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Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2025
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@offgridlife’s claim is factually incorrect. The belief that Yeshua is divine, rooted in John 1:1 (“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the Eternal, and the Word was the Eternal”), is shared by Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and many Protestant denominations (e.g., Lutherans, Anglicans). Some groups, like Oneness Pentecostals, align with @offgridlife’s view of Yeshua as the sole God, but Catholics uphold a Trinitarian framework, distinct from this. In Messianic Jewish movements—such as First Fruits of Zion and the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America—we affirm Yeshua as God, not merely an agent, fulfilling the Torah’s promise of a prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15). While on earth, He lived as a man, pleading to His deity (e.g., Matthew 27:46, “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani”), with His human nature dying on the cross, not His divinity. We do not philosophize on how this works, as the Eternal’s nature is incomprehensible to our limited minds.@offgridlife’s assertion that Yeshua is the “one and only God who created everything” oversimplifies our faith. Colossians 1:16 states, “all things were created through him and for him,” reflecting the Eternal King of the Universe’s work through Yeshua. In Messianic thought, Yeshua is God, the very expression of the Eternal’s thoughts, the Word (Davar) that became flesh (John 1:14), tabernacling among us as Creator. His human nature, not His divinity, died on the cross. We avoid Greek philosophical debates on His nature, trusting the Tanakh’s monotheism (Deuteronomy 6:4, “שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד”) and the mystery of His dual nature.@offgridlife correctly notes that Catholics do not worship Mary, recognizing her as “Mother of God” (Theotokos, Council of Ephesus, 431 CE) due to Yeshua’s divinity, but as an honored figure, not divine (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 971). However, the claim that Catholics “only worship Jesus” misaligns with their Trinitarian belief in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). The name “Yeshu” (a variant in some Talmudic texts) is less precise than “Yeshua” (יֵשׁוּעַ), meaning “salvation” (Matthew 1:21), rooted in Hebrew. In Messianic faith, Yeshua is God, the Word made flesh, not a replacement for the Eternal. Regarding “Mother of God,” this Catholic doctrine has flaws: Mary birthed Yeshua’s human nature, not His eternal divinity, which existed before creation (John 1:1). Logically, a created being cannot be the mother of the uncreated Eternal, as this implies she predates or creates God, a contradiction. Biblically, Mary is the “handmaiden of the Eternal” (Luke 1:48), not His mother, and elevating her risks idolatry, a concern Messianic Jews reject, focusing on Yeshua’s divine-human role.@offgridlife insists that Aramaic, which he claims was Yeshua’s language, is essential for understanding His teachings. The cross inscription (John 19:19-20, “written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek”) excludes Aramaic, suggesting its lesser role. Matthew 26:73 notes Peter’s “speech” (lalia, accent) marked him as a Galilean, pointing to Hebrew with a Galilean accent, not Aramaic, as Yeshua’s primary tongue. Tim Hegg, a Messianic scholar, affirms Hebrew’s vitality in first-century Judea, used in synagogues (Luke 4:17-21, reading Isaiah 61:1-2), supported by the Dead Sea Scrolls. Aramaic phrases (e.g., “Talitha koum,” Mark 5:41) are exceptions; the Greek New Testament, rooted in Hebrew Tanakh citations (e.g., Psalm 22:1), suffices.@offgridlife claims these villages preserve Yeshua’s language. They speak Western Neo-Aramaic, evolved over 2,000 years, differing from first-century Galilean speech. Scholarly consensus (e.g., Sebastian Brock, “The Aramaic of Jesus,” in The Aramaic Bible) notes Galilean Aramaic’s use, but Matthew 26:73’s accent evidence favors Hebrew. David Bivin and Roy Blizzard Jr. in Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus highlight Hebrew’s role in Galilee, with the cross’s trilingual inscription (John 19:19-20) diminishing Aramaic’s prominence. These villages are significant but not exclusive Aramaic remnants, and their dialect is not Yeshua’s.@offgridlife’s general assertion that Aramaic was Yeshua’s language contrasts with evidence suggesting Hebrew primacy. The cry “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani” (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34), derived from Psalm 22:1 in Hebrew (“אֵלִי אֵלִי לָמָה עֲזַבְתָּנִי,” Eli Eli lamah ‘azavtani), may reflect Yeshua’s Galilean Hebrew accent, blending regional pronunciation with Aramaic influence as He lived as a man. The bystanders’ mishearing as a call to Elijah (Matthew 27:49) likely stems from this accent, not a different language. Tim Hegg in The Letter and the Spirit and Brad Young in Jesus the Jewish Theologian suggest Greek scribes approximated this sound, supporting Hebrew as Yeshua’s primary tongue, with His human nature’s plea reflecting His earthly experience.
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