Jewish Tradition

Q

I was wondering what your source is when you say according to “Jewish history” or “Jewish tradition.” I listen to your mp3 studies all the time. In fact I burn them to a disc and listen to them during my morning drive to work. I have searched the Internet over and cannot find a Jewish tradition or Jewish history site. I really enjoy all the historical background that you add to your studies. If I could only find a church that teaches like you do, I would show up every Sunday.

A

Thank you. By Jewish History or Jewish tradition I mean information I’ve picked up from official writings that aren’t part of the Bible. Examples are the works of Josephus, or the so-called oral tradition that Jews believe God gave to Moses but aren’t included in the Bible. These include the Mishna and Gemara, which together make up the Talmud. Jewish people believe these are second only to the Bible in their authority.

I attribute information I use from these sources to Jewish history or tradition so people don’t think it came from the Bible.