The Oral Law And The Written Law

What is the difference between them?

This is the fourth post from Chapter 8 of Friends With God: God’s Friendship With Israel And The Church.

The third post in this series addressed the issues of how circumcision and the role of the Oral Law were seen in both the New and Old Covenants.

This fourth post addresses the difference between the Oral Law and the Written Law, and is taken from Friends With God: Appendix 6: The Law of Moses.

The Traditions of the Jews

As discussed in the third post, Peter had a vision from God that prompted him to meet with a gentile (non Jew) called Cornelius, along with all his household. While speaking to Cornelius about Christ, the Holy Spirit came upon all the gentiles. (Acts 10:47-48) This act of the Holy Spirit demonstrated that God accepted uncircumcised gentiles into the Church of God.

For about 14 years after Peter’s meeting with Cornelius, Paul was preaching to gentiles that circumcision was not required for them. (Gal 2:1-5)

However, when Paul was in Antioch some Jews started to preach that circumcision of Gentiles was required by God for salvation:

And certain men who came down from Judea (Jews) taught the brethren (the church), saying, Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. (Acts 15:1)

This sounds like one issue, but it’s actually two issues, as is shown when, just a few verses later, the incident is repeated before the Apostles and Elders in a conference set up to discuss the dispute about circumcision in Jerusalem:

But some of those from the sect of the Pharisees, having believed (they were Christian), rose up (at the conference), saying, It was (1) necessary to circumcise them (gentiles) and (2) to command them to keep the Law of Moses. (Acts 15:5)

Looking back at Acts 15:1 we see that the two issues of circumcision and keeping the law of Moses, were raised: Unless you are circumcised (1) according to the custom of Moses (2)”.

Christian Pharisees

These two issues were raised in the Jerusalem conference by those who were of the sect of the Pharisees, but who were converted to Christianity. And it was most probably Pharisees, or certainly those influenced by the doctrine of the Pharisees, who initially raised the issue in Antioch.

Pharisees are mentioned almost 100 times in the New Covenant, and rarely in a good light. They were the strictest sect in Judaism. (Acts 26:5) They were highly respected- as was Gamaliel, who was a Pharisee and doctor of the law. (Acts 5:34) Because of the Pharisees’ prestige the people listened to them. Christ, however, had many issues with the Pharisees, calling them fools and blind, liars, murderers, and sons of the Devil! (Matt 23:2-29, Luke 11: 39-53)

Before his conversion, Paul was actually a Pharisee who was taught by Gamaliel. (Acts 22:3, Acts 26:5) Pharisees were also instrumental in the death of Christ. (John 18:3)

In Acts 15 we see that some Pharisees believed in Christ, yet their demand for circumcision of the gentiles shows that they most probably did not accept the revelation to Peter about Cornelius. When Paul and Barnabas disputed with the Pharisees in Antioch, the church there decided to send them all to Jerusalem to enable the Apostles and elders to make a determination.

When they arrived in Jerusalem the apostles and elders came together to discuss the issues:

And after much disputing, Peter rose up and said to them, Men, brothers, you recognize that a good while ago God chose among us that through my mouth the gentiles should hear the Word of the gospel, and believe. (the conversion of Cornelius) And God, who knows the hearts, bore them witness, giving them (the gentiles) the Holy Spirit even as to us. And He put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

Now therefore why do you tempt God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples, a yoke which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, according to the manner they (Cornelius and his family) also believed. And all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring what miracles and wonders God had worked among the gentiles through them. (Acts 15:6-12)

The Yoke Of Bondage?

What was this yoke which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? It was certainly not circumcision, for that was not something that the Jews were unable to bear, for the Jewish Christians protested strongly when they heard lies stating that Paul was teaching against circumcision of their own children. (Acts 21:19-24)

What then was this yoke? It was the second element of their claim- “the Law of Moses”.

There is not much difference between the Law of God in the Old and New Covenants, for Christ did not come to do away with the Law, but to fulfil it. (Matt 5:17-20) Part of this fulfilling was to clarify what was in the Law and what was not, and Christ clearly showed that the traditions of the Pharisees were not in the written Law of God:

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat loaves with unwashed hands?

But He (Jesus) answered and said to them, Well has Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, "This people honours Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. However, they worship Me in vain, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pots and cups. And many other such things you do. (Mark 7:5-8)

Jesus then went on to address some of their other traditions, which undermined the commandments of God, and which he said:

make the Word of God of (have) no effect through your tradition which you have delivered (forced upon the people). And you do many such things. (Mark 7:13)

When they said in Acts “according to the custom of Moses” or the “Law of Moses”, they were talking about these same traditions of the Pharisees. Christ said such traditions were like heavy burdens:

For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. (Matt 23:4)

Paul also warned about such traditions:

Beware lest anyone rob you through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ. (Col 2:8)

Go To The Synagogue To Hear God’s Word

If we now go back to Acts 15:13-21, where James is continuing to address the Jerusalem conference, summarizing the issues, and giving his determination:

Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble them not, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

For Moses of old time has in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. (Act 15:13-21)

So, the gentile Christians were directed to go to the synagogues to hear the scriptures read every Sabbath. In our modern society everyone can have a copy of the scriptures, but back then hand written copies were massively expensive. They therefore had to go to the synagogue in order to listen to the law being read from the scrolls.

The determination by James, which was agreed to by everyone, addressed the two issues of “circumcision and the Law of Moses”, by saying only four things were necessary to warn the gentile Christians about, they were 1) idols, 2) fornication, 3) strangled food and 4) blood. These four were integral elements within the pagan religions of the time, and therefore common temptations in the gentile world.

James then said “For Moses of old time has in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.” Therefore, these gentiles could go to the synagogue and listen to the written law, then they could make up their own minds about what they needed to do.

The point was that they did not need the Pharisees’ traditions of “the Law of Moses” to interpret the written law to tell them what to do. There was no need for the gentiles to be circumcised, or to keep the Pharisees’ and elders’ traditions of “the Law of Moses”. To do so would be to come under the authority of the Jewish leaders, and that was not necessary as they had the Spirit of God guiding them to understand the intent and meaning and practical application of scripture.

The Oral Law

These traditions of the Jews are today called the “Oral Law”, and are considered by Jews to be of equal importance and validity to the written law of God in the Bible. The following extracts from two Jewish websites explain, in their own words, how they believe this Oral Law was given by God to Moses at the same time as the written law was given, and was then passed down from generation to generation:

Oral Torah verses Written Torah

By Torah.org | Series: The Basics of Torah | Level: Beginner

there are two “Torahs”: the Written and the Oral. In Jewish tradition, both were given to Moses at Mt. Sinai and during the forty years in the desert, and taught to the whole nation.

FROM https://torah.org/learning/basics-primer-torah-oraltorah/

What is the "Oral Torah"?

By Naftali Silberberg

The Torah has two parts: The "Torah Shebichtav" (Written Law), which is composed of the twenty-four books of the Tanach, and the "Torah Sheba'al Peh" (Oral Law).

The Oral Torah was transmitted from father to son and from teacher to disciple. Originally the Oral Law was not transcribed. Instead it was transmitted from father to son and from teacher to disciple (thus the name "Oral" Law). Approximately 1800 years ago, Rabbi Judah the Prince concluded that because of all the travails of Exile, the Oral Law would be forgotten if it would not be recorded on paper. He, therefore, assembled the scholars of his generation and compiled the Mishnah, a (shorthanded) collection of all the oral teachings that preceded him. Since then, the Oral Law has ceased to be "oral" and as time passed more and more of the previously oral tradition was recorded.

FROM https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/812102/jewish/What-is-the-Oral-Torah.htm

Despite the above statements, the scriptures don’t actually concur with this Jewish tradition of having both a written and oral testament given by God to Moses.

The scriptures tell us that Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord:

And Moses came and told the people all the Words of the Lord, and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, All the words which the Lord has said, we will do. And Moses wrote all the Words of the Lord, …
(Exo 24:1-4)

Everything that Moses heard and told the people he also wrote down.

Gathered Together In My Name

Now, going back to Acts 15 at the Jerusalem conference, James said:

For Moses of old time has in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

As they were being “read in the synagogues” he was not referring to the oral teachings, which were not written down, but to the written scriptures. He was saying that the gentile Christians were able to go to the synagogues to hear the Word of God read, and they were able to make up their own mind about the scriptures meaning. Which, as discussed in this previous post, is what Jesus was talking about when he said:

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Mat 18:18-20)

When gathered together in small groups we are able to use the Spirit of Christ to guide us in interpreting the scriptures. We don’t need the Oral Law traditions of the elders of the Jews to understand scripture. As Christ shall be in our midst guiding us in his word, his spiritual direction is far more personal and specific than any traditions could ever be. The Pharisees who were involved in the murder of Christ and Stephen resisted the Holy Spirit, they did not listen to God in order to make up their traditions. (Acts 7:51) This is the reason, as we have seen in the first post in this series, that Jesus said to the Pharisees and Jews:

The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation (the Church) bringing forth the fruits thereof. (Matt 21:43)

After the resurrection of Christ, and the starting of the Christian Church, the Jewish Rabbis were no longer the arbiters of the truth of God. This role was handed over to the church, including as small a group as two or three people gathered together in His name, as discussed in this previous post.

No Such Command

Returning back to Acts 15:22-24. The apostles and elders agree with the Apostle James’ summary, and decided to send the gentiles in Antioch a short statement to clarify the issues raised by Paul and the Pharisees:

The apostles and elders and brethren (in Jerusalem) send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: Because we have heard that certain ones (Pharisees) who went out from us (have come from Jerusalem) have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “Be circumcised and keep the (Oral) law”, to whom we gave no such command. (Acts 15:22-24)

Even though these few Pharisees had initially come from the Jerusalem church, they had no command from the elders and apostles to tell anyone to be circumcised or require them to keep the Oral Law.

They Jerusalem conference statement from the elders and apostles continued:

… it seemed good to us, (the elders, apostles and brethren in Jerusalem) being assembled with one accord, (they were all in agreement) to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, …. Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who will also announce to you the same things by word.

So Judas and Silas went along to also explain the words of the following short decree, which is only two sentences long. Everything preceding it being just a preamble to this very short statement:

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden
(meaning that they didn’t need to be circumcised, or to keep the oral “Law of Moses”)
than these necessary things: that you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which, if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Fare you well. (Acts 15:25-29)

Those who said be circumcised and keep the (Oral) law, were not originally sent from the elders and apostles in Jerusalem. To keep the law is obviously synonymous with “the Law of Moses”, as that was what the Pharisees had required be taught along with circumcision. (Acts 15:5) Such teachings are today called the “Oral Law”.

What Was Important To The Gentiles

The two elements of circumcision and the Oral Law were addressed in the reply by the Jerusalem conference, when it was said to whom we gave no such command. They then elaborated on what should be avoided: that you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication. These issues were specific to the society they were in which was based on gentile pagan idolatry.

What the Christian Pharisees wanted was for the Christian gentiles to follow the traditions of the Oral Law, which, as they were not written down, would require gentiles to go to the Jewish Rabbi so as to be taught by them directly.

To do so would put the Christian gentiles under the authority of the Jewish teachers. Yet, that is not what the Apostles and elders wanted. Instead, they simply told them to avoid those four issues, and to take the opportunity to listen to the written law read every Sabbath in the synagogues.

As very few people could afford to own a copy of the scriptures, they had to go to the synagogues, where the scriptures were customarily read three times per week, plus the Sabbath and Holy Days. Yet they were not required to follow the oral teachings from these Jewish teachers.

After the Christian gentiles heard the written law, they could then make up their own mind on its requirements, without any “oral law” being dictated to them by the Jewish leaders as to what the written law meant. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matt 18:20)

Such independence of thought was not what the Jews expected of people coming to their synagogues, and they eventually made it uncomfortable for Christians to fellowship with them. Consequently, Paul eventually organised other places for Christians to meet away from the Jews, no doubt with their own copies of the scriptures. (Act 19:8-10)

Grevillea Flower, photo by Author

Have You Not Read?

The distinction between the written and oral teachings is not always easy to see in scripture, however once you identify the specific words used, it makes it a bit clearer. For example, Jesus often said “Have you not read”, and then quotes scripture. (Matt 12:3-5, 19:4, 22:31, Mark 12:10, 12:26, Luke 6:3)

He contrasts this with “You have heard it said by them of old”, and then quotes some Jewish custom. (Matt 5:21, 27, 33, 43) What is read must be the written word of God, what is spoken and heard is the Jewish Oral Law.

Paul stated that he kept the written Law of the Old Covenant:

so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law (of the Old Covenant) and in the prophets. (Acts 24:13-14)

Yet the Jews had accused him of saying that he taught all the Jews which are among the gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. (Acts 21:20-21)

The unconverted Jews told lies, which said that Paul was teaching Jews to forsake the law given by Moses, including not circumcising their own sons. However, they also said that he taught them neither to walk after the customs- which is the Oral Law.

The unconverted Jews considered then, as they do today, that the customs of the Oral Law and the written Law to be of equal standing. They thought they should have been taught together, as a complete package.

All through the New Covenant you will notice these distinctions between the written and spoken customs and scriptures. It’s a distinction that has caused much confusion for modern readers, who carelessly assume that “the law of Moses” means the written law, whereas it often just means the Oral teachings, that were not written down until about 200AD.

The Wisdom Of The Jews

From the above discussion please don’t assume that nothing in the traditions of the Oral Law is of any value. No doubt much is very useful, and wise.

Some traditions are necessary for determining the Hebrew calendar, for which there is no written record of how to calculate it in scripture. The calendar is essential to coordinate the worship of God, and there are lots of people who will claim that the Jews have it wrong. However, I think that if they have it wrong now, then they would have also had it wrong at the time of Jesus, and he would have confronted them on it- yet nothing is recorded regarding the calendar at that time.

I therefore assume that the Jews of today have the correct calendar, including how they calculate the New Moons. When this calendar knowledge was put into writing in the Oral Law, they would certainly not have changed it, for they had been very careful to keep it pure for thousands of years in the oral form, so why should they pervert it when they wrote it down?

Another important part of the Oral Law is how to read the scriptures in ancient Hebrew. There are many copies of the Old Covenant, but the standard that all these come from is the original ancient Hebrew scrolls. The script of these ancient scrolls is not easy to read, as it does not contain any vowels or spaces between the words. Here is the preceding sentence without spaces or vowels: Thsscrptfthsncntscrllsdsntcntnyvwlsrspcsbtwnthwrdswhchmkstvrydffclttrd. Obviously, it is only by being a very well-educated scribe that you are able to know how these words are to be read. Such education is part of the Oral Law, passed down from father to son.

The Oral Law also includes many judgements and wise sayings of the teachers over the centuries, and is very important for maintaining the Jewish understanding of the scriptures. The Oral Law is therefore very important, but it’s not the truth of God as revealed in his scripture. It does, however, make it possible for people to practically implement the written law, and to maintain its integrity. It is not, however, necessary for Christians to learn or implement its teachings.