Founder’s Blog

121 Years Ago Tonight

Yahrtzeit is a Yiddish term that means, "Time of Year" it is a specific time to memorialize the death of a loved one, an honored teacher, or a community leader. Specifically it is a time each year to reflect on and remember the life of someone that has past away.

Tonight, begins the Yahrtzeit for Franz Delitzsch. He passed away on March 4, 1890 which corresponds to the Hebrew date Adar (1), 12, 5650. Franz Delitzsch passed away 121 years ago this evening.

The legacy of works left behind by Franz Delitzsch will impact a new generation of seekers and will continue to be a voice of appeal to the people of Israel, proclaiming to them that Yeshua is the Jewish Messiah.

Delitzsch work and mission will continue. It was said,

His Hebrew New Testament was the mist effective missionary among the Jews. He was the soul of missions among Israel in all of Christendom.

Progress report on the Delitzsch Hebrew English Gospels

The translation is complete and continues its course through our editorial processes. We are very pleased with the strength and clarity of the English. Here are a couple recent reviewers comments,

I am about half way through the Gospel material that you sent me. I basically love the translation. By the way, we share a similar philosophy of Bible translation. The idiomatic push in much of today's translation world, with the stress on "naturalness" leads the reading populace away from the primacy of Israel. As I've argued with many Bible translators, the readers of versions should NOT come away with the sense that "Billy-bob" down the street could have composed this book/letter. The reader should come away with the sense that he/she is INDEED reading a translated piece of literature...literature originally entrusted to the Jewish people...in their languages.

I like the English. It's crisp, easy to read, and consistent. At places, it's poetry in motion. I've always taken pleasure in Aaron Eby's style of communication, as on an English language level he's both lucid and innovative. This translation definitely carries that touch. I also like the transliteratory system. It's easy to read and true to traditional pronunciation, and italicizing the Hebrew terms and including side notes makes it beginner friendly. Vine of David is taking significant strides in beautifying several mitzvot from the Apostles, including the charge to let the word of Mashiach dwell richly in our midst, and the charge to remember Yeshua the Messiah. For that, I thank you.

Delitzsch's objective was to restore the New Testament back to the Jewish people--a Jewish matrix. He once stated,

We have cause to say, that our new translation has contributed somewhat to bring the New Testament nearer to the Jews as a prominent work of their literature...the New Testament is the highest work that the Jewish genius has produced.

Not only will we be presenting the Delitzsch Hebrew with our English translation, but an extensive glossary, index, and introduction will also be tools that will bring greater understanding to the text. Here is one example on the term Pharisee from the extensive "Glossary of Hebrew Terms",

Parush (פָּרוּשׁ), pl. Prushim (פְּרוּשִׁים)

"Separatist." Commonly, "Pharisee." A member of a social, political, and religious school of thought that flourished during the Second Temple era. Prushim tended to be nationalistic and resisted trends toward assimilation into the surrounding Hellenistic culture. Prushim were noted for their belief in angels, demons, the resurrection of the dead, and the coming of a personal messiah. They were devoted to the Torah, which they felt must be interpreted through the lens of the body of tradition passed from teacher to disciple for generations. The historian Josephus reports that Prushim held the influence of the masses.

Prushim can be sharply contrasted with Tzedukim, who held a very different worldview. See Tzedukim.

In addition to worship in the Temple and in synagogues, Prushim would gather for communal meals. Prushim took the description of Yisra'el as a "kingdom of kohanim" (SHMOT 19:6) very seriously. They saw their own homes and tables as places of divine worship, sometimes voluntarily adopting standards of tehorah that normally only applied to the actual Temple and priesthood.

The worldview and practices of Yeshua and his followers bear strong similarities to those of the Prushim. This helps to explain Yeshua's harsh criticisms of Prushim. His criticisms assume a basically correct worldview but faulty application and priorities (compare MATTAI 23:2-3). The conflict is thus an in-house argument. Even the Talmud (b.Sotah 22b) identifies character flaws among Prushim, including insincerity, false humility, self-righteousness, and hypocrisy. These flaws can be found in all humanity, not just Prushim. Prushim can be kind and sincere, just as they can be malicious or hypocritical. Yeshua spoke out against these bad traits and behaviors, not Prushiyut (Pharisaism) itself.

Criticisms of Prushim must be understood alongside positive statements and implications that are also made. For example, the point of the parable of the Parush and the tax collector (LUKE 18:9-14) was not that Prushim were wicked and tax collectors were good. Rather, the Parush serves a rhetorical purpose in this illustration specifically because he was considered a model of goodness and piety. In the parable of the lost sheep (LUKE 15:3-7), the Prushim are represented among the sheep that did not stray, whom he calls, "righteous persons who need no repentance" (LUKE 15:7). In the parable of the prodigal son (LUKE 15:11-32), the Prushim are represented by the older son, to whom the father says, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours" (LUKE 15:31). When Yeshua stated, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (MARK 2:17), the "well" and the "righteous" refer to the Prushim.

Acts 15 indicates that Prushim were among the followers of Yeshua. In Acts 23:6 Paul declares "Brothers, I am a Parush"--in the present tense.

In the generations after the Temple was destroyed, the philosophy of the Prushim formed the basis for Rabbinic Judaism.

Dates & Delivery

We continue to labor each day on this important work. The vision for this work is to restore the Gospels (and eventually the entire NT) to its Jewish contexts. We desire to attain the utmost quality in our standard of publishing. We desire to present the "greatest Jewish Story ever told" in the most authentic manner. This takes time and great care. Everything we write is going through a lengthy and comprehensive review process and we are taking a careful look at various printers, paper samples, cover stocks, etc. It is a process full of detail and careful consideration.

I will be traveling to Israel in the middle of March to work with our Israeli office to complete some of the final aspects of this project. After that we hope to be sending the Delitzsch Hebrew Gospels (DHE) to the printer towards the end of April. We are looking at an 8-week processing time from the printer--so our hope and prayer is to have the DHE available by the beginning of the summer months.

Tonight, on the anniversary of the passing of Franz Delitsch, may we reflect upon his life and work, and may we join together in prayer that God's blessing would rest upon our team and upon this important work.

About the Author: Boaz Michael is the President and Founder of First Fruits of Zion.