelfth of the revised Eighteen Benedictions pronounced the Nazarenes heretics [Martyn, History and Theology].  ...Christian Jews were no longer able to remain in Jewish society.
Prior to this decision, there seems to have been some uncertainty among both Jews and Christian Jews as to whether the Jesus-is-the-Messiah movement [i.e. Messianic Judaism] should be regarded as one of the new Jewish sects.  With regard to the Jewish camp, we find the views of the Pharisee Gamaliel summarized in Acts 5:38-39:  'Now my advice to you is this:  keep clear of these men, let them alone.  For if what is being planned and done is human in origin, it will collapse; but if it is from God, you will never be able to stamp it out, and you risk finding yourselves at war with God.'  The next verse indicates the Sanhedrin's response:  'they sent for the apostles and had them flogged; then they ordered them to give up speaking in the name of Jesus, and discharged them,'" pg. 356

"...there was an ambiguous stage in the development of Christianity when Jewish Christians or Christian Jews were less than clear about whether their movement was to be identified, at least on the surface, as a sect within the framework of the Jewish religion.  What they were first called is not entirely clear.  They may have been called followers of 'the way'....or 'the sect of the Nzarenes'....But it is well known that 'it was in Antioch that the disciples first got the name of Christians'..." pg. 357

"Another momentous consequence of the Jamnia decision was that Christianity, because of being excluded from the Jewish religion, no longer enjoyed the protection of a religio licita that Judaism did under the Roman Empire.  The persecution and martyrdom that began in the 90s is directly attributable to the change in legal status that followed from this decision," pg. 358

p.g 367 "The Jewish decision to excommunicate Christians from the synagogue, a decision reflected in John 9:22 [also 12:42 and 16:2]..."

"His parents gave this answer because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jewish authorities had already agreed that anyone who acknowledged Jesus as Messiah should be banned from the synagogue" (John 9:22)

"For all that, even among those in authority many believed in him, but would not acknowledge him on account of the Pharisees, for fear of being banned from the synagogue" (John 12:42)

"They will ban you from the synagogue; indeed, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will suppose that he is serving God,"  (John 16:2).