The Christian Question in Jamnia Academy at the End of the 1st Century AD? An Attempt to Re- and De-construct the "Myth"

Abstract

The author of this article asks whether the Christian question was discussed in Jamnia Academy at the end of the first century. In order to find the answer, an attempt is made to determine, based on the sources, what happened in the Jamnia Academy at that time (1). The literature on this issue indicates that a synod was held at Jamnia, which established the canon of Jewish sacred books, rejected the Septuagint as an inspired book and excluded Christians from the Synagogue. The second part of the article seeks to re- and de-construct the “myth of Jamnia” (2) while its third part provides the answer to the central question asked in the title (3). The conclusion proves that only the thesis that Christians were excluded from the Synagogue is supported by the sources.

Keywords

• Jamnia
• the Council of Jamnia
• Birkat ha-Minim
• Septuagint
• the parting of the ways of the Church and the Synagogue