But what about the apocalytic ideas. They are not part of the torah but are jewish? aren'nt they?
How important were these apocalyptic ideas or warnings about the fate of the condemned in the mind of a 1-st century Jew or christian?
Ideas of the apocalyptic doomsday and judgement and a phantastic future developped in the Jewish world (such as Isaiah's geena ) but they were not determining the thoughts continuing. From there originate the Doomsday phantasies, which emphazize a future individual judgement with the thought of fair vengeance.
The jewish community concentrated itself more on the important religious heritage, the festivals of Rosh ha Schana, which was interpreted as day of judgement and the Jom Kippur, seen as the day of Consiliation, which gave the people the possibilty for active repentence and consiliation between each other already in the actual life and not in an apocalytic future.
Rosh ha Schana, the day of jugdement, was celebrated on the first day of the year because of its importance to remembered everybody about the responsibilty towards God, especially to the demand and gift of conciliation. A “verdict” over the deeds of the last year was written and on Jom Kippur after the 10 days of expiation it was “sealed”.
Is this correct?
I think by means of these festivals the Jews knew well that Mercy and Love were indeed Gods character and The judgement day allegories are neverlesse
part of gods word but can only be interpreted on the basis of Gods mercy. Judgement and repentance was a daily work for a jew. Jesus and the Apostels were Jews of the 1 st c A.D. and they knew not only the Old Testament Text, but also each jewish interpretation of the scriputres and the jewish festivals. Over the centuries with the abruption of contact between Jews and Christians the Jewish Background and the mindset get forgotten by most people. The adjustment to come to a balanced few of the Scriptures was missed. Unbalanced interpretation appeared.
Talmud: Mercy should the way and aim of rightousness in the jew belief “Take the beam from between your eyes” (baba batra 15 b)
http://www.come-and-hear.com/bababathra/bababathra_15.html#PARTb
R. Huna contrasted [two parts of the same verse]. It is written, The Lord is righteous in all his
ways, and then it is written, and gracious in all his works.2 [How is this]?3 — At first righteous and
at the end gracious.4 R. Eleazar [similarly] contrasted two texts. It is written, Also unto thee, O Lord,
belongeth mercy, and then it is written, For thou renderest to every man according to his work.5
[How is this]? — At first, ‘Thou renderest to every man according to his work’, but at the end, ‘unto
thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy
http://halakhah.com/pdf/moed/Rosh_HaShanah.pdf
