Confused about Jews as eldest brothers

[workinprogress]

Jesus says those who follow his commandments are his brothers and sisters–which Jews could do. The Church says that Christian babtism makes us adopted children of God. We hear that everyone are our brothers and sisters as children of God whether we believe in Him or not. We recently been hearing of Jews as being our eldest brothers. I’m confused. Can someone sort it out? Are some of these metaphorical and others by degree (in how Christ can be present where 2 or 3 meet in His name but be more present in the Blessed Sacrament). If we are in God’s family by Christian babtism, would Jews be more like our eldest half-brothers or something like that?

 

[LoneRanger]

work(name removed by moderator)rogress:

Jesus says those who follow his commandments are his brothers and sisters–which Jews could do. The Church says that Christian babtism makes us adopted children of God. We hear that everyone are our brothers and sisters as children of God whether we believe in Him or not. We recently been hearing of Jews as being our eldest brothers. I’m confused. Can someone sort it out? Are some of these metaphorical and others by degree (in how Christ can be present where 2 or 3 meet in His name but be more present in the Blessed Sacrament). If we are in God’s family by Christian babtism, would Jews be more like our eldest half-brothers or something like that?

from their faith Christianty was born… Christ was a practicing jew… then one day he started the catholic church… so you could say a jew that comes to catholocism is just a completed jew… our oldest just meaning from before Christianity

not too comprehensive, but i think you get the point…

 

[Piusx]

**No Confusion here.

They are** our Elder Brothers.

The only two true authentic faiths on earth is the Hebrew Faith and the Catholic Faith.

Both were founded by Heaven.
Think about it. It is so simple.

God the Father founded His church through a man. Abraham. Moses gave us the 10 commandements.
We would not have the 1st Testament if it were not for our elder brothers would we?

Then,

Jesus, which is God the Son, founded His church through a man…Peter. Now we have the second testament dont we?

Both go together hand in hand in the same book.

Jesus did not condemn the Hebrew Faith.
He added to it and improved on it. He made it better and added Gentiles didnt he?

Before that, only one people were saved…the chosen people of God.
Christ opened Heaven to all.

He replaced much of the legalistic BS for one thing…LOVE.

Today, the Catholic and Hebrew Church does not sin. Never did. Its the people in the church that does.

Now, all the other Christian faiths are just what they call themselves… Protest members.
People that protest the Holy Church and want to change things to suit their wants and desires.

Dont like this or that? Start your own church.

The others…Budda, Islam, Taoism, etc. Demonic churches plain and simple.

Take Islam:

No Angel, St Michael or any other Angel is going to come to earth and strangle the C… out of anyone in order to make them cite a holy book. I am sorry but it aint gonna happen.

Angels that appear to people are full of love and kindness as they reflect the Father in heaven.

Example:
Fatima and other approved sites.

When angels appear, it is to distribute communion or announce the Blessed Mother.

Can you see the Angel of Fatima Strangling Sister Lucy???
Can you see St Michael Kicking the pants off Bernadette at Lourdes?

Think about it.

PiusX

 

[workinprogress]

Still, how are these different versions of children of God understood? We become adopted children of God by babtism into the Christian faith. That’s different from being “chosen people” or maybe babtism wouldn’t be a big thing. Is it then really more of a chronological succession of covenants way of being our elder brothers? If Christianity was grafted onto the linear tree of Judaism, then the New Testament was another covenantal evolution of our relationship with God bringing new info. (new to us, at least) and new graces. Was Melchiezedek and his flock (I’m sure he must have had one, wouldn’t he?), the elder brothers of the Jews or were they of another kind of spiritual race and maybe like half-brothers in that way?
Does the Church, from writings of early Church Fathers, through those who far later, received messages from heaven, or through Jewish tradition know more about Melchiezedek than what’s in the Bible?

 

[Ghosty]

We are all children of God, but the Jews are special kind of child. Their culture, their entire existance, is based on a Covenant with God. The are the first Covenential Children of God, and His Chosen People. God made all people, but God made the Hebrews in a much more detailed and explicit way than He made the Gentiles. The entirety of the Hebrew People, culture AND blood, was brought forth in a unique and special way by God.

From that Covenant and People, God gave the world, all humans, the Messiah. The Messiah, even according to modern Jewish belief, is to bring all Gentiles into the Covenant with God that the Hebrews have. Therefore, the Hebrew Covenant was not destroyed, but rather grew into the Christian Covenant, a universal and Salvific Covenant. Modern Jews are therefore refered to as our “elder brothers” for the sake of their patriarchs, who originated the Covenant between God and Man long before Gentiles even recognized the One God.

The Hebrew Covenant still exists, though the Church recognizes that the modern Jews do not follow the “completed” Covenant (which I would think most Jews would agree with insofar as they believe that God hasn’t “finished” things by means of the Messiah, even if they disagree that Christianity represents the completion). The fact that they do not follow the completed Covenant DOES NOT MEAN that they do not follow the Covenant, nor that they necessarily willfully reject the completion of it (invincible ignorance, hardening of their hearts). We must honor them as the only other “authentic” religion in the world, the only other true response to God. Whatever “defects” that Judaism contains are defects of absence, not defects of direction; their faith is absolutely perfect as far as they take it, and indeed many Christians can learn from it. No other faith besides the Catholic Church can be said to adhere so perfectly to the direct Word of God, though we believe, as do the Jews in a certain sense, that the Jews haven’t adopted the “final phase”. Christians believe the Final Phase began with Jesus, Jews believe it hasn’t begun yet.

There are many other aspects of them being the “elder brothers”. They were also the first people that Jesus spoke to, the first people God spoke to, and the first people to answer the call when He did (both with the Hebrew AND Christian Covenant). The Apostles were all Jews, and only Jews recognized Jesus at first, so they are most definately our elder brothers in the sense of the New Testament as well.