Judaism

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 English Standard Version). This verse from the Pentateuch is the core of ancient Judaism. With over 14 million Jews in the world, this religion is the oldest of the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Corduan, 2012). Judaism is monotheistic in belief and derived from a man named Abraham whom God called out of a pagan land and promised to make him a great nation (Barry et al., 2016; Corduan, 2012; Genesis 12:2; “Lecture 2,” 2017). This promise would continue to grow through the patriarchs, the Exodus, then through the Mosaic Covenant, the Ten Commandments, and finally through the Davidic Covenant (Corduan, 2012). This period in Jewish history is known as The First Commonwealth period. Despite the Jewish people’s disobedience to God’s law, God continued to keep a remnant of His people and bless them by His own sovereign Grace (1 Kings 19:18). After their captivity in Babylon and surviving the great diaspora, the Jewish people finally were regathered back to their homeland in Jerusalem in 1948 (“Lecture 2,” 2017; Siker, 2009). Since the destruction of the Jewish temple and now the fact that the Jews have been regathered into their homeland, many people, especially Christians, believe ancient Judaism is still practiced today. Moving forward, this essay will tackle some known misunderstandings that Christians may have about Judaism, how studying these misconceptions can help one understand Judaism better, and how Christians should view the state of Israel.

Misconception #1

The first misconception Christians may have about Judaism is that all people who are Jewish, believe in Judaism. Judaism is not a race, but rather it is a religion since it can be noted that many Jews today do not subscribe to any sects of Judaism. In fact, in America, 80 percent of Jewish people do not belong to any Jewish religious organization (Morey, 2004). Defining who a Jew is “is often more a matter of identity and community than one’s personal beliefs” (“Lecture 2,” 2017). According to Corduan in the book Neighboring faiths: A Christian introduction to world religions (2012),

Judaism is a religion based on relationships: God’s relationship with the human person, a person’s relationship with God, people’s individual relationships with each other, and the chosen people’s relationship with other nations. All these relationships are based on rules and traditions that are said to have originated with God (p. 63).

Christians need to be careful operating under the assumption that all Jewish people believe in Judaism. It could be offensive and break a potential bridge that could have been formed to proclaim the Gospel message.

Misconception #2

In addition, another misconception about the Jewish people is most Christians believe Judaism is monolithic instead of multifaceted. In Judaism, there are four primary sects within Judaism; the first one being Orthodox Judaism (Corduan, 2012; “Lecture 2,” 2017). Orthodox Judaism continued after the destruction of the temple from the Pharisees (Corduan, 2012). These Jews were strict to the obedience of the law, they kept many of the Jewish dress codes outlined in the Old Testament, they continued the dietary restrictions prescribed in the Levitical Law and continued out the tradition of formal prayer (Corduan, 2012). For an Orthodox Jew, synagogues replaced the temple, rabbis restored the priesthood, and law and prayer replaced the sacrificial system (Dockery et al., 1992).

The second sect is Reform Judaism. Reform Judaism promoted the idea of conforming to the culture they became a part of (Corduan, 2012). The reform movement does not see the traditional practices as authoritative such as following the Talmud (Merriam-Webster, 2003). They believe laws or traditions can change and they need to be able to adapt to that change and not be locked down to the specific law. Reform Judaism is not looking for a future Messiah; they mostly model their worship services on Protestant Christian forms, they allow women and men to worship together, and even support new liberal movements such as abortion-rights groups (Corduan, 2012). In America, Reform Judaism is probably the most dominant sect inside all of Judaism having about 1.3 million followers (Corduan, 2012).

The final two sects of Judaism are Conservative Judaism and Reconstructionism. Conservative Judaism is a balance of both Orthodox and Reform (Corduan, 2012). With its popularity becoming mainstream in the United States, Conservative Judaism adheres to the Torah and Talmud, but they allow for a departure on certain teachings depending on the time and circumstances of the culture (Corduan, 2012; Merriam-Webster, 2003). Conservatives attempt to hold to the necessary forms of the law such as dietary laws, prayers, and issues of morality while permitting other matters such as dress codes and worship styles as flexible (Corduan, 2012). Reconstructionism is perhaps one of the rising influences in Judaism. This form of Judaism abandons all types of authority and tradition and asserts that “Judaism is nothing more than civilization or a culture” (“Lecture 2,” 2017, para. 3). Christians need to be equipped with their knowledge of these four distinct and very different sects of Judaism to properly communicate and build bridges of friendship with hopes of sharing the Gospel.

Misconception #3

The final misconception about Jews that most Christians may have is that all people of the Jewish faith subscribe to the entirety of the Old Testament. After the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, about 20 years later the rabbis confirmed in Yavneh that all of the Old Testament scriptures used in Palestinian Judaism were in fact inspired words of God (Corduan, 2012). Later, approximately in A.D. 200 a book called the Mishnah was formed by several scholarly rabbis who wrote down a collection of oral law and legal interpretations regarding the civil/ceremonial commandments, prayer, feasts, Holy Matters, and ritual cleanliness of the Old Testament (Corduan, 2012; Morgan, 2012). In addition to the Mishnah, the Gemara was formed which are exhaustive narratives and illustrations from famous rabbis regarding the biblical text. The Gemara focuses on the how [application] rather than the what [Mishna] (Morgan, 2012). Together, the Mishnah and the Gemara form what is known today as the Talmud (Corduan, 2012). Christians need to understand that within the different sects of Judaism, some may hold to strict obedience to the totality of the Talmud, where others may see it authoritative but not inspired, and finally to some adherents of Judaism not having any relevance in their lives at all.

understanding misconceptions

Christians need to spend more time understanding these misconceptions about Judaism, then they would become better ambassadors of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and able to relate to one of a Jewish faith. Christians not only have the great commission to preach the Gospel given by Jesus, but also have a superfluity of examples of Christian believers taking the truth to other people of faith (Acts 8:26-40; Acts 9:20-22; Acts 10:34-48; Acts 13:44-48; Acts 17:16-21; Mark 16:15; Revelation 14:6). A simple study of Judaism will help any Christian be more effective in their Gospel presentation, but also help them build bridges to friendship in a Jewish person’s life. Usually, no person will let someone speak into their life without first establishing a bond or trust in that individual. By knowing the roots of Judaism and how vastly different it is now from the Old Testament, one can better relate to an adherent of Judaism and preach on common grounds.

For example, if one is talking to a person who subscribes to a particular sect of Judaism, one could determine how to approach the conversation just by their belief in the future Messiah. Some believers in Judaism say Christians have put our hopes in a false Messiah because nowhere in the Old Testament is the Messiah to be born of a virgin. They would say in Isaiah 7:14 the prophet uses the word alma instead of bethuwlah which the real Hebrew word for a virgin is. They would further go on to say that this was fulfilled in the very next chapter when Isaiah has a son (Isaiah 8:3). Knowing this, a Christian can respond with some simple apologetic training regarding word use in the Old Testament and how the Septuagint, which is a Jewish translation of the Hebrew text into Koine Greek uses virgin in this case. In this same example, perhaps some adherents of Judaism would reject flat out that the prophet writings are not inspired and that only the Torah is inspired. Then the Christian could focus his efforts on bringing out who the greater prophet spoken of in Deuteronomy is (Deuteronomy 18:15). If a person flat out rejects all of the Torah or Talmud, then the Christian perhaps could focus their efforts on the issue of morality. As one can see, simply knowing a little bit about the different sects of Judaism can have a drastic effect on the conversations that could be made.

The State of Israel

Once the Christian has come into a deeper understanding of the misunderstandings, then one should recognize that the state of Israel is a mission field. Christians need to move away from this sensational Zionistic view of Israel. Instead of only promoting and helping Israel economically or politically, Christians should be championing the way in helping Israel spiritually. As a Christian, one needs to learn what it means to be a Christian Zionist with a biblical perspective rather than a Jewish Zionism (Adams, 2016). Israel is a special place with special people but this does not exclude them from being saved by the true saving grace of Jesus Christ. Sometimes Christians have a false understanding that the state of Israel is exempt from being a missionary place since it contains God’s chosen people and is the future promised land. Once Christians understand this false dichotomy, they will be more open in understanding Judaism in its present form and be more equipped in sharing the Gospel with them.

Conclusion

Judaism is a beautiful religion. It started with God and will end with God according to the Christian. Judaism has grown to become a tree with many branches much like Protestant Christianity. There are multiple sects and even subsects which were not mentioned that all came from ancient Judaism. With Judaism being multifaceted, it has created a river of misconceptions for the Christian and even around the globe. In order to be a better ambassador for Jesus Christ, one must understand these misconceptions, culture, and how one should view the state of Israel and even be ready to become a Jew on their level in order to bring the Gospel to them (1 Corinthians 9:20-22). Only by doing this can a Christian expect to share the Gospel with them in love and actually get a response from one of a Judaic belief.

References

Adams, B. (2016). Christian Zionism in the New Testament. Retrieved from https://www.bridgesforpeace.com/letter/christian-zionism-new-testament/

Barry, J. D., Bomar, D., Brown, D. R., Klippenstein, R., Mangum, D., Sinclair Wolcott, C., … Widder, W. (Eds.). (2016). In the Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Corduan W. (2012). Neighboring faiths: A Christian introduction to world religions (2nd ed.). Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.

Dockery, D. S., Butler, T. C., Church, C. L., Scott, L. L., Ellis Smith, M. A., White, J. E., & Holman Bible Publishers. (1992). Holman Bible Handbook. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

Lecture 2 (2017). INT-244: World Religions. Phoenix, AZ: Grand Canyon University.

Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary. (Eleventh ed.). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Morey, R. A. (2004). The encyclopedia of practical Christianity. Las Vegas, NV: Christian Scholars Press.

Morgan, G. R. (2012). Understanding world religions in 15 minutes a day. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers.

Siker, J. (2009). Judaism. In the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Theology. Ed. Jeffrey Siker. Oxford Biblical Studies Online. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/article/opr/t467/e129