Christianity and Judaism

Christianity began as a movement within Second Temple Judaism, but the two religions gradually diverged over the first few centuries of the Christian era. Today, differences of opinion vary between denominations in both religions, but the most important distinction is Christian acceptance and Jewish non-acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish tradition. Early Christianity distinguished itself by determining that observance of halakha (Jewish law) was not necessary for non-Jewish converts to Christianity (see Pauline Christianity). Another major difference is the two religions' conceptions of God. Depending on the denomination followed, the Christian God is either believed to consist of three persons of one essence (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), with the doctrine of the incarnation of the Son in Jesus being of special importance, or like Judaism, believes in and emphasizes the Oneness of God. Judaism, however, rejects the Christian concept of God in human form. While Christianity recognizes the Hebrew Bible (called the Old Testament by Christians) as part of its scriptural canon, Judaism does not recognize the Christian New Testament.

The relative importance of belief and practice constitute an important area of difference. Most forms of Protestant Christianity emphasize correct belief (or orthodoxy), focusing on the New Covenant as mediated through Jesus Christ,^[1] as recorded in the New Testament. Judaism places emphasis on correct conduct (or orthopraxy),^[2]^[3]^[4] focusing on the Mosaic covenant, as recorded in the Torah and Talmud. Mainstream Roman Catholicism occupies a middle position, stating the both faith and works are factors in a person's salvation. Some schools of thought within Catholicism, such as Franciscanism and liberation theology, explicitly favor orthopraxy over orthodoxy. Praxis is of central importance to Eastern Christianity as well, with Saint Maximus the Confessor going as far as to say that "theology without action is the theology of demons."^[5]^[6]^[7] Christian conceptions of right practice vary (e.g., Catholic social teaching and its preferential option for the poor; the Eastern Orthodox Church's practices of fasting, hesychasm, and asceticism; the Protestant work ethic of Calvinists and others), but differ from Judaism in that they are not based on following halakha or any other interpretation of the Mosaic covenant. While more liberal Jewish denominations may not require observance of halakha, Jewish life remains centred on individual and collective participation in an eternal dialogue with God through tradition, rituals, prayers and ethical actions.

^ Hebrews 8:6
^ Jackson, Elizabeth (2007). The Illustrated Dictionary of Culture. Lotus Press. p. 147. ISBN 978-81-89093-26-6.
^ Westley, Miles (2005). The Bibliophile's Dictionary. Writer's Digest Books. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-58297-356-2.
^ McKim, Donald K. (1996). Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-664-25511-4.
^ Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians. International Conference (1985). Virginia Fabella; Sergio Torres (eds.). Doing Theology in a Divided World. Orbis Books. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-88344-197-8.
^ Paul W. Chilcote, Wesley Speaks on Christian Vocation Archived 2017-02-15 at the Wayback Machine (Wipf and Stock 2001 ISBN 978-1-57910812-0), p. 67
^ "Mission among Other Faiths: An Orthodox Perspective". Archived from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2010.

[bibleverse||Hebrews|8:6|NIV-1] Hebrews 8:6

[2] Jackson, Elizabeth (2007). The Illustrated Dictionary of Culture. Lotus Press. p. 147. ISBN 978-81-89093-26-6.

[3] Westley, Miles (2005). The Bibliophile's Dictionary. Writer's Digest Books. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-58297-356-2.

[4] McKim, Donald K. (1996). Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-664-25511-4.

[5] Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians. International Conference (1985). Virginia Fabella; Sergio Torres (eds.). Doing Theology in a Divided World. Orbis Books. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-88344-197-8.

[6] Paul W. Chilcote, Wesley Speaks on Christian Vocation Archived 2017-02-15 at the Wayback Machine (Wipf and Stock 2001 ISBN 978-1-57910812-0), p. 67

[7] "Mission among Other Faiths: An Orthodox Perspective". Archived from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2010.

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