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Been several times. Dear family friend is chazzan or cantor of Temple ben Joseph down the road from me.

Mama's family came from Prussia at the turn of the last century fleeing Jewish persecution. The name Jacob has been used for 5 generations for the oldest son - some as a first name and some as a middle name including one of my first cousins. As a family, the ended up mining coal near Scranton PA. They started attending a Primitive Methodist Church in Jermyn because there wasn't a synagogue to be found and 3 generations of them got saved there.

It's part of my heritage and there is part of me that wants to keep connected.

Got time for a quick story? When I was with the UMC the pastor in the next parish down the road and I were good friends and true brothers in the Lord. Bill calls me one day and asks me if I'd ever done a Jewish burial. Bill had old family friends that were Jewish. Their rabbi wanted to charge them almost $4000 to travel from Jersey to Upstate NY so the dear departed Mrs. could be buried in the family plot. They called Bill but he already had a funeral hence his call to me.

I didn't even know where to start. My cantor buddy had some stuff for me but I don't read Hebrew. I had a copy of the Armed Forces Hymnal and in the back was an entire Jewish burial service with phonetic pronunciation.

It started with the Sh'ma. Sh'ma Yisra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.(Deut 6:4) and ended with the Mourner's Kaddish. The widower was very demonstrative in his grief starting with Adonai... and I wasn't sure if it was grief or he was weeping at my attempt at phonetic Hebrew.

Later that day Bill called and I feared the worst. To make along story short the family wanted to know how Bill got a rabbi on such short notice who wouldn't accept a dime in payment. Bill got to spend the afternoon with them. He explained I was a Christian and he got to share the Gospel with them. It's my hope and prayer that some day in Heaven a member of that family will walk up to me and say, "Remember officiating a Jewish burial?"

 

The saw bones I used to see in Alamogordo was a conservative Jew. We used to talk religion and politics. He loved it. He had very little positive good to say about the Orthodox. I have never been. I will miss old saw bones.

 

I have my doubts that is true.

 

Baptists ought to know that baptism has its origin in the Mikveh (a jewish ritual of total immersion in water).

http://www.mayyimhayyim.org/Using-the-Mikveh

HankD

 

Actually baptism has its origin in the biblical command to baptize.

 

There are ancient mikvah locations through out Jerusalem which pre-date Christianity. They all had seven steps leading into the "living waters" (most are dry by now).

One of the mikveh (or mikve, mikva, mikvah) practices was for a bride to be immersed in water before her wedding as she waited for the bridegroom.

Anyone interested do a study on "mikveh and baptism".

You might be surprised and perhaps even blessed.

Another area of interest and study (if one is so inclined) is the the Lord's Supper which has its origin in the Seder (Jewish passover meal) which points to Jesus Christ as the Messiah (although they can't see it for the veil over their eyes) retained even to this present time.

http://www.sonserver.com/passover-seder.htm


HankD

 

True, the practice of water immersion comes from the OT, but RevM is correct if he means Trinitarian baptism which was commissioned/commanded by Jesus Christ and is unique to the NT.


HankD

 

You gotta understand quantum: He's a Darwinist in everything. So no part of anyone's theology was given by revelation. All thought must have it's roots in some natural response to external stimuli.

Next thing he'll be telling us is that Jesus was influenced by the Essenes.

 

No, I've not, but neither have I attended a Hindu or Muslim service; there is an 'Indian' temple of some sort not far from my middle daughter's house that I've wondered about, haven't attended it though.

Seems I've read Jews place a lot of stock in having 'old' copies with history behind it to use in their synagogues.

Was the singing acapella, or some sort of line singing like some Old Baptists still do?

Did you feel welcome there? Were they friendly? Did you get to talk to any of them? Were there many? In short, did you feel any fellowship like you would with an Old Baptist congregation?

Probably.

 

Did they use musical instruments as an accompaniment to the singing? If not, it was indeed acapella!

That's very interesting, never heard of such a thing, I can't imagine it, was it like chanting?

It'd be nice if a 'music geek' would enlighten us about this.

Did you perceive or pick up on any sort of proselyting on their part? How far is "modern Judaism" from becoming "Christian" do you think?

Very close to the 'Indian' temple (I believe it's Hindu) is a gas/quick stop mart operated by what I'm fairly certain are the same group (the females wear dots on their foreheads), and they are very friendly and cheerful folks. They even fly the American flag out front.

 

Lol, me being a Primitive Baptist that'd be one of the first things I'd look for, an organ or a piano (nowadays I hear it's drums, electric guitars, and amplifiers). IMO, if you didn't perceive instruments as being intrusive or overwhelming to the singing then it was probably acapella.

I'm wondering why that would be shocking to you.

As 'Jewish' as it gets. An old old story that has played out many times in many places and times, for real.

I'm curious, a lot of Jews in your mathematics field?