From: 	 heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Sent: 	 Wednesday, September 17, 1997 10:26 PM
To: 	 Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup
Subject: Age of Accountability

From:          "Harland Miller" 
To:            "Eddie Chumney" <heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Subject:       Age of Accountability
I have been asked about the age of accountability. While the age at which
one becomes mature enough to respond the Holy Sprit's conviction will vary,
I am inclined to think that it corresponds to a Hebrew boy/man's Bar
Mitzva.
BTW, does the age of 13 account for the Jews counting someone being one
year old at birth? This would make the age of accountability 12 the way we
count age.
I grew up as a preacher's kid and cannot give an exact date for when I
received Jesus as my Messiah, but I can point to the age of 13 when I felt
the conviction of the Holy Spirit that I needed to be baptized. This was
without anyone saying a single word to me. This is one reason that I think
that the age of accountability and Bar Mitzva are closely linked. Is there
any Scripture that the age for manhood is based on or is it just tradition?
Harland Miller, Pastor
>From Eddie:
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         Bar Mitzvah = "Bar = son" and Mitzvah = "Commandment". Bar 
Mitzvah means "Son of the Commandment". This is generally regarded 
at  the age of accountability in Judaism when one is fully responsible to 
God and to keep His commandments.  This is regarded as being 12/13 
years old. In the Middle East in the 1st Century, you were considered 
one year of age from the time of your birth to the next year. 
        After the birth of Yeshua/Jesus, the next time period where 
the scriptures speak of Him is when he was 12 years old. This is 
recorded in the book of Luke. In Luke 2:41-42, 46-47 it is written:
"Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the 
passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem 
after the custom of the feast ... And it came to pass, that after 
three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the 
doctors (Jewish rabbi's) both hearing them and asking them questions. 
And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and 
answers"
         What the scriptures is showing here is that Yeshua/Jesus is 
12 years old. He is at the age of accountability (bar mitzvah) and he 
is showing his in-depth knowledge and understanding of the Torah that 
the Jewish rabbi's are "astonished at his understanding and his 
answers".
       Once again, in these passages, we can see the Jewishness of 
Yeshua/Jesus as He is presented in the setting of His Jewish 
heritage. In this case, He is showing His in-depth knowledge of the 
Torah at the age of accountability, 12 years of age when one is expected 
within the Jewish culture to have a mastery of understanding and 
following the Torah/commandments of God.
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