Christian prayer begins with the Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is 100% an early Jewish prayer. And so it is that in order to understand the roots of Christian prayer, we need to look at prayer within early Judaism. In this episode, we explore how exactly ancient Judaic communities prayed, and how these prayers contributed to their sense of identity. Texts are taken from multiple biblical and early Judaic sources: the Psalms, the prophets, Tobit, Enoch, Sibylline oracles, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the prayers of the synagogue. A common theme throughout is the idea universality and particularity. The prayers of early Judaism convey the idea that Israel is the one nation chosen by the one true God. This is understood as particularity. But their prayers also express the belief that through them, YHWH would reveal Himself to the nations. This is the idea of universality. Universality and Particularity form the foundation and ancient Jewish identity, and the foundation of early Christian identity as taught by Jesus.

In the wake of the Temple’s destruction in 70 AD, Rabbi Issac would declare, ‘At this time we have neither prophet nor priest, neither sacrifice, nor Temple, nor altar — what is it that can make atonement for us, even though the Temple is destroyed? The only thing that we have left is prayer!’ Long before the Roman attack, a monumental shift had been taking place in Jewish faith and practice. For hundreds of years, Jews had already been discovering how to worship and encounter the presence of God independently of the temple and its sacrifices. And this was happening through the practice of prayer. During-the era of the 2nd Temple, it certainly would have appeared that the building in Jerusalem was the indispensable heart of Judaism. But the reality was actually something quite different. The real soul of Jewish faith was not to be found in the Temple. It was to be found in the home, and in a new community institution called the synagogue. In these places, prayer was becoming the spiritual equivalent of animal sacrifice.

In this second season, we’re going to focusing on the topic of prayer. Specifically, I want to explore how prayer – with the Judaic and Christian traditions – has been essential to the formation of community identity. I am convinced that prayer - even more than doctrine - is what holds communities together. It shapes their understanding of God. It tells them how to relate to one another. It defines their sense of purpose and calling. It makes sense of their past, and sets the direction for their future. Prayer is what carries communities through times of crisis and change.

Every community that has ever worshipped the God of the Bible has had its signature prayers. Whether it be the Psalms of ancient Israel, the prayer texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Lord’s Prayer, the rabbinic prayers or early Christian liturgy – it easy to see that a community’s self-understanding - the way they define who they are – is expressed through their prayers.

In the earliest traditions of the OT, it very much appears that the Hebrew people believed that death was the end. Nowhere in the book of Genesis or the Law of Moses do we see any specific indications that there is life after death. As we read through the wisdom and poetic literature, in some places there are hints that there may be life after death, but in other places the authors seem to clearly affirm that death is the end. It's not until the era after the Babylonian exile, what is known as ‘2nd Temple Judaism', that very clear notions of resurrection, final judgment, and eternal reward or punishment start to appear in the text.

Our aim is to better understand how belief in the afterlife developed among the people of Israel, and how this shaped their identity.

The God of the Hebrew Scriptures is a God of pathos. His emotional world is very real. Unfortunately, many Christians read the Old Testament through a doctrinal lens that ultimately denies this idea. In this episode, we engage with Jewish scholar Abraham Heschel to better understand God’s nature and character as presented by the Hebrew prophets.

Ezekiel wrote a prophetic allegory which describes Israel’s betrayal of God in graphic and disturbing terms. Generation after generation of faithlessness have left YHWH in a state of frustration and exhaustion. He’s verbally lashing out at the people of Israel because he’s angry, and above all, because his heart is broken.

From a literary perspective, the character of YHWH is presented as someone who does not exert absolute control over human affairs. He is not presented in the text as being a chess player who moves people as pawns on the board of human history. Time and time again we’ve seen how he set his hope on individuals and communities, and how he was let down. When the people that he was counting upon to accomplish his plans let him down, where can he turn?