The modern view of the interpretation of Scripture
Today's world believes that a person is empowered by the right to believe and practice anything their heart chooses is correct. This manner of idealogy is exposed in the last verse of the last chapter of the biblical book of Judges. Such is identified as the sin of Israel at the time of judges and the verse is interpreted by many Christians as the theme of the whole book.
But many of today's modern churches and religious organizations including Reform and Reconstructionalist Judaism suffer from this paradigm. Religions who do not accept the Jewish bible as part of their canon must be addressed away from this question since they do not try to interpret the Scripture within this question. Instead they simply must be examined by their actions alone: Do they teach to do the seven Noahide Laws? And are they sucessful in bringing their followers to do the same?
Christians, on the other hand, and all those who hypothetically accept the Jewish Scriptures should not only stand this test of works, but they must also be examined by what they hold as proper interpretation of Scripture. In short, a question must be asked, "What is it that validates their teachings and ultimately the practices of the religion?"
By what authority does a religion or denomination give you their teachings? It must be understood that a religion should be ultimately judged that such are good or bad faiths by whether or not they teach to perform these seven Commandments of G-d, ie., the Noahide Laws.
Returning to the issue of authority to interpret, many have seen that the Catholic Church, for example, claims to have this authority handed down from Peter. But what and where is their evidence? How are they able to prove this? There is nothing today that shows they are correct. They are thier own witnesses to testify such. Can we challenge them? If we examine Scripture, we can demonstrate an opposing witness: The Catholics cannot stand against the testimony of Scripture. Similarly, many Protestants claim that "the Holy Spirit" is their authority. Once again Scripture testifies against them.
In fact, this is why there are so many denominations of Protestants. And if we include Cathoics in the collective body of churches, we can see that each one fell from its rooted church mother, creating a new denomination from the seed which broke away from it parent church. Each later seedling which fell ultimately from the Catholic Church has images of her mother church which testify where they branched from. Each can testify that they are ultimately from the Catholic Church. Even the so-called "cults" of Christendom refect their Catholic eyes, hair, and nose of their Mother. And each can testify that they also are not following the biblical standards and instructions set out in G-d's Word.
From Scripture, we can see how G-d Himself has created the only authority to intrepret His Word. From this we can read directly and clearly, without interpretation, who YHVH Himself outlined to be that authority. And from Scripture we can read prophecy of who would seek to steal that authority from them. Even Jesus himself identified who that authority is, and it is not the Christian who is "led by the Holy Spirit."
The establishment and reaffirmation of rabbinical authority
Before G-d gave the Commandments, He spoke of a time when no one would seek after what he or she thought was "right in his [or her] own eyes." (Deuteronomy 12:8-9) People would no longer want to do what they felt was correct. Rather, they would choose in their hearts to practice what was truly right according to the Instruction given by our Creator. Mankind would be under a theocracy, nations led by G-d, Himself. Thus, He chose Israel to receive His Torah and Israel accepted it. Israel's responsibility was then to teach the it to the rest of mankind.
But the Book of Judges described how the people sinned after receiving the Law by forsaking it. Their condition was summed as "each one did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25) Their condition was not that they were evil or trying to do wrong. They were just trying to find wholesomeness in what they themselves thought was right. They turned from the Teaching that G-d gave them at Sinai and sought to find a better life in what they themselves interpreted was right. This was Torahlessness. The New Testament calls it in the Greek "anomos." (Lawlessness) (Matthew 7:23)
The Prophet Jeremiah wrote that when the New Covenant is established by G-d, everyone, from the least to the greatest will have the Law of Moses upon their hearts and everyone will know G-d. (Jeremiah 31:31-34) Today, the heart of world is so anti-Torah. People tell everyone that the Commandments are impossible to do, a burden, legalistic, and that the Law is imperfect--a shadow of things to come. They teach that people need a better Covenant, a better "law of Jesus." With such a mindset, these people are in a state of anomos (Torahlessness), practicing their lives without the Teaching G-d gave us.
Many people do not know G-d. This is why so many people of many different faiths are actively proselytizing, trying to convert one another. But this is not the true path. In fact, active proselyzation is proof that the New Covenant has not arrived and the Messiah has not come. For when the true Messiah comes, he will establish the New Covenant and everyone "from the least to the greatest will know Him." (Jeremiah 31:34)
Just as in the time of Noah, people want to have their independence to interpret the Bible in a way they feel is correct. They want to obtain the "artistic license" to do and believe whatever they feel is right. They turn from the authority established by G-d and seek understanding through their own eyes. This is one of the differences between a person following a path of righteousness and a person not following a path of righteousness. Ironically, even the New Testament instructs that such a posture is wrong. (2 Peter 1:20) [In this passage, the word "prophecy" does not refer to a "foretelling of the future." Rather, the word refers to the "revelation" given by Scripture.] Despite all of this, anomians reject true authorized instruction of Scripture for sake of personal opinion.
One might ask, "Who, or what is this body which is given authority to interpret Scripture?" Surprisingly, Jesus himself discussed it and reaffirmed its authority even though so many people who claim to believe in him reject it. To understand, a person only needs to examine the New Testament passages.
The first to examine is Matthew 23:1-3. When people are asked to explain the passage, they usually present the opposite of what it really states. They claim that it teaches that a person is not to obey the Pharisees "because they're hypocrites." This is not surprising since anti-Semitism has settled in the modern Church. But there is a very different lesson than the traditional reader awards us. And it can only be revealed by going through the passage line by line.
In verse one, we see that Jesus himself was teaching the passage and his message was intended for his disciples and the general public who he was teaching. The passage was to be taken as positive instruction to whoever decided to follow his's lead. In verse two, we find Jesus explaining what Jews already know: the Pharisees sit in the "Seat of Moses" and they therefore have the authority to judge whether or not the practices of the people followed the Commandments of G-d. In addition, they had the responsibility to interpret the Law for the people and to teach it to them. This heirarchy described is the "Seat of Moses" and it's establishment can be found in Exodus 18:13-26 of the Bible:
Moses said to his father-in-law, 'Because the people come to me to seek G-d. When they have a matter, one comes to me, and I judge between a man and his fellow, and I make known the decrees of G-d and His teachings.'
The father-in-law of Moses said to him, 'The thing that you do is not good. You will surely become worn out--you as well as this people that is with you--for this matter is too hard for you, you will not be able to do it alone. Now heed my voice, I shall advise you, and may G-d be with you. You be as representative to G-d, and you convey the matters to G-d. You shall caution them regarding the decrees and the teachings, and you shall make known to them the path in which they should go and the deeds that they should do. And you shall discern from among the entire people, men of accomplishment, G-d-fearing people, men of truth, people who despise money, and you shall appoint them leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, and leaders of tens. They shall judge the people at all times, and they shall bring every major matter to you, and every minor matter they shall judge, and it will be eased for you, and they shall bear with you. If you do this thing--and G-d shall command you--then you will be able to endure, and this entire people, as well, shall arrive at its destination in peace.'
Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law, and did everything that he had said. Moses chose men of accomplishment from among all Israel and appointed them heads of the people, leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, and leaders of tens. They judged the people at all times; the difficult thing they would bring to Moses and the minor thing they themselves would judge."
This passage describes Moses's Seat as having the authority to interpret the Torah and to judge matters regarding it. This "Seat" is eventually confirmed by the Commandments themselves, as given by G-d Himself. It describes how the rabbinate must be obeyed as the established "Seat of Moses" even in our own generation, our own time. In the book of Deuteronomy we find the following:
Now in verse 3 of Matthew's passage we find the Greek word oyn. This word means "therefore" and it refers to what was said in verse 2. Jesus teaches this: Because the Pharisees sit in the Seat of Moses, his followers are "to obey them" and to "do everything they tell you." The truth of the matter is, Jesus stated that we are to obey everything they teach! Thus, we see in the New Testament that Jesus confirmed rabbinical authority as well as the authority of the Pharisees.
Also in verse 3, we see what most people are quick to see (though presented very hatefully because of the anti-Semitic posture of the Roman Church during the time it interpolated the New Testament)--the objection of Jesus regarding the Pharisees: They taught one thing and practiced another. Paul can be presented as an example of this. For though he was a Pharisee and taught "thou shalt not murder," he glorified in the practice of killing those who accepted Jesus as Messiah. And though some people were as Paul was, not all Pharisees were this way. Most all were very good Jews, observant and righteous. Any reader with a clear mind can see that Jesus's objection with certain Pharisees was not what they were teaching, but rather what they were doing.
Jesus's complaint was a generalization, not a totality. A modern example of the situation can be easily observed: Christian minister Jimmy Swaggart taught what many of his followers believed to be wholesome doctrine. At the same time, he committed adultery by buying prostitutes. His actions were not what he preached. Just as the followers of Swaggart could claim that their preacher's sermons were genuinely true and that his teaching should be followed despite his deeds, Jesus also claimed that the Pharisees were teaching correctly and their instructions should be followed despite their faults. As Swaggart's followers would still have you trust in their minister despite his sins, Jesus would still have you trust in the Pharisees despite theirs. This is why he could tell his disciples and the crowds to follow everything they taught.
In reaffirming Pharisaic authority as the Seat of Moses, Jesus actually reaffirmed each and every Commandment laid out in the Torah, both Oral and Written. All of their teachings should be obeyed just as the First Generation Christians did. But the world is hateful to the truth. So many people are bent toward abrogation of Torah and the destruction of Judaism even though the New Testament and Jesus taught adherance to them both.
People are not aware that today's rabbis are descendent of the Pharisees. The Pharisaic sect has lasted for over 2000 years--way before the birth of Jesus--and lasting longer than Christianity itself. Of all the Jewish sects existing during Jesus's time, only the Pharisees have survived. And modern Pharisees are still teaching the things they taught during Jesus's time.
One critical thing they taught was that of the Noahide Covenant. This Covenant instructs that while Jews are obligated to all the 613 Commandments laid out in the Torah, Gentiles are only obligated to the Seven Noahide Commandments. One who has studied Torah can easily confirm that the Bible teaches this. The rabbinic list of the Noahide Commandments are abbreviated as follows:
For simplicity, a rabbi might say that only Jews are under the Commandments, Gentiles are not. This is true though one might also say (and most accurately) that all of mankind is under the Law. For example, people who know the Law know that there are Commandments which only women are obligated to observe and Commandments which only men are obligated to observe. For example, a man would not be obligated to the Commandment regarding a woman's prohibition of wearing the clothing of a man. While this is obvious, rabbis would still say that Jews are obligated to all the Law.
Similarly, one would also say that Gentiles are obligated to all the Law even though they are obligated only to those Commandments applicable to them, that is, the Noahide Commandments. This is why at times, Paul would seem to say that a gentile is not under the Law and then at times say that the Law is to remain forever. Simply put, Gentiles are under the Law, but only obligated to the Commandments that pertain to them--the Noahide Commandments. Thus, the Law is observed by all "until heaven and earth are gone."
Most people are unaware that these Noachide Commandments were taught by the Early Church. We can find it in the book of Acts. (See "The Noahide movement in the New Testament.")
The Church was taken over by the Roman Empire through Constantine. It desired to become a power above Judaism. To do this, it had to nullify the authority of the rabbis. Constantine wanted to use the Church to unite the Empire. Councils were set up by Constantine to create edicts to do away with the Torah, its Commandments, Jews and Judaism. The Roman Church was successful because anyone who didn't follow their decrees were killed: The original practices and beliefs of the Church either died with those who guarded them, or died when people submitted to the changes made by the Roman Church. Thus the Church turned away from the Seat of Moses by outlawing rabbinical instruction. The people were not taught the Noahide Covenant because doing so would mean that Judaism remained authoritative.
A thousand years later, Protestants rebelled against Catholic power in their desire to "return to Bible." In doing so, they rejected Catholic authority but they also rejected the the Seat of Moses. They too wished to "do what is correct in their own eyes." They too were blinded because they refused to listen to the Fathers of Judaism.
Despite efforts made by people to "return to the Bible," their doctrines and actions are testable by Scripture and anyone can see that the resulting conflicts of interpretations and practices clearly demonstrate they are all in a state of anomos. There is no agreement amongst members of the Church. Certainly, people have fallen into the same state that mankind was when G-d destroyed the earth with the floods. People seek to do what is right in their own eyes. Each person reads the Bible for himself and each tries to interpret it with whatever limited knowledge they might have. Such has become dangerous to the posture G-d really wants for us--that of understanding.
Copyright (c)2004/(c)5764 mattityahu@yahoo.com
This site updated on 2-10-04
According to the Bible, who can rightfully interpret Scripture?
The 'Seat of Moses'
What does Orthodox Judaism teach concerning the Noahide Covenant?
Pharisaic authority today and the Commandments of Gentiles:
Why does the Church reject the authority of the Seat of Moses and Jesus' teachings?
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