Talmidi Israelite Community (World Fellowship of Followers of the Way)
Advertisement: BOOKS ABOUT TALMIDAISM AVAILABLE TO BUY ON AMAZON:
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‘THE EXHORTATIONS’ (the Talmidi Israelite equivalent of the New Testament):
Available on Amazon US, or Amazon UK
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THE WAY – An Introduction to Modern ‘Jewish-Christianity’ (Talmidaism)
Go to: Amazon UK, or Amazon US
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TEACHING TALMIDI ETHICS AND OUTLOOK THROUGH THE WORDS OF THE ‘OUR FATHER’
The Talmidi Israelite Community is a diverse, non-messianic and non-rabbinic community which welcomes Jews and non-Jews (both Noahides and Godfearers / Gerim toshavim), who value the ethical teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, but view him solely as a fully human prophet.
Do you appreciate the basic teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, but have a real problem with believing that he was a god? Do you still have a genuine faith in God, but can’t cope with the Christian trinity? Are you put off by the teachings of St Paul? And do you think that things like the virgin birth and original sin are unhelpful? Then we can assure you this: You’re not alone!
There exist today various groups of people around the world whose faith has been inspired by the first Jewish followers of Yeshua` of Natsaret (‘Jesus of Nazareth’). We call ourselves, ‘Followers of the Way‘. As a community, we feel that our core mission is to spread the peace of the Kingdom of God, and to further the knowledge of the Glory of God; and as individuals, to grow in spiritual knowledge and wisdom, to develop a sense of inner holiness, and in our thoughts and deeds, to draw ever closer to the living Presence of YHVH.
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The heart of our faith – called ‘The Way’ – is the humble and compassionate practice of religion, and to act with justice and fairness to all. Our community is a diverse collection of sects, and range from the conservative Ebionites, the traditionalist Massorites, the centrist Liberal Talmidis, to the progressive Yeshuinists. And we welcome both Jews and non-Jews alike into the warmth of our fellowship.
We see Talmidaism* as the spiritual descendant of the ‘James tradition‘ and early ‘Jewish-Christianity’; this term was dropped because of possible misconceptions that could be conveyed by such a name. We believe that as a Jewish prophet, ‘Jesus’ would have remained faithful to the ideals and principles of the Israelite faith, and therefore would never have envisioned himself as a god, since the Israelite religion, as a core fundamental of its theology, is founded on the precept that YHVH has no physical form or incarnation – unlike the gods of pagan religions. YHVH is a holy God, and is different and distinctive from all pagan gods.
We also view the life and mission of Yeshua differently. While Paullist Christianity believes the purpose of the life of ‘Jesus’ was his death, Talmidaism understands Yeshua as a prophet whose mission was to warn the Jewish people of the coming destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, and of the exile at the hands of the Romans. We feel that his teachings showed his fellow Jews how they could survive as a nation, and avoid the worst excesses of the exile by returning to the true heart of God’s values in Torah – compassion, mercy and forgiveness. The purpose of his life was to reiterate the best values of the original Israelite faith that were being ignored in his day. To enable us to focus on the ethical teachings of Yeshua, we have a de-Christianised, de-Paullinised and re-Judaised version of the sayings and ethics of Yeshua, called the Sefer Yeshua (our equivalent to the gospels).
Talmidaism* is not messianic in nature – we do not believe that it is a messiah who will save us; we believe rather that it is YHVH who will save and redeem us, and any messiah will merely be a sign that God is acting in human history. For the God of Israel is so powerful, that it is by the power of God’s merciful and compassionate love that God is able to forgive, and it is by the cleansing fire of God’s Glory that God is able to cleanse and restore our souls, and save us.
Please be aware that we also do not follow superstitious practices such as Kabbalah or gematria; instead we follow Israelite Mysticism (mainly ‘Kavodh’ Mysticism, which focuses on the Glory or ‘Divine Radiance’ of YHVH). Also, be aware that we are a non-rabbinic community, in that we do not follow the teachings of the ancient rabbis in the Talmud (Oral Law).*
Talmidaism gives the Follower:
- an easy to understand theology
- a direct relationship with a knowable, living God, without a mediator
- a healthy, rational and sensible approach to religion
- a reverence for wisdom and knowledge
- a sense of inner peace, without fear of other faiths
- a sense of personal inner holiness
- the understanding that the intent and content of one’s heart matters
- the understanding that our Heavenly Father is not angry with us simply for trying, but rather guides and encourages us when we fail
- a powerful sense of the present nature of God’s Kingdom
- finding joy, awe and wonder in the immediate, daily Presence of God
- a balance between the needs of the individual, and the needs of society
- the realisation that a spiritual society is not meant to be fossilised in the past, but should evolve into something better and higher with each generation
- for those who suffer, a sense that God draws nearest to you in your most difficult times
- the understanding that if we do not become bitter in our suffering, we are cleansed and made better by our closeness to the Presence of God
We strongly believe in the equality of women and men in our religious community, and we also have a strong awareness about kindness to animals and concern for the environment.
Finally, it needs to be stated that although we try to live the message and principles of God laid out in the Hebrew Bible, Talmidaism* on the whole, is not a fundamentalist religion. It is generally opposed to religious intolerance and hatred – a hateful religious person is a curse before God, and a sensible religious person is a blessing to God. Most Talmidis support the honest and responsible interpretation of Scripture and religious history. Most Talmidis would also not see any conflict between scientific theory and religious faith, seeing our Creator God as the ultimate author of the physical laws under which the Universe functions.
For those genuinely interested in Talmidaism, if you wish to receive regular updates, articles and news, please register and log into the members area at the very top of this page.
If you wish to interact with other Talmidis (with both our Massorite community, and also with Ebionites), you can join our Facebook group, which is an ecumenical group for all Talmidis, regardless of our denomination or sect, and for anyone who has a genuine interest in Talmidaism.
There is also a Facebook page for the general public, where I provide links to selected blogposts of possible interest to a wider audience.
If you have any questions, we can be contacted at:
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*Please note that the word ‘Talmidaism’ has nothing to do with the Talmud; the only thing that the two words have in common, is that they are both from the same Hebrew verb talmad: to teach. The word ‘Talmidaism’ was coined to replace the inaccurate term, ‘Jewish-Christianity’ (since we are neither Paullist, trinitarian, nor messianic Christians).
It comes from the Aramaic word talmida: follower / disciple, and the ending of the word is modelled after the example of the word ‘Judaism’. It is therefore pronounced taal-mee-DAY-izz-um (IPA: ta:lmi:‘dei-izəm), with emphasis on the 3rd syllable (it’s important to get the pronunciation correct, in order to avoid common confusion with the word, ‘Talmudism’).
The complete collection of the 14 books of The Exhortations (our equivalent to the New Testament) has now been published in one volume. It is available from Amazon-UK at £18.50, and from Amazon-US at $23.19
If you ever have any questions about what you read, or if you profoundly disagree with anything, please email me at shmuliq.parzal@googlemail.com
The Exhortations is our equivalent of the New Testament, but does not have any scriptural authority; the only scriptural authority for Talmidis is the Galilean canon of the Hebrew Bible; therefore you do not have to agree with The Exhortations in order to call oneself a Talmidi.