As a christian, how can we explain the differences in scripture between the Bible and the Torah?

Question

I subscribe to beliefnet daily bible readings and daily prayers. Yesterday for some reason I got a Jewish verse of the day Genesis 25:1-25:11 from the Torah, and that verse spoke about Abraham marrying another woman and having many concubines and having other wives besides sarah. It goes on to speak about when he died, He left everything to Issac and left provisions for his other wives and concubines as well as for their children. Then it said that Isaac and Ishmial buried Abraham Together!!!. I was really confused by this, because It is so contrary to our own bible. It made me start wondering. How do we balance faith with knowledge, Belief with Logic, or are the two parings always going to be at odds with one another? Will it effect my faith to read the Torah? What about the differences in the same scriptures, stories and characters of our Bible? I mean it isnt like this is another God, same God, different version of the truth. I mean Jesus was a Jew after all. what about that

Answer 1

Nothing can affect your faith but yourself. Where is the disagreement?.What you talk about from the Torah is very similar to the Bible version. In the Bible, Abraham had many wives & concubines. His first son was from another woman, not Sarah. One of the most significant stories of faith is told in that part of the story, where Sarah, who was barren, bore Isaac. Sounds to me like you are believing someone else's version of the Bible, as well as someone else's concept of God. If we do not form our own faith, how can it be real faith?.

If I had to choose one overr the other to believe as fact (neither) then logic says it has to be the Torah. Jesus was a born & died a Jew.. Christianity came only after his death. The Bible was translated many times over many centuries later.

Far as I am concerned, God is, & I need to know nothing more. Faith is belief without proof. If we all stopped trying to prove what we believe, we would all be more spiritual.

But what do I know? I didn't write either.

Answer 2

Torah is, I think the First Five Books of the Bible.
If the Bible was inspired by God, then Torah was too, since Torah is part of the Bible.

Torah, of course, was originally written Hebrew.
The Hebrew Scriptures, a few centuries BCE, was translated into Greek [the Septuagint].

The New Testament, mostly originally written in Greek, usually used the Septuagint when quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures.

>Then it said that Isaac and Ishmael buried Abraham Together!!!.

The NIV translation says: "His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre".

And yes, there was Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah ... those are in the Bible (even the KJV). But those are the only three of which I know ... not "MANY concubines".

Perhaps you need to carefully re-read the portion Genesis 25:1-25 both in the Hebrew Torah and in the English Bible.

Answer 3

Christchi...,
I think that you might have asked the source where the information came from. I for one would be very interested. It doesn't sound like Abrahams story, but perhaps a gnostic one. They always gets things screwed up, not having the Spirit of God to guide them.

Try for a source. It really wouldn't matter to me if Abraham had concubines, though I think that Sarah had enough of concubines with Hagar. Being how she repented that Hagar was present, and Ishmael was always trying to kill Isaac. (and still is)

Don't believe everything you hear, and also; read the Old Testament, seek other sources that tell you what the Torah consisted of.

Mutiple sources before you commit, that's really the way to go. There's a lot of trash out there.

Answer 4

The 'old testament' is a MIStranslation of the Jewish bible, the TANAKH. The Tanakh was written thousands of years BEFORE Jesus was even born. And contrary to what some people are telling you, there is NOTHING about Jesus in the Jewish bible. NOTHING. Anyone who has read an accurate translation of the original Hebrew already knows this. The Tanakh stands alone. It makes perfect sense - alone. It does not rely upon the 'new testament' for a single thing. And again, contrary to what some are saying, the 'new testament' does not 'fulfill' the Jewish bible. Judaism was a complete religion long, long, long BEFORE Christianity even began to evolve. Jews study and follow the Tanakh. We don't follow the 'new testament'. Jesus, as a practising Jew, also followed the Tanakh. That's where he got 'Love thy neighbour' from - it appears first in the Torah. MARK D - just to clarify: It is not a conflict between Jews and Christians for the simple reason that Christians don't get to REdefine the JEWISH bible. The Tanakh was written BY Jews, FOR Jews. And it is Jews alone who have Hebrew as their language, both in Israel in daily life and of course in prayer also, all over the world. Christians are free to think what they like over Isaiah and indeed, anything else in the Tanakh. If they prefer to rely on glaring MIStranslations of the Hebrew, that's up to them. But the objective, rational MEANING of anything in the Jewish bible can ONLY be defined by JEWS. How would you feel if Jews suddenly decided to redefine and twist YOUR Christian scriptures?

Answer 5

The difference between the Torah and your Old Testament is the language itself. Jews read the Torah in it's original Hebrew.

From what I've read on YA, it appears that the Bible of choice for Christians is the King James version which was translated by someone during Shakespeare's day and everyone agrees with that translation.

If you're interested in reading the original, there are many, many different versions of the Torah. The differences are not in the original Hebrew text, but in the commentaries alongside the English and Hebrew. If you're interested in Orthodox commentaries, one buys an Orthodox Bible. If you're interested in Conservative commentaries, buy a Conservative version.

Learn to read Hebrew -- I guarantee you will find it exciting reading!

Did you know that the Roman Catholic Church did not allow the Bible to be printed in any language other than Latin until the 16th century. Only the priests were allowed to read it. Have you studied the Reformation? Fascinating!

Right on Black Dragon!!!!!
.

Answer 6

The bible clearly states that Ishmial would be provided for and a made into a great nation as well. But the true heir of Abraham was Isaac since this is where the teaching of God would come from. As for any others if or if not, it does not have any importance of laying the foundation of children of Christ. Abraham was chosen from among the people from God to serve this purpose. Outside of this frame work for Christ it has nothing to do with us

Answer 7

well i kind of think you got that just a little mixed up. since Ketoorah was his last woman before Avraham died. even though TheTorah does not actualy have any chapter and verse number. i am pretty sure i know which particular Parashas you are speaking of. since HaShem considers Sarah as his wife, all other are servants or concubines. and it says he gave gifts to the concubine's children. but other wise gave everything he owned to Yeetzak. with Eeshamael also only recieving gifts.

and just in case your scriptures are not authentic, you should investigate TheActual Torah. and you shall discover, that even many of the names have been poluted in your texts. such as adam and chaooah, instead of adam and eve, and their is not a single j name in their texts. and there fore no mention of jews, jewish, judaism or a jehovah. and it is a severe violation to alter anything in TheTorah.

Answer 8

The difference is the omission of the New Testament. The other reasons are that Christians read the Bible as it was gleaned, and translated from the Dead Sea scrolls. The Jews might have had more information passed down by the scribes of that time. Whether or not Abraham had more wives is not important. Soloman had over one thousand. (And they said he was full of wisdom?)!

Answer 9

You start you question with this.
I subscribe to belief that daily bible readings and daily prayers.

But you have not read the Bible, for the story of Abraham is complete with all you have said.

There is the Word of God ( Jesus Christ ) and there is everything else. Stay away from everything else. Get it out of your homes and your person.

That's the best advise I and any True Christian can give you.><>

Answer 10

The Jewish Torah is identical to the Christian Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy.
You may have read something known as a commentary; very common in Judaism. I'd email Gratvol, as he knows what he's talking about.