Messianic Jews Burned at the Stake

Recently Patty and I were keynote speakers at the Aglow European Leadership Conference in Toledo, Spain. Being at this conference brought back vivid memories of my first journey to Spain in the spring of 1998.

Just months before that trip I had found myself at a Catholic University Library with a Latin expert and a priest-theologian, Fr. Peter Hocken, going over the Latin texts of the Church Councils of the historic Church, those that took place before the split between the Eastern and Western Churches. It was a journey back in time as we blew the dust off the musty-smelling volumes – huge leather and wood bound books. As our Latin expert translated and we wrote, we were amazed that the official rejection of the Jewish people and specifically of followers of Jesus who continued to live as Jews was in the official Church canons. Some Councils were regional, such as Alvira (near Granada) and Toledo in Spain, and Antioch. Others, like the two Councils of Nicea in 325 and 787 AD, were universal.

We found Councils that explicitly condemned anyone who professed faith in Jesus and continued to practice Judaism, including even the smallest acts such as lighting Shabbat Candles, keeping Sabbath in any way, or avoiding pork. The Councils even forbade certain levels of interaction with Jewish people. The Anti-Semitism found throughout these chronicles was horrifyingly clear. 

We undertook this research on behalf of the Toward Jerusalem Council II (TJCII) project. The goal of TJCII is to see all Church streams repudiate replacement theology and affirm the call of Jewish followers of Jesus (Yeshua) to continue to identify and live as Jews. The TJCII project also strongly promotes repentance and reconciliation.

After discovering this information, we believed that we had to go to the places of Anti-Jewish and specifically anti-Messianic Jewish council decisions. We were to pray and seek the Lord for a way of repairing the damage done by these councils. Such people as John Dawson, former President of Youth with a Mission; Marty Waldman, the President of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations at that time; Ilan Zamir, President of Israel College of the Bible; and Olen Griffing, the founding pastor of Shady Grove Church in Dallas – were with us in these efforts. A contingent of leaders and intercessors came to Alvira, Cordoba and Toledo in Spain, Antioch in Turkey and Rome. These places as well as others were locations for such council decisions. We also noted the direct line to the persecutions of the Inquisition where Jews were expelled, and Jews who professed faith in Jesus but were found to engage in Jewish practice were burned at the stake (1492 and after). These journeys of repentance were a key in our view to seeing a sea change in the Church toward Israel and the Messianic Jewish community. They were powerful times with prophetic visions and words that provided clear leading for our prayers.

These efforts continue to this day. Repentance and renunciation of evil decrees is, for us, a key way forward for the Church to be all it is called to be as we seek to hasten the time of the Second Coming of Jesus.