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Introduction

This article is written as an attempt to clarify some concepts based on some books I have been reading or will soon read. I am by no means an expert on these matters, and so my conclusions here should be taken with a grain of salt and in no wise be viewed as final. Besides, an article attempting to articulate both Jewish and Lutheran concepts is certainly eclectic and eccentric, given the history of one of Luther’s more unfortunate writings (“The Jews and Their Lies”) and world events from fourscore years ago (the Holocaust). Finally, this article is not a deep dive nor exhaustive. It is intended only as a means to put my thoughts down on “paper”, but I thought there might just be others who may be also interested in such things.

Sources

First, before I can summarize something, I must lay some ground work about what facilitated this in my own mind. The Lutheran concepts are obviously rooted in my study and confession as a Lutheran Pastor. When it comes the Jewish concepts, I am relying on some recollections from watching YouTube videos of the work of Jewish Christian missionaries to modern Rabbinic Jews. In that same vein, I am also indebted to the following books:

1. Reading Moses, Seeing Jesus: How the Torah Fulfills Its Goal in Yeshua by Seth Postell, Eitan Bar, Erez Soref (Lexam Press, 2022)
2. Two Powers in Heaven: Early Rabbinic Reports about Christianity and Gnosticism by Alan Segal (Baylor University Press, 2012) [Originally published 1965]
3. Rabbinic Judaism Debunked: Debunking the myth of Rabbinic Oral Law by Eitan Bar and Golan Broshi (Jewish-Christian Relation, 2019)

I read Reading Moses, Seeing Jesus about a year or so ago (2023). I just finished reading Two Powers in Heaven (2024). I just skimmed (2024) and plan on fully reading Rabbinic Judaism Debunked in the near future (2024/2025). Deo volente, of course.

Terms

Second, I must also lay out some basic terms before I engage in the summary. The important terms, at least as far as I am defining them for the purposes of this article, are:

1. “Formal Principle” : The central text(s) of a religious/Christian group that inform(s) and/or form(s) their teachings and practice.
2. “Material Principle” : The central, core, or foundational teaching of a religious/Christian group.
3. “Midrash” : A midrash (pl. Midrashim) is an exegetical or textual interpretation of the Tanakh found within the Talmud. “Midrash” means “interpretation.”
4. “Mishnah” : The earliest collection of oral traditions also called “Oral Torah.” “Mishnah” comes from the word for “repetition” or “second.”
5. “Monotheism” : The teaching or belief that there is only one God. The term comes from Greek for “one” (“monos”) and “God” (“theos”)
6. “Talmud” : The collection of all Jewish traditions, including the Mishnah, holy laws, and exegesis (midrash). There is both a Babylonian Talmud and an earlier Jerusalem/Palestinian Talmud. “Talmud” literally means “teaching.”
7. “Tanakh” : The Hebrew Bible whose books correspond to the Christian Old Testament. “Tanakh” is formed by an abbreviation of the three divisions of Hebrew Scripture: the Torah (Pentateuch), the Nevi’im (Prophets), and the Ketuvim (Writings).

The Principles

Now that both sources and terms are out of the way, I will simply answer the questions: What is the Formal Principle (Chief Text) as well as the Material Principle (Chief Doctrine) for Lutheranism? I will then, as far as I am able to tell, answer the questions: What is the Formal Principle as well as the Material Principle for Rabbinic Judaism?

Lutheran

Formal Principle	Material Principle
Scripture alone (sola Scriptura)	That sinners are justified before God for Christ’s sake alone by faith alone. (Peccatores iustificari coram Deo propter solum Christum sola fide.)

Jewish

Formal Principle	Material Principle
The Tanakh and The Talmud	That there is only one God (divine person) [monotheism] whose laws we must obey, as transmitted in the Midrashim of the Mishnah and/or Talmud.

Conclusion

As can be seen, Lutheranism with its singular formal principle has a singular material principle, which of course has many implications. This accounts for the many and various doctrines of the Lutheran Church, which are none other than the teachings of the entire universal Church. If there is more than one formal principle, then one ends up with a multiplicity under material principle. This is true of various other Christian denominations. (That’s another article.) This is also true, however, of Rabbinic Judaism. The doctrine par excellence became (1st-2nd centuries) monotheism and this was inexorably united to the importance and centrality of the Midrashim of the Talmud, which includes the Mishnah (“Oral Torah”).

Again, I wrote this article in order to help solidify concepts in my own mind, and I also thought that this solidification might also prove helpful to others, who may or may not be interested in such things. It may not be completely fleshed out, but it is not intended to be. It may require some further thought, or would even need some correcting. Such further insights would certainly be welcome!