Anne,

Shalom! Before I discuss Michael Drazin's book, let me make the =
following introduction:
Sometimes this whole kind of discussion seems absurd. It's like two =
people arguing whether it can theoretically rain cats and dogs when, in =
fact, outside it is. Similarly, people could argue that, since it never =
rains fire and brimstone from heaven onto earth, therefore the biblical =
account of Sodom's destruction cannot be correct. But if you are a =
believer, then you first accept the truth of the biblical text, and only =
then can you hope to understand it better.

Thus, we could say: look, Shoshana, the New Testament reports that Jesus =
was born of a virgin, that He did miracles, that He raised the dead, =
that He taught wondrously, that He was killed by a Jewish-Roman =
conspiracy, and that He finally rose from the dead. Whether you like =
this or not does not matter; you either accept its truth or not.

There is another case like this in the Old Testament. God originally had =
told Abraham:

Ge 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be =
a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they =
shall afflict them four hundred years;

And then it says:=20

Ex 12:40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in =
Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.
Ex 12:41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty =
years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the =
LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

But from other verses in Exodus, the rabbis calculate that Israel was in =
Egypt only 210 years. So they ask how this fits with the prophecy to =
Abraham of 400 or 430 years. And they explain:

>From the Covenant of the Parts to the birth of Isaac was 30 years, from =
Isaac's birth to the Exodus from Egypt was 400 years, and during that =
whole period of time Israel were strangers in a land not their own. Thus =
the 430 years included all the years of the Patriarchs, when Israel was =
not in physical bondage in Egypt, as well as the time of actual physical =
bondage. They further explain that of the 210 years in Egypt, only 86 =
were of actual harsh bondage. The rest of the time, while the Sons of =
Jacob yet lived, the Israelites flourished.=20

I mention all this to show that the rabbis themselves are prepared to =
resort to extreme measures to explain seemingly irresolvable =
difficulties in the Scriptures. Most of the time Jews who oppose Jesus =
are not aware of these efforts, and so they imagine that only the New =
Testament presents textual difficulties. This cannot be further from the =
truth.

The rabbis also explain that most of the Israelites who did not leave =
Egypt with Moses (about 80% of the people) did not accept that their =
time of Deliverance could arrive before the entire period of 430 (or =
400) years was up. They considered Moses' claims to be fraudulent and =
chose not to follow him into the wilderness. And this despite the fact =
that Moses convincingly displayed very anointed power in the plagues and =
other miracles.=20

Similarly do Jewish objections to Jesus, despite His overwhelming =
demonstration of Divine Grace and Power, derive from the fact that He =
did not fit in precisely to every expectation that they had about =
Messiah's purposes. But we must accept Scripture first and only then =
hope to understand them through the illumination of the Holy Spirit.=20

And as Jesus Himself said of His own recalcitrant generation:

John 10

37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye =
may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

Furthermore, books like Drazin's that quibble over minor textual =
discrepancies in the New Testament completely overlook the wild and =
ridiculous assertions and outright lies that congest the pages of the =
Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds. For instance the Talmudic claim that =
the numbers of dead in the Betar uprising that the Romans crushed =
reached into the billions, and that the blood of the dead flowed like a =
river into the Mediterranean, and that the piles of bodies did not decay =
for 20 years, is a total lie. And the Talmud is filled with so many =
countless stupid home remedies, superstitions, and fantasies that a good =
portion of Yeshiva study is devoted simply to sorting out what parts of =
the Talmud are relevant and what parts are simply folklore. The most =
prestigious Orthodox rabbis today are those who are considered to have =
the authority to decide what parts of the Talmud are to be taken =
literally and what parts may - and indeed must -be dismissed as =
irrelevant fantasy!

1 Timothy 1.4: Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, =
which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: =
so do.

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Neither give heed to fables] Idle fancies; things of no moment; =
doctrines and opinions unauthenticated; silly legends, of which no =
people ever possessed a greater stock than the Jews. Their Talmud =
abounds with them; and the English reader may find them in abundance in =
Stehlin's Jewish Traditions, 2 vols. 8vo.=20

1 Timothy 4.7: But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise =
thyself rather unto godliness.

Adam Clarke's Commentary

But refuse profane and old wives' fables] This seems to refer =
particularly to the Jews, whose Talmudical writings are stuffed with the =
most ridiculous and profane fables that ever disgraced the human =
intellect. =20

__________________

Now let me proceed to the main part of my message:

I have been reading Michael Drazin's book, Their Hollow Inheritance, and =
I have found some interesting answers to some of the questions he =
proposes against the veracity of the New Testament. I warn you in =
advance that you may not like these answers, because they will shake up =
your confidence in Drazin and all the anti-missionaries like him, who =
throw up half-truths in their zeal to debunk the book of Messiah Jesus. =
So if you do not want to be disturbed out of your comfort zone of Jewish =
rabbinical falsehood, then I suggest you delete this message right now. =
But if you are brave enough to desire eternal life, no matter what the =
cost, then please read on:

Drazen reports the following "inaccuracies" in the New Testament:
I Samuel 21:2

Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest, and
Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said to him:

"Why are you alone, and no man with you?"

New Testament Distortion

Mark 2:25--26

And he [Jesus] said to them: "Have you never read what David did, when =
he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him; how he =
entered the House of G-d, when Abiathar was high priest,..." Ahimelech =
was high priest at that time. Only after his death (I Samuel 22:18) did =
his son, Abiathar, succeed him:

I Samuel 30:7
And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech..

and John Calvin comments in his Geneva Bible Notes:

In 1Sa 21:1 he is called Ahimelech and his son is called Abiathar, but =
by conferring other places it is plain that both of them had two names; =
see 1Ch 24:6; 2Sa 8:17; 15:29; 1Ki 2:26; 2Ki 25:18.

2 Samuel 8.15-18
And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed judgment and =
justice unto all his people. And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the =
host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; And Zadok the son =
of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and =
Seraiah was the scribe; And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both =
the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief rulers.=20

Thus clearly Drazin is wrong, for the High Priest is called both =
Abiathar and Ahimelech.

II Samuel 5:6--7

And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites..David =
took the stronghold of Zion, the same is the city of David.

New Testament Distortion

Luke 2:4--5

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to =
Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was =
of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his =
betrothed wife who was with child.

Jerusalem, not Bethlehem, is called the "city of David."

Drazin deliberately overlooks the reason the NT calls Bethlehem the city =
of David, because David was born and raised there. Another point: =
everyone knew that Jerusalem was called the City of David, but that had =
long since been eclipsed by Herod's building projects. However Bethlehem =
remained unchanged to Jesus' time as it was at the time of David's =
birth.

Genesis 11:26

When Terah had lived seventy years he became the father of Abram....

Genesis 12:4
...Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Genesis 11:32
The days of Terah were 205 years and Terah died in Haran.

New Testament Distortion

Acts 7:4

Then he [Abraham] departed from the land of the Chaldeans, and lived in =
Haran. And after his father died, G-d removed him from there into the =
land [in which] you are now living.

Abraham left Haran when Terah was 145 (70+75), which was sixty years =
before Terah died (205 - 145).

Regarding Acts 7.4, even Rashi admits that Lech Lecha follows Noah, =
which terminates with Terah's death, so as to give the impression that =
Abraham did not dishonour his father by leaving him while he was still =
alive. Thus the NT merely repeats the common sense of the OT. Here are =
two commentaries by Christian scholars that explain this:

Albert Barnes
(2.) It is not affirmed that Abraham was born just at the time when =
Terah was seventy years of age. All that the passage in Ge 11:26 proves, =
according to the usual meaning of similar expressions, is, that Terah =
was seventy years old before he had any sons, and that the three were =
born subsequently to that. But which was born first, or how long =
intervals intervened between their birth, does not appear. Assuredly it =
does not mean that all were born precisely at the time when Terah was =
seventy years of age. Neither does it appear that Abraham was the eldest =
of the three. The sons of Noah are said to have been Shem, Ham, and =
Japheth, (Ge 5:32;) yet Japheth, though mentioned last, was the eldest, =
(Ge 10:21.) As Abraham afterwards became much the most distinguished, =
and as he was the father of the Jewish people of whom Moses was writing, =
it was natural that he should be mentioned first. If it cannot be proved =
that Abraham was the eldest, as assuredly it cannot be, then there is no =
improbability in supposing that his birth might have occurred many years =
after Terah was seventy years of age.=20
=20
(3.) The Jews unanimously affirm that Terah relapsed into idolatry =
before Abraham left Haran; and this they denominate death, or a moral =
death.--Kuin"el. It is certain, therefore, that, from some cause, they =
were accustomed to speak of Terah as dead, before Abraham left him. =
Stephen only used language which was customary among the Jews; and would =
use it doubtless correctly, though we may not be able to see precisely =
how it can be reconciled with the account in Genesis.=20
=20
Adam Clarke
Genesis 11:26=20
Verse 26. And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and =
Haran.] Haran was certainly the eldest son of Terah, and he appears to =
have been born when Terah was about seventy years of age, and his birth =
was followed in successive periods with those of Nahor his second, and =
Abram his youngest son. Many have been greatly puzzled with the account =
here, supposing because Abram is mentioned first, that therefore he was =
the eldest son of Terah: but he is only put first by way of dignity. An =
in stance of this we have already seen, Ge 5:32, where Noah is =
represented as having Shem, Ham, and Japheth in this order of =
succession; whereas it is evident from other scriptures that Shem was =
the youngest son, who for dignity is named first, as Abram is here; and =
Japheth the eldest, named last, as Haran is here. Terah died two =
hundred and five years old, Ge 11:32; then Abram departed from Haran =
when seventy-five years old, Ge 12:4; therefore Abram was born, not when =
his father Terah was seventy, but when he was one hundred and thirty.=20
=20
When any case of dignity or pre-eminence is to be marked, then even the =
youngest son is set before all the rest, though contrary to the usage of =
the Scriptures in other cases. Hence we find Shem, the youngest son of =
Noah, always mentioned first; Moses is mentioned before his elder =
brother Aaron; and Abram before his two elder brethren Haran and Nahor. =
These observations are sufficient to remove all difficulty from this =
place.

Genesis 46:27

And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls; =
all the souls of the house of Jacob that came into Egypt were seventy.

New Testament Distortion

Acts 7:14
And Joseph sent and called to him Jacob his father and his kindred; =
seventy-five souls.

The Septuagint records 75 souls that went with Jacob to Egypt. This is =
the source for Acts 7.14. Here is Adam Clarke on Genesis 46:20:

Verse 20. Unto Joseph-were born Manasseh and Ephraim] There is a =
remarkable addition here in the Septuagint, which must be noticed: =
egenonto de uioi manassh, ous eteken autw h pallakh h sura, ton macir. =
macir de egennhse ton galaad. uioi de efraim adelfon manassh, soutalaam =
kai taam. uioi de soutalaam, edem. These were the sons of Manasseh whom =
his Syrian concubine bore unto him: Machir; and Machir begat Galaad. =
The sons of Ephraim, Manasseh's brother, were Sutalaam and Taam; and the =
sons of Sutalaam, Edem. These add five persons to the list, and make =
out the number given by Stephen, Ac 7:14, which it seems he had taken =
from the text of the Septuagint, unless we could suppose that the text =
of Stephen had been altered to make it correspond to the Septuagint, of =
which there is not the slightest evidence from ancient MSS. or versions. =
The addition in the Septuagint is not found in either the Hebrew or the =
Samaritan at present; and some suppose that it was taken either from Nu =
26:29,35, or 1Ch 7:14-20, but in none of these places does the addition =
appear as it stands in the Septuagint, thought some of the names are =
found interspersed. Various means have been proposed to find the seventy =
persons in the text, and to reconcile the Hebrew with the Septuagint and =
the New Testament.=20
=20
A table given by Scheuchzer, extracted from the Memoires de Trevoux, =
gives the following general view: =20
=20
=20
=20
The twelve sons of JACOB with their children=20
and grandchildren.=20
Reuben and his four sons............. 5=20
Simeon and his six sons.............. 7=20
Levi and his three sons.............. 4=20
Judah and his seven sons and grand-=20
sons............................... 8=20
Issachar and his four sons........... 5=20
Zebulun and his three sons........... 4=20
Total sons of JACOB and LEAH....... =C4=C4 33=20
Gad and his seven sons............... 8=20
Asher and his seven sons and grand-=20
sons............................... 8=20
Total sons of JACOB and ZILPAH..... =C4=C4 16=20
Joseph and his two sons.............. 3=20
Benjamin and his ten sons............ 11=20
Total sons of JACOB and RACHEL....... =C4=C4 14=20
Dan and his son...................... 2=20
Naphtali and his four sons........... 5=20
Total sons of JACOB and BILHAH..... =C4=C4 7=20
=C4=C4=20
Total sons of Jacob and his four=20
wives.............................. =C4=C4 70
=20
"To harmonize this with the Septuagint and St. Stephen, Ac 7:14, to the =
number sixty-six (all the souls that came out of Jacob's loins, Ge =
46:26) add nine of the patriarchs' wives, Judah's wife being already =
dead in Canaan, (Ge 38:12,) Benjamin being supposed to be as yet =
unmarried, and the wife of Joseph being already in Egypt, and therefore =
out of the case: the number will amount to seventy-five, which is that =
found in the Acts."-Universal History.=20
=20
Dr. Hales' method is more simple, and I think more satisfactory: "Moses =
states that all the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt which issued =
from his loins, (except his sons wives,) were sixty-six souls, Ge 46:26; =
and this number is thus collected:- =20
=20
=20
=20
JACOB'S children, eleven sons and one=20
daughter.................................. 12=20
Reuben's sons............................... 4=20
Simeon's sons............................... 6=20
Levi's sons................................. 3=20
Judah's three sons and two grandsons........ 5=20
Issachar's sons............................. 4=20
Zebulun's sons.............................. 3=20
Gad's sons.................................. 7=20
Asher's four sons, one daughter, and two=20
grandsons................................. 7=20
Dan's son................................... 1=20
Naphtali's sons............................. 4=20
Benjamin's sons............................. 10=20
--=20
66=20
=20
=20
=20
"If to these sixty-six children, and grandchildren, and great =
grandchildren, we add Jacob himself, Joseph and his two sons, the amount =
is seventy, the whole amount of Jacob's family which settled in Egypt.
=20
=20
"In this statement the wives of Jacob's sons, who formed part of the =
household, are omitted; but they amounted to nine, for of the twelve =
wives of the twelve sons of Jacob, Judah's wife was dead, Ge 38:12, and =
Simeon's also, as we may collect from his youngest son Shaul by a =
Canannitess, Ge 46:10, and Joseph's wife was already in Egypt. These =
nine wives, therefore, added to the sixty-six, give seventy-five souls =
the whole amount of Jacob's household that went down with him to Egypt; =
critically corresponding with the statement in the New Testament, that =
'Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his kindred, amounting to =
seventy-five souls.' The expression all his kindred, including the =
wives which were Joseph's kindred, not only by affinity, but also by =
consanguinity, being probably of the families of Esau, Ishmael, or =
Keturah. Thus does the New Testament furnish an admirable comment on =
the Old."-Analysis, vol. ii., p. 159.
=20
=20
It is necessary to observe that this statement, which appears on the =
whole the most consistent, supposes that Judah was married when about =
fourteen years of age, his son Er at the same age, Pharez at the same, =
Asher and his fourth son Beriah under twenty, Benjamin about fifteen, =
and Joseph's sons and grandsons about twenty. But this is not =
improbable, as the children of Israel must all have married at a very =
early age, to have produced in about two hundred and fifteen years no =
less than six hundred thousand persons above twenty years old, besides =
women and children.

Joshua 24:32

The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up from Egypt, =
were buried in Shechem, in the portion of ground that Jacob bought from =
the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of =
money; and they became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.

New Testament Distortion

Acts 7:15--16

And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, and =
they were carried over to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had =
bought for the sum of money from the sons of Hamor of Shechem. Only =
Joseph was buried in Shechem, and Jacob bought the plot, not Abraham.

Here is Treasury of Scripture Knowledge:

Of the two burying-places of the patriarchs, one was at Hebron, the cave =
and field which Abraham purchased of Ephron the Hittite, (Ge 23:16, =
etc.); the other in Sychem, which Jacob (not Abraham) bought of the sons =
of Emmor, (Ge 33:19.) To remove this glaring discrepancy, Markland =
interprets [para < See definition 3844>,] from, as it frequently =
signifies with a genitive, and renders, "And were carried over to =
Sychem; and afterwards from among the descendants of Emmor, the father, =
or son, of Sychem, they were laid in the sepulchrewhich Abraham bought =
for a sum of money." This agrees with the account which Josephus gives =
of the patriarchs; that they were carried out of Egypt, first to Sychem, =
and then to Hebron, where they were buried.

Exodus 14:22

And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry land; =
the waters were a wall to them on their right side and on their left.

New Testament Distortion

I Corinthians 10:1
I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, =
and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized to Moses in the =
cloud and in the sea....

One is baptized in water, not under a cloud, and the Jews stood on dry =
land, not in the sea itself.

The Midrashim compare the crossing of the Red Sea to a mikvah immersion. =
Paul writes in this sense and similarly incorporates the cloud, which =
the rabbis admit covered the nation during their 40 years of wanderings =
in the wilderness (the clouds of glory - annanay hakavod).

Numbers 25:9

And those that died by the plague were 24,000.

New Testament Distortion

I Corinthians 10:8
We must not indulge in fornication as some of them did, and 23,000 fell =
in a single day.

23000 died by plague, while another 1000 were executed at Moses' command =
by the people.

Galatians 3:16
Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his seed. It does not say, =
"and to his seeds," referring to many, but, referring to one, "and to =
your seed," which is Christ.

The Hebrew word zera (seed) is invariably used in the singular when =
referring to progeny, whether one person or many are meant. For example, =
wherever G-d promised to bless Abraham's "seed," his descendants were =
intended:

Genesis 13:16
I will make your seed as the dust of the earth ; so that if one could =
count the dust of the earth, then your seed would also be counted.

Genesis 15:13
Then the L-rd said to Abram: "Know for sure that your seed will be =
sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and they will be slaves there, =
and they will be oppressed for four hundred years."

Genesis 26:4
...and I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and will give =
to your seed all these lands...

Genesis 22:17
...I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your seed as the =
stars of heaven, and as the sand upon the seashore; and your seed shall =
possess the gate of their enemies; and through your seed shall all the =
nations of the earth be blessed, because you have hearkened to My voice.

This explanation of Seed in the singular (zera) is a derasha, showing =
that although it is a collective noun it also has an ultimate meaning of =
one special seed in whom will be attached much seed. Jesus is the one =
seed who is much seed. Besides, according to the rabbinical view, this =
prophecy to Abraham never occurred, since the Jews hardly have amounted =
to a vast multitude in their history. But with the engrafting of =
Gentiles through Christ the unique Seed of Abraham, Abraham's seed =
number truly a vast multitude of billions.

Exodus 24:6--8
And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins; and half the blood =
he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and =
read in the hearing of the people; and they said: "All that the L-rd has =
spoken we will do and obey." And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it =
upon the people, and said: "Behold, the blood of the covenant that the =
L-rd has made with you in accordance with all these words."

New Testament Distortion

Hebrews 9:19--20

For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all =
the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and =
scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled on both the book itself and all =
the people, saying: "This is the blood of the covenant which G-d =
commanded you."

The Book of the Covenant was not sprinkled with blood.

This was a tradition that the Book was sprinkled. Or Clarke renders =
this:

And sprinkled both the book] The sprinkling of the book is not =
mentioned in the place to which the apostle refers, (see above,) nor did =
it in fact take place. The words auto te to biblion, and the book =
itself, should be referred to labwn, having taken, and not to errantise, =
he sprinkled; the verse should therefore be read thus: For after every =
commandment of the law had been recited by Moses to all the people, he =
took the blood of the calves, and of the goats, with water and scarlet =
wool, and the book itself, and sprinkled all the people.=20

Genesis 47:31

And he [Jacob] said: "Swear to me." And he [Joseph] swore to him. Then =
Israel [Jacob] bowed himself upon the head of his bed.

New Testament Distortion

Hebrews 11:21

By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing =
in worship over the head of his staff.

The Hebrew word for bed, mita, is the same root for staff, mateh. And =
this is how the Septuagint translates the verse in Genesis. Barnes:

And worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. This is an exact =
quotation from the Septuagint in Ge 47:31. The English version of that =
place is, "and Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head," which is a =
proper translation, in the main, of the word HEBREW--mittah. That word, =
however, with different points--HEBREW--matteh, means, a branch, a =
bough, a rod, a staff, and the translators of the Septuagint have so =
rendered it. The Masoretic points are of no authority, and either =
translation, therefore, would be proper.=20

Joseph bowed upon the head of his bed, not his staff. Some attempt to =
explain these discrepancies by claiming that the Hebrew Bible was =
altered after the New Testament was written. But a supplement15 to The =
Revised Standard Version, a Protestant Bible, states otherwise:

The Hebrew Old Testament was translated into Greek at Alexandria =
(285--246 B.C.) in order to provide a copy for the library there, and as =
a service to the many Greek- speaking Jews. It is known as the =
Septuagint, a word that suggests the seventy-two scholars whom it is =
thought were engaged to make the translation.

The Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible was known to the world 246 =
years before the birth of Jesus. Therefore, it could not have been =
altered after the emergence of Christianity. Rather, the New Testament =
stands alone in its errors.

Here Drazin lies blatantly, or at least deceives us through his own =
ignorance, for in a number of the above cases the Septuagint version =
exactly accords with the version in the New Testament. Drazin himself is =
guilty here of what he castigates the New Testament of: fraud, although =
in Drazin's case it would not seem to be pious, but simply malice!

Please, Anne, realize that the anti-missionaries have their own agenda. =
They are people who support their families and earn their money by =
slamming Christianity. This is their parnassa. Don't assume they are =
doing their work out of benevolence or even love of the Truth. No! They =
are simply pandering to an audience and seeking to promote their =
product. Their love of money and fame severely undermines their =
integrity, for as the Lord Jesus said: man cannot serve both God and =
mammon.

Don't put your destiny of either eternal life or eternal damnation into =
the hands of the wicked and the greedy. Be careful! Don't be gullible! =
Don't be a fool! Each one of us will stand naked before God's Judgment =
seat. No rabbi will be there to hold our hands. We will not be able to =
exonerate ourselves by saying that we trusted their blasphemous books. =
We will be punished for not listening to the still small voice of =
conscience within each and every one of us that knows the truth and =
persistently tries to whisper it to us: Jesus Christ is King of Kings =
and Lord of Lords!