Introduction
Christianity and Judaism are among the most popular religions in the world. Despite the fact that Christianity originally stemmed from the postulates of Judaism, today Christianity has the largest number of believers’ worldwide (Spiegel, 1993, 65). Rough estimates demonstrate that there are more than two billion of the Christians across the globe. The Jewish religious minority is limited to 14 million adherents, primarily residing in the state of Israel and in the United States of America.
The both religions are monotheistic in their natures, strongly emphasizing the role of a single and omniscient divine authority. Overall, despite common grounds and the same main actors of the both religions, nowadays their theoretical and theological foundations are dramatically different. The famous split took place in the first centuries of our era. During the Ecumenical councils, the role of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the New Testament, was emphasized. Judaism, in its turn, places more emphasis on the concept of right conduct, as established in the principles of Torah and Talmud (Spiegel, 1993, 43).
The both religions highlight that the people can obtain individual salvation from sins through the continual and sincere repentance. The Jews, however, advocate the idea that the prayers and other religious rites constitute a dialogue with the God. Generally, many other similarities and differences complete theological foundations of the both religions, which, according to Professor Alexander should be approached with “great care” and diligence (Lois, 1973, 54).
Conventionally, it is argued that Judaism existed long before Christianity, then the religious merged, then, after the Second Temple was destroyed, Christianity started to evolve as a separate religious movement( Louis, 1973, 61). However, the most recent theological works state that many competing Jewish communities inhabited the Holy Land during and after the period of the Second Temple, subsequently evolving into Rabbinic and Pro-orthodox Christian movements. Overall, the common opinion of the scholars in this regard is that at the beginning of the 1st century A.D. Christianity and Judaism were not formed as separate religions.
The objective of this paper is to speculate over the theoretical differences and similarities of Judaism in Christianity. To be more specific, this papers seeks to outline the way the concepts of God and the Old Testament are interpreted in the both doctrines, hereby constituting major similarities between the two dogmatic religions. Furthermore, it outlines the monotheistic nature of the God in Judaism, showing how it differs from Christianity. Finally, the paper speaks about the concept of Original Sin, stressing how this issue is differently understood by the theological scholars of the both religious affiliations.
The main all-important similarity between Judaism and Christianity is the acceptance of the Father God as a supreme natural and supra-natural authority over the all mundane affairs of the humankind. In particular, Christianity stresses that Jesus Crist in person is the fulfillment of the prophecies outlined in the Old Testament about a coming Savior (also known as Messiah) (Harries, 2003). The main thinkers of Judaism recognize Jesus Christ as a good and prolific teacher. The most orthodox Jewish philosophers recognize Jesus as one of the canonical prophets, though these views are unpopular among the majority of the Judaist clergy (Spiegel, 1993). Moreover, the Christians advocate the notion that Jesus was himself a God embodied, i.e. highlighting that the God took a human flesh in the body of Jesus Christ. Then, Jesus was required to sacrifice his life to pay the price for the sins of the people. The doctrine of Judaism, in its turn, strongly advocates the both statements, denying that Jesus was a God and that such a sacrifice was necessary for the atonement of every human soul (Jacobs, 1973).
The role of Apostle Paul should also be emphasized in the context of this paper. Most importantly, Paul was among the most fervent stalwarts of Judaism, before he met Jesus Christ. Then, he became an active supporter of Christianity and the witness of Jesus Christ’s existence. He was among the first thinkers, who understood the imminent conflict between the two religions. However, Paul also wrote that “Salvation comes for everyone, who believes: first for the Jews, then for the Gentiles (Romans, 1;16). This statement illustrates, that despite the dogmatic view of the Christians that all people are equal, Paul prioritizes the role of the Jewish people and their divine mission (Herberg, 1983).
However, the both religious schools converge in the fact that Father God is the supreme and paramount divine authority. The main issues, which regulate the concepts of the God are governed by the Old Testament, which is mutually shared by the Christians and the Judaists (Jacobs, 1973, 12).
The Use of Old Testament
Conventionally, the Old Testament is considered as the first section of the Christian Bible (Spiegel, 1993, 114). It is based on the postulates of the Hebrew Bible, which is positioned as a composition of the religious works made by the ancient religious thinkers. Together with the New Testament, it combines the main theological framework of the Christians. However, it is important to highlight the fact that the use of the Hebrew Bible substantially varies among the different groups of the Christians. To illustrate, the Protestants accept only 39 books canonical books of the Hebrew Bible, while the Catholics and Eastern Orthodox accept a larger number of writings as legitimate.
The Old Testament consists of the many different books and writings compiled by the different scholars and thinkers of the ancient world. Nowadays, the limits of the parameters of the Hebrew Bible are not found out entirely. Some scholars actively advocate the idea that the limits of the Hebrew Bible were expressly outlined by the 3rd century B.C., but further evidence suggest that their claim is not valid.
The main subject matter of Tanah (also known as Hebrew Bible) contains the history of the Children of Israel and their relations with the God Almighty. One of the founders of Judaism, Rabbi Mordecai denominated Judaism as civilization. Both, the New Testaments and the Sacred Texts of Tanah (derived in their majority from the new Testament) highlight the idea of “Jewishness” as an innate feature of the Jewish race, which can be transmitted only when a new Jew is born from a Jewish mother, or when the one embraces Judaism in accordance with the established Jewish practices and the law.
For the vast majority of the Jews ethnical concepts outlined in the Tanah are of paramount importance for their relationships with the Lord Almighty, thus adding a strong theoretical framework. The main encapsulation of this component is the recurrent statement along the New Statement and the Hebrew Bible that the Jewish People, or the Children of Israel are the chosen people to form a covenant between the Humanity and the Lord. Most importantly, the both theoretical sources highlight that the Jewish people were chosen by the divine powers to give light upon the nations in general and to show to them, how the behavioral patterns of the Holy People should be adapted and observed. The idea of “the one path to the Lord” is not typical to the ideas of Judaism, because the God is free to give his blessing and salvation to anyone.
The Old Testament expressly stress that other nations and people are not mandated to follow the commandments of Moses (Spiege, 1993, 47), except for the Seven Laws of Noah, which are obligatory for all the nations. In other words, the both sources recognize that other ethnic groups may have their own ways to salvation, but they should be absolutely consistent with the postulates outlined by Noah and his followers.
The God
Overall, the personality of Jesus Crist is the crucial distinction between the Christians and the Jews. His contribution and the events depicted in the New Testament is vigorously challenged by the Jews. To be more specific, Mathew wrote that Jesus was sent to the “lost sheep” of Israel (Spiegel, 1993, 41). When Jesus was interrogated by the religious leaders of Israel, he replied that he indeed was the Son of the Blessed One. Neither the spiritual, nor the civil authorities of the Kingdom of Israeli accepted the nature of the Christ’s mission as true. The members of the Jews Councils were further responsible for adjudicating a criminal sentence for Christ.
Though disputing his role as a Son of the Lord, the Judaists recognize the role of Jesus Christ as Messiah of the Jewish people. Several theological works of the Jewish historians describe the crucifixion of a man, “despised and rejected by men” and that the Lord further “laid on him iniquity of us all”. The scholars converge in their opinion that this man is no one, but Jesus Christ himself.
The Differences
The main differences between the two religious lie in the forms the God Almighty takes, and the concept of Original Sin. Although many other differences between the two religions exist, the scholars fervently advocate the idea that these two ones are the most essential ones.
The Concept of Trinity
The Concept of Trinity is of tremendous practical and theoretical importance for the religious activists and for the congregation (Jacobs, 1973, 61). To be more specific, the Christians point out that the God takes the form of Trinity, i.e. that the Lord may exist in the three different essences. Namely they are God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Christianity scholars teach that the Lord is immanently present in physical form by means of incarnating God the Son, who was thought to be fully human and fully god simultaneously. In contrast to this postulate, the Jews regard God as a single entity. The opinions expressed in the Trinity doctrine teachings are incomprehensible for the Jews as those, which violate the provisions of the Hebrew Bible (Harries, 2003, 81). The notion that God can be somehow transferred to a human being, either by means of Immaculate Conception or somehow otherwise is absolutely rejected by the Jewish scholars. The God cannot be joined to the material world in such fashion or in any other possible way.
Overall, it is clear that the concept of Trinity is totally unacceptable for the Jewish religion. For them God is the one and has never taken the forms of Jesus Christ or Holy Spirit. While Jesus Christ is recognized among the important personalities and (by some thinkers) as a prophet, under no circumstances is he recognized as a Son of the God in Judaism.
In Jewish religion, it is a commonly accepted fact that the God is transcendent and immanent, but, these adjectives are merely humane expressions of the Lordly activities. The Lord himself is only one and invisible.
The Concept of Original Sin
The scholars firstly referred to the issues of Original Sin in the 2nd century (Spiegel, 1993, 81). Irenaeus, Bishop of Lion developed this doctrine during his controversy with the Gnostics. Then, it was further developed by Augustine, who interpreted this concept in the light of the New Testament provisions. Further augmented by the works of Cyprian, Tertullian and others, the notion that the Original Sin was conferred by the God on all humans, after the Expel of Adam from the Paradise. The interpretation provided by Augustine is the most popular in Christianity nowadays. The role of Original Sin was recognized by Martin Luther and John Calvin (Jacobs, 1972, 32), who made the use of concept equal to the issue of concupiscence, suggesting that even baptism or other actions can not completely remove it. Furthermore, the movement of Jansenists , once popular in Germany and then declared heretical by the Holy Inquisition, set forth that Original Sin eradicated the freedom of will among the humans.
However, the Jewish scholars follow a diametrically different approach. They consider that future generations cannot be held responsible for the actions of Adam, and that his yielding to temptation is only his misdeed, and his expel from Paradise was the due castigation for it (Harries, 2003, 89). The Lord recognizes that those actions were the sins of Adam’s alone and no one else should be brought to liability for them. However, among the most fundamental postulates of Judaism is that the actions of Adam attracted death to the humanity, which is considered as a form of punishment for his disobedience. Namely because of his see, we, as heed descendants are obliged to be mortal. The lives of the humans are finished with end of their bodies. This concept of “inherited sin” has not been found in the main works of the Judaism founders and mainstream interpreters. Some orthodox scholars hold Adam liable for the corruptive nature of the world, supported by the opinion that death is the main castigation brought upon the human race for the misdeeds made by Abram and Eve.
The doctrines of contemporary and classical Judaism teaches that the human beings are born free of any sins and untainted. The choice of their own actions form their future fate and they are responsible for everything happening to them themselves.
Conclusions
Moreover, another conceptual difference between the two dogmatic frameworks is the rejection of Trinity by the Judaists. For the Christians, the God exists in three shapes, while the Jews consider that only God the Father should be recognized.
Works Cited
Harries, Richard. After the evil: Christianity and Judaism in the shadow of the Holocaust. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print.
Herberg, Will. Judaism and modern man : an interpretation of Jewish religion. New York: Atheneum, 1983. Print.
Jacobs, Louis. A Jewish theology. New York: Behrman House, 1973. Print.
Spiegel, Shalom. The last trial : on the legends and lore of the command to Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice : the akedah. Woodstock, Vt: Jewish Lights Pub, 1993. Print.
