Strack and Billerbeck on Deuteronomy 6:4

  

Deuteronomy 6:4: שמע ישראל יהוה אלהינו יהוה אחד. Three constructions are possible:

 

a. Yahweh our God is one Yahweh. Thus already in the LXX (= Mark 12:29), only that instead of “Yahweh” it is said אדני = κύριος: κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν κύριος εἷς ἐστί. ‖ Also Tg. Onk. belongs here: יְיָ אֱלָהַנָא יְיָ חָד. ‖ Surely this construction is based on the following passages. Babylonian Talmud Ḥagigah 3A: (R. Eleazar b. Azariah [ca. 100]) publicly stated, “Today you have chosen Yahweh, and Yahweh has chosen you today” (Deut 26:17 according to Tg. Yer. I). God said to Israel, “You have made me the only one chosen in the world; see ‘Hear, Israel, Yahweh our God is the only Yahweh.’ And I will make you the only one chosen in the world; see ‘With whom can your people, Israel, be compared? The only people on earth that God went to buy as a people’ (1 Chr 17:21).”—The same was anonymously said in b. Ber. 6A. ‖ Deuteronomy Rabbah 2 (199B): God opened all (seven) heavens before the Israelites (at Sinai) to make them realize that there is no other God but him. Then the congregation of Israel said before God, “Lord of the world, whom have I in heaven except your glory? Since I only have you in heaven, I demand no other on earth” (Ps 73:25). Since I do not associate any other Godhead with you in heaven (read בשמים instead of בשמך), I do not associate you with any other Godhead on earth. But I go into the synagogues daily and bear witness for you that there is no other God but you and say, “Hear, Israel, Yahweh our God is the only Yahweh.” ‖ Deuteronomy Rabbah 2 (199B): The rabbis (contemporaries of R. Phineas b. Hama [ca. 360]) said, “God spoke to the Israelites and said, ‘My children, everything I have created I have created in pairs. Heaven and earth are a pair, sun and moon are a pair, Adam and Eve are a pair, this and the future world are a pair, but my glory is unique and is the only of its kind in the world.’ From where is this proven? Because we read in the passage Deut 6:4, ‘Hear, Israel, Yahweh our God is the only Yahweh.’ ” ‖ Deuteronomy Rabbah 2 (199C): (R. Aha [ca. 320], said,) “There is only one and no other, he has neither son nor brother,” and in Eccl 4:8 it says, “neither brother nor son, but, ‘Hear, Israel, Yahweh our God is one Yahweh.’ ” ‖ Targum Yerušalmi I Deuteronomy 6:4: “It happened when our father Jacob’s time came to be gathered out of the world, he worried that there might be among his sons one who was unfit (rejected). He called them and asked, ‘Is there any treachery in your heart?’ They all answered unanimously and said, ‘Hear, Israel (= Jacob) our father, “Yahweh, our God is one Yahweh.” ’ And Jacob answered, ‘Blessed be his glorious name forever!’ ”—This paraphrase goes back to SDeut 6:4 § 31 (72B): When our father Jacob departed from the world, he called his sons and admonished each one of them. Then, he called them together and said, “Perhaps you have divided opinions in your hearts about the one who spoke and in so doing created the world!” They replied, “Listen to us. Just as there are no divided opinions in your heart, so also are there none in our hearts about the one who spoke and thereby created the world. Yahweh, our God, is one Yahweh!” In connection with this, it says, “Then Israel prostrated himself upon the headboard of the bed” (Gen 47:31). How could he have prostrated himself upon the headboard of the bed? Instead, the expression means that he praised God gratefully that nothing unfit (reprehensible) had come out of him. (The Midrash interprets the words על ראש המטה in Gen 47:31 = he prostrated himself in adoration, “because of the virtue of his marriage bed,” i.e., because of his irreproachable offspring.) … A different explanation is as follows: (Those words of Gen 47:31 mean) that Jacob said, “Blessed be the name of his glorious kingdom forever!”—Parallels can be found in b. Pesaḥ. 56A and Gen. Rab. 98 (61C). (Two further parallels are Deut. Rab. 2 and TanḥB ויחי § 9 see at n. b.)—In all these passages, the emphasis is not on the fact that Yahweh is the God of Israel, but on the fact that Yahweh, the God of Israel, is one Yahweh.

 

b. Yahweh is our God, Yahweh the one. Or, Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one. Jerusalem Talmud Berakot 1.3C.9: Why are the sections (of the Shema) recited daily?… R. Levi (ca. 100) said, “Because the Ten Commandments are contained in them. I am Yahweh your God (1^st commandment), which corresponds to, ‘Hear, Israel, Yahweh is our God.’—You shall not have other gods besides me (2^nd commandment according to the Jewish enumeration), which corresponds to ‘Yahweh is one.’—You shall not pronounce the name of Yahweh your God in vain (3^rd commandment), which corresponds to Deut 6:5, ‘Love Yahweh.…’ ” ‖ Deuteronomy Rabbah 2 (199C): R. Isaac opened his lecture with, “Yahweh is my portion, says my soul, therefore I hope in him” (Lam 3:24). R. Isaac said, “With what can this be compared? With a king who came into a province and with him came leaders of an army, prefects, and commanders-in-chief. Some of the inhabitants of the providence chose an army commander to be placed above them, others chose a prefect. Then, said one who was a clever man, ‘I mention only the king, for all the others change (are replaced), but the king does not change.’ Likewise, when God descended on Sinai, many associates of angels descended with him, Michael and his associate, Gabriel and his associate. Some of the peoples of the world chose Michael, others Gabriel, but the Israelites chose the Holy One, praise be to him! They said, ‘Yahweh is my portion, says my soul.’ Behold, ‘Hear, Israel, Yahweh is our God, Yahweh the one!’ ”—A different explanation is as follows: “Hear, Israel.” Since when did the Israelites obtain the recitation of the Shema? Since the hour when Jacob laid down to die. Then he called all the patriarchs and said, “Perhaps when I depart from the world, you will worship another god! For thus it is written in Gen 49:2, “Gather around and hear, you sons of Jacob.” What do the following words mean: ושמעו אל ישראל אביכם (and listen to Israel, your father)? He said to them, “The God of Israel (= Jacob), who is our father!” (The Midrash reads אל as אֵל.) They said, “Hear, Israel (= Jacob), Yahweh is our God, Yahweh the one.” And he (Jacob) said with a whisper, “Blessed be the name of his glorious kingdom forever and ever!” ‖ TanḥumaB ויחי § 9 (109A): (When Jacob had gathered his sons around him,) he immediately began to say to them, “I beg you, honor God as my fathers have honored him”; see Gen 48:15, “The God before whom my fathers walked.…” Then, they said to him, “Hear, Israel (= Jacob), Yahweh is our God, Yahweh the one!” ‖ Deuteronomy Rabbah 2 (199B): Since when did the Israelites obtain the recitation of the Shema? R. Phineas b. Hama (ca. 360) said, “The Israelites obtained the recitation of the Shema when they received the law. On what basis do we know this? You find that on Sinai God first lifted up this word which he said to them, ‘Hear, Israel, I am Yahweh your God.’ Then, they all replied and said, ‘Yahweh is our God, Yahweh the one,’ and Moses said, ‘Blessed be the name of his glorious kingdom forever and ever!’ ” (Then follows the saying of the contemporaries of R. Phineas b. Hama, see at n. a.)

 

c. Yahweh, our God, Yahweh is one.—This construction is presupposed in the sentence in the Mishnah in m. Pesaḥ. 4.8: The people of Jericho … made a connection with the Shema (see the entire passage at § Luke 10:30).—Instead of taking the second יהוה as the subject of a second clause (construction at n. b) and separating it from אלהינו, the scholars of Jericho would have thought it a mere repetition of the first יהוה and therefore, when speaking, would have closely connected it with אלהינו, “Yahweh, our God, Yahweh | One.” A remnant of this way of speaking is the Paseq between the second יהוה and אחד.—The traditional interpretation is found in t. Pesaḥ. 2.19 (160): How did they make a connection with the Shema? They said, “Hear, Israel, Yahweh our God Yahweh One” without pausing. R. Judah (ca. 150) said, “They probably paused, but they did not say, “Blessed be the name of his glorious kingdom forever and ever!’ ” (according to Deut 6:4, but connected this verse immediately with the following verse). Jerusalem Talmud Pesaḥim 4.31B.22: R. Aha (ca. 320) said that R. Zeira (ca. 300) said that R. La (= Hela [ca. 310]) said, “(They said,) Hear, Israel, Yahweh our God Yahweh one,” without pausing between individual words. So also R. Meir (ca. 150). R. Judah (ca. 150) said, “They may have paused, but they did not say, ‘Blessed be the name of his glorious kingdom forever and ever!’ ” R. Yose (ca. 350) said that R. Zeira said that R. La said, “(They said,) ‘Hear, Israel, Yahweh …’ without pausing between אחד and ‘praise be the name.…’ ” Thus also R. Meir. R. Judah said, “They probably paused, but they did not say, ‘Praise be.…’ ” ‖ Babylonian Talmud Pesaḥim 56A: They made a connection with the Shema. How did they do it? Rab Judah († 299) said, “They said, ‘Hear, Israel …’ without pausing.” Raba († 352) said, “They probably paused, but they said (in v. 6), ‘Let these words be close to your heart today,’ which means, today these words should be close to your heart and not tomorrow.” (So instead they connected היום with the following instead of the previous verse.) A baraita according to R. Meir teaches, “How did they make a connection with the Shema? They said, ‘Hear, Israel …’ without pausing.” R. Judah said, “They probably paused, but they did not say, ‘Blessed be the name of his glorious kingdom forever and ever!’ ” (Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck, A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash, ed. Jacob N. Cerone, 4 vols. [trans. Andrew Bowden and Joseph Longarino; Bellingham, Wash.: Lexham Press, 2022], 2:32-35)

 

 

Canon 5 of the Council of Valence III (855) Interpreting Romans 6 and Galatians 3 as teaching Baptismal Regeneration

Source: St. Remigius, Bishop of Lyons, Council of Valence III (855), Canon 5 (taken from Mansi 15:5-6):

 

Item firmissime tenendum credimus, quod omnis multitudo fidelium ex aqua & Spiritu sancto regenerata, ac per hoc veraciter ecclesiæ incorporata, & juxta doctrinam apostolicam in morte Christi baptizata, in ejus sanguine sit a peccatis suis abluta: quia nec in eis potuit esse vera regeneratio, nisi fieret & vera redemptio: cum in ecclesiæ sacramentis nihil sit cassum, nihil ludificatorium, sed prorsus totum verum, & ipsa sui veritate ac sinceritate subnixum. Ex ipsa tamen multitudine fidelium & redemptorum, alios salvari æterna salute, quia per gratiam Dei in redemptione sua fideliter permanent, ipsius Domini sui vocem in corde ferentes: Qui perseveraverit usque in finem, hic salvus erit: alios, quia noluerunt permanere in salute fidei, quam initio acceperunt, redemptionisque gratiam potius irritam facere prava doctrina, vel vita, quam servare, elegerunt, ad plenitudinem salutis, & ad perceptionem æternæ beatitudinis nullo modo pervenire. In utroque quidem doctrinam pii doctoris habemus: Quicumque baptizati sumus in Christo Jesu, in morte ipsius baptizati sumus. &: Omnes qui in Christo baptizati estis, Christum induistis. & iterum: Accedamus cum vero corde in plenitudine fidei, aspersi corda a conscientia mala, & abluti corpus aqua munda teneamus spem nostræ confessionem indeclinabilem. & iterum: Voluntarie peccantibus nobis post acceptam notitiam veritatis, jam non relinquitur pro peccatis hostia. & iterum: Irritam quis faciens legem Moysi, sine ulla miseratione duobus aut tribus testibus moritur. Quanto magis putatis deteriore mereri supplicio, qui Filium Dei conculcaverit, & sanguinem testamenti pollutum duxerit, in quo sanctificatus est, & Spiritui gratiæ contumeliam fecerit?

 

 

We firmly believe that the whole multitude of the faithful, regenerated from water and the Holy Spirit, and thereby truly incorporated into the Church, and baptized according to apostolic teaching into the death of Christ, has been washed from its sins in his blood; for in them there could not have been true regeneration unless there were also true redemption. For in the sacraments of the Church there is nothing empty, nothing deceptive, but everything is wholly true and supported by its own truth and sincerity. Yet from that same multitude of the faithful and redeemed, some are saved to eternal salvation, because by God’s grace they faithfully remain in their redemption, carrying in their heart the voice of the Lord himself: “He who perseveres to the end, he shall be saved”; others, because they did not wish to remain in the salvation of faith which they first received, but chose rather, by wicked doctrine or by their manner of life, to render the grace of redemption void instead of preserving it, in no way attain the fullness of salvation or the reception of eternal blessedness. In both cases, in fact, we have the teaching of the holy teacher: “All of us who were baptized in Christ Jesus were baptized into his death”; and: “All of you who were baptized in Christ have put on Christ.” And again: “Let us draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water; let us hold fast the hope of our confession without wavering.” And again: “For those of us who sin willfully after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” And again: “Anyone who sets aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the one who has trampled the Son of God, and has regarded the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified as profane, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

 

Update for those curious

Crossposting from Youtube:

I *might* be able to get into an experimental treatment program beginning in the summer (around June). I used to work in medical/hospital accounts for a few years, so been using my contacts to try to find the best private treatment one can get (unless I have to, I will not go down the public route—lengthy waiting lists, hit-and-miss treatment—downsides of a socialized medicine system).

However, it will be expensive—really, really expensive. A similar program in the USA would last 6-9 months and would cost $10-14k per month. At this moment, I do not mind lost earnings from being a researcher/occasional accountant and bookkeeper. I just want to ensure I get better/healthier.

If you can (1) share the gofundme and (2) ask LDS youtube and other media channels/blogs/x pages to also share the link and (3) if you are wealthy, like one generous donor, maybe also consider such.

Of course, prayers are always welcome.

Gofundme link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/medical-expenses-liverrelated-and-other-issues

I know some prefer using paypal and/or venmo:

Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/irishlds/

Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/Robert-Boylan-16

Thanks, and happy Sunday!

Joseph A. Fitzmyer on 1 Corinthians 6:17

  

17. But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit (with him). Lit. “is one spirit” (hen pneuma), in contrast to “one body” or “one flesh” of v. 16. One would have expected Paul to say “becomes one body” with the Lord, but instead he shifts because of his often-used contrast of “flesh” and “spirit.” The union of Christians with the Lord is real, but on a different level; it has nothing to do with “flesh,” for it is of a spiritual nature, being an intimate union with the risen Lord. As such, it precludes all free and casual use of the body (or flesh) in sexual intercourse. “Being joined to the Lord” means that a Christian cannot be “joined to a prostitute,” even in a casual act. The quotation of Gen 2:24, which per se refers to the union of man and women in the marital act, now suggests that the spiritual union of the Christian with “the Lord” has a marital connotation (recall 6:13e: the body is “meant for the Lord”). Whoever thus joins himself to the Lord transcends human bodily existence and acquires a new identity, as one becomes “one spirit” with Christ (see Baldanza, “L’Uso”). (Joseph A. Fitzmyer, First Corinthians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary [AYB 32; New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008], 268)

 

Jennifer Garcia Bashaw and Aaron Higashi on Micah 3:12 and Jeremiah 26:16-18

  

Micah Is Saved by Jeremiah

 

Deuteronomy 18:14-22 describes what a prophet is supposed to be able to do: The criteria for distinguishing between a false prophet and an authentic one is the prophet’s ability to accurately predict the future. In other words, if what a prophet says will happen comes true, then they’re legit.

 

There are some practical problems with this criteria. The main one is that if a prophet foretells doom, then having to wait until after the doom arrives (or doesn’t) to know whether or not they’re legitimate is a bit of a bummer. In practical terms, a prophet’s legitimacy becomes something that future generations, not the prophet’s contemporaries, get to decide. The book of Micah offers an important biblical example of this.

 

Writing in the latter part of the eighth century BCE, when the Neo-Assyrian Empire is coming to destroy Jerusalem, Micah prophecies that the city will be destroyed, saying, “Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets” (3:12). He is foretelling that Jerusalem will be destroyed, just like the capital of northern Israel, Samaria, was destroyed a short time before.

 

It turns out, though, that Jerusalem is not destroyed in Micah’s lifetime or any time in the next century. Anyone living in Micah’s time would have believed him to be a false prophet according to the criteria set down in Deuteronomy 18.

 

But the story has an interesting twist. More than a hundred years later, at the beginning of the sixth century BCE, the prophet Jeremiah found himself about to be executed for prophesying the destruction Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians—a message that was considered by King Zedekiah’s officials to be treasonous. However, Jeremiah 26:16-18 says that the prophet’s execution is halted when some gathered elders recall that Micah prophesied the same thing.

 

In this way, a later generation retroactively legitimized Micah’s prophetic career by finding a new way to interpret his words. Micah had been speaking about the crisis of the Neo-Assyrian empire, but Jeremiah’s audience found it more helpful to apply his words to the Babylonian crisis of a different period. And lo and behold, the Babylonians do in fact destroy Jerusalem in Jeremiah’s lifetime. (Jennifer Garcia Bashaw and Aaron Higashi, Serving Up Scripture: How to Interpret the Bible for Yourself and Others [Minneapolis: Broadleaf Books, 2026], 144-45)

 

Further Reading:

Resources on Joseph Smith's Prophecies

R. C. H. Lenski on 1 Corinthians 6:17

  

What a difference when one joins himself to the Lord! He becomes one spirit with the Lord. For while our union with Christ involves also our bodies as a part of our person it is really a union of the spirit and only as such includes our bodies. Christ and the Christian become “one spirit,” he in us, and we in him in a wondrous mystical union. This is the very highest plane that by what is highest in our being, namely the spirit, lifts us into a union that is completely spiritual, blessed, and heavenly. This is the unio mystica which is so abundantly attested in the Scriptures. With no absorption of our spirit into Christ, with no mingling or fusion of the two, with no loss of the identity of either, our spirit is joined to Christ’s so that one thought, one desire, one will animate and control both, namely his thought, desire, and will. This mystical union is adumbrated in the marital union of husband and wife, Eph. 5:28–33, yet only adumbrated, for no human relation is capable of doing more. (R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul’s First and Second Epistle to the Corinthians [Minneapolis, Minn.: Augsburg Publishing House, 1963], 265-66)

 

"Live-reacting" to the most deceptive Roman Catholic Apologist on the Topic of "Mormonism"

 

"Live-reacting" to the most deceptive Roman Catholic Apologist on the Topic of "Mormonism"