jerusalem

Assembly of Jerusalem

Shalom!
The Assembly of Jerusalem (often referred to in English as the "Church of Jerusalem" or "Jerusalem Church"; abbreviated as "AoJ" in this website) is a worldwide religious community with historical roots to the ancient pre-Christian Essenes of Qumran and is not associated with modern day Christianity or any New Age or new religious groups. The Assembly believes that the historical Yeshua was fully God and fully man and was the Messiah sent by the Father and anointed by the Holy Spirit, who was crucified and rose again according to divine prophecy.

Today the Assembly has small communities in various parts of the world dedicated to living a Torah observant lifestyle in a modern day setting, without compromising God-given truths of the Scriptures, as taught by the historical Yeshua and those whom He appointed as earthly leaders of the Assembly.

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
The AoJ has her own Scriptures and considers the original Holy Writings, in Hebrew, to be inspired by Holy Spirit. The Assembly believes the Scriptures were originally written in the ancient Hebrew language and translated into Aramaic, Greek and other languages.

ECCLESIASTICAL LEADERSHIP
The Assembly teaches that Yeshua the Messiah appointed the Apostle James the Righteous (Ya'aqub ha'Tzaddik) as the head of the earthly assembly, and it continues in this practice today by appointing, in Apostolic Succession, patriarchs in the same line. The Assembly of Jerusalem's patriarchal governing of the Church is not a papal system. The earthly head of the Assembly is called the "Patriarch", while the secondary head of the Assembly is the "Catholicos". The Patriarch is also referred to as "Catholicos Patriarch" in relation to his responsibilities for the entire earthly Assembly of Believers. The Patriarch of the Assembly resides in a Jewish community known as Pisgat Ze'ev in Jerusalem, Israel. The Assembly has Rabbans and rabbis for various responsibilities in teaching among its membership. The halakhic decisions for the Assembly are governed by an Assembly of seventy elders in Jerusalem, known as the Beit Knushta ("House of the Assembly").

THE NAME OF THE ASSEMBLY
The official and legal name of AoJ has always been "Assembly (or Church) of Jerusalem". There are various communities affiliated with the AoJ that use other names such as "Nasrani", "Nazaraean Orthodox" and various other names. In the past, some members in China have referred to themselves as "Orthodox Nestorians" because of their Christological view which was held by St. Nestorius the patriarch who was unjustly accused of "heresy" by his contemporaries. In India, some converts refer to themselves as "Saint Thomas Christians" (Mar Thoma Christians, Mar Thoma Believers) in a generic sense but without the connotation that they are associated with other communities that are affiliated with various Christian sects or denominations. Those communities that refer to themselves as "Nasrani" use the term with the understanding that this name also means "Essene". The AoJ does not necessarily endorse the various names used by all communities, but permits a variety of names for individual congregations based on their own individual, spiritual development.

MISSIONARY WORK, MEMBERSHIP, FUNDING
As of September 30th, 2007, the Assembly of Jerusalem curtailed its missionary work throughout the world. Individual members are free, and encouraged to share the Scriptures with their neighbors as it is commanded by Messiah. The Assembly publishes its Scriptures in Hebrew, Aramaic, Spanish, English, Portuguese and other languages for distribution among its members. Since the conclusion of the AoJ's missionary work, focus is placed strictly on is current membership. The AoJ does not actively seek to convert individuals to its beliefs or practices. And while the AoJ supports the nation of Israel, it does not seek to convert Jews.

The AoJ considers new members as "gerim" (converts) who must undergo a gradual process of learning in the Scriptures before becoming full members. This usually takes between two and three years depending on the individual. These members of the Assembly are also referred to as "Yeshuans" because of their devotion to Yeshua the Jewish Messiah.

The AoJ's work is funded by members who make voluntary gifts in accordance with the mandates within the Torah and does not solicit financial contributions from non-members. The Assembly has an online store where it makes available translations of the Scriptures and devotional books, often free of charge and at nominal costs.

BASIC DOCTRINAL TEACHINGS OF THE ASSEMBLY OF JERUSALEM

God:
We believe that the presence of God can be found everywhere that there is peace, truth and light. The concept of God should not be limited by childhood indoctrination such as believing that God is in a far away or hard to reach place. God is near all those who call upon Him in every high and low corner of the earth. God is One and He makes Himself known to His people through the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Yeshua:
We believe that Yeshua is the Son of God and that His demonstration while here on earth is a perfect example for all to follow. We believe that Yeshua was crucified and was resurrected on the third day.

We believe that the Blood of Yeshua on the Cross is redeeming and is a manifestation of God's great love for His creation and that it can lead one to life free of sin. We additionally believe that Yeshua, as the one and only Son of God came to His own Israelite people and reached out to people of various cultures throughout history to deliver His message of love and redemption. As the Son, Yeshua is referred to as the Second Aspect, or Manifestation of the One Godhead. The Apostles, disciples and family members of Messiah called Him by His Aramaic name because that was their language, thus His historically accurate Name is "Yeshua" (pronounced: "ye-shoo-ah"), although some religious organizations refer to Him as "Jesus", which is not the historically accurate Name of our Lord.

Holy Scriptures:
We believe that what is commonly known as the Holy Scriptures, is the greatest of books ever written and that it serves as a guide for humankind. We believe that the record contained in the Scriptures is the message provided to humankind by God to know Him. God can be known in His own beautiful creation as well. There are millions of people that have never read a copy of the Scriptures and we believe that God loves them none the less. We refer to our Holy Book as the "Sefer Shakhynah", or "Book of the Presence".

Faith:
We believe Holy Spirit, being a part of the Godhead, is provided to all who have a heart of understanding and love. Regardless of one's color, gender or social status, God is the God of all peoples and not of just a few. God's love, light and life can be found by anyone willing to walk with Him. This same love was demonstrated by Yeshua 2,000 years ago and He embraces all those who pursue a life filled with love and peace according to His Word. Yeshua said that if we love Him, we must obey His Commandments.

Salvation:
We believe in the divine work of the Cross. All people have the opportunity of being brought into the Light of God through a process of spiritual growth granted to us by our Creator through His undeserved mercy and grace. In other words, we believe that all people will have a chance afforded to them to be reconciled to God through the Sacrifice on the Cross and the subsequent resurrection.

World:
We believe that the world is in a dying state and that our purpose is to bring God's Light to all those who wish to have a better way of life and to be comforted with His hope. It is the desire of the Assembly of Jerusalem to assist all peoples with the message of hope and love without judgment or prejudice. God's message is for all peoples regardless of age, gender, race, etc. Our purpose is to reflect the Divine Love of our Creator and not to judge based on any human criteria. We believe that Holy Spirit will teach those who wish to learn and live according to the Holy Book of God's Word.

More Information

Do orthodox Essenes believe that they alone have salvation?
Frequently Asked Questions/Common Misconceptions

Official Websites:
Patriarchate of Jerusalem


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