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Tefillin – To use or not to use?
After our previous article on prayer, we have done some study on the traditions and customs that surround prayer. One of the topics that have come up in our discussions about prayer, is the use of tefillin or phylacteries. People wonder if the Jewish interpretation of Scripture is valid. Should we interpret the verses literally as they do? Should we also be using these black boxes when we pray? Or, did the church fathers get it right when they said this is not to be taken literally? We investigate what Scripture really says to see if we can come to a conclusion.
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Who were the Essenes?
We have recently had a lot of exposure to a group of people called the Essenes. The majority view at the moment states that they were the people who lived at Wadi Qumran. They are believed to be the owners of the scrolls that were found in the Judean desert. They are also known for the fact that they did not use the lunar calendar but rather a solar calendar. This makes it clear that they did not follow the norm of the Pharisees and Sadducees of their time. Except for these two facts, what else do we know about this group? Did they have truth that we should be aware of? We will also investigate the potential links between Y´Shua and John the Baptist to the Essenes.
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Why care about the Dead Sea Scrolls?
Why should we care about a bunch of fragments that were discovered at Qumran? In this study we will investigate what was found in the caves in the Judean dessert and how the analysis of these documents impact our lives today. These documents teach us a lot about the history of our faith.
