Christianity and Judaism

Christianity began as a movement within Second Temple Judaism and the two religions gradually diverged over the first few centuries of the Christian era. Today, differences in opinion vary between denominations in both religions, but the most important distinction is that Christianity accepts Jesus as the Messiah prophesized in the Hebrew Bible, while Judaism does not.

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. Most Christian denominations believe in a triune God—Father, Son and The Holy Spirit, with the doctrine of the incarnation of the Son in Jesus being of special importance. In contrast, Judaism believes in and emphasizes the Oneness of God and rejects the Christian concept of God in human form.

Christianity recognizes the Hebrew Bible (referred to as the Old Testament by Christians) as part of its scriptural canon; Judaism does not recognize the Christian New Testament.

The relative importance of belief versus 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 has traditionally been thought to emphasize correct conduct (or orthopraxy),^[2]^[3]^[4] focussing on the Mosaic covenant, as recorded in the Torah and discussed in the Talmud.

Mainstream Roman Catholicism occupies a middle ground, stating both faith and works are contribute to a person's salvation. Some Catholic traditions, such as Franciscanism and liberation theology explicitly favor orthopraxy over orthodoxy. Praxis is of central importance to Eastern Christianity as well, with 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 (i.e., orthopraxy) vary (e.g., Catholic social teaching and its preferential option for the poor; the Eastern Orthodox Church's practices of fasting, hesychasm, and asceticism; and the Protestant work ethic of Calvinists and others) but differ from Judaism in that they are not based on Halakha or any other interpretation of the Mosaic covenant.

While more liberal Jewish denominations may not mandate 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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