Difference between revisions of "שמעון הקלפוס"

Revision as of 11:28, 2 February 2008

"R. Jacob Tam also expressed his belief that Peter (Simon Caiaphas), the first Pope, was a devout and learned Jew, who dedicated his life to guiding Christians along the proper path. R. Tam further maintained that Peter was the author of the Nishmat prayer recited on Sabbaths and Festivals, as well as a prayer for Yom Kippur (Mahzor Vitry, edited by S.Hurwitz, 1923, p.285 note 5 and p. 362 note 5. CF. J. Eisenstein's articles on Simon Caiaphas in Otzar Israel and Otzar Midrashim). It may also be noted that R. Judah He-Hasid, leader of the twelfth century Hasidei Ashkenaz in Germany, also referred to Peter as a Pious man ("zaddik"; Sefer Hasidim, no. 191)."^[1]

The Toledoth Y.S.W also praises Peter as a greatly learned and pious man dedicated to saving Israelites from heresy. Peter's mission to the Hellenes was headed by Gamaliel's student Saul of Tarsus whose efforts in Peter's direction were complimented by R. Jacob Emden in the Seder Olam Rabbah Vezuta.

According to the Petrine perspective, many "Gnostic" documents, like the coptic letter of Peter to Philip, could be better understood as attempts written in Gnostic terms to bring Gnostics around to the straight path.

Similarly, the Qeryana can also be best understood from the Petrine perspective as the preemptive strike of the Petrine lectionary against the spread of Mandaism in particular but also various other dark-age dogmas among Arabic pagans.

References

1. ↑ page 34 of the Wipf and Stock Publisher's edition of New York Orthodox Rabbi Harvey Falk's book "Jesus the Pharisee: A new look at the Jewishness of Jesus" (copyright 1985 Paulist Press)