Validation of a Marriage Contract
When you stand at the alter to marry, Christian tradition typically requires the expression
"If any person has reason to believe this marriage should not go forward
--- Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace".
That is -- Either object to this marriage before the marriage begins or
never object to the marriage after it is consummated -- for then it
will be too late.
This goes for the bride or the bride's family.
This goes for the groom or the groom's family.
This goes for the community at large as well in which they will live.
Everyone is allowed to be heard on this important occasion.
No less in importance than "death by marriage," is "death by stoning".
Both are forever.
Hence, Jewish tradition also allows the same final justice in the case of a death sentence.
The rough equivalent to a jury of your peers.
Validation of the Criminal Sentence of Death
"Speak Now Why this Condemned Man Should Not be Killed
or Forever Hold your Peace"
The Jews called Jesus by the name Jeshua, or with the silent "a" removed, Jeshu.
In the case of Jesus Christ, before his crucifixion, Jeshu was taken
through the town dragging his Crucifix along with him, with the
required Herald crying through the town for anyone who knew why Christ
should die to step forward to proclaim his innocence.
And from the way the Jews tell it in the Talmud, they went the extra
mile, since Jesus was also given that opportunity 40 times over in the
preceding 40 days to have someone provide a valid reason not to have
him killed.
With all their bases covered in unquestioned Sanhedrin Judaic law, 40
times over, the Jews washed their hands of the crimes they accused
Jesus Christ of committing.
Devoutly Religious Jews killed Jesus
"Devoutly Religious Jews"
then stood back and allowed the death sentence against Jesus to be
executed on the day before Passover, with Christ dragging his own Cross
through the streets with a Herald preceding him.
Stoning, hanging, crucification -- it's all the same.
To Jews, the miracles Christ performed were sorcery, his Gospel was apostasy and he was looked on as a false God.
How else could someone who does not believe in Jesus Christ react?
Later, we will see how the Popes treated people who believed this way toward Christ.
MISHNAH. IF
THEN THEY FIND HIM INNOCENT, THEY DISCHARGE HIM; BUT IF NOT, HE GOES
FORTH TO BE STONED, AND A HERALD PRECEDES HIM [CRYING]: SO AND SO, THE
SON OF SO AND SO, IS GOING FORTH TO BE STONED BECAUSE HE COMMITTED SUCH
AND SUCH AN OFFENCE, AND SO AND SO ARE HIS WITNESSES. WHOEVER KNOWS
ANYTHING IN HIS FAVOUR, LET HIM COME AND STATE IT.
GEMARA. Abaye said; It must also be
announced: On such and such a day, at such and such and hour, and in
such and such a place [the crime was committed], in case there are some
who know [to the contrary], so that they can come forward and prove the
witnesses Zomemim.
AND A HERALD PRECEDES HIM etc. This implies, only immediately before
[the execution], but not previous thereto. [In contradiction to
this] it was taught: On the eve of the Passover Yeshu34
was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald
went forth and cried, 'He is going forth to be stoned because he has
practised sorcery and enticed Israel to apostacy. Any one who can say anything in his favour, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.' But since nothing was brought forward in his favour he was hanged on the eve of the Passover! 35 — Ulla retorted: 'Do you suppose that he was one for whom a defence could be made? Was he not a Mesith [enticer], concerning whom Scripture says, Neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him?36 With Yeshu however it was different, for he was connected with the government [or royalty, i.e., influential].'
- 34) [Ms.M. adds the Nasarean'.]
- 35) [A Florentine Ms. adds: and the eve of Sabbath.]
- 36) Deut. XIII, 9.
Wikipedia: Jeshu
The name "Yeshu" is actually an acronym for the formula
(ימח שמו וזכרו(נו (Y'mach Sh'mo V'Zichro(no)) meaning...
"may his name and memory be obliterated".
The earliest known example of this theory comes from medieval Toldoth Yeshu narratives. This has led to the accusation, first voiced by the anti-Judaist writer Johann Andreas Eisenmenger in his Entdecktes Judenthum, that "Yeshu" was always such a deliberately insulting term for Jesus.
Eisenmenger claimed that Jews believed that they were forbidden to
mention names of false gods and instead were commanded to change and
defame them and did so with Jesus' name as they considered him a false
god.
He argued that Jesus' original name was "Yeshua" and as Jews did
not recognize him as saviour ( moshia`) or that he had even saved ( hoshia`) himself, they left out the ayin from the root meaning "to save".
Friar Raymond Martini, in his anti-Jewish polemical treatise Pugio Fidei, began the accusation echoed in numerous subsequent anti-Jewish pamphlets that the Yeshu passages were derogatory accounts of Jesus.
In 1554 a papal bull ordered the removal of all
references from the Talmud and other Jewish texts deemed offensive and
blasphemous to Christians. Thus the Yeshu passages were removed from subsequently published editions of the Talmud and Tosefta.
Nevertheless several church writers would refer to the passages as evidence of Jesus outside the Gospels.
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