Christianity has a close relationship with Judaism, both historically and theologically. Jesus, his disciples, Paul (who wrote most of the New Testament), and the members of the earliest Christian churches were all Jews. Jesus' family followed Jewish customs and Jesus frequently quoted the Hebrew Bible. Jesus' followers believed him to be the messiah, a Jewish figure predicted in the Jewish Bible.
Despite its Jewish origins, it was not long before Christianity regarded itself as something other than a new Jewish sect. The first Christian council, described in the New Testament, concluded that pagan converts to Christianity did not have to follow Jewish ritual laws. Soon, converts to Christianity were almost exclusively pagans and Christianity moved further away from Judaism.
In the 2,000 years of history since Jesus, the relationship between Christianity and the ancient faith in which it is rooted has often been strained. Christians have criticized Jews for rejecting Jesus as their messiah and Jews have criticized Christians for corrupting the concept of one God and following a false messiah. The New Testamant reports Jews persecuted Christians; after Christians became the more powerful group, they frequently persecuted Jews.
The following chart compares the origins, beliefs and practices of Christianity and Judaism.
| Christianity | Judaism | |
|---|---|---|
| Adherents Called | Christians | Jews |
| Name Means | followers of Christ (Greek christos, Messiah) | of the Kingdom of Judah |
| Date Founded | c. 30 CE | c. 1800 BCE (Abraham); 6th cent. BCE (Pentateuch); or 70 CE (destruction of Second Temple) see When Was Judaism Founded? |
| Place Founded | Southern Levant (modern-day Israel, Palestine, and Jordan) | Southern Levant (modern-day Israel, Palestine, and Jordan) see Where Was Judaism Founded? |
| Original Languages | Aramaic and Greek | Hebrew |
| Founders & Early Leaders | Jesus, Peter, Paul | Abraham, Moses |
| Expansion | within 60 years, churches in major cities in Palestine, Turkey, Greece and Rome; entire Roman Empire by end of 4th cent. | little expansion; mostly confined to Palestine area throughout history |
| Schisms | Catholic-Orthodox (1054); Catholic-Protestant (1500s) | Reform-Orthodox (1800s CE) |
| Branches | Roman Catholic; Eastern Orthodox; Protestant see Christian Denominations | Orthodox, Reform, Conservative see Jewish Sects and Movements |
| Main Locations | Europe, North and South America, Africa | Israel, Eastern Europe, USA |
| Adherents | 2.2 billion see Christianity Adherents | 14 million see Adherents of Judaism |
| Adherents in USA | 159 million | 5.6 million |
| Adherents in Canada | 21 million | 350,000 |
| Adherents in UK | 51 million | 320,000 |
| Texts | Bible (Hebrew Bible + New Testament) see Christian Texts | Hebrew Bible (Tanakh); Talmud see Jewish sacred texts |
| Christianity | Judaism | |
| Hebrew Bible | canonical; called "the Old Testament" | canonical |
| Apocrypha | canonical (Catholic) or useful but noncanonical (Protestant) | noncanonical but useful |
| New Testament | canonical | noncanonical |
| Creeds | Apostle's Creed, Nicene Creed | 13 Articles of Faith |
| Religious Law | canon law (Catholicism) | Halakhah |
| Religious Authority | Bible; some also look to church fathers, church councils, ecumenical creeds; papal decrees and canon law for Catholics | Bible, Talmud, halakhah |
| Scripture | views vary: most believe inspired by God; some believe literal Word of God, inerrant in original languages see Christian Doctrines of Scripture | views vary |
| Prophets | Biblical prophets were true prophets of God | Biblical prophets were true prophets of God |
| God & Spirits | One God, who is a Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit; angels; demons; saints see God & Spiritual Beings in Christianity | One God: Yahweh (YHVH) see God in Judaism |
| Spiritual Beings | angels and demons | angels and demons |
| Revered Humans | saints, church fathers | prophets |
| Messiah | Jesus Christ is the Messiah awaited by the Jews | the Messiah will come in the future see Jewish Beliefs about the Messiah |
| Jesus | Son of God, God incarnate, Word of God, Messiah, savior of the world see Christian beliefs about Jesus | false prophet |
| Birth of Jesus | virgin birth | normal birth |
| Death of Jesus | real physical death plus spiritual suffering | normal death |
| Christianity | Judaism | |
| Resurrection of Jesus | affirmed | denied |
| Second Coming of Jesus | affirmed | denied |
| Revelation | through Prophets and Jesus (as God Himself), recorded in Bible | prophets, recorded in Hebrew Bible |
| Human Nature | Created good but all inherit "original sin" from Adam, causing a tendency to evil see Christian Beliefs about Human Nature | two equal impulses, one good and one bad see Jewish views of human nature |
| Salvation | correct belief, faith, good deeds, sacraments (Protestants emphasize faith alone) see Christian Beliefs about Salvation | belief in God, good deeds |
| Predestination | affirmed by most denominations | |
| Afterlife | Resurrection of body and soul; eternal heaven or hell (most denominations); temporary purgatory (Catholicism) see Christianity on the Afterlife | Not emphasized; views vary: no afterlife, shadowy existence, World to Come (similar to heaven), Gehenna (similar to hell), reincarnation see The Afterlife in Judaism |
| View of Christianity | true religion | false interpretation and expansion of Judaism |
| View of Islam | respected as a fellow monotheistic religion, but Muhammad is not seen as a true prophet | false interpretation and expansion of Judaism |
| View of Judaism | true religion but with incomplete revelation | true religion |
| House of Worship | church, chapel, cathedral, basilica, meeting hall | synagogue, temple, schul |
| Day of Worship | Sunday | Saturday |
| Clergy | priest, bishop, archbishop, patriarch, pope, pastor, minister, preacher, deacon | rabbis |
| Practices | Prayer, Bible study, baptism, Eucharist (Communion), church on Sundays, numerous holidays. see Christian Practices | Circumcision at birth, bar/bat mitzvah at adulthood, observing Sabbath, wearing tallit and tefilin, prayer services see Jewish Rituals and Practices |
| head covered during prayer | generally no | generally yes (especially men) |
| Christianity | Judaism | |
| Major Holidays | Lent, Holy Week, Easter | Yom Kippur, Days of Awe, Passover |
| Other Holidays | Christmas, saints days | Chanukah, Purim |
| Symbols | Cross, dove, anchor, fish, alpha/omega, chi rho see Christian Symbols | Star of David, chai, hamsa, tree see Symbols in Judaism |