The
Biblical Holidays
by Donald Ratcliff, Ph.D.
For several years my family and I have been studying and celebrating Jewish holidays, adding messianic aspects that are latent in the biblical record and Jewish sources on the topic. We also have several friends who have discovered the riches of these special days. This page is a summary of some of our explorations and those of others we have found on the internet.
[Please wait until the boxes are both black before trying to play the videos]
Messianic Children Celebrating the Biblical Holidays 5 min 11 sec |
Highlights from a Passover Seder (1995) 4 min 49 sec |
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A New Class in the Biblical Holy Days--Fall 2008! |
I have also written some on the Jewish wedding in biblical times, although I admit I am no expert on the topic.
There is also a chapter on the biblical holidays in my online manuscript Experiencing God and Spiritual Growth with Your Children.
My wife, Brenda, has presented seminars and classes on the topic--her notes and study guides can be an invaluable guide for teaching your children or your church about this important topic.
Her web page is located at: www.brenda.ratcliffs.net/roots.htm
My friend, Rev. Steve Eastman, has several handouts on the Jewish holidays, and a paper on the creating covenant families. He has conducted seminars on this subject and led messianic/Christian seders for a number of churches and pastoral groups.
His web page is located at: www.ratcliffs.net/eastman/
Shabbat school curriculum is available, authored by another friend, Dr. Jeff Feinberg, messianic rabbi of Congregation Etz Chaim in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. Don't miss the pictures and videos of special events at his congregation.
Additional Messianic/Christian Resources on the Feasts and Festivals
Messianic Jewish Search Engine--A broad-based search engine of a wide variety of messianic Jewish resources.
En-Gedi Resource Center--Valuable resources related to Christianity and Judaism
A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays (Robin Scarlata Sampson)--One of the best and most complete resources we have found on messianic/Christian family-oriented applications of the Jewish holidays.
Eddie Chumney has several books related to the Jewish holidays--all written from a messianic/Christian perspective--hundreds of pages of material that can be downloaded, as well as links to numerous other web pages.
Jews for Jesus has dozens of web pages related to the Jewish holidays.
Group Publications has released great curricula on Jewish/messianic traditions and the holidays for Vacation Bible School, while LifeWay (Southern Baptist) has a new curriculum for young adults titled The Feasts by Rabbi Derek Leman
These sites also provide useful resources:
If you know of other web pages on messianic/Christian adaptations of Jewish holidays, please drop me a note at don@ratcliffs.net and we may add them to this list.
None of the organizations on this page has paid for an endorsement.
soli deo gloria
updated 4-19-08
