Talmud Rejection During Council of Trent

[CallMeCatholic]

I noticed a few days ago that one of my good friends (in faith) was reading the book “The Essential Talmud” by Adin Steinsaltz. I’m assuming it was for a class of some sort, but nonetheless I was intrigued about the book. When I delved into a small search through the book, I found a few passages on how the Council of Trent (as well as antecedent Popes) eventually forbid the reading of the Talmud.

To be blatantly honest, I have very little background on the Council of Trent, and the Talmud. With that said, I’m just curious if anyone has more insight on why the Talmud was forbade by previous Popes & the Council of Trent. Thanks to any/all help!

-CMC

 

[irenaeuslyons]

I noticed a few days ago that one of my good friends (in faith) was reading the book “The Essential Talmud” by Adin Steinsaltz. I’m assuming it was for a class of some sort, but nonetheless I was intrigued about the book. When I delved into a small search through the book, I found a few passages on how the Council of Trent (as well as antecedent Popes) eventually forbid the reading of the Talmud.
To be blatantly honest, I have very little background on the Council of Trent, and the Talmud. With that said, I’m just curious if anyone has more insight on why the Talmud was forbade by previous Popes & the Council of Trent. Thanks to any/all help!
-CMC

You can get a pretty good idea from here where it cites the Talmud and Midrash.

jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8616-jesus-of-nazareth

 

[Contarini]

I noticed a few days ago that one of my good friends (in faith) was reading the book “The Essential Talmud” by Adin Steinsaltz. I’m assuming it was for a class of some sort, but nonetheless I was intrigued about the book. When I delved into a small search through the book, I found a few passages on how the Council of Trent (as well as antecedent Popes) eventually forbid the reading of the Talmud.

To be blatantly honest, I have very little background on the Council of Trent, and the Talmud. With that said, I’m just curious if anyone has more insight on why the Talmud was forbade by previous Popes & the Council of Trent. Thanks to any/all help!

-CMC

Heretical books were often banned. The Talmud was seen as a heretical interpretation of the Old Testament.

Edwin

 

[sirach2v4]

I was reading a book called something like Why The Jews Rejected Jesus (which was difficult to read, with my sense of all the errors it contains) which admits to some very negative and derogatory things about Jesus said in the Talmud, and not often translated.

One must resist the temptation to think that only Christians persecuted Jews, because the opposite happened, too.

The Jews are proud that may Jews rejected Jesus right to his face, based on their existing knowledge of the Torah and the other Hebrew scriptures.

The (seemingly atheistic) comedian Louis Black once did a skit on The Daily Show in which he said that the Jews would explain the scriptures correctly to gentiles – for a price.

There’s an essay in the back of The Jewish Study Bible which says that Jewish exegesis has avoided type of exegesis that is like allegorical interpretation, because that is the most frequent way that Christians interpret the Old Testament. And, the Jewish scholars decided more than a thousand years ago to suppress any interpretations that would support Christianity.

‘talmud’ means “study” – Talmud torah, the study of the Torah. It is interesting that most modern Jewish exegesis, if not all of since the time of Christ, has been an apologetic for Judaism and against Christianity. And, I am neither surprised nor would I expect much else…

The Jewish hermeneutic is harmonization of all Hebrew Bible writings. So, naturally, that exegesis is anti-harmonious with Christianity.

 

[TimothyH]

The history of repeated prohibition and permission of the Talmud is very political, and with all things related to the council of Trent, tightly wound up with the reformation. Even Martin Luther was involved in the controversy. Luther dragged out a few writings from the Talmud to prove his points and so its no wonder that Trent shut it down.

The Church has gone back and forth over the Talmud. The Papal Bull ***Si vera sunt ***(Gregory IX, 1239) ordered the siezure of many Jewish writings suspected of blasphemy. The Talmud was allowed and again disallowed, but by now has been investigated and is seen as for what it is, a compendium of Jewish Rabbinical thought on the Old Testament Scriptures, particularly the Torah, written over a 600 year period by some of the greatest scholars of Judaism to ever have lived.

The Talmud is an amazing resource for anyone with the time to get into it. Dr. Brant Pitre quotes the Talmud extensively in his book “Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist.” He uses the Talmud to illustrate how the first Jewish converts to Christ knew that the Eucharist was really Christ and to prove how they saw the crucifixion as a passover sacrifice and not just another Roman execution. The Jewish beliefs in the Talmud illustrate how many of the Jewish converts came to believe in the real presence and the paschal sacrifice so quickly.

I have only peeked at the Talmud but would love to have access to it in book form. At 20+ volumes, I’ve never even seen the Talmud, let alone thought of owning a reference set.



-Tim-

 

[TimothyH]

I was reading a book called something like Why The Jews Rejected Jesus (which was difficult to read, with my sense of all the errors it contains) which admits to some very negative and derogatory things about Jesus said in the Talmud, and not often translated.

One must resist the temptation to think that only Christians persecuted Jews, because the opposite happened, too.

The Jews are proud that may Jews rejected Jesus right to his face, based on their existing knowledge of the Torah and the other Hebrew scriptures.

The (seemingly atheistic) comedian Louis Black once did a skit on The Daily Show in which he said that the Jews would explain the scriptures correctly to gentiles – for a price.

There’s an essay in the back of The Jewish Study Bible which says that Jewish exegesis has avoided type of exegesis that is like allegorical interpretation, because that is the most frequent way that Christians interpret the Old Testament. And, the Jewish scholars decided more than a thousand years ago to suppress any interpretations that would support Christianity.

‘talmud’ means “study” – Talmud torah, the study of the Torah. It is interesting that most modern Jewish exegesis, if not all of since the time of Christ, has been an apologetic for Judaism and against Christianity. And, I am neither surprised nor would I expect much else…

The Jewish hermeneutic is harmonization of all Hebrew Bible writings. So, naturally, that exegesis is anti-harmonious with Christianity.

I noticed this too, that the purpose of much Jewish exegesis is not to explain the excellence of Judaism but to discount Christianity. There are many notable exceptions but it is noticeable.

-Tim-

 

[steve53]

“The Jews are proud that may Jews rejected Jesus right to his face, based on their existing knowledge of the Torah and the other Hebrew scriptures.”

“rejecting” is putting it mildly.

 

[TimothyH]

My experience is that it is difficult to find a more warm and welcoming people than the Jews.

When I was a kid growing up in New York City, it was common knowledge that if you ever got into a bad situation and needed help, you could always knock on the door of a house with a mezuzah near the front door indicating that those who lived there were Jewish. My mother used to say, “They will always give you help.”

Quirky, interesting, loyal, generous, fastidious… No one should ever be afraid to be friends with a Jew or to speak with Jews. Just don’t try to proselytize them. They don’t like it. But they love to be invited to Baptisms and such things.

Fascinating people. I’ll go to Israel some day, and when I do I will kiss the ground which Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Mary walked upon.

-Tim-

 

[yagrumo]

Talmud=Zionism is the opposite of Christianity=“Love Thy Neighbor”. We are experiencing this daily through the gentrification that’s taking place in the Holy Land. This is what’s fueling the hatred of the Jewish settlers against the Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land to force them to leave so that gradually they will take over Jerusalem and completely wipe out Christianity.