Introducing the ‘Answering Missionaries’ Series
If you are a non-Jewish xian, please read the following before proceeding. If you are puzzled about the use of certain terms or terminology (Yoshke, xianity, etc..), please refer to this.
A common tactic of missionaries who try to convert Jews is to use their lack of knowledge of the Jewish Bible coupled with a lack of Hebrew, and bombard them with a list of verses that, according to them, proves Yoshke was Mashiach, and therefore, they should worship him alongside them (Heaven forbid).
The numbers of claims vary. Some will use dozens, others more. Some lists claim that over 300 verses in the Jewish Bible, beyond any doubt, indicate that Yoshke is the Messiah. Answers vary if you ask them why Orthodox Jews can't recognize the evident truth, but a common one is that we are cursed to be blinded to the truth.
Aside from the horrific theological implications that G-d would, on purpose, blind Jews and make us unable to realize the truth when we try to worship Him earnestly and, as a result of our imposed blindness, condemn us to everlasting hell, our answer is much more straightforward:
None of these verses are actually about him.
Now it is true that less than a handful somewhat appear to intersect with their claims, but based on those very few verses, there were (and to this day are) millions of Jews who qualify as Messiah as well. Merely being born in a particular area, or being a descendant of a specific family, does not a Messiah make. Even those few intersections, under closer inspection, crumble into nothingness.
The "Answering Missionaries" series will thoroughly debunk all 300+ verses listed as part of their conversion effort. A series of appendix articles will also deal with questions like Yoshke's lineage and other contradictions from within the xian texts that prove he could not be the Messiah we have been waiting for over 3,000 years.
However, more than being responsive is needed; we must also be knowledgeable about our own texts. A sister series (title yet to be determined) will be published, and cover such topics as defining the role of Mashiach based on the verses describing him, what the Messianic era will be like, how the verses previously debunked are explained signify in Rabbinical material, so on and so forth.
Very few Rabbinical sources or commentaries will be quoted or used in the AM series, as it is not an effective tool to counter missionaries. They do not believe in the Oral Torah, think it was an invention of the Rabbis, and as such, do not give it any weight. That's what the second series will be for. I hope that, G-d willing, I will be able to put out all of the material about the subject from the days of the Tanaim and Amoraim (Sages at the time of the 2nd Temple until the completion of the Talmud) eventually.
The series will be formatted as such :
Verse
Translation
Claim(s) from missionaries
Concise explanation(s) of why they are wrong
Long-form explanation(s) of why they are wrong (when necessary)
Some verses will require a much more thorough debunking by themselves, while others are so short, and it's so clear that they rely on faulty translation or ridiculous leaps of logic that they will be listed by themselves.
Eventually, G-d willing, the material will both be aggregated in book format and on a separate website with an easy mobile interface so that a Jew anywhere, at any time, can have access to this material.
The first instalment on Genesis 3:15 should be published G-d willing by Sunday morning. All of them will be logged in the index for quick reference once they published.