Hi
@Davy, regarding your starting post in this thread.
I agree with the main point you are making, namely that Christianity is not derived from rabbinic Judaism or from the traditions of the Pharisees, but from God's revelation fulfilled in Jesus Christ. I do think, however, that a few historical distinctions are worth making so that the argument is as strong as possible, both biblically and historically.
The New Testament itself distinguishes between the commandments of God and the traditions that had grown up around them. Jesus repeatedly confronted the religious leaders, not for believing Moses, but for nullifying God's word through their traditions.
Matthew 15:3 "But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?"
And again,
Matthew 15:9 "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Likewise, Paul speaks of his former life as being in
"the Jews' religion."
Galatians 1:13-14 "For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God... And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers." Notice that Paul does not describe Christianity as the continuation of "the Jews' religion." Rather, after meeting Christ, he regarded his former confidence in that religious system as loss for Christ.
Philippians 3:7-8 "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ."
The foundation of Christianity is therefore not rabbinic tradition but Jesus Christ Himself.
Ephesians 2:20 "And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone."
The order is significant. The apostles and prophets form the foundation because they testify to Christ, who is the chief cornerstone. Christianity rests upon God's revelation through the Law and the Prophets as fulfilled in Christ, not upon later traditions that obscured that revelation.
I would, however, make one historical clarification. It may be more accurate to say that what we now call rabbinic Judaism developed over time, especially during and after the Babylonian exile, rather than saying Judaism itself began there. The exile profoundly influenced Jewish religious life, with the increased use of Aramaic, the rise of the scribes, and eventually the development of the oral traditions that later became codified in the Mishnah and, centuries later, the Babylonian Talmud.
For that reason, I would be cautious about saying that Jesus was rebuking the Babylonian Talmud itself, since it had not yet been compiled during his earthly ministry. Rather, he was rebuking the oral traditions that were already being taught by the scribes and Pharisees, many of which were later incorporated into rabbinic writings.
This distinction actually strengthens your argument rather than weakens it.
It is also important not to confuse biblical Israel with later rabbinic Judaism. Christianity did not arise from the traditions of the Pharisees, but neither is it disconnected from God's covenant dealings with Israel. Jesus Himself said,
John 4:22 "
...salvation is of the Jews." And Paul reminds us,
Romans 9:4-5 "Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came..."
Christianity is therefore not a rejection of the Old Testament revelation but its fulfillment. The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings all point to Christ.
Jesus declared,
John 5:39 "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."
And after His resurrection He explained,
Luke 24:27 "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself."
For that reason, I believe we can state that...
Christianity is not derived from rabbinic Judaism, nor from the traditions of the elders that Christ repeatedly rebuked. Christianity is the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan revealed through Moses, the Prophets, and ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah.
The New Covenant is not an extension of human tradition but the fulfillment of God's own promises given throughout the Old Testament.
In my opinion, framing it this way preserves the distinction that Scripture itself makes between the commandments of God and the traditions of men, while also recognizing that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the very God who sent his Son into the world according to the promises made to Israel.