The Uniqueness of the Bible: How to Help Jews, Muslims, Mormons, and Catholics Discover God’S Ultimate Source of Truth

By Larry Siekawitch

How do we know what is true about God and religion? Ultimately this question boils down to whether we consider our supreme authority to be tradition or revelation. In The Uniqueness of the Bible, author Dr. Larry Siekawitch explains that self and tradition fail as final arbiters of truth because humans are both finite and sinfulincapable of supplying truth without error. But if God has revealed His truth by revelation in such a way that is completely trustworthy and without error, then that revelation is the obvious candidate for supreme authority because it is God Himself speaking.

God has revealed Himself and His ways in the Bible, but how can we convince Jews, Muslims, Catholics, and Mormons of this wonderful fact? We do so by simply showing them the uniqueness of the Bible and convincing them of Gods ultimate authority. This study deals with the Hebrew Scriptures and demonstrates how reliable and miraculous they are. It then compares the Bible to the Koran, particularly focusing on the New Testament and its amazing supernatural nature. Finally, The Uniqueness of the Bible examines Roman Catholicisms exaltation of tradition to equality with Scripture and the Mormon addition of the Book of Mormon.

This study seeks to present convincing evidence in order to help people see the superiority of the Bible to all other means of discovering spiritual truth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490897912

Larry Siekawitch

Dr. Larry Siekawitch has pastored churches for eighteen years and taught theology and apologetics for seven years. He earned a PhD in theology and religious studies from the University of Wales. He received Christ as his Lord and Savior after reading the Bible. He lives in Minnesota, where he was originally saved.

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Copyright © 2015 Dr. Larry Siekawitch.

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Table of Contents

Introduction

I. The Hebrew Scriptures and the Jews

A. Judaism Today

1. Orthodox Judaism

2. Reform Judaism

3. Conservative Judaism

B. The Claims of Scripture

1. Reliability of the Bible

a. documentary hypothesis

b. archaeological evidence

c. preservation of the text

2. The Supernatural Nature of the Bible

a. Moses recalls the past

1) the Genesis account of creation

2) advanced medical knowledge

b. Isaiah predicts the future

c. Daniel predicts the future

d. other predictions of the future

C. Tradition

D. Messianic Predictions

1. Messiah Will Battle Satan

2. Messiah Will Be Born in Bethlehem

3. Messiah Will Have a Gentle But Powerful Ministry

4. Messiah Will Be a Priest and a King

5. Messiah Will Be Rejected By His Own People

6. Messiah Will Suffer For The Sins of His People

7. Messiah Will Come 483 Years After the Decree to Restore and Rebuild Jerusalem

E. Conclusion

II. The Bible Compared to the Qur'an

A. The Qur'an's Test

1. Point One: The Qur'an Teaches That The Bible Is God's Word

2. Point Two: The Test the Qur'an Calls for is Invalid

B. The Bible's Test

1. God Would Be Able to Describe the Past Accurately Because He Was There

a. eyewitness accounts of the Gospels

b. the historical accuracy of Acts

c. the early records of Paul

2. God Would Be Able to Predict the Future Without Error, Because He is All-knowing and Beyond Time

3. God Would Be Able to Perform Miracles, Because He is All-powerful

C. Conclusion

III. Catholics and Cults Add to the Scriptures

A. Roman Catholicism and Tradition

1. The Roman Catholic View of Authority

2. The Protestant View of Sola Scriptura

3. The New Testament Warning Concerning Tradition

4. The Roman Catholic Addition of the Apocrypha to the Canon of Scripture

B. Mormonism and Adding to the Bible

1. The Mormon View of Scripture

2. The Christian Belief that the Canon is Closed

3. Joseph Smith and His Revelations Put to the Test of Isaiah

C. Conclusion

IV. Conclusion

Appendix A: Why Does The Church Look So Different Than Judaism?

Appendix B: How Can A Monotheistic Jew Worship Jesus As God?

Appendix C: The Bible and the Qur'an's Textual Evidence

Appendix D: Errors in the Qur'an

Appendix E: Genesis One and the Age of the Earth: Is This Passage Evidence of the Fallible Human Character of the Bible or Does it Reveal the Inerrant Divine Nature of the Bible?

Appendix F: Salvation

Dedicated to my three sons: Daniel, Isaac and Mark. They have been a joy to me all of their lives. Watching them grow up, living for the glory of God, by the grace of God has been a true delight. May this book help them and their generation lead many to trust in God's Word and enter into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I am proud of my sons, and I know they will have an impact on their generation by the power of the Spirit, in part because of their absolute trust in the Bible as their final authority for discovering what is true and what is right about God and this world. May this book help them declare to the world that the Bible alone infallibly reveals who God is and what His plan is for humans. I love you guys!

Introduction

SOME PEOPLE SAY THE QUR'AN is the truth of Allah. Others say the Book of Mormon is a latter day testimony of Jesus. Many claim that the Church Councils and official decrees of the Pope are sure guidance for God's people. It seems very confusing when we listen to all the competing claims for our rule. How do we know what is true concerning God and religion? Ultimately this question boils down to what is considered our supreme or final authority. There are three major contenders for the position of ultimate authority in the realm of religion: the self, tradition or revelation. Postmodern skepticism has challenged religious thought by suggesting there is no absolute authority, but this claim does not actually get rid of authority but simply reduces it to the level of self or tradition. Everyone has an ultimate source of leadership to direct his or her understanding of religious truth. Most people opt for a form of self-governing where they decide what is right and wrong and what is true about God. There is a problem with this option. If my ability to discern or feel what is correct about God and His ways is the definitive source, then I will never really be able to be sure about my decision because of the limitations inherent to my finite and corrupt nature (Isaiah 55:8-9; Jeremiah 17:9). If the self is the supreme authority then we are destined to relativism and have no real hope for discovering what is true about God or His plan for our lives.

Judaism, Islam and Christianity have recognized the inherent weakness in the option of self as ultimate decider of truth and therefore have chosen either tradition, revelation, or a combination of the two to be the final arbiter of truth. Modern Judaism, Islam and Roman Catholicism use an arrangement of tradition and revelation for evaluating the veracity of theological and ethical matters. Roman Catholicism embraces the decisions made by official councils and papal decrees alongside the Bible's statements on any particular matter needing addressed. Modern Judaism considers the written and oral law, that is the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and the Talmud (the oral law written down), when deliberating on religious truth. Islam appeals to the Qur'an and the Hadith for a full orbed understanding of truth. Mormons advocate the Bible, the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price along with the continuous updates of the Latter Day Prophets. Protestantism began with the battle cry of sola scriptura, which referred to the supreme authority of the Bible over tradition or self. Martin Luther's famous response at the Diet of Worms reflects the Protestant view:

Since then your majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason -- I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other -- my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.¹

Martin Luther embraced the supremacy of Scripture because he believed both councils and popes were prone to error. The doctrine of sola Scriptura upholds the Bible as the only infallible authority in the church.² Many Protestants today have selected a combination of tradition and revelation for their authority concerning religious matters. Methodism, following John Wesley's quadrilateral, sees an equality of Scripture, reason, tradition and experience. Neoorthodoxy supports the experience of the Word, rather than the propositional truths found in the Bible, as the ultimate source available for religious thinking. Protestant liberalism has elevated reason and thus the self as the supreme authority.

The question of supreme authority is of monumental importance. Much of the disagreement between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism is based on truths elevated to the status of dogma stemming from papal decrees and decisions of official councils. Liberalism's rejection of doctrines such as substitutionary atonement or the virgin birth of Christ could have been embraced only by denying the authority of the New Testament in favor of modern rationalism.

The concern of this book will be how modern Judaism's elevation of oral law to equal status with the written law has affected its followers' interpretation of Scripture, how Islam has attacked the Bible and replaced it with the Qur'an and the traditions found in the Hadith and therefore sanctioned its followers to pick and choose the parts of the Bible they want to adhere to, and how Catholicism and the Mormons have added either new books or traditions to supplement the Bible owing to its supposed insufficiency. I will be arguing for the supremacy of the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament over all other sources of authority, which was the original position of Judaism concerning the Hebrew Scriptures and the earliest stance of Christianity. It is my hope that once the Jew returns to the ancient belief in the supreme authority of Scripture over tradition, he or she will be open to reevaluate the possibility of Jesus being the Messiah predicted in the Hebrew Scriptures. When Scripture is read through Talmudic lenses, any hope of a nonbiased appraisal concerning Jesus is lost. If the Jew was willing to set aside the additions of the oral law, using a phenomenological approach, he or she will at least be better able to appreciate the Christian claims, and perhaps reevaluate his or her position. If the oral law is equal to Scripture then there is no reason for the Jew to set it aside in its evaluation; this is why this question is so critical. It is my desire that Muslims will recognize the trustworthiness of the Bible and its supremacy over the Qur'an and the Hadith and therefore place their faith in Jesus as Lord. It is my heartfelt aspiration that Mormons and Catholics will embrace the doctrine of sola scriptura, abandoning other inferior sources of truth which have led so many to a pseudo relationship with God, holding to the form of religion but denying its power.³ But if self and tradition are not completely trustworthy, how do we know which (if any) revelation is from God? I believe God has not left us to doubt. There is incredible evidence for the miraculous nature of the Bible!

First we will deal with the Hebrew Scriptures, what Christians call the Old Testament, and see how reliable and extraordinary (miraculous) they are. This first section will primarily be addressed to the Jews to reveal the incredible jewel they have received from God. In this first section it might seem a little technical at times concerning dates and use of the Hebrew language, but it is necessary to reveal the miraculous nature of the Hebrew Bible. In the second section we will compare the Bible to the Qur'an, especially focusing on the New Testament and its amazing supernatural nature. This section will build on the foundation of the Old Testament testimony discussed in the first section; here we will also witness the inferiority of tradition compared to revelation. Finally we will examine Roman Catholicism's exaltation of tradition to equality with Scripture and the Mormon addition of the Book of Mormon. Jesus Christ is God's final revelation to humans and the New Testament is the only revelation that is necessary to comprehend this Living Word. When the evidence is examined I believe people will see the superiority of the Bible to all other means of discovering spiritual truth. But this result will be found wanting unless the reader then meditates on the Word and allows it to lead him or her to the Living Word, Jesus Christ. The ultimate purpose of the Bible is to lead us to an intimate relationship with Jesus as Lord. I read the Bible from cover to cover when I was fourteen, and though I did not understand a lot of what I read, I began a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I have never stopped reading the Bible and it has been a tremendous source of strength and wisdom for me, always leading me to the One who wrote it. The Bible has become spiritual food for my soul, nourishing me in a way that I cannot explain. I have never grown tired of meditating on God's word, because it leads me to Him. Hebrews 4:12 claims:

For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.

There is nothing like God's word, because it is God speaking to us, always fresh, always alive and always relevant. I hope this study will help engender a love for God's word in your heart that will lead you to a wonderful relationship with God.

The Hebrew Scriptures and the Jews

IN ROMANS 3:1-2 A JEW named Paul stated: So what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Considerable in every way. First, they were entrusted with the spoken words of God. The Jewish prophets received the very words of God and wrote them down. These writings were compiled by prophets into the Hebrew Scriptures. If the Hebrew Bible accurately reflects God's very words, then they must be our supreme authority, but is there any evidence for this? That is what we will consider in this first section.

First we will attempt to understand the three major sects of Judaism today and these sects' views of Scripture and authority, comparing the positions to ancient Judaism. Next we will assess the claims of Scripture to see if the Bible is a worthy candidate for executive power. After our look at Scripture we will evaluate the oral traditions to see if equal status with Scripture is warranted. Finally, we will put to the test passages claimed by Christians to be Messianic. It is my prayer that at the very least this section will help create a deeper appreciation for the Hebrew Scriptures (the Tanakh). Remember that this section might appear to be a little technical at times, but thoroughness is important to reveal the incredible evidence.

JUDAISM TODAY

Judaism has had a long and difficult history. The continued existence of Jews as a people is evidence that the Hebrew Scriptures are trustworthy. Genesis 17:19 states:

But God said, 'No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his future offspring.' The word for everlasting (olam) does not demand perpetuity and can simply mean a long time.⁴ But the promises found throughout the Hebrew Scriptures indicate God has an eternal plan for his people. This does not mean that just because someone is of Jewish descent he or she will not be judged, nor does it mean he or she will have an unconditional guarantee of eternal life in heaven, but it does mean God will never abandon his people, or at least a remnant of his people. The New Testament is in agreement as can be seen in Romans 11. Genesis 12:1-3, 15:1-21 and 17:1-19 all reflect a covenant with Abraham and his descendants with promises that can be observed as nothing less than miraculous.

Look at the history of Israel. The nation of Israel began from a wandering nomad named Abram⁵ who never owned a single parcel of ground except his own burial plot. The Israelites grew in numbers as slaves in Egypt, somehow not intermixing with the other races of that land. After living in Egypt for 400 years, they left Egypt and actually conquered the nations living in Palestine, even though they were not trained in warfare.⁶ Half the nation was destroyed and exiled during the rule of the world empire of Assyria (722 B.C.). The other half was destroyed and exiled during the Babylonian regime (586 B.C.). The Jews returned under the Persian administration somehow not losing their distinctiveness during the forced domination and exile. The Greeks sought to annihilate the Jews' identity by forced integration; anyone who stood in the Greeks' way was killed. After the Greeks, the Romans subjugated the Jews and eventually destroyed the temple and banned all Jews from their homeland (70 A.D. and following). For the next 1900 years the Jewish people roamed the earth as nomads under almost constant persecution. The Muslims would kill and disperse their groups. The so-called Christians would force them to recant their beliefs or kill them. Their money was constantly being confiscated. All of this led up to the atrocity of Hitler who exterminated six million Jews (1/3 of the entire Jewish population in the world at that time). Anti-Semitic prejudice still runs rampant today. Much of the Middle Eastern world wants to see the total annihilation of the Jews. The Six Day War was an incredible victory for Israel against the entire Arab world even though all the odds were against Israel. How can we account for Israel's existence unless there is a God of providence? How can we account for the widespread hatred toward Israel throughout history unless there is a supernatural evil controlling the Jews' opposition? The survival of Israel and the fact that the Jews are back in their homeland after 1900 years should at least cause us to consider the claims of the Bible.

Second Temple Judaism developed several sects of Jews. By sect I do not mean that the group necessarily saw all other sects as outside true Israel, but they did believe they were the purist expression of Judaism.⁷ Josephus described three of these sects, two of which are very important to our discussion.⁸ Sadducees elevated the Torah above the Prophets and the Writings, rejected the doctrines of resurrection and angels, and did not believe oral law or tradition was equal to the Torah. They also controlled the high priesthood from Hyrcanus on (108 B.C.) and were favorable toward the Romans, which did not help their popularity among the people. There is no indication that Hyrcanus himself embraced all the Sadducean beliefs, since he was originally a Pharisee. He went over to the side of the Sadducees because of a disagreement with the Pharisees over his position of high priest, and probably rejected only the unwritten traditions of the Pharisees.⁹

The Pharisees may have begun with the scribes who copied the Scriptures, and therefore the content of the law was very important to them. By the first century B.C. they had become teachers or rabbis as seen in the two major schools of Shammai and Hillel.¹⁰ The Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead, angels and the addition of the traditions to Scripture. They were very popular among the people (the am ha aretz). They elevated the traditions to equal status with Scripture as an authoritative interpretation of the Tanakh.

The evolution from priest to scribe as spiritual leaders of the Jews is important. The synagogue appeared sometime during the exile or shortly after the return of the Jews from their Babylonian captivity.¹¹ During the exile there was no way to sacrifice, and owing to potential syncretism, it was necessary that a regular study of the law be implemented. This is clearly seen in the return of the exiles under Ezra. Ezra was a priest and so encouraged the rebuilding of the temple, but he also encouraged the reading of the law with explanation.¹² This practice of reading the Bible and then giving explanation or interpretation became the regular observance of the synagogue. The priesthood's importance continued with the building of the second temple, but a potential rival authority of rabbi was introduced with the synagogue. Once the priesthood was taken over by the Hasmonians, this led to further elevation of the rabbi over the priest in the popular view.¹³ With the high priesthood controlled by the Sadducees and the position of scribe or rabbi dominated by the Pharisees, the teaching of the law was respected by the am ha aretz¹⁴ far more than the offering of sacrifices by the first century A.D. Though the people of the land could not live up to the expectations of the Pharisees, they still admired the Pharisees and embraced their beliefs, including the importance placed on oral tradition. Once Titus destroyed the second temple in 70 A.D., it is easy to see how the priesthood entered into oblivion and the rabbi took sole religious leadership in Judaism. Michael Stone explains the culmination of events:

This change is dramatically completed after the destruction of the Temple, when the priests no longer have any role to play except for some vestigial cultic privileges. The development of new elites which replaced the priests has here come to its full conclusion. In legal and exegetical matters, and in the premier role that went with them in Jewish society of the day, the priests were completely supplanted by the exegetes.¹⁵

Between 100 B.C. and 100 A.D. there was a debate over the importance of the oral law, the place of tradition. No one would have said tradition is irrelevant, but some saw it as equal to Scripture (at least in practice), and others saw it as taking a servant role toward Scripture. The Christian Jews, following Jesus, attributed a subordinate role to tradition, exalting Scripture to supreme authoritative status. Jesus said:

Don't assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter [yodh] or one stroke of a letter [serif] will pass from the law until all things are accomplished.¹⁶

In John 10:35 he said, The Scripture cannot be broken. Mark 7:1-13 records a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees over the status of tradition. When the Pharisees questioned Jesus and his disciples about not following the tradition of the elders because they didn't wash their hands before eating, Jesus accused them of disregarding the command of God in order to keep their tradition. He quoted Isaiah 29:13 and then cited how they broke the fifth commandment by upholding their tradition of Corban. Similarly Josephus said,

How firmly we have given credit to those books of our own nation, is evident by what we do; for during so many ages as have already passed, no one has been so bold as either to add anything to them, to take anything from them, or to make any change in them; but it becomes natural to all Jews, immediately and from their very birth, to esteem those books to contain divine doctrines, and to persist in them, and, if occasion be, willingly to die for them.¹⁷

Notice the Christians, along with Josephus, agree with the Pharisees against the Sadducees that all of the Scripture is equally inspired and authoritative, but agree with the Sadducees over the Pharisees that tradition was to play a subordinate rather than equal role to the Scriptures.¹⁸

Another possible group in the first century B.C. that embraced the use of tradition and oral law to a certain extent but spoke against the Pharisees' overuse and elevation of oral law was the Sons of Zadok who embraced what Buchanan Gray refers to as reformed Sadduceeism.¹⁹ The Sons of Zadok were a sect or party of priests responsible for the Zadokite Fragment also known as the Damascus Document. This group was not opposed to fencing the law as such, but to its abnormal growth in the form of oral tradition.²⁰ They used the Pseudepigraphical works and traditions at times with a quasi-canonical recognition, but never with the view of equal status with the Scriptures.²¹ They specifically opposed the Pharisees, accusing them of nullifying the Scriptures by their overuse of tradition.²²

Philo sided with the Pharisees, elevating the oral law to equal if not supreme status over the written law saying, For the man who obeys the written laws is not justly entitled to any praise, inasmuch as he is influenced by compulsion and the fear of punishment. But he who abides by the unwritten laws is worthy of praise, as exhibiting a spontaneous and unconstrained virtue.²³ Legitimate debate took place in the first century over the standing of the oral law compared to the written law, but once Christians were no longer seen as a sect of Judaism and the Sadducees were silenced or made obsolete, it was easy for the Pharisees to dominate Jewish thought.²⁴

It may be helpful here to briefly discuss the canon of Scripture.²⁵ Modern liberalism, both Christian and Jewish, holds to some variation of H.E. Ryle's theory that the canon was recognized in three stages. The Pentateuch (Torah) was established in the fifth century B.C., the Prophets in the third century B.C. and the Writings around 90 A.D. at the synod of Jamnia (Yavneh). Roger Beckwith and Jewish scholar S.Z. Leiman have forcefully argued from the evidence that the full canon was closed by at least the second century B.C. not 90 A.D.²⁶ Josephus (Against Apion 1.7-8), Philo (De Vita Contemplativa 25), the prologue to Ecclesiasticus, and Luke 24 all indicate a closed canon. It is suggested that the council at Jamnia officially closed the canon because they debated over the acceptance of Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Ezekiel, Ruth, Esther and Proverbs in the canon. This idea has been discredited because even those who argue that the third section of the Hebrew Scriptures wasn't closed until Jamnia admit that the second section of Scripture known as the Prophets was closed at least by the second century B.C. Since Ezekiel is always included in the second section called Prophets, Jamnia could not have been closing the canon, but rather simply questioning or discussing whether some books should be excluded from the canon. Jamnia's purpose was not to include books and close the canon, but rather to see if some should be excluded in the already closed canon. They decided not to change the list already accepted. Robert Newman demonstrates that Josephus, 4 Ezra, and the Talmud all taught the cessation of prophecy after the time of Ezra, and therefore the canon was closed after the last prophet wrote.²⁷

If the canon was closed, then how did other beliefs (oral law) get accepted as equal to Scripture? The power of tradition can be observed in every religion and in every generation. Rabbi Judah Hanasi published the Mishnah around 200 A.D. The Mishnah was a book of legal discussions and was the basis for the written record of the oral law.²⁸ Later the Gemara was written as commentary on the Mishnah and together they make up the Talmud, which is the ultimate record of the oral Torah.²⁹ The Jerusalem Talmud was finished by the fourth century A.D. and the Babylonian Talmud, which is much larger, was completed by the sixth century A.D. The Talmud is the written oral law; though this may seem oxymoronic, it was deemed necessary so as to preserve the teachings of the proper interpretation of the written Scriptures.³⁰ During the Middle Ages Jews believed that God gave the oral law to Moses at the same time as the written law as an explanation of, and addition to, the written law.³¹ If this is true, and it has been accurately preserved in the Talmud, then it can be seen why the oral law or traditions of the elders would be viewed as equal to Scripture, even more important in one sense because it properly interprets Scripture. Twelfth century rabbi Maimonides expressed the common idea of the oral law's origin:

It should be understood that every mitzvah that the Holy-One-blessed-be-He gave to Moshe Rabbaynu [Moses our Teacher], peace unto him, was given to him together with its Explanation, its substance, and all the wisdom contained within the Torah's verses.³²

For Maimonides, prophecy was crucial for the written word, but it was ineffective as a means by which to arrive at the explanations of the Torah.³³ Altering either the written or the oral Torah was considered a manifestation of false prophecy.³⁴ In fact, if someone opted for a literal interpretation of the written law in favor of the Oral Tradition, he or she was considered a false prophet.³⁵ Here we see that the Talmud was considered more authoritative than the Hebrew Scriptures because only its interpretation of the Scriptures was valid. This view that tradition was the supreme authority for discerning truth about God and his ways became the near universal belief of Judaism.³⁶ It was even sanctioned with a curse:

And because the later sages realized this fact (may they rest in peace), that all of their predecessors' words were clear and pure, with nothing superfluous stated, they commanded and exhorted us that no man may ridicule them: Anyone who ridicules the words of the Sages is sentenced to boiling excrement [in the Hereafter] (Gittin, 57A).³⁷

There are three major movements of Judaism today, all of which accept that tradition is equal to Scripture in authority and a legitimate, authoritative interpreter of it. Orthodox Judaism believes along with Maimonides and other medieval Jews that the Tanakh and Talmud are completely authoritative today and that no part of the halakah [The body of Jewish Law] can ever be revoked or changed.³⁸ In the nineteenth century, following the results of Protestant liberalism, the Reform branch of Judaism appeared. Reform Jews see the halakah as a human invention that can be overruled as necessary to conform Judaism to the demands of modern life.³⁹ Finally, as a reaction to Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism embraced the views of modern historical criticism of the Scriptures, but it continued to hold to much of the halakah seeing it as evolving to conform to the needs of the time. A look at each of these groups and their doctrine of Scripture, as well as their means of interpreting Scripture, will help bring clarity to the issues at hand.

Orthodox Judaism

Until the nineteenth century most of Judaism would have been considered orthodox. Recent surveys reveal that in the U.S., only 13% consider themselves orthodox today. The ultra-orthodox Jews (haredi) seek to differentiate themselves by the way they dress, but most orthodox fit into society except they are strict in their obedience to the laws of the Hebrew Scriptures as interpreted by the Talmud. In his Thirteen Principles, Maimonides records principle eight:

The eighth principle is that the Torah is from Heaven. We believe that the entire Torah that Moses gave to us came from Hashem [The Name, referring to God] in a process we metaphorically call the Word of Hashem. We do not know how it was transmitted to Moses, but when it was transmitted, Moses wrote it down as a scribe takes dictation.... All the verses of the Torah have equal sanctity.... They all originate from Hashem, and all are part of Hashem's Torah, which is perfect, pure, holy, and true. Anyone who claims that some verses and stories were written by Moses at his own discretion is considered the most despicable nonbeliever and a perverter of the Torah by our Sages and prophets.... The explanation of the Torah [the Oral Torah] that has been handed down to us was also given by Hashem. The specifications for sukkah, lulav, shofar, tzitzis, and tefillin are exactly as Hashem gave to Moses, and which he faithfully transmitted to us.⁴⁰

For the Orthodox Jew, every word of the Tanakh is from God and completely trustworthy; to doubt one word makes one a heretic. Notice Maimonides also believed this is true of the oral law as recorded in the Talmud. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Orthodox Judaism has taken a strong stance against the Documentary Hypothesis first popularized by Julius Wellhausen, which rejects Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch.⁴¹ In his preface to his commentary on The Pentateuch and Haftorahs J.H. Hertz states, My conviction that the criticism of the Pentateuch associated with the name of Wellhausen is a perversion of history and a desecration of religion, is unshaken.⁴²

Though Orthodox Judaism holds a high view of Scripture, this does not mean they use the same means of hermeneutic as evangelical Christianity. The proper way to interpret the Scriptures is through the oral Torah. Nineteenth century Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch gave an illustration to explain the written and oral Torah:

Rabbi Hirsch compares the Bible to a medical lecture. The professor is busy lecturing. The students cannot write every word he says. They instead take notes. The notes may have certain symbols which mean something to the students. Later when the students read their notes each special notation has a meaning to them. But continues Rabbi Hirsch, if I were to look at the notes I would think them silly and sloppy. That is because I would erroneously think the notes were a transcript of the lecture when in fact they are only hints and summaries of them. Similarly, continues Rabbi Hirsch, is the Bible. Moses gave the written and oral Torah over a 40 year period. There was certainly a lot of content, too much to be written. The written law is perceived as the notes of God's lecture. The various grammatical and verbal anomalies are seen as special notations to remind us of the oral law which was also handed at Sinai. Here we see God DELIBERATELY writing the written law in the form of notes to remind us of the oral law.⁴³

In Orthodox Rabbi Hendel's description of Hirsch's illustration, we see that the oral law is essential to properly interpret the written law. An Orthodox Jew would not even consider an alternate interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures because the oral law is seen as being as equally inspired as the written law. Christian interpretations that differ from the Talmud would be rejected without contemplation because that would be considered a contradiction of the one author of the written and oral law.

The Orthodox medieval commentators used a variety of methods of interpreting the Scriptures, always maintaining alignment with the Talmud. Orthodox editor of The Soncino Chumash, Rev. Dr. A. Cohen, describes the overall method used by the medieval Jewish commentators:

Hence in studying the text of the Bible they were always on the look-out to find in it support for what was already in their minds; consequently they read into it -- perhaps unconsciously