48 Bible Verses about Judaism

"Where is the new-born King of the Jews? for we saw his star in the east, and have come to do homage to him."

There were standing there six stone water-jars, in accordance with the Jewish rule of 'purification,' each holding twenty or thirty gallons.

"Where is this man going," the Jews asked one another, "that we shall not find him? Will he go to our countrymen abroad, and teach foreigners?

Then how is it that we each of us hear them in our own native language? Some of us are Parthians, some Medes, some Elamites; and some of us live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Roman Asia, In Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the districts of Libya adjoining Cyrene; some of us are visitors from Rome,read more.
Either Jews by birth or converts, and some are Cretans and Arabians--yet we all alike hear them speaking in our own tongues of the great things that God has done."

Coming to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, Jesus, as was his custom, went on the Sabbath into the Synagogue, and stood up to read the Scriptures. The book given him was that of the Prophet Isaiah; and Jesus opened the book and found the place where it says--

Among those who were going up to worship at the Festival were some Greeks,

Now there were then staying in Jerusalem religious Jews from every country in the world;

So Philip set out on a journey; and on his way he came upon an official of high rank, in the service of Candace, Queen of the Abyssinians. He was her treasurer, and had been to Jerusalem to worship,

Meanwhile the Chief Priests and the whole of the High Council were trying to get such false evidence against Jesus, as would warrant putting him to death, But they did not find any, although many came forward with false evidence. Later on, however, two men came forward and said: "This man said 'I am able to destroy the Temple of God, and to build it in three days.'"

Presently some men stood up, and gave this false evidence against him-- "We ourselves heard him say 'I will destroy this Temple made with hands, and in three days build another made without hands.'"

There they produced witnesses who gave false evidence. "This man," they said, "is incessantly saying things against this Holy Place and the Law;

But, just as the seven days were drawing to a close, the Jews from Roman Asia caught sight of Paul in the Temple, and caused great excitement among all the people present, by seizing Paul and shouting: "Men of Israel! help! This is the man who teaches every one everywhere against our People, our Law, and this Place; and, what is more, he has actually brought Greeks into the Temple and defiled this sacred place." (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in Paul's company in the city, and were under the belief that Paul had taken him into the Temple.)

You search the Scriptures, because you think that you find in them Immortal Life;

Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You pay tithes on mint, fennel, and caraway seed, and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law--justice, mercy, and good faith. These last you ought to have put into practice, without neglecting the first.

For a man who has laid the Law, as a whole, to heart, but has failed in one particular, is liable for breaking all its provisions.

Alas for you, you blind guides! You say 'if any answer by the Temple, his oath counts for nothing; but, if any one swears by the gold of the Temple, his oath is binding him'! Fools that you are and blind! Which is the more important? The gold? Or the Temple which has given sacredness to the gold? You say, too, 'If any one swears by the altar, his oath counts for nothing, but, if any one swears by the offering placed on it, his oath is binding on him'!

One day the Pharisees and some of the Teachers of the Law who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus. They had noticed that some of his disciples ate their food with their hands 'defiled,' by which they meant unwashed. (For the Pharisees, and indeed all strict Jews, will not eat without first scrupulously washing their hands, holding in this to the traditions of their ancestors.read more.
When they come from market, they will not eat without first sprinkling themselves; and there are many other customs which they have inherited and hold to, such as the ceremonial washing of cups, and jugs, and copper pans). So the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law asked Jesus this question--"How is it that your disciples do not follow the traditions of our ancestors, but eat their food with defiled hands?" His answer was: "It was well said by Isaiah when he prophesied about you hypocrites in the words--'This is a people that honor me with their lips, While their hearts are far removed from me; But vainly do they worship me, For they teach but the precepts of men.' You neglect God's commandments and hold to the traditions of men. Wisely do you set aside God's commandments," he exclaimed, "to keep your own traditions! For while Moses said 'Honor thy father and thy mother,' and 'Let him who reviles his father or mother suffer death,' You say 'If a man says to his father or mother "Whatever of mine might have been of service to you is Korban"' (which means 'Given to God')-- Why, then you do not allow him to do anything further for his father or mother! In this way you nullify the words of God by your traditions, which you hand down; and you do many similar things."

Then some Pharisees and Teachers of the Law came to Jesus, and said: "How is it that your disciples break the traditions of our ancestors? For they do not wash their hands when they eat food." His reply was: "How is it that you on your side break God's commandments out of respect for your own traditions?read more.
For God said--'Honor thy father and mother,' and 'Let him who reviles his father or mother suffer death,' But you say 'Whenever any one says to his father or mother "Whatever of mine might have been of service to you is 'Given to God,'" He is in no way bound to honor his father.' In this way you have nullified the words of God on account of your traditions. Hypocrites! It was well said by Isaiah when he prophesied about you-- 'This is a people that honor me with their lips, While their hearts are far removed from me; But vainly do they worship me, For they teach but the precepts of men.'"

About the same time Jesus walked through the corn-fields one Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and began to pick some ears of wheat and eat them. But, when the Pharisees saw this, they said: "Look! your disciples are doing what it is not allowable to do on a Sabbath!"

One Sabbath, as Jesus was walking through the cornfields, his disciples began to pick the ears of wheat as they went along. "Look!" the Pharisees said to him, "why are they doing what is not allowed on the Sabbath?"

One Sabbath Jesus was walking through cornfields, and hi disciples were picking the ears of wheat, and rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. "Why are you doing what it is not allowable to do on the Sabbath?" asked some of the Pharisees.

(For the Pharisees, and indeed all strict Jews, will not eat without first scrupulously washing their hands, holding in this to the traditions of their ancestors. When they come from market, they will not eat without first sprinkling themselves; and there are many other customs which they have inherited and hold to, such as the ceremonial washing of cups, and jugs, and copper pans).

The Pharisee noticed, to his astonishment, that Jesus omitted the ceremonial washing before breakfast.

"Two men went up into the Temple Courts to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee stood forward and began praying to himself in this way--'O God, I thank thee that I am not like other men-- thieves, rogues, adulterers--or even like this tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week, and give a tenth of everything I get to God.'

And they have always known--if they choose to give evidence- -that, in accordance with the very strictest form of our religion, I lived a true Pharisee.

At this the High Priest was roused to action, and he and all his supporters (who formed the party of the Sadducees), moved by jealousy,

When, however, John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to receive his baptism, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who has prompted you to seek refuge from the coming judgment?

Next came some Sadducees--the men who maintain that there is no resurrection. Their question was this--

That same day some Sadducees came up to Jesus, maintaining that there is no resurrection. Their question was this:--

Presently there came up some Sadducees, who maintain that there is no resurrection. Their question was this--

"How is it," his disciples asked, "that our Teachers of the Law say that Elijah has to come first?"

When they came to the other disciples, they saw a great crowd round them, and some Teachers of the Law arguing with them.

It was not till the third day that they found him in the Temple Courts, sitting among the Teachers, now listening to them, now asking them questions.

The next day, a meeting of the leading men, the Councillors, and the Teachers of the Law was held in Jerusalem.

Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon known as the Zealot,

Alas for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You scour land and sea to make a single convert, and, when he is gained, you make him twice as deserving of the Pit as you are yourselves.

Either Jews by birth or converts, and some are Cretans and Arabians--yet we all alike hear them speaking in our own tongues of the great things that God has done."

This proposal was unanimously agreed to; and the disciples chose Stephen--a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit--and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, a former convert to Judaism;

After the congregation had dispersed, many of the Jews, and of the converts who joined in their worship, followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue to rely upon the loving-kindness of God.

It was now two days before the Festival of the Passover and the Unleavened bread. The Chief Priests and the Teachers of the Law were looking for an opportunity to arrest Jesus by stealth, and to put him to death;

In consequence of this, many of the Jews, who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did, learned to believe in him. Some of them, however, went to the Pharisees, and told them what he had done. Upon this the Chief Priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the High Council, and said: "What are we to do, now that this man is giving so many signs?read more.
If we let him alone as we are doing, every one will believe in him; and the Romans will come and will take from us both our City and our Nationality." One of them, however, Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year, said to them: "You are utterly mistaken. You do not consider that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, rather than the whole nation should be destroyed."

They will expel you from their Synagogues; indeed the time is coming when any one who kills you will think that he is making an offering to God.

While Peter and John were still speaking to the people, the Chief Priest, with the Officer in charge at the Temple and the Sadducees, came up to them, Much annoyed because they were teaching the people, and because, through Jesus, they were preaching the resurrection from the dead. They arrested the Apostles and, as it was already evening, had them placed in custody till the next day.

At this the High Priest was roused to action, and he and all his supporters (who formed the party of the Sadducees), moved by jealousy, Arrested the Apostles, and had them placed in custody.

You heard, no doubt, of my conduct when I was devoted to Judaism--how I persecuted the Church of God to an extent beyond belief, and made havoc of it, And how, in my devotion to Judaism, I surpassed many of my contemporaries among my own people in my intense earnestness in upholding the traditions of my ancestors.

Some of the Pharisees' party, however, who had become believers in Christ, came forward and declared that they were bound to circumcise converts and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.

But certain persons came down from Judea, and began to teach the Brethren that, unless they were circumcised, in accordance with the custom enjoined by Moses, they could not be saved. This gave rise to a serious dispute, and much discussion, between Paul and Barnabas and these men, and it was therefore settled that Paul and Barnabas and others of their number should go up to Jerusalem, to consult the Apostles and Officers of the Church about the matter under discussion.

But, when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face; for he stood self-condemned. Before certain persons came from James, he had been in the habit of eating with the Gentile converts; but, when they came, he began to withdraw and hold aloof, for fear of offending those who still held to circumcision. The rest of the Jewish converts were guilty of the same hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led away by it.read more.
But, when I saw that they were not dealing straightforwardly with the Truth of the Good News, I said to Peter, before them all, "If you, who were born a Jew, adopt Gentile customs, instead of Jewish, why are you trying to compel the Gentile converts to adopt Jewish customs?" We, though we are Jews by birth and not outcasts of Gentile origin, know that no one is pronounced righteous as the result of obedience to Law, but only through faith in Christ Jesus. So we placed our faith in Christ Jesus, in order that we might be pronounced righteous, as the result of faith in Christ, and not of obedience to Law; for such obedience 'will not result in even one soul's being pronounced righteous.'