1500: Theory of Rabbinical Forgery

 

Widespread in the 16th and 17th centuries Europe

 

The theory of Rabbinical Forgery was widespread in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.

 
 

Torah did not have passages on the coming of Jesus

 

Some held the belief that the Old Testament should have clear and precise passages indicating the coming of Jesus Christ.

 
 

Passages must have been deleted by Jews

 

Since the Old Testament did not have such crucial details, some theorised that the original Old Testament — which did indeed reference Jesus as the Messiah explicitly — must have been tampered by Jewish scribes in the 1st century; they believed these scribes erased the presence of Jesus from the original scriptures.

 
 

Kaifeng Torah should be pristine

 

Many notable scholars believed that the Kaifeng Jews settled in China latest by the birth of Christ, for they did not know about the existence of Jesus at all. Therefore, sceptics believed that their Torah must not have been tampered with, unlike the versions in Europe.

 
 

Missionaries to obtain Kaifeng Torah

 

This conjecture prompted the many attempts by Westerners to obtain a copy of the Kaifeng Jewish Torah, regardless of means.