Shelley Wood Gauld

Although early historians and Church Fathers acknowledged Yeshua’s lack of comeliness, in keeping with the words of Isaiah 53, the institution of the Church slowly but surely refashioned Him into a majestic symbol of Divinity worthy of veneration. He was portrayed as well-proportioned and handsome, on a par with the classical gods of the ancient world. Isaiah did not paint such a picture… His prophecy rendered the suffering servant as having “no form or beauty that we should look at him: no charm that we should find him pleasing. He was despised, shunned by men, a man of suffering, familiar with disease.” Christians generally accept Isaiah 53 as a portrayal of Yeshua, but only in terms of the crucifixion… The words of this prophet, accurately translated, do not allow for this, however. The sufferings of the servant described in Isaiah were borne from cradle to grave… The implications of this -- for all who accept mainline Christian doctrine with its Romanized aesthetics --...

            In a paper entitled To die for the People , originally published in 1996 in The Priest: A Journal of Catholic Theology , Reb HaKohain argued that the vast majority of Jews and Jewish authorities of Yeshua’s time not only accepted Him as Messiah, but, after raising Lazarus from the dead, after four days in the tomb, precipitated His death in order to inaugurate the Redemption of Israel.          HaKohain suggests that after being informed of the great ‘messianic sign’ of the raising of Lazarus and Yeshua’s claim to being ‘the Resurrection and the Life’, the Pharisees and High Priest, acting on an Oral Scripture (such as Zohar 5:218a) realised that Yeshua was the Messiah of Isaiah 53, Messiah ben Joseph, who had to suffer and die. (Jn 11:49)          This would explain why the Jews are said to have shouted “Hosanna!” (“Save us!”) and “Baruch Haba B’Shem Adonai!” (“Blessed is He who comes in...

         In the Bible as a whole, the terms ‘crowd’, ‘crowding’, or ‘crowds’ are used 152 times with regard to Yeshua; versus 15 times in other contexts.          Many followed Him. “The whole [Jewish] world has gone after Him!” (Jn 12:19)          The devout and righteous ‘Shim’on’ (an Essene?) understood who Yeshua was when He held the infant Messiah in His arms in the Temple. (Luke 2:25-35)          Yochanan stated at Yeshua’s baptism; “Behold the Lamb of God” ~ a clear reference to the Messiah of Isaiah 53, Messiah ben Joseph, who would come as a suffering servant and sacrificial lamb. (Jn 1:29)           Crowds throughout the land of Palestine, well aware of Yeshua’s teaching and great works of power, followed Him, listened eagerly to His teachings and held Him in high esteem. (Matt 4:25;7:34, Mark 12:37)          Many Pharisee...