From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Talmidi Jews are a loose grouping of Jewish sects (such as the Ebionites), who follow the Jewish Torah, accept Jesus as a Jewish prophet, but reject the authority of Paul of Tarsus, the Christian Trinity and the divinity of Jesus.
Talmidi Jews call themselves 'Followers of the Way' (B'ney ha-Derekh in Hebrew). Where the Jewish religion is concerned, there is a strong emphasis on the centrality and One-ness of YHWH, on God's eternal covenants with the Jewish people, and on the observance of Torah without any rabbinical additions (i.e. they reject the authority of the Talmud).
Where Jesus is concerned, they accept him only as a fully human, Jewish prophet, who was called by God to warn of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, and of the Roman exile; to restore the original intent of Torah, and to proclaim the immediacy of the Kingdom of God. There is also a strong emphasis on the social relevance of his message to the poor and socially disadvantaged.
They reject any notion of Jesus's divinity, and do not connect his death with any kind of atonement, viewing his death solely as the unjust, cruel death of a Jewish man of God at the hands of the occupying Roman authorities. They also reject such concepts as original sin and the virgin birth.
They emphasise humility and compassion as the basis of their religious faith, and encourage members towards an intense, personal and emotional relationship with God. They also try to promote a simple and direct approach to all matters of religion.
They view James the Just (aka Jacob the Pious, or Ya`aqov ha-Tsaddiq in Hebrew) as the rightful successor to Jesus, rather than Peter, and honour him as a holy, Jewish man of God.
They have various writings, such as the Sefer Yeshua, a book of the sayings of Jesus of Nazareth gleaned from the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and Thomas. They also have their own version of the 'Epistle of James'. Along with several other works, these books are used as teaching aids and inspirational tools. They are not however seen as authoritative, and do not have the same standing as the Torah and the books of the biblical Prophets.
Talmidi Jewish culture is based on that of first century Galilee and Judea. There are, as a result, some differences between Talmidi and Rabbinical Judaism. For example, the Talmidi canon of scripture does not contain the Book of Esther, and as a result, Talmidi Jews do not observe Purim; they read Torah in three years instead of one; the first day of every Jewish month (New Moon days) are observed as biblically ordained festivals and days of rest; and New Year is observed on the first of Nisan and not the first of Tishrei.
Both biblical Hebrew and Jewish Aramaic are used as liturgical languages (for example, the Aramaic version of the 'Our Father' - the Abbun d'bishmayya - is said as part of one's morning prayers).
