THE GOSPEL OF MARK,Ch.7

v.3 …When we compare the “tradition of the elders “ with the original laws prescribed , are these traditions extensions of the laws or simply customs adopted to make them understandable ?- Lev.ch.11..dealing with foods; ch.12…relating to childbirth; ch.13 dealing with skin diseases; ch14…dealing with cleansing from skin diseases; ch.15…relating to discharges from the body. Numbers, ch.19…water for cleansing.

   Was the uncleanness about which the Pharisees complained to do with health precautions ,or for ceremonial and ritual customs ?

   Were the laws in the O.T. designed to guard against ill health in the wilderness >

v.6… Is true faith in God an attitude of heart and mind , or a careful observance of correct behaviour and thought ?

v.11…Anything declared “Corban” is something set apart for God and therefore made untouchable. Could this vow or intention of separating a valuable thing for God alone become an excuse for ignoring a human need which is immediate ?

v.14- 23.. Does real  uncleanness  consist in  the thoughts and inner attitudes, or in a person’s  actions ?

Does this list  of the sources of uncleanness course us to examine our own hearts daily – Isaiah ,ch.29,v.13-14.

Is a mere obedience to civil laws and customs and moral standards sufficient in God’s sight for living a godly life , or is a change of heart needed first..a change from self and sin to  a heart given over to God alone ?

Is it possible to avoid all these immoral and evil actions  and yet give time to entertain and fantasise the thoughts which sponsor them-Matt.ch.5,v.21-22; 27-28.

Is the human heart naturally good through and through, or is it in need of a deep change to incline towards God and goodness ?- Eccles, ch.7-20; Romans ch.3,v.10-18; 1 John ch.1,v.8-10.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK,Ch.4,part 2.

  v.21…Where might we gain spiritual insight and light ?..Exodus,ch.13,v.21; Psalm 18,v.28; Psalm 119,v.105; Proverbs 6,v.23; John ch.1,.v.9; 2 Corin.ch.4,.v.6.

   How may light or insight be shared with others who are in darkness ?…Eph.ch.5,v.8-14;Acts, ch.13,v.47; Psalm 37,v.6.

v.22..Is there any purpose in concealing a truth once it is received ?…Psalm 44, v.2; Psalm 139,v. 11-12; Jer. ch.23,v.24; Eccl. ch.12,v.14.

v.23… Does the person who receives good news or a truth have a responsibility in sharing this with others ?..2 Cor.c.4,.v.13-15.

v.24 and v.25… What could result if a person who has received good news, or a talent or an ability and then fails to use these ?…Matt.ch.25,.v.28-30; Luke ,ch.19,.v26

v.26… What are some of the evidences of belonging to the Kingdom of God ?…Luke,ch.6,v.20; Luke,ch.17,.v.20-21; John,ch.3,.v3; Romans,ch.14,v.17; 1 Cor.ch.4,.v.20.

v.27…Does the seed of the Kingdom grow without any human intervention ?..2 Cor.ch.4,v.7.  But does God call every believer to work with Him  ?..Phil.,ch.2,,v.13.

v.28.. Is God’s Kingdom growing continuously, quietly and without interruption ?

v.29..Is it God’s purpose and plan for a final gathering or harvest of all who belong to His Kingdom ?…Matt.ch.25,.v.31-33; 2 Peter,ch.3,v.10-13;  Heb.ch.12,v.28.

THE CRUSADES AND “CO-LATERAL” DEATHS AMONG THE JEWS.

     FOR  FURTHER NOTES ON THIS ITEM AND OTHER NOTES ON THIS THEME, PLEASE REFER TO MY WEB SITE,PAGE 47 ONWARDS, --

   www.  thechurchandisrael.org     with its title –The Church and Israel.-  

                                            “ Comfort, My People.

    Thank you for your interest, readership and prayers in this important theme.

       FURTHER ITEMS WILL FOLLOWS AS TIME ALLOWS.

THE JEWS AND THE PRACTICE OF USURY.

     A  popular understanding is that usury is the levying of exorbitant interest on a loan. In the middle ages usury involved the automatic increase on the capital lent from the day of lending.  Interest on a loan arose only after a period of delay from the day of lending. The taking of interest on a loan was treated as a sin, and was forbidden in Europe until 13th. century, following the teaching found in Luke, ch.6,v.35. After that time interest was allowed in the matter of raising credit for trade. A Jew was permitted to raise interest by usury by a decision of the 4th. Lateran Church Council in 1215. This gave the Jews some advantage in money lending, but is also exacerbated resentment against them, as though they were preying on the vulnerable in society. Money lending was one of the few activities allowed to Jews because of the restrictions mentioned before.

    Thomas Aquinas considered that the possessions of the Jews could be expropriated since those possessions came to them through usury.The church generally was not committed to one view on the subject of lending at a fair profit. This form of business was seen as disreputable and it involved the risk of disinheritance of the children of lenders.The trade in usury had some protection from the civil authorities, but at the cost of opprobrium and hatred.

     Jewish usurers were never secure because of the threat of physical attack, mob violence, expulsion, arbitrary cancellation of loans to the “ owner “ or “ protector “ of the Jews, the diversion of repayment monies by the “owner”, or because of a moratorium  on the loans enforced by the Jews’  “owner.”

    The Jews themselves were often treated as “ chattels” by the “owners”, and a lust for their money sometimes prompted their murder. “The ready cash in the hands of the Jews was also a poison which killed them. Had the Jews been poor, they would not have been burned.” ( SOURCE: “Valley of Tears” by Joseph ha-Kahen.)

    Immense risks attended this form of livelihood, but money lending by the Jews gradually disappeared before the end of the middle ages, largely because of expulsions from England, France, Spain and various German cities. Heavy exactions were made upon them by their royal “protectors”, and Jewish wealth was exhausted in Europe by 15th. century as a result of these punitive measures.

THE JEWS IN MEDIEVAL SOCIETY.

     Citizenship for the Jews was a different concept from that accorded to any Christian. It was limited in duration, it did not confer any rights to a civic position and it was susceptible to arbitrary withdrawal. The Jew was basically a  stateless or “homeless” person. The subservience of the Jew was enforced by the Roman Catholic church, and the effect of the Jews’ limited rights and powers,was to create in later centuries, an inbred sense of mental inferiority, –which was often the opposite of reality.

   Trade and craft occupations were governed by corporations and guilds to which the Jew was not admitted. Agricultural work was virtually debarred for the Jew because sales and leases of land were limited to 10 years, and from the 9th. century onwards Jews were not permitted to own lands.

   Areas of residence for Jews was often limited ; they were sometimes excluded from cities and provinces because of jealousy prompted by the privileges granted to them by European princes, by commercial rivalry , by resentment arising through the indebtedness of borrowers, and even sometimes, by the misguided piety of the clergy. An example of the latter was the request of Eleanor, prompted by the church, for her son, Edward 1 i n 1275 to remove all the Jews from Marlborough, Gloucester,Worcester and Cambridge.

    The Jews often needed protection by civil powers from baseless clerical allegations, such as well-poisoning and ritual murder of children, and  the outbursts of excitable mobs.Protection was sometimes only gained by means of bribery. An understanding soon grew which thought that the Jews used bribery in all their business dealings.,- a concept which bred ill-will and suspicion.

A REASON FOR THE EXPULSION OF THE JEWS FROM SPAIN.

      “ The Holy Office of the Inquisition, seeing now some Christians are endangered by contact and communication with the Jews, has provided that the Jews be expelled from all our realms and territories, and has persuaded us to give our support and agreement to this, which we now do…. We do so despite the great harm to ourselves, seeking and preferring the salvation of souls above our own profit.”

 

SOURCE: Pilar Leon Tello, –“ Judios de Toledo.”

ORIGIN :  A letter to the Count of Aranda from King Ferdinand, 31st.March, 1492.

THE REASON FOR THE INQUISITION IN SPAIN..

   “Throughout the 1480’s the signs multiplied of the approaching end of the era of cultural co-existence in Spain between Christians, Moors and Jews. Religious considerations were partly responsible….Ferdinand and Isabella …were deeply afflicted by the genuine fear that Christian souls would be lost for eternity by the…influence of other faiths. It was expressly for this reason that they established the Castilian Inquisition in 1479 and extended it to all their realms over the following years.”

   SOURCE : Felipe Fernandez-Armesto.- “ Ferdinand and Isabella.”( 1975)