There have been Noachide movements throughout history, albeit not necessarily by that name. Now, in the 1970s, there was a major difference. Before, Jewish "interference" in he religious lives of non Jews was viewed with great hostility. In many countries, the penalty for such activities was death. (This is still the case in some countries, albeit not Christian ones). Now, at least in Western countries, Jews were free to preach whatever they wanted. Although many expressed fear and trepidation at the Chabad movement's forays into such hitherto taboo territory, the idea did take hold in many places. Wisely, Chabad did not micro manage the various Noachide groups. Individuals were inspired to learn from the Jews (especially Chabad), and run their own communities and congregations. Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, no definite guidelines were set up for what non Jews may or may not study. I will deal with this issue in my next post. One of the main Noachide leaders was Vendyl Jones. He was an adventurer archaeologist, reminiscent of Indiana Jones. (He claimed that the latter was based on him, although the writers vehemently denied this). He had been a Baptist minister, who had rejected the tenets of Christianity, although he maintained his belief in Jesus. His Biblical studies lead him to Jewish theology. He kept few Jewish observances, satisfied with the Noachide covenant. All of his children did convert to Judaism, and live in Israel. Unlike Indiana Jones, however, his archaeology had a theological purpose. He told me that he had a strong disagreement with the Temple Mount movement., He said that they were looking to recreate the Second Temple. The Second Temple, although an architectural wonder, was a shell of the First. There was no Ark. No Urim V'Tummim, the mysterious Divine Oracle hidden in the vestments of the High Priest. There was no anointing oil. There was no prophecy. Vendyl Jones was looking to bring back the First Temple. He believed that he could find the Ark, the ashes of the Red Heifer...the whole nine yards. He did find some of the things, but he found himself stymied by the Israeli authorities, who feared political repercussions resulting from these activities. In short, Vendyl Jones was seeking the return of the Davidic Kingdom. He inspired thousands to seek G-d in Torah, and reject even the trappings of idolatry. He died in 2010, but his organization continues his work. More recently, the "Nascent Sanhedrin" (which I have previously written about in detail, and I believe is merely a product of wishful thinking), has endorsed Noachidism, and has set up a "Noachide Beit Din" to govern the movement. Things are getting interesting.
