Did the Jews stop enforcing the Mosaic Law after Jesus was crucified?

[Sammy-San]

The Mosaic law (old covenant) was very harsh, in comparison to God being forgiving after Jesus was crucified for our sins (new covenant). However, after Jesus's crucifixion, was the Mosaic Law still being enforced by the government of Israel? It would totally defeat the purpose of the Old Covenant and even more importantly, the purpose of Jesus being crucified and the New Covenant, if Moses's harsh laws were still being enforced in the land of Palestine after Jesus died.

If the laws of Moses were still being enforced even after Jesus died, when did the Jewish government of ancient Israel stop enforcing those laws?

 

[dayhiker]

I guess I have a different view of the Mosaic law than you do, Sam.

1st the Jews understood that there were two commandments, to love God and to love people. Tho are the same laws we follow today as Christians. Then as now we have some disagreement about what it means to love God and to love people. After the fall of Jerusalem the Rabbis understood that they couldn't follow the sacrificial laws and put even more emphasis in loving God and loving people.

The 2nd group of laws were the purity laws. In ancient times the purity laws were used back all groups of people to know who was in their clan. This were laws about dress, food, washings, sex and interactions with other clans. The laws around idols were often viewed as but purity laws and loves around loving God. Many of these purity laws could still be followed. Most Jews felt they were to stay seperate from the idol worshippers to maintain their idenity as God people.

These are the tensions that came to exist in the early church and we see them being dealt with from Acts and many of Paul's books. Acts and Paul argue that Jesus is now our purity and not how we dress, not what we eat, not who we hang out with and some of the sexual mores that were purity based. But the sexual mores that are around idol worship and anything that involves idol worship are still in effect. So we see Christians having different opinions on weather eating mean sacrificed to idols is pure or not. Some said no to eat taht mean is to be connected to the idol. Others said they are just eating meat and aren't acknowledging and idol which are anything beyond the wood or stone they are made of.

T

 

[jax5434]

Superhero Sam

The Mosaic law (old covenant) was very harsh, in comparison to God being forgiving after Jesus was crucified for our sins (new covenant). However, after Jesus's crucifixion, was the Mosaic Law still being enforced by the government of Israel? It would totally defeat the purpose of the Old Covenant and even more importantly, the purpose of Jesus being crucified and the New Covenant, if Moses's harsh laws were still being enforced in the land of Palestine after Jesus died.

Technically Israel did not have a Jewish Government at that time. There was the Sanhedrin of course, but their decisions had to be approved by Rome. TheJews did keep the Old Covenant Sacrificial System until 70 ad when the temple was destroyed. So there was a period of nearly 40 years when the Old and the New covenants operated side by side.

If the laws of Moses were still being enforced even after Jesus died, when did the Jewish government of ancient Israel stop enforcing those laws?

Again since there was no actual Jewish government the simple answer is "never" The actual sacrifices ceased in AD70. As far as I know the Jewish faith still follows the OT law to one degree or another with the offering of prayers replacing the sacrifice.

God Bless
Jax

 

[Sammy-San]

Superhero Sam

Technically Israel did not have a Jewish Government at that time. There was the Sanhedrin of course, but their decisions had to be approved by Rome. TheJews did keep the Old Covenant Sacrificial System until 70 ad when the temple was destroyed. So there was a period of nearly 40 years when the Old and the New covenants operated side by side.



Again since there was no actual Jewish government the simple answer is "never" The actual sacrifices ceased in AD70. As far as I know the Jewish faith still follows the OT law to one degree or another with the offering of prayers replacing the sacrifice.

God Bless
Jax

There actually was a Jewish government when Jesus was alive. The reason they wanted to stone the woman caught in the act of adultery, was because of the law of Moses. The Sanhedrin enforced the Mosaic Law/old covenant.

Did the Jews enforce the punishments of the Mosaic law (ie, stoning for certain crimes) in the 40 yr period between Jesus's crucifixion and the Jewish diaspora? Or did they only obey the sacrificial aspects of the Old Covenant?

 

[jax5434]

The Sanhedrin ruled on religious matters. But the civil government was appointed by Rome, even its King. The Sanhedrin could not authorize capital punishment (which is why they had to send Jesus to Pilate) so their enforcement of the law was severely limited at best.

Since Capital punishment could only be authorized by the Roman procurator, the Sanhedrin had no authority under roman law to execute anyone. Could it have happened privately? Sure, but there is not much in the way of historical writings to support it.

God Bless
Jax

 

[Sammy-San]

The Sanhedrin ruled on religious matters. But the civil government was appointed by Rome, even its King. The Sanhedrin could not authorize capital punishment (which is why they had to send Jesus to Pilate) so their enforcement of the law was severely limited at best.

Since Capital punishment could only be authorized by the Roman procurator, the Sanhedrin had no authority under roman law to execute anyone. Could it have happened privately? Sure, but there is not much in the way of historical writings to support it.

God Bless
Jax

Remember the Bible verse where they wanted to stone a woman caught in the act of adultery (because of the Mosaic law), but Jesus stopped them? Doesn't that bible verse imply that the Mosaic law and the death penalties in the Mosaic Law were still being enforced in Jesus's time?

 

[jax5434]

In the context of John 8:11 it is clear the the pharisees goal was to get Jesus to do or say something they could use against him with the Romans or could turn the people against him.
Their thinking was that if he denied the law he would be a false prophet; If He ordered them to stone her he would be guilty of breaking the law of Rome. If they simply wanted to enforce the law why would they even bring her to Jesus? By their own words they knew what the law required. The point I think is that they really weren't concerned about enforcing the law.

God Bless
Jax

 

[Sammy-San]

In the context of John 8:11 it is clear the the pharisees goal was to get Jesus to do or say something they could use against him with the Romans or could turn the people against him.
Their thinking was that if he denied the law he would be a false prophet; If He ordered them to stone her he would be guilty of breaking the law of Rome. If they simply wanted to enforce the law why would they even bring her to Jesus? By their own words they knew what the law required. The point I think is that they really weren't concerned about enforcing the law.

God Bless
Jax

If the Jews were enforcing the punishments of the Mosaic Law even during the times of Christ, did they still do it after Jesus was crucified?

 

[Dan61861]

If the Jews were enforcing the punishments of the Mosaic Law even during the times of Christ, did they still do it after Jesus was crucified?

I would say, yes they did. Steven was stoned, Paul persecuted the chuch. Paul was stoned as well. I would say they were limited by Roman rule.

In Christ
Daniel

 

[Sammy-San]

I would say, yes they did. Steven was stoned, Paul persecuted the chuch. Paul was stoned as well. I would say they were limited by Roman rule.

In Christ
Daniel

When did they stop enforcing the punishments of the Mosaic Law?

 

[Sammy-San]

I would say, yes they did. Steven was stoned, Paul persecuted the chuch. Paul was stoned as well. I would say they were limited by Roman rule.

In Christ
Daniel

Why are you implying that Paul persecuting Christians was because of what the Old Covenant taught? Paul persecuted Christians (before Jesus appeared in a vision) because he didnt like them and believed they were heretics, not because the Old Law said he had to do it.

 

[BryanW92]

Why are you implying that Paul persecuting Christians was because of what the Old Covenant taught? Paul persecuted Christians (before Jesus appeared in a vision) because he didnt like them and believed they were heretics, not because the Old Law said he had to do it.

Paul was not a freelance vigilante. He was commissioned by the Jewish religious leaders to ferret out the Christians who they believed were breaking the Law by blaspheming. Anyone who claimed that Jesus was God, or the Son of God, or even the Messiah was a blasphemer according to their laws.

 

[Sammy-San]

Paul was not a freelance vigilante. He was commissioned by the Jewish religious leaders to ferret out the Christians who they believed were breaking the Law by blaspheming. Anyone who claimed that Jesus was God, or the Son of God, or even the Messiah was a blasphemer according to their laws.

God didnt ordain those laws-humans did. So why are you saying that the Old Covenant God gave to Moses sanctioned St. Paul persecuting Christians? While God did ordain the Old Covenant which said that blasphemy was a crime punishable by death, it was a manmade rule that claiming Jesus was God is blasphemy.

Paul persecuting Christians was because of the Jewish leaders, not the Old Covenant.

 

[pescador]

God didnt ordain those laws-humans did. So why are you saying that the Old Covenant God gave to Moses sanctioned St. Paul persecuting Christians? While God did ordain the Old Covenant which said that blasphemy was a crime punishable by death, it was a manmade rule that claiming Jesus was God is blasphemy.

Paul persecuting Christians was because of the Jewish leaders, not the Old Covenant.

I disagree. The religious leaders were Jews who believed passionately in the Old Covenant that was given to them by God. Paul was a Pharisee who believed in a strict adherence to the Law of God and was eager to destroy those who believed that Jesus was the Messiah of God. Under the Old Covenant people were stoned to death for a lot less than that "crime".