Judaization!!!

kalsam

Hello, I would like to ask a question I have had for a long time. The church in Ethiopia has a Jewish legacy and we do oserve a lot of Jewish customs. for example

• 
  [li]We observe saturday as a sabbath along with sunday(although sunday is given prominence) and in the rural areas many don't work after noon friday.[/li]
  [li]We don't wear shoes in church(Exodus 3:5)[/li]
  

• 
  [li]We don't eat pork and most fathers of confession won't let you near communion if you ate pork.
  [/li]
  [li]We use replicas of The Ark of the Covenant as an altar.[/li]
  

etc.

Is this Judaization? protestants in this country use this to justify their claim that the church has been corrupted by Jews. Can this be supported scripturally? Many theologians say that it is our choice and not our dogma while others state that christianity is the fullfilment of Judaism not it's destruction. Can I get some clarification please?

marmar357

Wow, that´s really weird! Is this a C.O.C.?

mabsoota

in ethiopia and eritrea, they are like this.
i think it's because of the big jewish influence; there have been jews in ethiopia and eritrea since before Jesus came to earth.
the first jewish Christians would not have eaten pork either.
some consider all days the same, others considered some more special.

what matters is the attitude of yr heart and the advice of yr spiritual father.
obedience is very important (i am learning this myself!) and brings a great spiritual blessing.

taking off shoes at the entrance to church is a great idea, and it means there can be nice carpets in church (handy for kneeling on - as for me, i find wood quite uncomfortable to kneel on!). this also makes the floor a bit warmer in winter, so u don't need to wear 2 pairs of thick socks when going to take communion.
;)

mnc_hnn

Haha Mabsoota, I like your practicality about the carpet thing :)


Kalsam, I don't think we need to take it to the extreme so as to say 'corruption'. Traditions and culture have been influencing people since the beginning of time. We have so many traditions in church and look how long our average mass is..3 hours give or take? The early Christians probably just copied what was done during the last supper.

Some traditions are maintained in churches to remind the younger generations of things that could be forgotten with time. Otherwise, they don't make any difference to your eternity. It is all about what is in your heart and your mind.

I guess what I am trying to say is: we shouldn't concentrate too much on the little things. You need to ask yourself this: Do I want to strictly and literally follow rules? Or am I prepared to go beyond all these matters and concentrate on my ultimate aim?

Oh, and about the pork, it is healthier for them to avoid eating it...the high fat content can't be good for the arteries :)

kalsam

Thanks guys that was helpful! :)

Ioannes

That region is the only Orthodox church to have been converted from judaism. Judaism does not even resemble judaism of the OT. Judaization would be more like holding rabbis in high esteem, or synagoges, jewish customs for purely jewish reasons. If they have had these since they were converted than it is acceptable, if they have adopted these in recent memory, then it could be a sign of judaization. Much like how many of our people foolishly adopt protestant practices and songs, it is unacceptable either way. Judaism and protestantism are both filthy and disgusting, yet we cast our pearls to them.

Joshuaa

King Lalibela waned to start a new Jerusalem into Ethiopia and that's the strong connection with that Old testament.