Becker Bible Teacher Resources

Three Paradigms ¹

1. Better Faith Paradigm - Church triumphant, synagogue defeated.  The Eucharist made preeminent over the Law of Moses. Christians have spiritual ability to see with freedom and confidence vs. the Jew's spiritual blindness leading to misery and shame.

2. Mother-Daughter Paradigm - Judaism is the mother and Christianity her daughter.  Relies upon the idea that the Old Testament is Jewish and the New Testament Christian. Since the Old Testament predates the New Testament, it is concluded by these adherents that Judaism predated Pentecost Christianity. Christianity is said to descend from Judaism since Jesus and the early Christians were Jews.

3. Siblings Paradigm -  Relatively new paradigm does not relate Judaism to be equal to the Old Testament or Christianity to be New Testament. The Mother was not Judaism, but rather, the Ancient Faith of Israel.  The Mother did not have only one child, she had many. Each child interpreted and practiced the ancient faith of Israel differently; only some survived the destruction of Jerusalem Temple and exile from the Land of Israel.

The Ancient Faith of Israel consisted of non-Jerusalem Temple Jewish Movement, Samaritan Israelites, Hellenistic Judaism, Jewish Jesus Movement, Sadducees/Herodians, Historic Christianity, Pharisaic movement, Essene Judaism, Militant Judaism, People of the Land, Qumranic Judaism, and Unknown types. The two major surviving siblings that retained and increased their religious/cultural force from the Ancient Faith of Israel were Judaism (Proto-Rabbinic) and Christianity (Non-Jewish). Though Samaritans and Christian Jews also survived, they eventually lost their influence as specific groups in comparison with Judaism and Christianity.

Dr. Lizorkin-Eyzenberg claims Christianity is actually older as it developed through the Ancient Faith of Israel, than is Rabbinic Judaism, when the foundational document dating is recognized.  Historically, Christianity was recorded in the New Testament in the late 1st Century.  Judaism's foundational document is identified as the Mishna; it was published in the early 3rd century.

¹Traditional Paradigms Reconsidered in an ETeacher Biblical course by Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg, 2014,at https://student.eteachergroup.com/course-details/C53106