Comparative Essay: Christianity and Judaism
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Comparative Essay:
Christianity and Judaism
Christianity and Judaism are two widely known and practiced religions in the world. Though the two have multiple similarities, there are few differences that set the two apart. Their origins and beliefs are intertwined, and on a full scale, the religions are well developed and are vital to the religious follower’s walk with their deity.
Judaism, the religion of the Jews, is far older than Christianity, dating back to 2000 BCE in Canaan. The founder of Judaism was believed to be Abraham, though many believe that Judaism came about from natural revelation and that it was not founded by man. On the contrary, the religion branched from the covenant between God and Abraham, thus linking his connection with this event to his assumed foundation of the religion. Others may believe that Judaism’s foundations could be traced back to Hillel, a sage and a Pharisee, and his school of thought. The basic beliefs of Judaism stem from the Ten Commandments, given to Moses and the people of Israel by God at Mount Sinai after he delivered them from slavery in Egypt. As the Ten Commandments can be considered a popular work of the religion, the Torah, also known as the five books of Moses and the Jewish Pentateuch, is also a major work of Judaism. In the major works, there are seventy-two different names for God, though the names serve as descriptions and are not actual names; the most notable of the names are Jehovah and Yahweh. Judaism may now be considered a general term—there are many forms of the religion, such as Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, and Reconstruction. Jews lived a life dedicated to God and believed that God was one, indivisible.
Christianity began to take its form in Palestine in 33 CE, developing from Judaism in first century CE and the life and teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (c. 4 BCE), son of the Virgin Mary, referred to as the Messiah—in other words, the King of the Jews. It is believed by many that...
Christianity and Judaism
Christianity and Judaism are two widely known and practiced religions in the world. Though the two have multiple similarities, there are few differences that set the two apart. Their origins and beliefs are intertwined, and on a full scale, the religions are well developed and are vital to the religious follower’s walk with their deity.
Judaism, the religion of the Jews, is far older than Christianity, dating back to 2000 BCE in Canaan. The founder of Judaism was believed to be Abraham, though many believe that Judaism came about from natural revelation and that it was not founded by man. On the contrary, the religion branched from the covenant between God and Abraham, thus linking his connection with this event to his assumed foundation of the religion. Others may believe that Judaism’s foundations could be traced back to Hillel, a sage and a Pharisee, and his school of thought. The basic beliefs of Judaism stem from the Ten Commandments, given to Moses and the people of Israel by God at Mount Sinai after he delivered them from slavery in Egypt. As the Ten Commandments can be considered a popular work of the religion, the Torah, also known as the five books of Moses and the Jewish Pentateuch, is also a major work of Judaism. In the major works, there are seventy-two different names for God, though the names serve as descriptions and are not actual names; the most notable of the names are Jehovah and Yahweh. Judaism may now be considered a general term—there are many forms of the religion, such as Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, and Reconstruction. Jews lived a life dedicated to God and believed that God was one, indivisible.
Christianity began to take its form in Palestine in 33 CE, developing from Judaism in first century CE and the life and teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (c. 4 BCE), son of the Virgin Mary, referred to as the Messiah—in other words, the King of the Jews. It is believed by many that...