Some notes on Adventism and Judaism compared

Koot van Wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint Lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

8 December 2010

It would be off the mark to say that nothing in Judaism relates at all to Adventism, especially Seventh Day Adventism. For one, the sanctity of the seventh day Sabbath as is taught in the Old Testament, is continued by Seventh Day Adventists, following the corrective interpretations of Jesus Christ and examples of the apostles as well.

But there are fundamental differences between Judaism and Adventism that makes any links very difficult.

Basic character of Judaism is different than Adventism

The basic character of Judaism is that they can tolerate two different views that are not only different, but opposite, not only opposite but contrasting viewpoints that is as different as black is from white or east is from west. Let us look at one example. In Zechariah 6 Middle Age Rabbi Rashi says that the ash-colored horses of Zechariah 6:3 is Edom and Ishmael but Redak said that it is Rome and Ishmael since there were two colors. This accommodative aspect of Judaism simply means that the Word of God is not crystal clear and that it can mean one thing for one and something different for another and yet, they are both right. Therefore the commentaries published by Judaism on the Old Testament include both renderings without giving preference to the one above the other.

Adventism cannot tolerate pluralism or accommodation of it

Adventism cannot tolerate that high level of uncertainty of differences of views on a given passage in the Bible. Daniel 11:36-45 is the only part in which Seventh-Day Adventists have different and even opposing views. It is because all of them realize that it is a grey area in the understanding of prophecy in Daniel. It is still future and may be part of our recent history.

But, for the rest of the Bible, there is no level of understanding that wide that two scholars can be seen as correct even though they have two opposing views.

Judaism denies the presence of Trinity in the Old Testament

"Let us make man into our image" in Genesis 1 is as literal in the English for the Trinity as it is in Hebrew. Nothing is lost in the translation. But Judaism refuse to accept the presence of the Trinity in these clear statements. Another case is "The Lord said to my Lord" in Psalm 110. For that reason, Adventism is different on this issue.

Judaism tries to explain away the anthropomorphisms in the Old Testament

The Targums can be seen in their translations to use different words to such an extend that they circumvent statements like "The Lord stood before him" so that they change it in "The presence of the Lord stood before him". They refuse to write the name Yahweh or the tetragrammaton since they feel it is too sacred and thus they present it abbreviated. They feel that the name of God cannot be written fully and thus you find them writing it with G_d instead. Although seeing in the mental lexicon the word God, the Jewish writer misspell it so that it is not exactly the same and he cannot be blamed for using the name of God since God is not G_d but God, so he is free from any punishment. This type of tricking God is not followed by Seventh Day Adventism.

Some commentators of Judaism employs historicism for the understanding of prophecy and that links with Adventism

In the passage cited above in Zechariah 6, four hours colors are mentioned and both Rashi and Redak indicated in the Middle Ages that these horses are the four empires: Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greece and Edom or Ishmael for Rashi and Rome and Ishmael for Redak. Adventists can link with this since they also interpreted Daniel 2 with the successive empires of Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greece, and Rome. This is contrary to preteristic interpretations of other commentators in the past and today. Redak is the closest to Adventism here as opposed to Rashi which is about 75% correct in his view on Zechariah 6 here.

Judaism was influenced by Arabic trends and mystical philosophies

The role of Arabic trends and mystical philosophies are very strong in many of the works of Judaism. Repetition, motion in prayer, the role of direction and location in prayer, the strong interest in numerology, are all influences that are foreign to the word of God. Counting words to get hidden meanings from them, is not the intention of the Word of God. In Adventism the Old Testament is written plainly and simple for straightforward reading. Jewish Mysticism is a genre that has to be studied by the student of Judaism and the work of Gershom Sholem is prescribed for this.

Judaism is in essence political nationalistic or ethnic

This aspect of Judaism is in contrast to Adventism which is international and non-political. Islam, Catholicism and Judaism, as well as Calvinism shares this element that they are all political-religions. For them the role of politics is not outside the domain of their faith but inside it and they see it as their duty to advance their religion by striving for control over politics. Adventism is not.

Liturgical involvement in Judaism is different

There is a strong liturgical involvement in Judaism with counted actions in one direction and other counted actions in another, with no backing from the Old Testament at all. What happened is that their rabbis or authoritative sages took a phrase from the Old Testament and then added their own elaborations to it out of context and created a new rule to be followed. They kiss the Torah scroll as if their is a holy kiss to be either received or given. Adventism has no such holiness given to anything concrete except the bread and wine after the Lord's Supper that is not to be consumed by any human but to be buried. The Word of God is holy so that people would not place other books on the Bible but there is no magical or superstitious power added to this book. The power and wonders come by reading it. More than reading it per se, intending to follow God and His rules and relating with God is the backbone of any event to happen. This preoccupation with the concrete as if it is holy is also shared by Islam and Catholicism and other orthodox religions. Buddhism also shares this aspect with Judaism.

Judaism's norms are outside the parameters of the Old Testament

There are rabbis who discussed the Old Testament correctly as it should be read. In fact, Adventists can find strong support for their own readings of the Old Testament from these selected rabbis. But that does not necessarily mean that Adventism is the same as Judaism on a particular issue. They may have other rabbis saying the opposite and still be main line in Judaism.

Adventism is normative

Adventism is normative biblically only and even if they sometimes follow Ellen White's literature and its contents, the content is in full harmony with scripture. Judaism is full of diversity, contrasts, opposite claims than the Old Testament, a situation that is not tolerated by Adventism.

It is easy for Jewish scholars to sacrifice their Old Testament and support contrasting opinions, since the definiteness of their views are ransacked by the opposing stances of sages, rabbis' views and their own views.

Judaism and Eschatology

Judaism almost sees Adventism the same as Seventh Day Adventism but they missed the first coming of Christ or the Messiah. They do not accept a second coming of the Messiah as Adventists. That is why they do not see that the same prophet can say some things about the first coming but then also address the second coming within the same paragraph or pericope. They either allocate all to the same event or try to explain some parts away with preterism, historical events earlier in the history of Israel.

This been said, I did not find any other commentary of any other religion, Catholic or protestant that is as close to Adventism as the Middle Age Rabbis Rashi or Redak or other rabbis. One can be eclectic with these rabbis and see how they also saw, like Adventists, aspects in a similar way at a particular pericope in the prophets, in contrast to Protestant scholarship or Catholic scholarship.

Adventism and tolerance of other religions

It is ironic that Adventism is like Judaism, very particularistic about their religion and stance of theology. But, whereas Judaism's theology is pluralistic and diversified and their particularistic link is political-ethnic related, the particularistic link of Adventism is biblically and doctrinally related.

Whereas Adventism cannot tolerate pluralism, ecumenism at all, they are taught to tolerate other religions because their is an opportunity for those to also become Adventists in future. Ellen White advised Adventists to sometimes not work on Sunday and to even have church meetings on Sunday if it may serve mission-work. Just because we identified the institution of the papal role as vicarius filii dei  or 666 as antichrist does not mean that we must despise Catholics. But, compromise we cannot. It will be contrary to our hermeneutics to do so.

Judaism cannot tolerate other religions, especially when they do mission work or evangelism. The reason is that Adventism is very strong biblically, a stance that they no longer have and cannot have in Judaism, and which results in a obvious apostasy from Judaism and a conversion to Adventism. Actually you do not convert to Adventism but to Jesus Christ with an Adventist theological understanding of those events.