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Jewish-Christian Relations, Isaac and Jesus and the Change in Jewish Tradition

Jewish-Christian relations, Isaac and Jesus and the Change in Jewish tradition


Introduction

Religion is the one of the most important aspects in a person's life. Here in lies the core beliefs of each person that a religious community fosters, be it Christianity, Judaism, Islam or Protestantism. The faith that a religion sustains in every person can make him stronger and more prepared to deal with daily life, especially during trials and tribulations. Even if there are different religious organizations to date that have separate way of life, traditions and practices, most of them, if not all, are basically means to search for a higher being, someone larger than life, to guide people to the right path.

There are numerous religions worldwide but two of the oldest and largest religions in the world are Christianity and Judaism. Though both have different and distinctive customs, traditions and practices, there also those that make each similar to one another. In fact, Judaism gave birth to Christianity, paving the way for a new religion.

Even if there is a perceived animosity between the two religions, there are those who promulgate a fellowship between the Christians and the Jews. Like Archbishop Ratzinger (Keeler 3), before he became a pope, work tirelessly to remove whatever enmity existed, either real or otherwise, between the Christian community and the Jewish population.
In this paper, both Judaism and Christianity, their distinctive customs and traditions, the similarities and differences that each have with one another, the similarities between Isaac and Jesus and the connection of Isaac to the Jewish high holy days would be discussed and explored in great detail.


Meaning of Judaism

Judaism is the religion of the Jewish community, which is based on the covenant between God and Abraham, written in the Hebrew Bible. It is one of most ancient religions in the world that believes in one God and one of the oldest religious practices that are observed even today. The values and history of the Jewish people play a huge part in the foundation of other religions such as Christianity, Islam, Samaritism and Baha' I Faith (ReligiousTolerance.Org 1).

Judaism, not like other religions worldwide, is the religion of only one group—the Jews. They have their own Bible, the Hebrew Bible or commonly known as the Torah (ReligiousTolerance.Org), which is similar to the Old Testament in the Catholic Bible. The Torah discusses the relationship between God and the Israelites as indicated in their history from the beginning of time until the construction of the Second Temple. The relationship is often deemed as debatable as the Hebrews struggle daily in keeping their faith in God and diminishing their attraction to other gods.

According to many religious Jews, Abraham, the Biblical patriarch, was the first Hebrew. The rabbinic literature records that he was the first since the generation of Noah to publicly reject idolatry and preach monotheism, the belief in one God. In exchange, God promised that Abraham would have children. His children were Ishmael and Isaac, whom God said would propagate Abraham's work and inherit Canaan, the Land of Israel, after having been exiled and redeemed. God sent Jacob and his children to Egypt where after many generations they became enslaved. Afterwards, God sent Moses to redeem the Israelites from slavery and after which, God led the Israelites to Mount Sinai where God bestowed the Israelites the Torah, eventually leading them to the land of Israel.

God designated the descendants of Aaron, Moses' brother, to be included in the priestly class within the Israelite community. They first officiated in the tabernacle, a portable house of worship, and later on, their descendants were in charge of worship in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Once the Israelites were settled in the land God gave them, the tabernacle was placed in Shiloh for over three hundred years during which time God rendered men and women to unite and encourage the community against its enemies, some God sent as a punishment for the sins of his people. This is reflected in the Book of Joshua and the Book of Judges (ReligiousTolerance.Org 3). As time passed by, the spiritual level of the people turned down to the extent that God allowed the Philistines, one of the Hebrew's greatest enemies, to capture and take charge of the tabernacle in Shiloh. Many rulers have guided the community and the Israelites have fought with many enemies with all of them accounted in the five books of Moses.

Historically, Judaism has considered belief in the divine revelation and acceptance of the Written and Oral Torah as the fundamental core belief. This gave way to various different formulations as to the specific theological beliefs inherent in the Torah and the Talmud.
"Over time, a number of clear formulations of Jewish principles of faith have existed and though they differ with respect to other details, they demonstrate a commonality of core ideology" (Fordham, Edu). Of these, the one most widely considered authoritative is Maimonides' thirteen principles of faith (Fordham.Edu 2).

They are as follows:
1. I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name, is the Creator and Guide of everything that has been created; and that He alone has made, does make and will make all things.
2. I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name, is One, and that there is no unity in any manner like His, and that He alone is our God, who was, is and will be.
3. I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name, is not a body, and that He is free from all properties of matter, and that there can be no physical comparison to Him whatsoever.
4. "I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name, is the first and the last" (Fordham.Edu).
5. "I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name, and to Him alone, it is right to pray, and that it is not right to pray to any being besides Him" (Fordham.Edu).
6. "I believe with perfect faith that all the works of the prophets are true" (Fordham.Edu).
7. "I believe with perfect faith that the prophecy of Moses, our teacher, peace be upon him, was true, and that he was the chief of the prophets, both of those who preceded him and of those who followed him" (Fordham.Edu).
8. "I believe with perfect faith that the entire Torah that is now in our possession is the same that was given to Moses, our teacher, peace be upon him" (Fordham.Edu).
9. "I believe with perfect faith that this Torah will not be changed, and that there will never be any other Law from the Creator, blessed be His Name" (Fordham.Edu).
10. "I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name, knows all the deeds of human beings, and all their thoughts, as it is said; He that fashioned the hearts of them all, He that comprehends all their actions (Fordham.Edu)".
11. "I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name, rewards those that keep His commandments and punishes those who transgress them" (Fordham.Edu).
12. "I believed with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah; and even though he may tarry, with all this I wait every day for his coming" (Fordham.Edu).
13. "I believe in perfect faith that there will be a revival of the dead at the time when it shall please the Creator, blessed be His Name, and exalted be His Name forever and ever" (Fordham.Edu).


Meaning of Christianity

Christianity is the religion that encompasses the beliefs and practiced taught by Jesus Christ in the country of Palestine, during the reign of the Roman emperor, Tiberius, and was propagated, after Jesus' death, for the acceptance of the whole world, by certain selected men among His followers. "According to the accepted chronology, these began their mission on the day of Pentecost, A.D. 29, which day is regarded, accordingly, as the birthday of the Christian Church" (Catholic Encyclopedia 160). The teachings of Jesus Christ are part of the essentials of Christianity, the foundation on which the Christian Church is built upon. Jesus reaffirmed, purified and confirmed the belief that there is one God, the Supreme Deity. He also stressed out that God must be worshipped in spirit, not merely in external rites. "And he stated that the same right attitude of heart in the whole of God's service, showing how both guilt and merit depend on the will and intention" (Catholic Encyclopedia 161). He recalled that the original unity and indissolubility of the marriage-tie. "He brought into prominence the immortality and, hence, the transcendent importance, of the human soul as against the heresy of the Sadducees and the worldliness of the Jews in general. In all these points, Jesus fulfilled the Law by showing its real and full significance" (Catholic Encyclopedia 161). After His death, his apostles such as St. Jude continued in propagating Jesus' teachings.

There are three purposes why Christianity was established. First, universality includes both space and time. With regards to space, it is seen that Christianity is intended for the whole world from the prophesies that foreshadowed it in the Old Testament. "Among these were the promises made to Abraham and his descendants. In addition, Jesus' apostles sent forth to all nations to spread the teachings of Christ, regardless country, race or religion. Second, Christianity is meant to be a perfect religion since it has revealed and instituted through the personal action of God Himself, and was designed, moreover, to supplant an imperfect and provisional form of religion, would lack nothing of possible perfection in end or means. Christ's teachings satisfied this expectation since it is widely believed that Jesus had all the knowledge and all the power requisite to establish a perfect religion. Third, God intended in the third place, that Christianity should be a visible organization. Jesus established a Church and in many parables, he has laid out the various features of its character and history, all of which pointed to something external and perceptible by the senses." (Catholic Encyclopedia 162) At the same time, Jesus in his teachings has stated that it has security, permanence and visibility of its foundation.


Similarities Between Judaism and Christianity

"Christianity has a close relationship with Judaism, both historically and theologically. Jesus, the twelve disciples, the author of most of the New Testament and the members of the earliest Christian Churches were all Jews" (World Book 130). Jesus' family followed Jewish customs and traditions and Jesus usually quoted the Hebrew Bible. Jesus' followers believed him to be the messiah, a Jewish figure predicted in the Jewish Bible.

Each religion has a mission. For Christianity, it is to render all human beings with what it holds to be the only valid path to salvation. Christians believe people are by nature sinful since people are born with original sin due to the sins committed by Adam and Eve in the Genesis. Christians believe that Jesus was both the Son of God and God the Son, God made incarnate; that Jesus' death by he cross was a sacrifice to absolve all humanity's sins and that acceptance of Jesus as the Christ saves one from sin (Grolier Encyclopedia 525).

Meanwhile, Judaism's mission is to carry out the Covenant between God and the Jewish people. The Torah, both oral and written, tells the story of this covenant and renders Jews with the terms of the covenant. The Torah, thus, leads Jews to walk in God's ways to help them learn how to live a holy life on earth and to bring holiness into the world and into every part of life, so that life may be elevated to a high level of sanctity. This will allow the Jews as a populace to be a role model for all nations over and throughout history and a part of the divine purpose of paving the way towards an age of peace, holiness and brotherhood.

Another similarity that Christianity and Judaism have is that God shares both transcendent and immanent qualities (The World Book Encyclopedia 345). How these religions resolve this issue is where religion differs. Christianity declares that God exists as a Trinity; in this view, God exists as three distinct persons who share a single divine presence or substance. There is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; one God and Three Persons. On the other hand, Judaism views God as a single entity and views the Blessed Trinity as both incomprehensible and a violation of the Bible's teaching that God is one. "It rejects the notion that Jesus or any other object or living being could be God, the God could have a literal son in physical form or is divisible in any way or that God could be made to be joined to the material world in such fashion. Although Judaism provides Jews with a work to label God’s transcendence and immanence but these are merely human words to describe two ways of experiencing God; God is one and indivisible" (Brantl, 150).

Other similarities between Christianity and Judaism are as follows:

Statistics Christianity Judaism
Place founded Palestine Palestine
Sacred text Bible (Old Testament and New Testament) Tanakh (Jewish Bible)
Inspiration of sacred text Views vary: literal word of God, inspired by human stories or of human origination only Views vary: inspired human stories or of human origin only
Status of biblical prophets True prophets True prophets
Status of bible Canonical Canonical
Modern human authorities Pope (Catholic) Rabbis
Summaries of doctrine Apostle's Creed, Nicene Creed 13 Articles of Faith
Ultimate reality One God One God
Other spiritual beings Angels and demons Angels and demons
Revered humans Saints, church fathers Prophets
Divine Revelation Through Prophets and Jesus (as God himself), recorded in Bible Through prophets, recorded in bible
Means of Salvation Correct belief, good deeds, sacraments Belief in God, good deeds


Differences in Judaism and Christianity

The main difference between Christianity and Judaism is the Person of Jesus Christ. Christianity teaches that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of a coming Messiah or Savior. Judaism often recognizes Jesus as a good teacher and perhaps even a prophet of God. Judaism does not believe in Jesus was the Messiah (GotQuestions.org 1).Taking it a step further, Christianity teaches that Jesus was God in the flesh.
Christianity teaches that God became a human being in the Person of Jesus, so he could lay down His life to pay the price of Christians' sins. Judaism strongly denies that Jesus was God or that such sacrifice is necessary (GotQuestions.org 1).

Another difference is that Judaism's central authority is not vested in any person or group but rather in its writings and traditions. On the other hand, Christianity’s central authority rests in the pope.

Other differences are as follows:
Statistics Christianity Judaism
Nature of God Trinity – one substance, three persons Unity – one substance, one person
Identity of Jesus Son of God incarnate, savior of the world False prophet
Birth of Jesus Virgin birth Normal birth
Resurrection of Jesus Affirmed Denied
Second coming of Jesus Affirmed Denied
Good after life Eternal heaven Heaven or no afterlife


Likeness of Isaac and Jesus

In the table below, one would see the similarities that are apparent in Isaac and Jesus. In fact, Isaac was the prophetic representation of Jesus Chris. Abraham had, in a real sense, seen the gospel representation in the offering of his son, his only begotten. So the term only begotten is in reference to the unique son of God and Isaac was acting out the sacrifice of Christ, prophetically (Carm.org 1).


The Association of Isaac to the High Holy Days

"Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are known as the patriarchs, both the physical and spiritual ancestors of Judaism. They established the religion now known as Judaism and their descendants are the Jewish people" (Davis 120) .

Of the patriarchs, Isaac was the subject of the tenth and most difficult test imposed on Abraham to prove his faith in God. He commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a burn offering (Judaism 101 2). This test is now called as Akeidah or the Binding in Jewish tradition (Judaism 101 2).

"This test is also an extraordinary demonstration of Isaac's own faith, because according to Jewish Tradition, Isaac knew that he was to be sacrificed, yet he did not resist and was united with his father in dedication" (Davis 121).

"At the last moment, God sent an angel to stop the sacrifice" (Hellwig 12). It is interesting to note that child sacrifice was a common practice in the region at that time. Thus, to people of the time, the surprising thing about this story is not the fact that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his child but God stopped him.

Judaism uses this story as evidence that God abhors human sacrifice. "In fact, there are sources indicating that Abraham failed this test of faith because he did not refuse to sacrifice his son. Judaism has always strongly opposed the practice of human sacrifice, commonplace in many other cultures at that time and place" (Hellwig 12).

Each year, as Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a high holy day that encompasses the expulsion of Hagar, who bore Abraham's son Ishmael, and the binding of Isaac (Waskow 1).


Conclusion

After discussing about Judaism and Christianity in great length, it is evident that each religion has some different customs and traditions that make them both unique, though at the same time, they also have similar ones that they feel strongly about. Instead of hostility and animosity, each must give these up and realize that everyone should be united and foster kindness and a sense of brotherhood or sisterhood with one another despite of different creeds and belief systems.





References

Brantl, George. 1962. "Catholicism". New York: George Braziller
Catholic Encyclopedia, Christianity. 1-165, 31 January 2007, <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03712a.htm>
Davis, Moshe. "The Emergence of Conservative Judaism: The Historical School in 19th Century America". Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America
Fordham.Edu, Medieval Sourcebook: Maimonides: The 13 Principles and the Resurrection of the Dead. 1-5, 14 February 2007, <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/rambam13.html>
GotQuestions.org, What is the Difference Between Christianity and Judaism?. 1-12, 31 January 2007, <http://www.gotquestions.org/difference-Christianity-Judaism.html>
Hellwig, Monika K. 1981. "Understanding Catholicism". Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press
Judaism 101, The Patriarchs and the Origins of Judaism. 1-9, 31 January 2007, <http://www.jewfaq.org/origins.htm>
Keeler, William H. "Jewish and Christian Relations". The Catholic Church and the Jewish People 1 August 2003
Religious Tolerance.Org, Judaism: Beliefs, Practices, Jewish-Christian Relations, News… . 1-10, 14 February 2007, <http://www.religioustolerance.org/Judaism.htm>
The Grolier Encyclopedia, pub. "Grolier Encyclopedia", volume 4, 1990
The Grolier Encyclopedia, pub. "Grolier Encyclopedia", volume 7, 1990
The World Book, Inc., pub. "The World Book Encyclopedia", volume 3, 1989
The World Book, Inc., pub. "The World Book Encyclopedia", volume 10, 1989
Trepp, Leo. 1962. "Eternal Faith, Eternal People: A Journey into Judaism". Cliffs, Englewood N.J: Prentice Hall
Waskow, Arthur, Isaac and Ishmael and the High Holy Days. 1-2, 31 January 2007, <http://www.shalomctr.org/node249>
"How Many Children Did Abraham Have?" 1-10. www. Carm.org. 31 January 2007, <http://www.carm.org/diff/gal4_22.htm
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