The 12 Most Egregious Errors of Hebrew Roots

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟭𝟮 𝗠𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗘𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦 𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗛𝗘𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗢𝗢𝗧𝗦

𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀

Hebrew Roots has encouraged many believers to study Torah, honor Shabbat, appreciate the biblical festivals, and recover the Jewish setting of Yeshua's teachings. Those are worthwhile pursuits.

But some teachers within Hebrew Roots and related restorationist movements have promoted serious historical and theological errors. Here are twelve examples, with published sources so you can examine the teachings yourself.

𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥 𝟭 — 𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗩𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗥𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦

Teaching that Torah observance or particular Hebrew names are necessary for salvation.

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲: Assemblies of Yahweh, Statement of Doctrine, paragraphs 4, 6, and 8.

https://assembliesofyahweh.com/statement-of-doctrine/

𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥 𝟮 — 𝗥𝗘𝗝𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗣𝗔𝗨𝗟

Declaring Paul a false apostle who corrupted the teachings of Yeshua.

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲: Mordecai Griffin, “Let Paul Go!” October 24, 2023.

https://rabbigriffin.blog/2023/10/24/let-paul-go/

𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥 𝟯 — 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗪 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗬

Teaching that every Torah commandment applies identically to Jews and Gentiles, without preserving their distinct covenantal responsibilities.

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲: 119 Ministries, “Shelach: One Law for All,” June 15, 2020.

https://119ministries.com/.../shelach-one-law-for-all/

This is a disputed biblical interpretation. 119 Ministries does affirm salvation by grace.

𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥 𝟰 — 𝗧𝗪𝗢-𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗬

Claiming that Gentile believers are actually descendants of the lost northern tribes of Israel without establishing their genealogy.

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀:

• Batya Ruth Wootten, Who Is Israel? And Why You Need to Know (1998).

• Moshe Yoseph Koniuchowsky, The Full Restoration of All Israel, Part 2.

https://www.yourarmsoflovetoisraelcongregation.org/...

𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥 𝟱 — 𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗦𝗘 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗝𝗘𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬

Confusing Torah observance, presumed Israelite ancestry, or participation in Jewish customs with recognized Jewish identity.

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀:

• Batya Ruth Wootten, Who Is Israel? And Why You Need to Know (1998).

• Moshe Yoseph Koniuchowsky, The Full Restoration of All Israel, Part 2.

https://www.yourarmsoflovetoisraelcongregation.org/...

These writings promote Israelite ancestry claims. They don't establish that simply adopting Jewish customs makes someone Jewish.

𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥 𝟲 — 𝗥𝗘𝗝𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗝𝗘𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

Dismissing rabbinic Judaism, the Mishnah, and the Talmud as illegitimate sources of Jewish religious interpretation.

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲: HebrewRoots.info, “What Is and Is Not Hebrew Roots.”

https://hebrewroots.info/what-is-and-is-not-hebrew-roots/

Rejecting rabbinic authority doesn't necessarily mean claiming that all Jewish tradition is pagan.

𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥 𝟳 — 𝗜𝗡𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗣𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗡 𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗦

Teaching that Christmas originated with Nimrod and Semiramis or that Easter derives from the Babylonian goddess Ishtar.

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀:

• Herbert W. Armstrong, The Plain Truth About Christmas (1974).

https://www.sabbath.org/.../plain-truth-about-christmas.htm

• Herbert W. Armstrong, The Plain Truth About Easter (1973).

https://www.sabbath.org/.../465/plain-truth-about-easter.htm

• Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons (1862), chapter 3.

𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥 𝟴 — 𝗦𝗔𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥𝗦

Claiming that God and Lord are pagan titles or that accepting particular Hebrew pronunciations is necessary for salvation.

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀:

• Yahweh's Restoration Ministry, “The Pagan Origins of God and Lord,” January 15, 2026.

https://yrm.org/.../01/15/the-pagan-origins-of-god-and-lord

• Assemblies of Yahweh, Statement of Doctrine, paragraph 4.

https://assembliesofyahweh.com/statement-of-doctrine/

These sources don't independently establish the additional claim that Jesus derives from Zeus.

𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥 𝟵 — 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗥 𝗘𝗫𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗠

Declaring the traditional Jewish calendar invalid or teaching that Shabbat resets with each new moon.

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀:

• Nehemia Gordon, “Aviv Barley in the Biblical Calendar,” February 24, 2016.

https://www.nehemiaswall.com/aviv-barley-in-the-biblical...

• World's Last Chance, “New Moons, Sabbaths, & the Gregorian Calendar.”

https://www.worldslastchance.com/.../new-moons-sabbaths.../

Gordon advocates an observational calendar. World's Last Chance teaches a lunar Sabbath. These are different positions and shouldn't be confused.

𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥 𝟭𝟬 — 𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗦𝗘 𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

Claiming that authentic apostolic faith disappeared and was replaced by counterfeit Christianity until modern restoration movements recovered it.

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲: Herbert W. Armstrong, Mystery of the Ages (1985), chapter 6, “Mystery of the Church.”

https://www.worldtomorrow.com/read/mystery-of-the-ages/

𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥 𝟭𝟭 — 𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗣𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘

Using Jer. 10 to condemn Christmas trees or the biblical accounts of Pharaoh and Herod to prohibit birthday celebrations.

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀:

• Herbert W. Armstrong, The Plain Truth About Christmas (1974), “What the Bible Says About the Christmas Tree.”

https://www.sabbath.org/.../plain-truth-about-christmas.htm

• Kenneth C. Herrmann, “Should Christians Celebrate Birthdays?” The Plain Truth, December 1959.

https://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi...

𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥 𝟭𝟮 — 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

Accusing believers of pagan worship or deliberate disobedience based upon disputed interpretations and unsupported historical claims.

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀:

• Herbert W. Armstrong, The Plain Truth About Christmas (1974).

https://www.sabbath.org/.../plain-truth-about-christmas.htm

• Restored Church of God, “Should You Wear a ‘Christian’ Cross?” (2025).

https://rcg.org/realtruth/articles/250422-002.html

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𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗗𝗢𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗘 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡?

Acts 17:11 commends the Bereans for searching the Scriptures to examine what they were being taught.

Deut. 4:2 warns us against adding to God's commandments or taking away from them.

Acts 15 addresses the responsibilities of Gentiles without requiring them to become Jews.

Rom. 11:17–18 reminds Gentile believers that they are grafted into Israel's rich root and must not boast against the natural branches.

These twelve examples come from particular Hebrew Roots teachers, Sacred Name organizations, Armstrong-associated Churches of God, and related restorationist movements. They aren't universally held throughout Hebrew Roots. Some are historical errors that can be tested against evidence. Others are disputed interpretations that deserve careful examination.

There is much worth appreciating about the desire to return to Scripture and to recover the Jewish setting of our faith. We shouldn't allow unsupported teachings to undermine those good pursuits.

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