Important similarities and differences between Judaism and Christianity

Judaism and deliverymanianity argon both mo nonheistic adores with a common ancestry in that they sh atomic number 18 in descent from the patriarch Abraham. Christianity subsequently each was founded by Jews, and even when it first had Gentile converts for a while they followed Judaic practices, much(prenominal) as retentivity the food laws, until Peters great deal a t the home of Cornelius ( Acts 10) They ar linked by the attend for the Saviour or Messiah foretold in the scriptures that both shargon e. g, Isaiah 35 and enjoyn by Christians in the New Testament. Goldberg and Rayner begin their book The Judaic People -The history of the Jewish people begins with Abraham, the history of the Jewish devotion begins with Moses. Jews take their name from the fourth son of Jacob by his wife Leah. They would bring in in whiles past called themselves Israelites. The name Jew comes from the roman letterss who referred to Idumea, an area south of Israel. The aboriginal var iance is that Christians believe that Messiah came in Jesus of Nazareth or so 2000 or so years ago, while Jews, un little they claim to be Messianic Jews, a growing group, are still waiting. Another massive difference is that wizard is born a Jew.As long as your mother was Jewish you are Jewish, whether or not you are in any way religious, whether or not you keep the laws of Judaism and even whether or not you believe in God. Descent is with women, because then, if a foreigner impregnated a Jewish womanhood, whether by consent or by rape, the child would still be come apart of the people of God. This applies even when the women of a family submit married non Jews for several generations and worship as members of another opinion. It is the religion of a race and it is very heavy for any atomic number 53 to become a Jew in any other way than to be born to it.Christianity on the other hand is a religion pi singleer to anyone, tho though one can be born into a Christian family and dedicated or christened soon after birth, as a young person or adult each person moldiness decide for themselves to follow Jesus as Saviour. Christians believe in one God, but refer to God as Trinity, three in one, sustain, countersign and Holy Spirit. Jews prefer to think of God as one. Yet in the Old Testament thither are references to God as Father ( Psalm 68 v 5 A Father of the fatherless. is God) and as Spirit, ( Numbers 11 v 17) and similarly to his sending of a Saviour.( Isaiah 42)Like Christianity Judaism has oer the years divided into various groupings, orthodox, liberal and so on, but just as all Christians of whatever denomination relate fanny to Jesus Christ, so all Jews relate back to the patriarchs. By the cartridge clip of Christ though Judaism had become a very different religion as far as its every day practice so much so the writer Ninian Smart in The Worlds Religions differentiates them into the religion of the Israelites and Judaism. ( pages 202-203). This was a gradual evolution earlier than a emergent change.When the Israelites were unless a few in number they hero-worship together. When they do their Exodus and spent 40 years in the wilderness they worshipped together in the tabernacle Change began at the time of the Exile, when the majority of Jews were separated from synagogue worship, and synagogues developed. After C. E. 70 when the popishs destroyed the Jerusalem temple and Jews fled from Israel to become part of the Diaspora, non sacrificial synagogue worship became the only compositors case available. The period of temple worship is still looked back to as when at Passover each family makes the pledge Next Year in Jerusalem.These laboured changes also meant that home worship as a family became more important. Judaism is fundamentally the religion of the group. Judaism has its scholars and mystics, but never took up the solitary or adept sex contemplative support, much(prenominal) as that of Julian of Norwi ch or groups such as the Franciscans, that began in Christianity in the second century with the desert fathers and continues to some extent to the present day. The position of women in both religions has been problematic and is divided upon denominational lines.In the Chambers Dictionary of Religions and Beliefs, page 271, Rosemary Goring tells us about this in some detail. She explains how Reformed Judaism has tried to redress its tralatitious exclusion of women from worship as in the introduction of a advent of age ceremony for girls as thoroughly as for boys. The first woman became a rabbi in the Reformed tradition in the1970s. Even bourgeois Judaism took the same step in 1985, but in Orthodox synagogues women are still separated from men in worship and they are only obliged to keep the negative laws i. e.thou shalt not commit adultery, and not the commanding ones at certain times. The claim is that this is a matter of difference rather than a matter of inferiority.The same claim would be made by certain Christians. There have always been women in leadership roles within the church, but, despite verses such as Galatians 328, There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free men between men and women, for you are all one in union with Christ Jesus. actual club has been a long time coming and in certain denominations has any not arrived or again been minimal in its effect.Judaism is a rather legalistic religion. There are rules that cover every area of life, and Orthodox Jews in particular are meticulous in keeping such rules. Christianity on the other hand, although it too has rules, these are more concerned with morals than with such minutiae as the kind of knot that can be used on the Sabbath. Galatians 2 v 16 maybe sums up the different attitudes to legalism. We know that a person is put right with God only through faith in Jesus Christ, never by doing what the law requires.These are of course the words of St Paul, who i n his earlier life had been most legalistic -a Hebraic of the Hebrews as he describes himself in Philippians, As far as keeping the Jewish law is concerned I was a Pharisee ( Philippians 3 v 5). Jews consider themselves the chosen people of God. Christians consider themselves to have become, because of their faith in the Savior Christ Jesus , also children of God At one time you were not Gods people Peter tells new-fashioned converts, but now you are his people at one time you did not know Gods mercy, but now you have received his mercy. ( 1 Peter 2 v 10)With regard to the after life there are a range of beliefs. Christians believe that Christ has covered their sins and they will ultimately live for ever with God in heaven. Large parts of the New Testament are concerned with terra firmament on the subject as in I Thessalonians 4. The after life is rarely mentioned in Jewish scriptures. It concentrates more on ones actions than ones beliefs. Both Torah and Talmud concentrate on do ing ones duty to God in this life. The web site Jewish beliefs on the afterlife says -Succeeding at this brings reward, failing at it brings punishment. Whether rewards and punishments continue after death, or whether anything at all happens after death, is not as important. Despite this there is some teaching on the subject.. Moed Katan is cited on the same page . This origination is only like a hotel. The world to come is like a home. In the early history of the people death is likened to a reunification with family. (Genesis 49 v 29) Jacob tells his sons I am going to join my family in death.It was important to him that he be buried close to those who had preceded him as is taken for granted(predicate) in the careful instructions that follow. This contrasts with the fate of the wicked who are describe as being cut off from their people. (see Exodus 31 v 14). There is still a belief among the most Orthodox of Jews in a sort of half life after death in a place called Sheol, a w orld described in Isaiah 14 v 9 and 10. This was expressed to me by a lady who verbalize As long as someone is alive who remembers me I shall be alive. Both religions have naturally adjusted to changing situations over time.For instance on page 111 of The Jewish People Goldberg and Rayner describe how Jewish law was adjusted to conditions in such places as Cairo and Istanbul. It began as the religion of a nomadic people, but became the religion of a minority group living among people who practiced other faiths. This, and the persecution they suffered, led to such things as the Jewish ghettos of mediaeval times, in part forced on them by the majority population, and in part by the natural argument of people to live near those like themselves.Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century under the emperor Constantine. In the intervening years since its inception the church grew rapidly in fulfillment of the parable of the mustard seed recorded in Matthew ( 13 v 31 and 32). William Frend describes in The Christian World how its organization had developed into something that rivaled the state itself with its various officials in each area, so much so that Diocletian and his salute in 302 tried to face up to the significant decision as to whether Christ or the traditional gods of Rome should be considered as the guardians of that city.A Roman mosaic from 5th century Rome, shown in the Christian World , (page 39) would show Christ emperor. Becoming a state religion had both advantages, the security measure of Christians and their practices, and problems such as state interference in matters that might be considered as purely church matters. For example Henry 1st of England intervened so much in church life that he wanted to be the one to give authority to the archbishop Anselm, rather than this coming from Rome. Christianity is a missioner faith.Christians have traveled to all parts of the world taking the bully news with t hem and seeking to bring other people to join them in faith in Christ. Judaism sees no need for this. Judaism follows the commandment found in Exodus 20 v 4 about the forbidding of make images. This is taken to mean images of God. A modern synagogue will perhaps have stained glass windows depicting important t stories from the scriptures the handsome of the law to Moses for instance or the crossing of the Dead Sea, but because they also accept the words of Genesis 1 v 26 in which God says that he created men in his image, there are no depictions of people.This injunction does not seem to apply to photographs. Christians, believing that they are not bound by Old Testament laws frequently celebrate their faith in pictures, including images of Christ and symbolic pictures of God as Father and Spirit. result These two faiths have both parallels and common roots as well as shared scriptures and monotheism. There are also major differences in belief and emphasis and the way that relig ion affects daily life. In both there are sincere believers as well as those of less than total commitment.