Comparison between Judaism and Christianity

Jewish Perceptions of Jesus Christ Christianity and Judaism are major world religions which, though they worship the same God, have marked differences which have caused two thousand years of strife and animosity between the two religions. In his book We Jews and Jesus, Samuel Sandmel likens the link between Judaism and Christianity to a type of parent-child relationship, saying, “Early Christianity was a Judaism; within a century after the death of Jesus it was a separate religion. It was critical of its parent, and hostile to it, and elicited from its parent reciprocal criticism and hostility.”1 Opposing views of Jesus Christ caused the initial rift between Judaism and Christianity and is the primary source of the tension between the two religions which has continued for the last two millennia. Therefore, in order to understand how Judaism and Christianity relate to one another, it is essential to understand the way Jesus is perceived in each religion. The way that Christians view Jesus is quite well known, but Judaism’s view of him is much lesser known, so it is important to explore Judaism’s perceptions of Jesus, beginning with New Testament times, and to examine the ways in which these feelings and opinions have changed over time.

There is no evil force with an ability to create equal to God's. Judaism sees Christianity's trinitarianism as a weakening of the idea of God's oneness. Jewish people don't have a set group of beliefs about the nature of God; therefore, there is considerable, and approved, debate within Judaism about God. However, all mainstream Jewish groups reject the idea of God's having three parts. Indeed, many Jewish people see an attempt to divide God as a partial throwback, or compromise with, the pagan conception of many gods.

The final disagreement is the interpretation of God. Christians perceive God as a trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. But Jew perceive God as a singular divine being with no need for counterparts. In conclusion, Christianity and Judaism are two very similar but in many ways different religions. The two share a belief in the old testament and also share many important laws.

“What Really Are the Dead Sea Scrolls?” Jewish-Christian Relations. International Council of Christians and Jews, 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2010.

Messiah according to Judaism had to be king, a priest, and a prophet, just like Christians believed that Jesus of Nazareth was. Unlike Hebrew whose revelation was what the prophets would claim, in Ju... ... middle of paper ... ...ink that one (them) are not as bad, they’re not the villains in the story. Including the fact that Christianity was a Universal religion, it accepted anyone giving more opportunities for other people to be able to join. Lastly, the Hebrew tradition consisted of scriptures, the law that regulated life, and that God is the source to morality. Judaism, even though it is an interpretation of the Hebrew religion, it’s different from Hebrew itself.

Like Rosen’s movement, Jews for Jesus, Messianic Judaism’s intention is to present Jesus as the Messiah. Not only do they want to show their attitudes towards Christianity, but they also want to identify themselves as the first Jewish followers of Jesus. Considering themselves as evangelical premillennialists, their view has proven them that they are the Chosen People of God. Many Jews and Christians have reacted negatively towards this movement. These groups find it strange to have both a Christian and Jewish approach.

Judaism's view on Jesus is that he was just a human, a great storyteller and a prophet. He was not the Son of God. Judaism's view is that the Christian view of the trinity is a weakening of God'spower. God can not be made up of three parts, even is those three parts are mysteriously united. One point isfor sure that no born Jewish person can believe that Jesus was the literal Son of God.

Judaism is founded by Abraham, and it is the base from which both of the other two religions sprung. Even though the three religions differ in many areas and on many aspects, they also agree on the monotheistic, the belief in ‘One True God.’ Those religions have many similarities and a number of significant differences about God, role of women, prayer, and salvation. The conception of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam is monotheism, the belief in the existence of a single indivisible God. The three of religions maintains that there is only one God, who is active in and concerned about the world. These religions are also patriarchal, male-dominated, which has resulted in God being described as “He.” However, how Christians, Judaism and Islam conceptualize God in their respective theologies is actually quite different.

According to theology this is known as the holy trinity. Early Christians did not understand the meaning of the word trinity which led to the thought that they worship three gods. However, through Christian teachings the meaning of trinity is brought out through the concept of love. Love cannot exist in seclusion ’God is Love’; hence God cannot exist in one form. This is considered blas... ... middle of paper ... ...ons believe in fasting as stated in the holy books.

Muslims consider Jesus as one of the prophets of God, interestingly he was the last prophet before Muhammad. To Muslims, Jesus is also the messenger of God for the people of Israel, but he is not regarded as the son of God. Judaism, on the other hand, does not recognize Jesus as either the son of God, a divine being, the messenger of God, or even as a prophet of God. Instead, he is viewed as just another ordinary Jew with no special connection to God. The other difference between these three faiths is how they view human nature.