After 800 years the Church of England wishes to repent and apologise for the anti-Jewish outcome of a Catholic Synod in Oxford in 1222. The concept of repentance and apology is to turn around, but in the Bible it is only of use if it results in a new path that leads to salvation. We cannot repent for others, our ancestry or our history. And in any case what is done is done, and it cannot be undone.
Also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent. (1Samuel 15:29)
The church is planning a formal “act of repentance” for next year, the 800th anniversary of the Synod of Oxford, a set of laws that restricted Jews’ rights to engage with Christians in England, according to a report in the Telegraph. The laws ultimately led to the expulsion of England’s Jews in 1290. They were not officially readmitted until 1656.jpost
The Absurdity given the History!
The commentators point out that the modern generation of Church of England leaders are foolish as they are apologising and repenting for something that their Church never even did as the Church of England wasn't formed until 1534! 1222 was the height of the political power of the Catholic Church in Europe, when they were building massive cathedrals to their own honour at the end of the Dark Ages and indeed the era of the Crusades! The leaders of the Church of England might apologise for their own current anti-Zionism hiding their anti-Semitism and attacks on Judaism, but the representatives of the current body cannot apologise for something they personally never did. They might root out anti-Semitic elements in their midst: that would be repentance, a change of way. Those anti-Semitic among their clergy might apologise and then repent: that would be useful.
However gestures and words about an event 800 years ago that has no shadow now, is beyond the foolishness of all foolishness of the fashion of useless meaningless apologies that even with money attached to so called victims can do nothing of use whatsoever, rather they harden existing opinions.
The apostate church is represented as a woman who commits adultery by seeking political power.
And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. (Revelation 2:21-22)
As yet the final tribulation of destruction of the 'woman' whore who took political power as Babylon prophesied in Revelation 18 has not occurred, but tribulation was sent in the forces including that of Napoleon and Garibaldi that decimated the power (including the political power) of the Catholic Church in Europe. In England Henry the 8th destroyed the power of Rome, then Cromwell, the reformation and revival, including Jews attaining roles in public life in England has meant that the Church of England was marginalised, given tribulation and tamed. But their current moves to become 'relevant' as a daughter again of Rome and move against Zion will lead to more tribulation and destruction.
Two years ago, the Church of England published a teaching document on Christian Jewish relations called “God’s Unfailing Word.” This was described in the British press as a long-overdue “call to repentance” for anti-Semitism and acknowledgment of Christianity’s role in the Holocaust.
This document actually reinforced that belief by speaking warmly of Palestinian liberation theology and failing to acknowledge that the Jews were the only people for whom the land of Israel had ever been their national home. Instead, it merely said: “There has continued to be a Jewish presence in the land since biblical times.”
Prior to this, the Church of England’s General Synod published in 2002 “Israel/Palestine, An Unholy War” in which it claimed that Palestinian bomb attacks on Israelis were driven by “despair” and “deep-rooted social, economic and political disenfranchisement,” and suggested a moral symmetry between Palestinian Arab murderers and their Israeli victims.
In 2014, another church report called “Land of Promise?” cherry-picked historical facts once again to mask the unique claim of the Jewish people to the land of Israel. It criticized Israeli “settlements” and the “separation barrier” as evidence of Israel’s failure to discharge the responsibilities that accompanied the Jews’ biblical “gift” of the land. And it wondered whether it was possible to find an interpretation of history and scripture that would satisfy Zionism while also recognizing “the sufferings of Palestinian and other communities adversely affected by the Zionist project.”israpundit.org
What use is an apology for others harming God's wandering witnesses 800 years ago if the Church leaders now seek to actively harm God's Witnesses, who have now wandered back into Israel, by elevating their genocidal enemies and speaking platitudes of 'justice' for terrorists?
The Highest Standard of Good towards Jews
How high is the standard a true Christian has in relationship to Jews? The Apostle Paul:
I say then, Has God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. (Romans 11:1)
He called Jews who adhered to Judaism the 'natural branches'
Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. (Romans 11:18-21)
Does the New Testament say anywhere that Christians replaced Jews? No! That is an ignorant construct theology, rather it is written,
What advantage then has the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. (Romans 3:1-2)
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:25-29)
If Jews are to be beloved for the father's sakes, they are to be loved. All Christians must love all their enemies and do good to them in any case; as David says, 'Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. (1Samuel 24:13)
The Jerusalem Post article indicated many sincere Jews may well have an issue with the Church of England seeking to convert them. We have noticed there is no effort to convert any from Islam, and none whatsoever to convert atheists. At the very least sincere Jews should (as all servants of Christ), beware as to the influence of all the ecumenical views of the Church; as they are corrosive to faith, they are political and they lead into the Vatican's messes.
“the church has taken steps to cultivate goodwill with British Jews in recent years.” J Post
UK Government policy must not be confused with Church policy, or indeed with the people. Jewish settlement in medieval England increased as Jews were accorded extraordinary privileges over all others including freedom by the Kings Henry 1, Stephen and Henry 2. When the Bible was revered by the common people in the great awaking revival in Britain in the mid 1800s to early 1900's there was an outpouring of philo-semitism. This undercurrent of popular philo-semitism gave the nation success. But despite the miraculous rise to power of some stand-out philo-semites, the sentiment never made it to the heart of the ruling classes, that have buried their connection to Nazi Germany and still maintain connections with the Arabs. But the Queen of England is the Head of the Church and the anti-Israel UK F.O. is softening its stance, for many reasons from the huge advantages of trade with Israel, to the thaw with the Arabs that led to the Abraham Accords, allowing Prince Charles to visit Israel – finally.
Knowing from objective studies that “cities with Jewish communities grew about 30% faster than comparable cities without Jewish communities.” (sciencedirect) the Crown might wish to apologise to the British people for Edward 1 ejecting all Jews in 1290. It was not from the Church, though they may have stirred sentiment. Consider that famously the Crown was ejected and Cromwell brought back Jews to England in the Glorious Revolution.
Then if the Church of England so wishes to own the past of the Church of Rome it was freed from, they may then apologise to themselves as the consequence of the Crown's expulsion of the Jews in 1290, was that the Crown's habit of funding wars by raising money from Jews was re-directed to the church of Rome - until the final plunder of the utter dissolution that saw not only leadership but all assets transferred to the Crown.
The move to apologise after 800 years, like all other recent calls for useless apologies for historical events, is likely political. As a third point makes a line, this public statement of the Church leaders is a desire to aggrandise themselves with those they think make give relevance (as if social media has power) and interfere with God's witnesses, rather than deal with the conflicts in their own dwindling flock and the consequences to the ecumenical project of Britain's rupture with the EU.
Repent!
But let us lift up our heads for in some ways it's a sign of a shift that can only point to one thing: The word 'Repent' has been put up as a sign into the political heavens.
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Mat 4:17)
We have no excuse.
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:30-31)
There is no repentance of any value unless it is our personal repentance that converts us in preparation for the return of the King and High Priest of God's congregation (ecclesia, church, kirk, circle), the end of all churches political or religious power.
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:19-21)
