On taking notes
My goal in this is not to belittle anyone, but rather to assist in any way I can in taking notes. I myself should have paid better attention in school and this would have made note taking much easier. But as things would be I didn’t even like to study before I knew Y’shua. (How odd is that?) This makes it all the more ironic that I should be putting something like this together.
1.) If you are going to study out the first followers of Y’shua, the ‘Church Fathers’ will be of little help.
2.) Messianic Judaism authors will have to be screened carefully.
a.) Many still see a “Church” Jesus, which is more European than Jewish
b.) Many still force “Christian” dogma, which would have never occurred to a First Century Common Era Child of Jacob.
c.) Many only study other Messianic Judaism authors
d.) Many no longer see the need for Torah.
3.) You will need to study out Jewish authors
a.) Most will not believe in Y’shua (Use the facts and question the conclusions.)
b.) Many Jewish authors actually unknowingly make a very strong case for Y’shua, not realizing that the facts that they present don’t actually support the point they are trying to make.
c.) Be aware that many Jewish authors use Catholicism as their standard of what Christianity is and spend all their time refuting that. In doing this they are not actually refuting the actual ‘Jesus’, but rather the Catholic one. (Some do the same thing with the ‘Protestant Jesus’, once again they are refuting the ‘Protestant Jesus’ and not the actual one. (By looking at the facts that they use, more often than not, the true “Jewish Jesus” can be seen.
4.) ALWAYS READ THE PREFACE: I cannot state this enough! The preface will give you an idea of the authors slant. It will also help you to see the motif behind many of his conclusions. Once again, you are interested in the facts, question the conclusions.
5.) ALWAYS READ THE INTRODUCTION: As I said in the previous point, I cannot state this enough. This will help you to understand the author’s personality and habits. Many times this will help you read between the lines. You are interested in the facts, question the conclusions.
6.) Don’t give up! Many books start off extremely slow, but contain valuable information later on in the book. In like manner some books have very little good information, but the good information that they have is extremely valuable! Always consult the Holy Spirit on this one.
7.) Don’t think of yourself as taking notes, but rather as an editor. When you read something, don’t just simply write down what you think it says, but write down what it actually says in its entirety. (You may want to quote it later). This will also help you to understand it properly in its context.
a.) As an editor, you don’t take down the notes you know to be blatantly false, dangerous or misleading. In the end you are left with a book that you agree with.
8.) When a note strikes you as interesting or insightful, see if there is a reference number or symbol by it. ALWAYS look up the reference. Sometimes they will be at the end of the chapter and other times they will be at the end of the book. Sometimes these references lead to greater detail, other times they lead to the source.
A.) When a Scripture is used, always check out that Scripture in the context it appearrs, and check out the definitions of the key words and where else they appear in Scripture and how they are used and what they have in common.
B.) If you have the literature being quoted (Whether Rabbinic, Apocalyptic, Wisdom Literature,etc..) check it out against the actual source to make sure the point being made is valid.
9.) When looking at these references, take note of the authors that author of the book is using and which ones are the most useful to you. You will want to check out these authors and get the books that go with the references.
10.) I recommend getting these books on www.Amazon.com. There are many online book sites that you can use, but I prefer Amazon. The reason for this is that you can look up the book on Amazon. Once you have done this, you can see the authors and books that this author used. (If you have been getting to know your authors tendencies, leanings, and slants, then you can see if you truly want to get this book, by seeing if you find the author’s sources credible.)
11.) Also check the books that cite the book you are considering buying as this will also help you in your decision.
12.) By following all the steps that I have listed so far, you may notice that certain author’s and certain books keep coming up. You will need to get these books.
13.) Always take notes on a computer and back it up. I used to take notes in notebooks and 2 years later, I am still trying locate certain notes as well as type them up on my computer.
14.) Never study or read without inviting the Holy Spirit to guide you in discernment.
Along with these points is getting to know your history and the people of the time that you are studying. Study out all aspects of everything and don’t assume that what you see today is indicative of what yesterday was like. Realize that Judaism went through many changes and only in small detail still resembles the Judaism (s) of the time of the Second Temple. You will need to study what the studiers studied more so than the studiers, this will not be cheap or easy, but it will lead to more complete and accurate understanding. (If you are going to do something, do it with all that you have and not just leftovers. If you are looking to cut corners or simply treat it as leftovers, then you are probably called to something else.) Above all, never let your study take you out of the Word of G-d and always invite the Holy Spirit to guide you in discernment, anything else is just looking at words.
I pray this helps you in your studies!
G-D bless!
R.’ David
My goal in this is not to belittle anyone, but rather to assist in any way I can in taking notes. I myself should have paid better attention in school and this would have made note taking much easier. But as things would be I didn’t even like to study before I knew Y’shua. (How odd is that?) This makes it all the more ironic that I should be putting something like this together.
1.) If you are going to study out the first followers of Y’shua, the ‘Church Fathers’ will be of little help.
2.) Messianic Judaism authors will have to be screened carefully.
a.) Many still see a “Church” Jesus, which is more European than Jewish
b.) Many still force “Christian” dogma, which would have never occurred to a First Century Common Era Child of Jacob.
c.) Many only study other Messianic Judaism authors
d.) Many no longer see the need for Torah.
3.) You will need to study out Jewish authors
a.) Most will not believe in Y’shua (Use the facts and question the conclusions.)
b.) Many Jewish authors actually unknowingly make a very strong case for Y’shua, not realizing that the facts that they present don’t actually support the point they are trying to make.
c.) Be aware that many Jewish authors use Catholicism as their standard of what Christianity is and spend all their time refuting that. In doing this they are not actually refuting the actual ‘Jesus’, but rather the Catholic one. (Some do the same thing with the ‘Protestant Jesus’, once again they are refuting the ‘Protestant Jesus’ and not the actual one. (By looking at the facts that they use, more often than not, the true “Jewish Jesus” can be seen.
4.) ALWAYS READ THE PREFACE: I cannot state this enough! The preface will give you an idea of the authors slant. It will also help you to see the motif behind many of his conclusions. Once again, you are interested in the facts, question the conclusions.
5.) ALWAYS READ THE INTRODUCTION: As I said in the previous point, I cannot state this enough. This will help you to understand the author’s personality and habits. Many times this will help you read between the lines. You are interested in the facts, question the conclusions.
6.) Don’t give up! Many books start off extremely slow, but contain valuable information later on in the book. In like manner some books have very little good information, but the good information that they have is extremely valuable! Always consult the Holy Spirit on this one.
7.) Don’t think of yourself as taking notes, but rather as an editor. When you read something, don’t just simply write down what you think it says, but write down what it actually says in its entirety. (You may want to quote it later). This will also help you to understand it properly in its context.
a.) As an editor, you don’t take down the notes you know to be blatantly false, dangerous or misleading. In the end you are left with a book that you agree with.
8.) When a note strikes you as interesting or insightful, see if there is a reference number or symbol by it. ALWAYS look up the reference. Sometimes they will be at the end of the chapter and other times they will be at the end of the book. Sometimes these references lead to greater detail, other times they lead to the source.
A.) When a Scripture is used, always check out that Scripture in the context it appearrs, and check out the definitions of the key words and where else they appear in Scripture and how they are used and what they have in common.
B.) If you have the literature being quoted (Whether Rabbinic, Apocalyptic, Wisdom Literature,etc..) check it out against the actual source to make sure the point being made is valid.
9.) When looking at these references, take note of the authors that author of the book is using and which ones are the most useful to you. You will want to check out these authors and get the books that go with the references.
10.) I recommend getting these books on www.Amazon.com. There are many online book sites that you can use, but I prefer Amazon. The reason for this is that you can look up the book on Amazon. Once you have done this, you can see the authors and books that this author used. (If you have been getting to know your authors tendencies, leanings, and slants, then you can see if you truly want to get this book, by seeing if you find the author’s sources credible.)
11.) Also check the books that cite the book you are considering buying as this will also help you in your decision.
12.) By following all the steps that I have listed so far, you may notice that certain author’s and certain books keep coming up. You will need to get these books.
13.) Always take notes on a computer and back it up. I used to take notes in notebooks and 2 years later, I am still trying locate certain notes as well as type them up on my computer.
14.) Never study or read without inviting the Holy Spirit to guide you in discernment.
Along with these points is getting to know your history and the people of the time that you are studying. Study out all aspects of everything and don’t assume that what you see today is indicative of what yesterday was like. Realize that Judaism went through many changes and only in small detail still resembles the Judaism (s) of the time of the Second Temple. You will need to study what the studiers studied more so than the studiers, this will not be cheap or easy, but it will lead to more complete and accurate understanding. (If you are going to do something, do it with all that you have and not just leftovers. If you are looking to cut corners or simply treat it as leftovers, then you are probably called to something else.) Above all, never let your study take you out of the Word of G-d and always invite the Holy Spirit to guide you in discernment, anything else is just looking at words.
I pray this helps you in your studies!
G-D bless!
R.’ David