Messianic Origins

         The faith we share at Tikvah l' Chaim is known as Messianic Judaism and is actually 2,000 years old and for a time, was strictly Jewish, dating back to the time of the Messiah Yeshua.  Historically, Yeshua was Jewish, raised in a Jewish home, celebrated the feasts and festivals according to the laws of Moses.  When he began His ministry, it was to the children of Israel he went to;  ministering to Jewish people in a Jewish land (Eretz Yisreal). His disciples were Jewish and the apostles were Jewish as were the writers of the Brit Chadasha (New Covenant ). 'Messianic' comes from the Hebrew word, 'Mashiach,' which means, 'The Anointed One.'  It was used of priests and kings of Israel, but took on a specialized meaning in reference to the coming Messiah, the supernatural Deliverer of Israel.  In the first century, when Greek was the lingua fanca, 'mashiach' was translated into Greek as 'christos' from which we have developed the English words, Christ and Christian.  So 'Messianic' and 'Christian' mean the same thing...they refer to a disciple of Yeshua, though they are derived from Hebrew and Greek respectively.

            The first followers of Yeshua (known as Jesus of Nazareth) were called Nazarenes (in Hebrew, Notzrim; 'נוצרים ' or simply Ha Derech-The Way). As the root of Christianity, Jewish worship styles are far more than mere culture.  they stem from a Biblical and historical relationship with G-d that has been the basis of their entire existence for over four thousand years.  Jews and Gentiles today who believe that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah and follow these historically Jewish and biblical practices generally refer to themselves as Messianic Jews and/or Messianic Believers and believe a lifestyle of obedience to the Scriptures, including the Torah, is the proper expression of faith. Since He is the Messiah of Israel and the One of whom the prophets have spoken, faith in  'The Hope of Israel' for the atonement of sin is the most Jewish response a person can make. ( Of course, you don't have to be Jewish to become a disciple, but it couldn't hurt!)

            Messianic Judaism is a relatively new term, coined as recently as 1895 to help separate the  practices of its followers from those of common Christianity as a whole.   The resurgence of Messianic Judaism can be traced to Great Britain around the year 1850.  In 1866, the Hebrew-Christian Alliance of Great Britain was organized, with branches also existing in several European countries and the United States. The Messianic Judaism movement of today grew out of the Hebrew-Christian movement of the 19th century. Hebrew-Christian congregations began to emerge in England; the first of these was Beni Abraham, in London, which was founded by forty-one Hebrew-Christians. This led to a more general awareness of their Jewish identity for Christians with a Jewish background.  

         Paul Phillip Levertoff, Pioneering Hebrew/Christian Scholar and Leader is best known to the modern world as the Jewish-believer in Jesus (JBJ) who helped translate the Zohar into English for Soncino Press; a leading publisher of Judaica. Less well known about Levertoff is the fact that he was a major pioneer in the Hebrew Christian movement of his time.  His family came from a Sephardic background whose religious persuasion was Hassidic. According to more than one source, he was a descendent of Rabbi Schneur Zalman. According to him...“…one day [Levertoff] found about the street of the little Russian town some leaves torn from a book that had been printed in Hebrew, he was amazed to read something that seemed to him Hassidic; but so strange, for it related in detail an account of the Messiah who had been crucified. It was parts of the Gospel according to St. John.” (“Thirty Years Work”,) His interest in Jesus never left him and by 18 he told his family of his new belief and for whatever reason left his home. He was baptized on August 11th, 1895 in Königsberg. For the next several years, he supported himself by tutoring and undertaking translations to and from the various languages he knew. Seeking employment as a missionary on 11 December 1896, he applied for a position with the London Jews Society (LJS). He was accepted and soon worked full time in his new vocation.   In 1901, Levertoff changed Jewish missions organizations joining the staff of the Hebrew Christian Testimony to Israel (HCTI), founded by two other JBJ, David Baron and Charles Andrew Schönberger in 1893. No less than seven original works and translations in Hebrew by Levertoff were published in London between 1902 and 1909 by several London area publishers and the HCTI publishing house’s Hebrew name, Edut leYisrael. His Hebrew writings did not go unnoticed within Jewish missionary circles: Arthur Lukyn Williams said “Good work has been done in recent years in the presentation of the life of our Lord to the Jews by…Levertoff.

            For nearly a decade, he served the HCTI as their principal Hebrew translator and writer. Also noteworthy about Levertoff’s Hebrew writings was the fact that Viduyei Augustinus ha-Kadosh (“The Confessions of St. Augustine”) was the first translation into Hebrew of a major work by a Latin Church Father. Levertoff’s book on Jesus in Hebrew, Ben ha-Adam, (“The Son of Man”) predated Joseph Klausner’s own book on Jesus, Yeshua ha-Notsri, by over 17 years, which itself is generally considered the first book written on Jesus and Christianity’s early beginnings by a Jewish scholar in Modern Hebrew.

        A similar group, The Hebrew Christian Alliance of America (HCAA), was organized in the U.S. in 1915. The International Hebrew-Christian Alliance (IHCA) was organized in 1925 (later becoming the International Messianic Jewish Alliance). Additional groups were formed during subsequent decades.  Modern Messianic Judaism emerged in the 1960's. A major shift in the movement occurred when Martin Chernoff became the President of the HCAA (1971–1975). In June 1973, a motion was made to change the name of the HCAA to the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA) and the name was officially changed in June 1975. The name change was significant as more than just a "semantically expression;"as Rausch states, "It represented an evolution in the thought processes and religious and philosophical outlook toward a more fervent expression of Jewish identity." When the movement began to become larger, new organizations such as the Messianic Israel Alliance and the Coalition of Torah Observant Messianic Congregations arose. Today, people from all nations and denominations are taking hold of the covenant God made through Yeshua our Messiah. He is leading them to a renewed faith, thereby fulfilling prophecy: 'Behold, the days come, saith YHWH, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah… After those days, saith YHWH, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people (Jeremiah 31: 31-33 and Hebrew 8: 8-10).'

            There has always been a remnant of G-d's people...not only Jews but others, called by G-d, from out of the nations, whose hearts turned to 'The G-d of Israel' and aligned themselves with G-d's people and land.  This comprises the Messianic believers, 'the remnant', to which G-d revealed His Savior...Yeshua 'The Great Deliverance' for many.  As the Father works on the hearts of His people, lives are being transformed as Jews and non-Jews begin to walk in a deeper relationship with the King of Kings, Yeshua our Messiah. We are becoming 'One New Man' as we leave behind the traditions of man and walk in a lifestyle that honors His Word. As equal heirs of the promise given to Abraham, we embrace Israel and appreciate the unique calling and blessing on our lives. We are truly 'One People' in Messiah, The Holy One of Israel.