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Is Judaism the Religion of Moses? 85

observed by the people and CONSIDERED BY THEM AS A PART OF THEIR
RELIGIOUS LAWS AND PRACTICES" (ibid., p. 195).

The majority of the teachers in the Sanhedrin came to the conclusion that the proper thing to
do was to find some way to authoritatively justify these new customs. They were well aware that
they could not go to the Scripture for their support. This presented a troublesome situation to the
Jewish teachers.

"The DIFFICULTY was to find a sanction in the Torah for the new customs and practices
which had established themselves in the community ..." (Herford, Talmud and Apocrypha,
p. 66).

The only commands the Jews had from God in this matter were clearly negative. "Learn not
the way of the heathen" (Jer. 10:2).

"Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them [the heathen] ... and that
thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations [the heathen] serve their
gods? EVEN SO WILL I DO LIKEWISE" (Deut. 12:30).

How to avoid these plain Scripture commands, and get these new customs sanctioned as
proper religious observances? The teachers thought it would have been misadventurous to tell the
people who wanted to retain these customs the simple commands of the Scriptures. The people
were not about to give up these new customs. The teachers were assured of this.

What, then, did the teachers do to finally get these new religious customs and practices au-
thorized and as having the sanction of God? They came out with a most ingenious fiction which
shows an amazing and clever display of human reasoning.

Teachers Pronounce Heathen Customs Jewish in Origin

The conclusion of the Jewish teachers may surprise you. They merely taught that all the
customs and practices which the Jews were now observing were actually Jewish in origin!

"They reasoned this: It is hardly possible that FOREIGN CUSTOMS AND NON-JEWISH
LAWS SHOULD HAVE MET WITH SUCH UNIVERSAL ACCEPTANCE. THE
TOTAL ABSENCE OF OBJECTION ON THE PART OF THE PEOPLE TO SUCH
CUSTOMS VOUCHED FOR THEIR JEWISH ORIGIN, IN THE OPINION of the teach-
ers" (Lauterbach, Rabbinic Essays, p. 211).

The Jewish teachers told the people that it was simply not possible for them, being Jews, to
have inherited any heathen custom or practice!

Since the Jewish teachers accepted these customs as actually being Jewish in origin, it be-
came necessary to carry the theory just a little further. The theory went like this: Since the customs
were supposedly Jewish, then they must have been taught by the prophets and the teachers of Israel,
even by Moses himself! That is how the customs and practices of the Jews, which in reality they

The Berean Voice September-October 2002