Ancient Israelite Priests brought the Ark of the Covenant
Collection of Judaica (clockwise from top):
Candlesticks for Shabbat, a cup for ritual handwashing, a Chumash and a Tanakh, a Torah pointer, a shofar, and an etrog box
If we speak about Judaism, of course we cannot seperate it with History of Israel itself and this is very complex if we go to see it on Old Testament as One of Catholic's Holy Book (Bible).
G-d always fulfills HIS promises to Abraham that Abraham will born with His Wife Sara and produce the descendants who will be a Great Nation, namely Israel through His Son Isaac, and after that Isaac married with Rebecca the Aramean to born her son, Jacob who was an Israelite Ancestor. (Genesis 15:18 ; Genesis 12:1-3)
Israel has twelve tribes, according to Jacob (As Israel Himself), includes Issachar, Reuben, Judah, Levi, Simeon, whom all are Leah's sons. Joseph and Benjamin from Rachel as Second Jacob's Wife, Dan and Naphtali from Bilhah, Gad and Asher from Zilpah. And many Jacob's son married with Canaanites until descend many Israelites.
From Egypt, Israelites were slaved by Egyptians until Moses from Levi Tribe freed Israelites from slavery. But, because Ancient Egyptian's Influence, when Moses left Israelites to gain Ten Commandments (Exodus 24:12–18), many Israelite strated to deviate from True Monotheism and worship Golden Calf (Exodus 32:1–4). This is one of many violation which Israelites did when Moses went to receive The Ten Commandments. And then when they (Israelites) were successful to enter their homeland and conquered many Idolater nation after Israelites received Judaism as The True religion on that age before First Temple Judaism was built, some dozen year long time, they returned to worship idols and were influenced by Pagan Nations who were around them until they were colonized by Philistines from Cretan Island (Now part of Greek).
Then this evidences were contained on the Story of Judges on Old Testament (Book of Judges) , The judges assisted them (Israelites) for free from Occupation by Philistines, They were returned into Judaism again until they need Kingdom, Saul came as Their First King (1 Samuel 9-11), and then David as Second King and Psalm writer, they still worship YHWH (True God) as Their God until King Solomon as Third King of Israel.
When Israelites under Solomon, son of David, there were times between Defense of Israelite Monotheism and Rise of Polytheism on Solomon reign, because Solomon himself was fallen into Idolatry by many wife and concubines who persuaded Solomon to tolerate Idolatry from his wifes from outside Israel. (1 Kings 11)
And after death of King Solomon, United Kingdom of Israel were divided into two separated kingdoms. Northern Israelite Kingdom or Kingdom of Samaria which would be fallen into Assyrian and Southern Israelite Kingdom or Kingdom of Judah which would be fallen into Babylonia. Both kingdoms were fallen because Sin of Idolatry (1 Kings, 2 Chronicles, 2 Kings) . First Temple of Jerusalem which was built by Solomon was destroyed by Nebucadnezzar II. Many Israelite were fallen into Idolatry and when they were exiled to out from Their homeland, some of them were repented and came to Their God, YHWH. We know many Israelite prophet from their nation like Elia, Amos, Mikha, Elisha, Jeremiah, and many more, had warned them (Israelites) so that they don't be fallen into Idolatry, but many of them (only little population who still believe on LORD God of Israel) chose to worship idols, included Baal and Asherah. Beside that, they also longing for a Messiah who will save them.
When Two tribes of Southern Israel came back to their homeland under King Cyrus The Great of Persia who defeated Babylon, they had embraced Judaism again and worship the True God and then they went home back. Until Second Temple Judaism was built by Zerubabel and arrival of Seleucid, Judah Maccabee and his brothers defeated Seleucid and restored many Jews who were helenized into Second Temple Judaism.
At this point, when the Pharisees, the Scribes began to serve as religious leaders during the Hasmonean Kingdom, they used their oral tradition which known as Talmud.
And on this time, many Jews from the Pharisees and Scribes had misused the interpretation of religion for their political, until the Hasmonean conquest of the Western region of Nabatea and Idumea. The Nabateans and Idumeans who were conquered by John Hyrcanus, the Jewish King at that time, finally carried out forced conversions of the Nabateans and Idumeans to embrace Judaism for the salvation of their souls. This happened when the successors of the Maccabees of the Hasmonean Dynasty ruled and when the Second Temple was built, Judaism became a Proselyte Religion for other nations where Hasmonean had conquered them.
From above at all, we can conclude that from Second Temple Judaism, there are many faction on this religion. After Hasmonean Kingdom was fallen and defeated by Roman in, Herodian Dynasty took office as successor of Jewish Kingdom as New Dynasty.
Many Jews who hope if Messiah will be come to restore their homeland so that their land was sanctified from Gentiles or Pagans. When they were waiting for Messiah who will give freedom to them, they literally rejected what prophets like Isaiah and Micha, and many other Israelite prophet had delivered many implied message to them (Israelites) that Messiah who will come to them has task to redeem their sins (Isaiah 53; son of woman in Genesis 3:15; As Eternal Priest after Melchizedek, Heaven King in World and Afterlife in Genesis 14:18; As Son of Judah in Genesis 49:10; Son of Jacob in Genesis 28 who redeems sins; as Lamb without blemish in Exodus 12 to portrait Messiah will come to replace burnt offering like original Lamb and many more in Old Testament), but many Jews who hope Messianic Age need to meet with Richly Messiah as King of The World who is not Heavenly King. From this, they as majority of Pharisees Followers and Scribes who denied Real Messiah who comes to the world for sins redemption.
Jesus Christ, a Figure who brought Christianity, The Head and Founder of Catholic Church, was a Galilean Jew and Son of Judah, Son of Israel. He is incarnation of God and Word of God Himself who descended as a Human. He lived on Herodian Kingdom Times, He obeyed all Torah Law which was given to Moses by LORD. But, many Jews rejected him and made him crucified by Romans.
His twelve apostles and other his pupils were also Jews, He is Son of David, because Messiah should be a Son of David from Judah Tribe. In Gospel of Matthew, Matthew begins His Genealogy by Calling Jesus "the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1). This title is rooted in God's promise to David in 2 Samuel 7:12–16 that God would establish the kingdom of one of David's descendants. The Lord promised that the Davidic throne would be established “forever”.
But, in Second Temple Judaism time, many Jews who prefer to believe their Priests like Pharisees and Scribes, the rest apart from Jews also believed Sadducees who denied Resurrection and Afterlife, and then Sadducees taught a reincarnation. There were Essenes who taught ascetic life and baptism as symbol of repentance. John The Baptist was an Essene who believed that Jesus as Messiah who come to the world for sins redemption. While faithful Jews on this Herod times were minority and could be counted with fingers.
From Majority of Jews who believed Pharisees and Scribes would be Rabbinic Judaism adherents or Modern Judaism now. What religion now is called as Judaism now is not other than Satanic religion.
The Lord Jesus has repeatedly denied and debated with the Pharisees, the Pharisees were not much different from the Israelites in the First Temple era who fell into idolatry.
The difference is only in the practice of worship rituals, indeed the Pharisees and the Torah have known the true God and worship only to One God YHWH, but only on their lips they glorified God but in their hearts, they desired to worldly power more like materialism. That is also what was condemned by the Prophet Isaiah as before,
" And the Lord said: Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips glorify me, but their heart is far from me, and they have feared me with the commandment and doctrines of men: " (Isaiah 29:13)
And Lord Jesus said about them (Pharisees and Scribes) :
Gospel of Matthew 23:13-30 :
" But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men, for you yourselves do not enter in; and those that are going in, you suffer not to enter. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: because you devour the houses of widows, praying long prayers. For this you shall receive the greater judgment. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you go round about the sea and the land to make one proselyte to your religion; and when he is made, you make him the child of hell twofold more than yourselves. Woe to you blind guides, that say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but he that shall swear by the gold of the temple, is a debtor. Ye foolish and blind; for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, is a debtor. Ye blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things that are upon it: And whosoever shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth in it: And he that sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you tithe mint, and anise, and cummin, and have left the weightier things of the law; judgment, and mercy, and faith. These things you ought to have done, and not to leave those undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you make clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within you are full of rapine and uncleanness. Thou blind Pharisee, first make clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, that the outside may become clean. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like to whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones, and of all filthiness. So you also outwardly indeed appear to men just; but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; that build the sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of the just, And say: If we had been in the days of our Fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets."
Matthew 12:34-36 :
" O generation of vipers, how can you speak good things, whereas you are evil? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.A good man out of a good treasure bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of an evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account for it in the day of judgment."
Jesus confirmed what Isaiah said on Matthew 15:7-11 :
" Hypocrites, well hath Isaiah prophesied of you, saying: This people (Pharisees and Scribes) honoureth me with their lips: but their heart is far from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines and commandments of men. And having called together the multitudes unto him, he said to them: Hear ye and understand. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man: but what cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man."
Pharisees (Jewish Religious Leaders) were proud to themselves
Lord Jesus disputed Pharisees teachings
Isaiah said on Isaiah 29 prophesied that This peoples who were Israelites, it refers and similar with what Jesus confirmed, about Jews.
In John 8:42-47 :
" Jesus therefore said to them: If God were your Father, you would indeed love me. For from God I proceeded, and came; for I came not of myself, but he sent me: Why do you not know my speech? Because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth; because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof. But if I say the truth, you believe me not. Which of you shall convince me of sin? If I say the truth to you, why do you not believe me? He that is of God, heareth the words of God. Therefore you hear them not, because you are not of God."
And How Judaism followers killed Christians and made them martyred :
" And to the angel of the church of Smyrna write: These things saith the First and the Last, who was dead, and is alive: I know thy tribulation and thy poverty, but thou art rich: and thou art blasphemed by them that say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil will cast some of you into prison that you may be tried: and you shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful until death: and I will give thee the crown of life. (Apocalypse 2:8-10)
This proves if what religion now is called as Judaism, is different with Judaism in Old Testament which was of God. Judaism in Old Testament was Shape of Catholic Church as Shape of Christianity which had not been emerged yet. While Judaism now is a Satanic religion and makes Satan as their father, Judaism now is only Pharisees and Scribes religion like what Jesus said on Matthew 23:15.
On Galatia 3, St. Paul taught us to not follow Pharisees and Scribes, St. Paul said that Mosaic Law was replaced when Lord Jesus was crucified for sins redemption.
St. Pope Gregory the Great
Pope St. Gregory the Great (around 590 AD):"... if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants (Gal. 3:29). If we are made children of Abraham by our faith in Christ, then the Jews, because of their unbelief, have ceased to be his descendants ."
St. Leo the Great
Pope St. Leo the Great, Dogmatic Letter to Flavian (449), read at the Council of Chalcedon (451), ex cathedra :
“Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. It does not say, ‘and to his seed,’ as of many, but of one : ‘ and to your seed ,’ which is Christ .” (Gal. 3:16)
As we know, like many pupil of Jesus who were Jews, St. Paul was also a Jew and a former Jewish Rabbi from Benjamin Tribe like what He said , He was a Pharisees (Philippians 3:5). But, Saul of Tarsus (Jewish name of St. Paul the Apostle) taught we that Christ's Cross had replaced Mosaic Law, So we as Christians don't need Mosaic Law or to respect it as Salvation.
It also disputes what Judaizers taught. Many Heretic like Ebionite, Elkesite in First Century had taught Judaization of Gentiles when they want to convert to be Christians. And How St. Paul rebuked Cephas the Judaizer:
" But when Cephas was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that some came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them who were of the circumcision. And to his dissimulation the rest of the Jews consented, so that Barnabas also was led by them into that dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly unto the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all: If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of the Gentiles, and not as the Jews do, how dost thou compel the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? We by nature are Jews, and not of the Gentiles sinners. But knowing that man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ; we also believe in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: because by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. But if while we seek to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners; is Christ then the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build up again the things which I have destroyed, I make myself a prevaricator. For I, through the law, am dead to the law, that I may live to God: with Christ I am nailed to the cross. And I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me. And that I live now in the flesh: I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered himself for me. I cast not away the grace of God. For if justice be by the law, then Christ died in vain. [Galatians 2:11-21]
In Apostolic Council of Jerusalem around 50AD, Catholic Church taught that Gentiles (Non-Jews) who converted to Christianity were not obligated to keep most of the rules prescribed to the Jews by the Mosaic Law, such as Jewish dietary laws and other specific rituals, including the rules concerning circumcision of males. That's not just Dietary Laws, but also Festivals which were prescribed to the Jews only like Sukkhot, Hanukkah, Purim, etc.
Pope Eugene IVPope Eugene IV, Council of Florence, 1441, ex cathedra:
“The Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and teaches that the matter pertaining to the law of the Old Testament, the Mosaic law, which are divided into ceremonies, sacred rites, sacrifices, and sacraments, because they were established to signify something in the future, although they were suited to the divine worship at that time, after our Lord’s coming had been signified by them, ceased, and the sacraments of the New Testament began; and that whoever, even after the passion, placed hope in these matters of the law and submitted himself to them as necessary for salvation, as if faith in Christ could not save without them, sinned mortally. Yet it does not deny that after the passion of Christ up to the promulgation of the Gospel they could have been observed until they were believed to be in no way necessary for salvation; but after the promulgation of the Gospel it asserts that they cannot be observed without the loss of eternal salvation. All, therefore, who after that time [the promulgation of the Gospel] observe circumcision and the Sabbath and the other requirements of the law, the holy Roman Church declares alien to the Christian faith and not in the least fit to participate in eternal salvation.”
Pope Benedict XIV
Pope Benedict XIV, Ex Quo Primum (# 61), March 1, 1756:
“The first consideration is that the ceremonies of the Mosaic Law were abrogated by the coming of Christ and that they can no longer be observed without sin after the promulgation of the Gospel.”
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis Christi (#’s 29-30), June 29, 1943: “And first of all, by the death of our Redeemer, the New Testament took the place of the Old Law which had been abolished… on the gibbet of His death Jesus made void the Law with its decrees [Eph. 2:15]… establishing the New Testament in His blood shed for the whole human race. ‘To such an extent, then,’ says St. Leo the Great, speaking of the Cross of our Lord, ‘was there effected a transfer from the Law to the Gospel, from the Synagogue to the Church, from many sacrifices to one Victim, that, as our Lord expired, that mystical veil which shut off the innermost part of the temple and its sacred secret was rent violently from top to bottom.’ On the Cross then the Old Law died, soon to be buried and to be a bearer of death…”
When Jesus said about Temple to Pharisees,
" The Jews, therefore, answered, and said to him: What sign dost thou shew unto us, seeing thou dost these things? Jesus answered, and said to them: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews then said: Six and forty years was this temple in building; and wilt thou raise it up in three days? But he spoke of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen again from the dead, his disciples remembered, that he had said this, and they believed the scripture, and the word that Jesus had said."
In the Bible, John 2:19 says, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up". This verse has multiple meanings, including Jesus referring to his own resurrection and the destruction of the Second Temple Judaism in Jerusalem in 70 AD. The destruction of the temple in Jerusalem led to the development of Rabbinic Judaism, which emphasized prayer, Torah study, and synagogue gatherings. The fall of Jerusalem also played a role in the development of early Christianity where Catholic Church was actively to proselyte many gentile outside Judea region. This proves that Catholic Church was built by Jesus Christ to replace what Moses delivered to the Israelites with His Synagogue Authorities.
So, what Judaizers did to gentiles and what Judaizers did to spread their teachings are absolutely wrong.
Ebionites as for example, Ebionites taught beside to follow Mosaic Law, Ebionites also deny the Divinity of Christ although they said if they believed Jesus Christ as Messiah who was crucified for sins redemption. This sect was condemned by Catholic Church according to the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem far before The Council of Nicea would be emerged.
Many Modern Judaizers now like Messianic Judaism, Hebrew Roots, Seventh Day of Adventists, who were condemned by Catholic Church under The Apostolic Council of Jerusalem.
The Law of Noah is older than the Law of Moses, even including examples in it related to the Food Law and even related to Monogamous marriage. So it is clear, the Lord Jesus wants all of us who believe to return to following the Law of Noah which is much older than the Law of Moses.
There are many non-Jewish believers or people outside the nation of Israel who believe in the God of Israel or YHWH (the Holy Trinity God himself) such as Job, Jethro Moses' father-in-law was a Midianite who believed in One God even though his daughter became a Jew, then Darius King of Mede, Cyrus the Great, Ahasuerus Esther's husband, and some followers of Jonah in Nineveh who were non-Jews, they did not need to follow the Law to be saved as long as they worshiped the True God and followed the True Law of Nature without needing to follow the Law to be saved, and that story is already written in the Old Testament itself.
This is How LORD (YHWH) made a testament or deal with Noah :
And I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shalt enter into the ark, thou and thy sons, and thy wife, and the wives of thy sons with thee. And of every living creature of all flesh, thou shalt bring two of a sort into the ark, that they may live with thee: of the male sex, and the female. Of fowls according to their kind, and of beasts in their kind, and of every thing that creepeth on the earth according to its kind; two of every sort shall go in with thee, that they may live. Thou shalt take unto thee of all food that may be eaten, and thou shalt lay it up with thee: and it shall be food for thee and them. (Genesis 6:18-21)
Genesis 6:18-21 which is God's Commandment was continued and confirmed by Jesus on Matthew 15:1
Wailing wall as Jews are praying. From this, we can learn that because Sanhedrin, Jesus was crucified by Romans. Because rejection of Israelites on Isaiah 53, Messiah should be died for faithfuls with sin redemption. Judaism now is failure product from what Sanhedrin did to Jesus. Throne of Moses was vacant when Jewish High Priest or Head of Pharisees, Caiaphas, rejected Jesus and viewed Jesus as condemned by God because Jesus said that He and Father are one, which is blasphemy on Pharisees and Scribes Teaching.
Let's to see Ebionites, Ebionite Sect was extinct when Mahometanism was emerged and founded by False Prophet. But, we must know that there were Ebionite Priest like Waraqah Ibn Nawfal who taught Muhammad to deny the divinity of Christ and guided him (Muhammad) to obey Torah Law. And Waraqah married Muhammad to his cousin Khadijah. About Mahometanism, Mahometanism was a false religion which is worse than Judaism now. Mahometanism taught many hypocrisy which is more dangerous than Judaism because Mahometanism had inconsistency on its religion. About Mahometanism, will be waited to the next post after this.
But, Jesus had warned to disciples about what Mahometanism taught with its hypocrisy and inconsistency before this false religion was emerged:
" For I tell you, that unless (unless meaning is if not) your justice (justice meaning is way or how to act) abound (abound is similar with abundantly) more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. " (Matthew 5:20)
Wailing wall as Jews are praying. 
