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Comparisons between Christianity and Judaism
Similarities between Christianity and Judaism in tradition
Similarities between Christianity and Judaism in tradition
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There is a lot of speculation around story of Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-13. When you first read the story, many questions pop out such as why Jesus picked the particular disciples that he picked to go up to the mountain with him, what mountain it was on, and why this particular event happened. Many parallels between the transfiguration and other passages in the New Testament as well as the Old and the comparison of Jesus and Moses have been found. The transfiguration part of Jesus’ story is very symbolical in a sense that it is where past and the future meet; connecting them both in the same place on that high mountain.
In Matthew 7:1-13, Jesus took Peter, James and John up to a mountain. Up on that mountain Jesus’ face shone as bright
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The story of the transfiguration is recorded in the first three Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Transfiguration is a major event because it signifies the beginning of a new time. Moses and Elijah symbolize the Law and the Prophets, and both were very important to the Old Testament Jews, but when God said “[t]his is my Son. Listen to him”, he made it clear that Jesus is above both the Law and the Prophets. It signifies the way of the new replacing the old. It is also quite interesting that in the Old Testament, both Moses and Elijah meet God on the same mountain, but at separate times. When Moses came almost “face-to-face” with God, he was left glowing like the sun, and people were unable to look at him. When God spoke to Elijah on the mountain it was described with winds, and earthquakes, and fire. But God wasn’t in any of them. God’s voice was like a gentle whisper. After Moses and Elijah left, Jesus hinted of his sufferings, death and resurrection in the near future by telling his dis not to tell anyone of what they have witnessed until the Son of Man has been raised from the grave. Even though the passages of transfiguration are in all three books, none of them are completely identical. The passage in Luke talks about the “exodus from this world” that shall occur in Jerusalem, whereas the other two recordings of transfiguration in Matthew and Mark do not …show more content…
Matthew 17:2 reports that Jesus’ face “shone”, Exodus 34:29-30 twice mentions that the skin of Moses’ face shone from him having spoken with Yahweh on the Mountain. Moses reflected Yahweh’s own glory, while Jesus possessed it. Jesus’ glory was like that of the sun - Moses’ like that of the moon, it reflects the light. The visual transformation of Jesus is not so much a physical alteration as an added dimension of glory; it is the same Jesus, but now with an awesome brightness “like the sun” and “the light”. Others might say that the dullness of earthly conditions temporarily stripped away, so that the true nature of God’s “beloved son” can for once be seen. The transfiguration of Jesus is underlined by the appearance of Elijah and Moses, whose earthly lives have ended in supernatural ways. The life of Elijah was concluded in him being taken up into heaven without having to die, while the circumstances surrounding the death of Moses on Mount Nebo are still unknown.
The story of the transfiguration is similar to the baptism of Jesus. During both stories a loud voice coming from the clouds said “[t]his is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 17:5, Matthew 3:17, Luke . But the difference between the baptism voice and the transfiguration voice is that the Father is speaking to the disciples when Jesus is transfigured “[t]his is my Son whom I love; with him I am well pleased, listen to him”,
Lastly, Gospels are to give a complete picture of Jesus but both Gospels give a different view on Him. Since they are two different writers, there are two different perspectives on Him. Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah or a promising king. Everything revolves around the statement of Jesus as the Messiah as Matthew references each prophecy that shows through Christ’s own teachings on His kingdom. This becomes evident when Matthew explains “that it might be fulfilled which was spoke by the Lord through the prophet” (Matthew 2:5). It also explains that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, for “thus it is written by the prophet” (Matthew 1:22). Most of Matthew’s writing often indicate slight detail in the life of Jesus and finish with a connection on how the event is a fulfillment of prophecy. In contrast, John’s Gospel introduces Him to reader as the eternal Father and the eternal Word. John proves this with the statement of :"in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in
The word parable draws its origin from the Greek word “parabole” which loosely translates to mean “to cast” (bole) some things, related or otherwise “alongside” (para) each other to infer the intended deeper meaning to the target audience. (Unlocking The Prophecy Code). Therefore, it makes sense for a parable to be a comparison of two or more related things that are put together on a parallel that enables proper distinction between them to enhance clarity in teachings such that their hidden meanings get revealed. The book of Matthew presents a variety of parables, with each parable addressing a particular thematic concern enshrined in the religious teachings. Consequently, it is right to postulate that Jesus used parables primarily as teaching aids by incorporating analogies and comparisons of things earthly and those belonging to the heavenly realm. The parable about the shepherd and the parable about the servant, both in chapter 18, show different natures of humankind. While the parable about the shepherd portrays unconditional forgiveness, the parable about the servant portrays justice based forgiveness.
Moody reflects that this “spiritual body” is reflective of the accounts of what his subjects’ reported. This was their out of body experience. Is the buzzing noise trumpets sounding? There was added suggestion that the tunnel individuals traveled through is symbolic of “the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4). The “bright light” had been reflected to an angel, guide, counselor, or Christ. This “bright light” does not condemn them, rather asks what they had learned throughout their life. “As they witness the display, the being seems to stress the importance of two things in life: Learning to love other people and acquiring knowledge” (Moody Jr, MD, 2015, p. 59). Jesus did say, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34). Jesus is a teacher. A teacher wishes their students to learn. Jesus said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him (John
The Bible is a large and rather confusing book of laws, parables and true stories. The most important story in the Bible, in the story of Jesus ' birth. These two passages which tell of Jesus ' birth are, especially because Christians, at least the majority of them, base their beliefs on it, along with his death. Matthew and Luke are the only two books out of the sixty-six in the bible which give detailed descriptions of the monumental event. There is the main idea in American culture that the Birth story is clear, that there are not any issues between Matthew and Luke 's stories. However, there are many conflicting facts in the two books, although most of them are easily thought, though, there are some that are a little harder to explain,
After God makes the earth he appears as spirit in it and hovers around the waters, Genesis 1 vs 2 states that, “the earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” One example of the presence of the triune God can be found right at the beginning of Jesus' public activity, when, at His baptism, the Father and the Holy Spirit attest to the sending of the incarnate Son of God. After he is baptized, the spirit of God appears in spirit and mentions in front of John the Baptist and the people that were there that Jesus is the son. Mathew 3vs 16 and 17 supports that, “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” As shown here, we are shown that the Son of God, holy spirit and God works in unity with the to protect and love human beings. The son of God Jesus is born through the engaging of the holy spirit and the human being. The book of Mathew quotes in chapter 1 vs 18, “this is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy
The power of water, a meek and gracious force, as illustrated in the Bible is the source of life and fruitfulness. The prayer has different sections to articulate the overall purpose of baptism, beginning with gratitude and recognition of God’s omnipresence, the prayer then references from the Old Testament, as the church has seen in Noah’s ark a prefiguring of salvation by Baptism. As the water of baptism gives new life, the crossing of the Red Sea, the liberation of Israel from the slavery of Egypt, proclaims the liberation wrought by baptism. The final reference to the Old Testament is prefigured in the crossing of the Jordan River by which the people of God received the gift of the land promised to Abraham’s descendants, an image of eternal life. All the Old Covenants prefiguration’s find their fulfilment in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ begins his public life after being baptised by St. John the Baptist in the river of Jordan. After his resurrection Christ gives this mission to his apostles: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." To fulfil all righteousness, Jesus’ submissive baptism by John the Baptist, is a gesture of
The symbolic world of Jesus and his followers belonged with Israel, its history and its scriptures. The evangelists and the Early Chri...
All four gospels present Jesus as both the Son of God and son of man. They all record His baptism, the feeding of the 5,000 from five loaves and two fishes, Mary's anointing of the Lord Jesus, His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, His betrayal, trial, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection. However, each writer does so in a slightly different way, recording additional details or emphasizing one aspect more than the others.
Reading the Bible takes time and patience. Understanding the meaning of the stories can make the Bible more interesting to read. The baptism of Jesus is one such story that may seem small, but it has a deeper meaning to it that sheds some light on Jesus’s mission. The baptism of Jesus is recorded or indicated in all four gospels of the New Testament. It was specifically mentioned in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, and John 1:24-34. All the gospels give different accounts of how the baptism took place. True to their name, the Synoptic Gospels have stories that are almost similar, but the Gospel of John has its own unique story. Understanding the different accounts of the baptism is crucial to understanding the significance of why Jesus was baptized and by whom.
Matthew paints the scene of Jesus using a parable to describe the fact, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son” (Mt 22:2). Using a wedding banquet as the setting for this parable allows people to apply the message of God to their everyday lives. The visualization of the preparations of the oxen and fat calves for feasting depicts the nature that this was an important event, worth the sacrifice of animals, which at the time was a great personal expense. Theologically, the kingdom of heaven was represented by the wedding banquet, for those who were invited to the wedding banquet were extended an invitation to the kingdom of God, while the King was an image of God, the Father and the king’s son was a portrait of Jesus. Brown 66 5.
The Bible as a whole is all about Jesus. For those who believe in Him, he is the pivotal character in all of scripture. While the Bible contains much about Jesus, John 17-21 highlights the climax of all scripture, which is his death, burial, resurrection and an opportunity for people to know the truth (John 18:37, NIV). This is why it is important to study this particular passage. For my essay I will give an indication of the settings, and indication of the main conflicts driving the plot and the extent to which those conflicts are resolved, observations on how Jesus is portrayed and the role of the other characters in providing a context for Jesus’ interactions with others, a statement on how this passage
Mark’s gospel and John’s gospel contain many differences from the beginning, but both end with Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The gospels of John and Mark represent Jesus as two different people. The disparity is that Mark represents Jesus as a servant while John portrays Jesus as a divine being. However, one must realize the two texts are meant to read by different audiences during different time periods. Each description presents a particular aspect of the life of Historical Jesus.
Passover and Easter have many hidden representational art and iconography that are reflected in the historical stories behind Judaism and Christianity. For Jewish people, the Exodus story narrated the Israelite’s liberation from slavery in Egypt which dates back to the 13th century BC. The story begins with a Shepard named Moses who hears God calling his name in the form of a burning bush. God tells Moses to return to Egypt and demand Pharaoh to let his people go. Many Jews believed that the burning bush represented the Israelite people in bondage, and the fire symbolized the forces of persecution that the Egyptians exercised on their Jewish ancestors (Holiday Celebrations). Just like the bush being burnt, but not consumed, the Israelites were being tormented but refused to perish from Egyptian’s oppression. Due to the Pharaoh’s unwillingness to free the Israelites, God delivered upon the Egyptians ten plagues; water turning into blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locust, darkness, and death of the first born (Exod. 7-14) . In a sense, these plagues represented God’s almighty power
Exodus is the second of the five “books of Moses” that tells the story of the Exodus of Israelites from Egypt through the Sinai Desert. When Moses was born, the Israelites were oppressed by the Egyptian Pharaoh and bound to a harsh life of labor taking part in building some of the great public works of Egypt such as the pyramids, fortresses, and installations to regulate the flow of the Nile River. For fear that the Israelite population would continue to increase, the Pharaoh insisted that every male Hebrew child would be killed at birth. Ironically, during this oppressive period, Moses, the “future deliverer of Israel”, was born. To protect his life, his mother sent him down the Nile in a specially woven ark. He was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter who took him in and, to add to the irony, she hired his mother to be his foster nurse. The baby boy grew up and was adopted into the Pharaoh’s household and named Moses. His name is derived from the Egyptian root “mose” meaning “son”, but in the Bible, it is said to hale from the Hebrew root meaning “drawn out of the water.”
“. . . Behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills” (2.8). In the poem “The Lamb,” William Blake writes about a child and a Lamb. Jesus Christ is this Lamb. In John, it is written “And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!”