We always thought that the Law of Elohim in the Pentateuch, given to Moses on Mount Horeb on the Sinai peninsula, was eliminated by this verse Romans 3:20 and others in Galatians under the preaching of the Apostle Paul. But now it turns out that it is and always was false.
The expression “Deeds of the Law” is Talmud (rabbinic traditions, discussions of Jewish laws, customs and halakha, passed orally and written between 190 to 200 A.D. in Jerusalem and Babylon) not “The Laws of God” according to the Greek text. The expression “the Law” of Elohim (God) is written in Greek thus: “Ho nomos”, “THE LAW” that is, with two Greek words. As follows using Joseph Strong’s nomenclature to represent each word: G3588 (La) + G3551 (Law) or reverse. This expression appears in the New Testament text a total of 136 times.
The Talmud in the New Testament
The many encounters between Yeshua (Jesus) and the Pharisees concern the use of the Oral Law (Moses’ interpretation of God’s Law) not God’s Law itself. We can find these verses if we look for the expression in the Gospels “your disciples”.
Luke 11:52 “Woe to you, the doctors of the Law, for you have taken away the key of knowledge, you yourself do not enter, and you prevent it from those who are entering (They place the Oral Law (Talmud)) above the Divine Law).”
Mark 7:5-9 “The Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders (Talmud), but eat bread with unclean hands? Then He said unto them, Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honours me with their lips, But their hearts are far from me, And in vain do they honour me, Teaching as doctrines precepts of men. Ignoring God’s commandment, you cling to the tradition of men. He also said to them: How well you invalidate God’s commandment to establish your tradition! (Talmud)”
NOTE: The word “traditions” in the NT represents the Oral Law, interpretation of the Divine Laws created by men.
Matthew 12:1-5 “At that time, Yeshua was going through the fields and His disciples were hungry, and they began to gleaning and eating. When the Pharisees saw him, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what it is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” (Talmud – Gathering and eating ears on Shabbat is not in the Law of Elohim as something not to be done) And He said unto them, Have ye not read what did David and those who were with him do when he was hungry, How he entered the house of God and ate the loaves of the proposition, that it was not lawful for him or those who were with him to eat, but only the priests? (1 Samuel 21:1–6). Or did you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbaths the priests in the Temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?” interpretation of the Divine Laws created by men.
Matthew 15:1-9 “Then some Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? Because they don’t wash their hands when they eat bread. (There is no law in the Law of Elohim with eating with unclean hands) He answered and said to them, Why do you also break God’s commandment because of your tradition? For God said, Honour father and mother; and: Whoever curses the father or mother, die irretrievably. But you say: Whoever says to his father or mother: Corban is everything with which he could help you, in no way has to honour his father. Thus you have invalidated the word of God by your tradition (Talmud). Hypocrites! Well prophesied of you Isaiah, when he said, This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines precepts of men. (Talmud)”
NOTE: Although washing like this does not violate God’s Law, it is also not obligatory.
Luke 11:37-46 “As he spoke, a Pharisee begged him to eat with him; and entering, he leaned back to the table. But the Pharisee, observing him, was surprised that he did not purify himself first, before the meal. And the Master said to him, Now you Pharisees wipe what is outside the cup or the plate, but your interior is full of rapine and wickedness. Fools, didn’t he who did the outside also do the inside? Rather, give with mercy on the within, and behold, all things will be clean to you. But woe to you Pharisees! That you give the tithe for mint and rue, and for every vegetable, but you overlook the righteousness and love of God. This had to be done, without neglecting that. Woe to you Pharisees! That you love the first chair in the synagogues and the salutations in the squares. Woe to you! For you are like the graves, concealed, and the men who walk on top do not know it. Then one of the doctors of the Law answers: Master, by saying these things, you also affront us. He answered, Woe also to you who are learned of the Law! For you burden men with burdens that are difficult to carry, but you do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. (Talmud)”
Paul speaks against the Talmud and its laws of men when it says “Deeds of the Law.”
Paul also preached against the Talmud by referring to it as “Deeds of the Law” in his epistles. Recent archaeological evidence discovered in the Dead Sea Writings explains his comments. Writings found in cave #4: writings numbered from 4Q394 to 4Q399. Writings called “Miqsat Maase Ha-Torah or MMT”. They refer to the “Interpretation of the Law” (Talmud) as the following verses say where “Deeds of the Law” (G2041+G3551 Greek: Ergo Nomus,
In English this expression appears 10 times and means Talmud, not the Divine Law written in the Torah (Pentateuch):
Rom 2:15 “who show the DEEDS OF THE LAW (Talmud) written on their hearts, bearing witness together to their conscience; and accusing them or defending their reasoning.”
Rom 3:20 “For by the DEEDS OF THE LAW (Talmud) no flesh shall be justified before Him, for through the Law is the knowledge of sin”
Rom 3:27 “Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what law? OF THE DEEDS? (Talmud) No, but by the law of faith.”
Rom 3:28 “We hold then that man is declared righteous by faith, without the DEEDS OF THE LAW (Talmud).“
Rom 9:32 “Why? For they did not follow her by faith but as by DEEDS OF THE LAW (Talmud). They stumbled on the stumbling block.”
Gal 2:16 (Appears 3 times within the verse) “knowing that man is not declared righteous by the DEEDS OF THE LAW (Talmud), but by the faith of Yeshua the Messiah, we also believed in Christ Yeshua, that we might be declared righteous by the faith of Christ, and not by the DEEDS OF THE LAW (Talmud); for by the DEEDS OF THE LAW (Talmud) no flesh shall be declared righteous.”
Gal 3:2 “Only this I want to find out of you: Did you receive the Spirit by the DEEDS OF THE LAW (Talmud), or by the preaching of the faith?”
Gal 3:5 “Does he who supplies you with the Spirit and performs miracles among you do it by the DEEDS OF THE LAW (Talmud), or by the preaching of the faith?”
Gal 3:10 “For all who are of the DEEDS OF THE LAW (Talmud) are under a curse. For it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not abide in all things that have been written in the book of the Law, to do them.'”
As you can see, the people who preached to us did not take the time to understand Greek expressions. So we learned that the Law of Moses was eliminated on the “tree.” That is false, Yeshua himself, the Messiah of Israel, did not confirm it in Matthew:
I just looked outside my window and heaven and earth still exist, so THE LAW OF ELOHIM IS STILL IN FORCE with the Law of Love given by Yeshua.
Blessings to all
Rabbi Yosef Ben Marques 2020-2023
Answers in Torah 