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CHURCH LETTER
'Lord, are you at this time going to restore the Kingdom of Israel?'
In 1862 a German-born Jew, Moses Hess, wrote his Magnum Opus under the title of `Rom und Jerusalem - Die Letzte Nationalitatsfrage', which in less romantic sounding words translates as `Rome and Jerusalem - the last National Question'. A Victorian art and literary critic, John Ruskin, divided literary work into two classes, which were first, those who wrote for the hour and second, those who wrote for all time, and although Ruskin was not directly speaking about the writings of Moses Hess, his words could be used to place his Magnum Opus into the latter class as writing for all time, for it is as relevant today as it was when written in 1862. But as usual for those who write or speak ahead of their time, the work of Hess has been laregly forgotten as more high-profile people have appeared on the world stage. Such it was for Moses Hess for 35 years later Theodor Herzl's work `Der Judenstaat' contained many of Hess' ideas for the basic work of Zionism. `Rome and Jerusalem' was the first Zionist writing to appear, and it put Jewish nationalism into the vanguard of European nationalism in general. It was written at a time of great change in Europe which would eventually break out into the First World War. It was written against a background of German Jewish assimilation in the face of rising antisemitism in that country, which within a general sense had stemmed from the time of the French Revolution.
Moses Hess wrote his work in the form of Twelve Letters, written to a woman in distress over the loss of a close relative. Within those Letters there were three dominant themes: First, that Jews would always be strangers among the European people; second, that the Jewish people were indestructable; and third, that the only solution was for Jews to return to their ancient homeland in what was known in those days as Palestine. As we have said, his work was largely ignored at that time but it formed the basis for Zionism in the work of others. So in some very small measure we have sought in this introduction to redress the standing of Moses Hess with those other more well-known people who sought to establish what is now the nation of Israel. Moses Hess was `a child of the Enlightenment' and early in his career he worked for European emancipation, working closely with Marx and Engels, but eventually he was drawn back to his Orthodox Jewish roots, and on seeing that the Italian Wars of Independence were successful in throwing off the yoke of the Vatican's temporal power, resulting in a unified Nation of Italy, his vision began of a unified State for Jews. Hess wrote:
"The liberation of the Eternal City on the Tiber marks the emancipation of the Eternal City on Mount Moriah. Jerusalem's orphaned children will be allowed to participate in the awakening from the hibernation of the Middle Ages with its evil dreams. "
And so to the `Rome and Jerusalem' that Moses Hess was so certain of with his visionary dream for the future of the Jewish people! We need not step back beyond the 1st century and so we begin at the momentous year of AD 29 which began the journey leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple. Jews living in the first sixty years of that new century would have lived in a comparatively settled way of life under Roman rule without experiencing the horror of war - truly `Pax Romana' was a reality. Of course there were repressions of minor revolts, but King Herod exercised an iron rule during his time. One such minor revolt broke out in 4 BC with the danger of Jerusalem and its surrounding areas descending into chaos, requiring the Governor of the Roman Province of Syria to march south to restore order in what was a religious dispute rather than an anti-Roman revolt. Other `minor' disturbances occurred during the time of Pontius Pilate, a weak Governor who quelled the disturbances by force. However the Roman historian, Tacitus, in his writings on that time stated that, `Under Tiberius all was quiet'. Perspection has many `eyes'. The Jews living under Roman rule were seen by another `eye' by the Romans ruling over them.
Jerusalem's only importance to Rome was that it lay on the land bridge between two important Provinces of its Empire which was needed to be kept open and peaceful, and this comparative unimportance of Jerusalem was seen in the low quality of its Roman Governors. The internal disputes - and there were many - were over Jewish religious matters, usually concerning self-appointed Messiahs who were often local brigands, or even more often disputes over rituals between rival Jewish sects. Banditry was common throughout the Roman Imperial Lands and was dealt with ruthlessly in order to keep the Empire stable - `Pax Romana' by force! That is not to say that Jerusalem was a bastion of peace and tranquility but the disputes were of a religious nature and not specifically anti-Roman. At the time of the revolt of AD 66 Jerusalem was under the rule of Governors of low standing and poor quality, as would be expected in a backwater of the mighty Roman Empire, and Jerusalem was important to the Romans only for the land bridge on which it stood. This is seen in the constant stream of petitions to the Emperor in Rome complaining about the country's governance.
The revolt of AD 66 came through a dispute between Jews and Gentiles over their specific rights to Caesarea. The Jews claimed dominance because it was founded by Herod, a Jewish King, whereas the local Syrian Gentiles claimed it as it was their settlement before Herod's building programme. The communal violence was crushed by Governor Felix after a plea by the Jews to Herod failed and the Gentiles therefore appealed for an annulment of Jewish civic rights. This background led to the revolt in Jerusalem in AD 66, the beginning of the Jewish Wars which culmintated in the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple. A simple spark over civic rights led to a conflagration as national fervour gripped some Jewish zealots and it spread to other areas. A young Jewish priest, Eleazar son of Annanias, persuaded his fellow priests to stop the practice of offering sacrifices to their God on behalf of the Roman Emperor, which began the revolt resulting in Governor Florus letting loose the Roman troops on the protesting crowds. The Syrian Governor Cestus Gallus marched his troops south to quell the disturbance and ended up withdrawing with heavy loss of troops and equipment.
Such a challenge to Roman authority could not be ignored, and so sixty thousand troops under the leadership of Vesparsian marched on Jerusalem. This excessive mass of troops and equipment to quell what in Roman terms was a minor revolt eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple in AD 70. Such an excessive force was unprecedented in other similar revolts within the Empire, and so this destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple was without comparison, totally unique and unexplainable in natural terms. This excessive suppression led to the well-known Seige of Masada, once again with an enormous cost to the Emperor in terms of manpower and seige material, and with that Eleazar the priest disappeared into history! As we have said, the whole dispute from AD 66-70 should be seen as an internalised struggle within the Jewish people and not specifically as hostility towards Rome, and in a natural sense it should never have happened.
The Declaration of a Jewish State by the zealots was not taken up by the general population and was not the cause of the revolt which had such an exclusive repression. However the Jewish Wars did lead to great changes and upheavals in the struggles for power amongst the Roman ruling elite, resulting in the end of the Julio/Claudian dynasty and the rise of the Flavian line of Vesparsian. A contemporary described him as:
" A competent mediocrity, becoming Emperor who instructed his son Titus to finish the war in Judea as quickly and as comprehensively as possible, regardless of cost. "
The events of AD 29, when a young Jewish Man of lowly birth was crucified, through to AD 66 when a young priest, Eleazar son of Annanias, protested against blasphemy, when viewed with Roman eyes were minor disputes between religious factions in a minor Province of the mighty Roman Empire, but unknowingly they ushered in times of great change!
It is in such unnoticed minor problems that God outworks His major purposes, seen in 1862 when an insignificant man, Moses Hess, understood the momentous changes that would come to his people. Even so the destruction of the Jewish Temple was not intended and should never have happened, although there is no doubt that the destruction of Jerusalem was intended - a challenge to Roman authority such as that could not go unpunished. But according to the historian Josephus the Temple was not within Rome's intent when repressing the revolt. He wrote:
" It was not . . . . under any circumstances to burn down so magnificent a work . . . . and according to Roman tactics . . . . for if preserved it would testify to the moderation of the Romans . . . . "
Also Rome was not adverse to adding yet another god to their collection - even if it was the exclusive God of the Jews! According to Josephus the destruction of the Temple came about by accident when a Roman soldier, standing by and awaiting orders, was caught up in the general excitment and confusion of the nervous legionaires and threw a burning firebrand through a low golden gate into the interior of the Temple. Titus and his Generals rushed to stop the destruction but were all caught up in the intensity of the general confusion and were unable to stop the destructive flames. Josephus went on to write: `A great cry of anquish came from the Jews, who turned from the fighting to save the Temple' - to no avail. The total destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple was complete! This left Titus with no option but to declare and celebrate a total victory, for to do otherwise would be to admit defeat through incompetence in a small revolt in a backwater of the Roman Empire - not a sensible thing to do to a newly-emerging regime in Rome as Vesparsian sought to establish a new dynastic line of Emperors! The devastating destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple and the terrible aftermath of the Jews scattered throughout the Empire was appalling - all caused by one Roman soldier caught up in the violence of the heat of the battle and a blazing summer. He threw a burning firebrand into the Temple . . . and Scripture was fulfilled!
Surely the Jews had cause to stop and think, `Has God forsaken us . . . and why?' But with hindsight and Scripture we understand that `for everything there is a season and a purpose under Heaven'. The final humiliation of the Jews came when Hadrian, who had come to the imperial throne of Rome, began to rebuild devastated Jerusalem in his own image and to his glory. The remains of the city and its Temple were torn down and the land ploughed, also Jews were for bidden to settle anywhere within sight of the old city. Hadrian named his new city Aelia Capitolina - `Aelia' being his clan name, and when added to `Capitolina' means `the capital of Hadrian'. On the Temple site he built the Capitoline Triad of the Roman gods Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, with statues of minor gods erected all around the city, which was repopulated with Gentiles whereas the Jews were allowed to enter the inner walled area only once a year on Tisha b'av to mourn the destruction of the Temple! This is the background against which the Letter to the Hebrews was written as Jews faced not only the destruction of their Temple but also their very way of life. Jerusalem and its Temple were no more for something beyond their imagination was being built!
It has been said - and thereafter said repeatedly without thinking - that this New Temple, that is, the Church, went astray when the Roman Emperor Constantine accepted the God of the Christians on the evening of the battle of the Milvian Bridge in AD 312. He saw a vision of a cross in the sky and the words, `in this sign conquer'. Upon such stories are myths built which encourage the concept of the gods endorsing powerful leaders in the times when `the sacred and the secular' were undivided. We therefore need to consider: Did the Church go astray at this point? We are not called to question Constantine's motives - it is for God to judge the hearts of men. However this `event' did take place nearly 300 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus and after Peter stood up in the Temple compound and said, `You men of Judah . . .' In between these two `events' all the Epistles of Paul, Peter, John and James had been written; the Jewish Wars which culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem had taken place and the final `work' of Hadrian had erased even the name of Jerusalem. Jews and Christians had been scattered over the lands of the Roman Empire with Jewish synagogues and Christian churches being raised up. Amongst the Christians many sects had formed around charismatic leaders with what were considered to be heretical doctrines. Constantine, and many others who followed, gave a space in time during which the Church could grow, not only in numbers but through the many Great Councils during which the true doctrine of the faith could be argued and debated under the watchful eye of the Emperors. The attacks of `the Jewish faction' ceased through the Great Diaspora and a time of peace and safety enabled the Church to be stabilised.
Certainly under different Emperors there was State persecution from time to time, but however cruel they were they usually were persecutions by those looking for scapegoats to pacify the population in times of change in the `dynastic elite'. Constantine turned his back on old Rome and began to build a new Rome in his name in an attempt to build what could be considered to be the first Christian State of Constantinople. Constantine also began the rebuilding of Jerusalem, bringing into its `life' a Christian awareness of the Messiah of the Jews Who was also the Christ of the Gentiles. A New Jerusalem was being created, keeping alive in both Jews and Christians the Promises of God, although Constantine never visited Jerusalem. His mother-in-law Eutropia did visit, as also did his more well-known mother Helena, which resulted in many of the prominent Christian buildings. However, what also happened was a continual severing of Jewish roots in this New Christian Jerusalem, which over the centuries has led to bitter and shameful persecution of world-wide Jewry even to the present time.
But within the Jews of the Diaspora hope never faded! It was said amongst the sages:
" A man may plaster his house and leave a small part unfinished . . . a meal may be prepared but a portion left out of the menu . . . a woman may put on her ornaments but leave one thing out . . . all in remembrance of Jerusalem. "
The Rabbis in their Yeshivas debated the glorious Jerusalem to come . . . Jews in the Diaspora faced east for their prayers . . . the Passover Seder ended with the words `Next year in Jerusalem'. Certain hope has never died and continues still. Christians, however, continued to rejoice in their salvation and had no thought for the `old' Jerusalem other than a reverent memory of it but it was of no consequence to the New Jerusalem, `the Church of the Living God'. However do not doubt for one moment that the Hand of God was guiding His people, both the Chosen and the Redeemed people of God.
It could be asked, `why such a long history lesson in such a short Church Letter'? As we have so often said, it is in order to remember that the present is formed in the past in order for us to understand the future. We recall the words spoken during a Christan Conference many years ago: `The nearer we come to the end, the more we go back to the beginning', which words have caused this Letter to be written. In AD 29 two men dressed in white clothing stood before the disciples, and said:
" Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same
Jesus, who has been taken from you into Heaven, will come back in the
same way you have seen Him go into Heaven. "
The aftermath of the recent fourty-years Probation Period has left the Church and Israel vulnerable and uncertain. Christians in the East face total persecution and destruction, whilst in the West they face destruction through apostacy. Israel, facing destruction not only from the surrounding nations, but also from its `friends' in the West, is casting around and looking for new `protectors'. However we should not be looking at the obvious but towards the Lord and what He has done. Amongst the Christian churches there is a Remnant which in 1967 became aware of Israel in the Purposes and Promises of God, yet outworked within His timescale. The Holy Spirit, in what became known as `the Charismatic Movement' opened tired eyes and revived spirits and amongst other blessings released what is known as `the Jewish Roots Movement'. This has spawned a plethora of Christian-Israel Movements from prayer ministries, Israel tours, Hebraic teaching and sacrificial giving to humanitarian works. In Israel there has become a growing acceptance of those strange Christians who in past centuries had caused much pain and death through their pogroms and continual anti-semiticism. Of equal importance has been the growing `Blessing from Zion' through technology and humanitarian work in the world and the increasing natural catastrophies.
Surely as we approach the end we are coming closer to the beginning: Two thousand years of the Lord's Grace which began with His resurrection in AD 29 has been compacted into AD 2029 and we are seeing Jew and Gentile (the wheat harvest' of that first Pentecost) coming together in the `Jewish Roots Movement', for what was at the very heart of that `day' of Pentecost and all the days that followed if not that:
" God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.
Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the
promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. "
and there is an increasing certainty of His imminent Return. The Risen, Glorified Jesus is coming to redeem His people and establish the Kingdom of Heaven from Jerusalem!
In 1862 Moses Hess wrote his `12 Letters, Rom und Jerusalem' looking to the day when the `distressed wife would receive her children', for Moses Hess was a true remnant amongst Jewry. Later the more well-known Theodor Herzl embraced his ideas and `began' the recognised Zion Movement. The Remnant from the 1967 outpouring, building on the work of men of God of the 19th-20th centuries, will pass this on to others to complete the work as the sense of the Lord's Return to Jerusalem heightens. Most certainly error has occurred in the Jewish Roots Movement but do not be concerned. `Contend for the faith'; `See' the work of God coming to pass and not what His people have done in their sometimes misunderstanding of what God is doing. Stand in the certainty of God's Purposes that are being completed in both Israel and the Church! Truly the nearer we come to the end the closer we get to the beginning and the years AD 29 and 2029 have been compacted into one, with that same expectancy of His Coming rising in the hearts of all those who `look for His Coming'.
Two thousand years of God's Grace are close to the end! The Son of Promise has come, for He is in the hearts of all who believe in Him - the Messiah of Israel, the Christ of the Church - and so `all Israel will be saved'!
Selah
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