>>786122
Music because it's what happened to be on, and I'd like to share the mood.
Continued:
>From the Orthodox point of view, any attempt to superimpose a complex system onto history will lead to false conclusions. Rather, what we see revealed in every time and place is Christ. The Old Testament itself is to be read in the light of Christ. While there is an Old Covenant and a New Covenant, we can see a gradual process of God revealing Himself throughout the Old Testament, finally being fully revealed and fulfilled in Christ. The Bible itself, the apostles, and the tradition they taught do not include a system of discrete historical periods.
> Further, Judaism as it is now practiced is essentially synagogue Pharisaism, the one sect that survived the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in AD 70. It is not a direct successor to ancient Judaism, since the priesthood with its sacrifices did not survive. Orthodoxy has always taught that all of God's promises to Israel now belong to the Church, which is the New Israel.
>Some believers influenced by Dispensationalism have formed groups known as Messianic Judaism, which hold to Christian beliefs but also practice some Jewish rituals. Instead of reading the Old Testament in light of the New, they tend to read the New light of the Old. This movement is essentially a revival of ancient Judaizing heresy. A handful have rejected Trinitarianism, and some even believe that Jesus' return to earth will involve restoring the animal sacrifices in the Jewish Temple.
>Interestingly, though, some Messianic Jews have become Orthodox Christians, such as Fr. James Bernstein, author of Surprised by Christ (Ancient Faith Publishing, 2008), who was once a prominent member of Jews for Jesus. These converts find in Orthodoxy the answer to their longing for historical roots.
Interesting, no?