Arguments for and against Judaism religion Orthodoxy. Difference between Christianity and Judaism - religious directions

Very often, Christians mistakenly regard Jews who belong to Judaism as brothers in faith, not knowing that these religions, although related, have significant differences. After all, the Old Testament is common, Jesus came specifically to Israel, the Jews are universally called God’s people. What are the differences and how should an Orthodox Christian approach Judaism?

Judaism - what kind of religion is it

Judaism is the oldest monotheistic religion, whose followers were born Jewish or converted to this faith during their lives. Despite its ancient age (more than 3000 years), there are not many followers of this movement - only about 14 million people. At the same time, it was from Judaism that such movements as Christianity and Islam emerged, which today have the most a large number of followers. What do the Jews profess?

Judaism is the faith (religion) of the Jewish people

The main idea of religion is faith in the One God, Yahweh (one of the names of God) and observance of His commandments, which are set out in the Torah. In addition to the Torah, the Jews also have the Tanakh - another sacred text, the belief in the holiness of which has become one of the fundamental differences from Christianity.

Based on these two documents, Jews hold the following views:

Monotheism - believe in One God the Father, who created the earth and man in His Image and Likeness.
God is Perfect and Almighty and is also presented as the source of Grace and Love for all. He is not only God for man, but also loving Father who has mercy and helps to be saved from sin.
Dialogues can take place between man and God, i.e. prayers. To do this, you do not need to make sacrifices or any other manipulations. God wants to approach man directly and does this according to His desire. All a person has to do is strive for dialogue and the holiness of God.
The value of a person who is created in God's Image is enormous. He has his own purpose from the Lord, which consists in endless and comprehensive spiritual improvement.
In the history of mankind there are great people and prophets, about whose lives the Old Testament writes. Among them are Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Elijah, Isaiah and other sages who are fundamental figures in Judaism and role models.
The main moral principles of religion are love for the Almighty and for one’s neighbor;
The basis of religion is the Ten Commandments, which a Jew must strictly observe.
The doctrine of openness of religion, i.e. opportunity for anyone to apply to it.
The teaching about the coming of the Messiah - a prophet and king who will save humanity.

These are not all the theses of Judaism, but they are fundamental and allow us to form an opinion about this religion. In fact, it is the closest to Christianity in its beliefs, but still has significant differences.

Difference from Orthodoxy

Despite the same belief in an Almighty and Loving God, Christianity differs significantly from Judaism in a number of theological issues. And it was these differences that became irreconcilable for their followers.

Jews pray in the synagogue

Differences include:

Recognition of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah and Lord, as part of the Holy Trinity - Jews reject this fundamental basis of Christianity and refuse to believe in the divinity of Christ. They also reject Christ as the Messiah because they do not understand the importance and value of His death on the cross. They wanted to see a Messiah-Warrior who would save them from the oppression of other peoples, and a simple man came who saved humanity from sin - the main enemy. Misunderstanding and denial of this is the main and fundamental difference between these religions.
For a Christian, the salvation of the soul is only in faith in Jesus Christ, but for a Jew this does not matter. In their opinion, people of all faiths, even radically different ones, can be saved, provided they follow the basic commandments (10 Commandments + 7 Commandments of the sons of Noah).
For a Christian, the fundamental commandments are not only the 10 laws of the Old Testament, but also the 2 commandments that Christ gave. Jews recognize only the Old Testament and its laws.
Belief in chosenness: For followers of Christ, it is clear that anyone who confesses Christ can be saved and become part of God’s people. For Jews, the belief in their chosenness is fundamental and indisputable, despite their actions and lifestyle.
Missionary - Jews do not seek to enlighten other nations and convert them to their faith, but for Christians this is one of the commandments of Christ “Go and teach.”
Tolerance: Christians try to be tolerant towards representatives of other faiths and to be meek during oppression; on the contrary, ideas are extremely aggressive towards other religions and always militantly defend their beliefs and rights.

Important! These are the main differences between Orthodoxy as a Christian branch and Judaism, but there are actually many more. It is also important to take into account the presence of various branches and schools in Judaism, which may have different concepts and views from the main teaching.

The attitude of the Orthodox Church to Judaism

Throughout ecclesiastical Christian history (as well as the history of Judaism), there have been bellicose skirmishes over disagreements over dogmatic issues.

The synagogue is a place of public worship and the center of life of the Jewish community

At the beginning of the emergence of Christianity (the first centuries AD), the Jews were extremely militant towards its representatives, starting with the crucifixion of Christ himself and the persecution of His first disciples. Later, with the widespread spread of Christianity, its followers began to treat Jews cruelly and infringe upon them in every possible way.

According to historical documents, forced baptism of Jews took place in 867–886. and later. Also, many people know about the persecution of Jews as a people already in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially in the USSR and during the Second World War, when millions of Jews suffered.

The Church today responds to this as follows:

a violent attitude towards the Jews took place, but much later than the Christians suffered;
it was an exception and not a widespread practice;
The Church has a negative attitude towards such manifestations of violence and condemns the actions and the very idea of forced conversion.

Alexander Men once very clearly expressed his attitude towards Judaism, and it completely coincides with the opinion of the entire Orthodox Church and its attitude. According to him, the Old Testament became the basis for the three main monistic religions that arose in the womb of the culture of Ancient Israel. Both Judaism and Christianity, despite their unambiguous identical recognition of the Old Testament, have their own teachings and canons, which have their own theological differences.

Despite this, by the independent definition of the Russian Orthodox Church, it is multinational and does not want and will begin to expel Jewish elements from its bosom, since it has many of them within itself.

Important! Christianity is a brotherly religion and accepts anyone and everyone who shares its values. At the same time, it does not deny different cultures and nationalities, but strives to spread faith in Christ among all peoples and cultures.

Orthodox Church accepts all nations, including Jews, but is not ready to recognize the beliefs of Judaism, since it finds them incorrect. If a Jew wishes to attend religious services, no one will hinder him or treat him with disdain. But an Orthodox Christian cannot accept his beliefs, since he professes Christ, whom the Jews reject as Lord.

From this it follows that every Orthodox Christian should accept other cultures and religions politely and tolerantly, but without renouncing his national origin and faith in Jesus Christ.

The fundamental difference between Christianity and Judaism

The reason for the tragic tension between Christianity and Judaism cannot be explained simply by differences in religious beliefs and dogmas, which also exist in relation to all other religions. If you look from the Jewish side, you can assume that the reason is long history Christian persecution. However, this is not the root cause, since persecution is a consequence of an already existing conflict between Christianity and Judaism. This problem is more relevant than ever in our time.

A time to reflect on the future of relations between Jews and Christians. After all, only now the representatives Christian churches They openly admitted that the cause of crimes against Jews is primarily religious intolerance. In the 20th century, anti-Semitism took on a form that was dangerous to Christianity itself. Then certain circles of the Christian world began to reconsider their positions.

There followed an apology from the Catholic Church for centuries of persecution of Jews. Protestant churches, for the most part, call for an understanding of God's mission for the Jewish people in this world. It is difficult to judge the current position of Orthodoxy on this issue, since this position is simply not expressed.

It is necessary to talk about the problems that have arisen between Christians and Jews, starting with an analysis of the contradictions into which the church found itself, declaring itself the New Israel. The first Christians declared that they were not a new religion, but consistent successors of Judaism. All Christian concepts are taken from the promises and prophecies of the Hebrew Holy Scripture (TaNaKha). The very central image of Christianity is Jesus, not just a savior, but also the Moshiach promised to the Jewish people, a descendant of King David. By the way, the origin of Jesus presented in the New Testament raises a lot of fair questions.

The Church insistently declared that it was a direct continuation of that Divine action in history, the main part of which was the chosenness of the people of Israel. Meanwhile, the Jews continued to exist, claiming that the Bible belonged to them, that their understanding of the Bible was the only legitimate one, and branding the Christian interpretation as heresy, lies and idolatry. This mutual opposition created a climate of hostility and rejection that made the already complex Judeo-Christian relationship even more contentious.

The reluctance of the Jews to accept the new teaching gave rise to many problems for Christian theology, including one of the main doctrines - missionary, the essence of which is to convey the Gospel, i.e. "Good news" to those who do not know about it. The Jews, however, were originally in a different category, being the first recipients of G‑d's promise but rejecting it. In the eyes of Christians, Jews became living evidence of stubbornness and blindness.

Jewish history in Christendom has been marked by alternations of more or less severe oppression, relative tolerance, expulsions and periodic pogroms. Ideologically, Christianity is completely imbued with the philosophy of Judaism. The answers offered by Christianity to questions about the meaning of existence, the structure of the Universe, the human soul, birth and death, and eternity are based on ideas formulated long before the appearance of Jesus Christ. They are given in the Torah.

It is an undeniable fact that most people still do not know about such a close spiritual relationship between the two religions and that the basis of all moral values of the Western world is not just Christian values, but values borrowed from Judaism. Even the ten cardinal commandments offered in the Gospel, which have become the basis of Western morality, are known to every Jew as the ten cardinal commandments given by G-d to the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.

Yet Christianity is different from Judaism, otherwise it cannot be a different religion. The outstanding scholar of our time, Rabbi Nachum Amsel, cites ten such differences.

First difference. Most of the world's religions, including Christianity, support the doctrine that those who do not believe in this religion will be punished and will not receive a place in Heaven or the World to Come. Judaism, unlike any significant world religion, believes that a non-Jew (who does not necessarily have to believe in the Torah, but who keeps the seven commandments given to Noah) will definitely have a place in the World to Come and is called a righteous non-Jew. These commandments include: 1) to believe that the world was created and governed by one G-d (not necessarily a Jewish one); 2) establish courts of law; 3) don't steal; 4) not commit adultery; 5) do not worship idols; 6) do not eat parts of a living animal; 7) do not blaspheme. Anyone who observes these basic principles receives a place in Heaven (Sanhedrin 56b).

Second difference. In Christianity, the most important idea is faith in Jesus as a savior. This faith in itself gives a person the opportunity to be saved. Judaism believes that the highest thing for a person is to serve God by doing his will, and this is even higher than faith. There is a verse in the Torah that says, “He is my God, and I will glorify Him.” In discussing how a person can glorify and exalt G-d, the Talmud answers that it is through actions. Therefore, the highest form of becoming like G-d is doing something, not feeling or believing. Faith must be manifested in actions, not words.

Third difference. The core belief of Judaism is the belief in one G-d. There cannot be any other higher power in the world except G‑d. In addition to believing in the concept of God, Christianity believes in the concept of Satan as the source of evil, who is the force opposite to G-d. Judaism is very specific about the belief that evil, like good, comes from G-d and not from another force. A verse from the Holy Scripture reads: “I [G-d] create the world and cause disasters.” (Ishayahu, 45:7). The Talmud tells the Jew that when trouble comes, the Jew must recognize G-d as a Just Judge. Thus, the Jewish reaction to obvious evil is to attribute its origin to G‑d and not to any other force.

Fourth difference. Judaism holds that G‑d, by definition, has no form, image, or body, and that G‑d cannot be represented in any form. This position is even included in the thirteen fundamentals of faith of Judaism. On the other hand, Christianity believes in Jesus, who as God took on human form. G‑d tells Moses that a man cannot see G‑d and live.

Fifth difference. In Christianity, the very purpose of existence is life for the sake of the hereafter. Although Judaism also believes in the World to Come, this is not the only purpose of life. The prayer “Aleynu” says that the main task of life is to improve this world.

Sixth difference. Judaism believes that every person has a personal relationship with G‑d and that every person can communicate directly with G‑d on a daily basis. In Catholicism, priests and the Pope serve as intermediaries between G-d and man. Unlike Christianity, where the clergy is endowed with sublime holiness and a special relationship with G-d, in Judaism there are absolutely no religious actions that a rabbi can perform that any individual Jew cannot perform. Thus, contrary to what many people believe, a rabbi does not have to be present at a Jewish funeral, a Jewish wedding (the ceremony can be performed without a rabbi), or when performing other religious activities. The word "rabbi" means "teacher." Although rabbis have the authority to make official decisions about Jewish law, a Jew who is sufficiently trained can also make decisions about Jewish law without receiving orders. So, there is nothing unique (with religious point point of view) is to be a rabbi as a representative of the Jewish clergy.

Seventh difference. In Christianity, miracles play a central role, being the basis of faith. In Judaism, however, miracles can never be the basis of faith in G-d. The Torah says that if a person appears before the people and declares that G-d appeared to him, that he is a prophet, shows supernatural miracles, and then begins to instruct people to violate something from the Torah, then this person should be killed as a false prophet ( Devarim 13:2-6).

Eighth difference. Judaism believes that a person begins life with " clean slate” and that he can receive good in this world. Christianity believes that man is inherently wicked, burdened with Original Sin. This prevents him from achieving virtue, and so he must turn to Jesus as his savior.

Ninth difference. Christianity is based on the premise that the Messiah has already come in the form of Jesus. Judaism believes that the Messiah is yet to come. One of the reasons why Judaism cannot believe that the Messiah has already come is that in the Jewish view the messianic times will be marked by significant changes in the world. Even if these changes occur naturally and not supernaturally, then universal harmony and recognition of G-d will reign in the world. Since, according to Judaism, no changes occurred in the world with the appearance of Jesus, then, according to the Jewish definition of the Messiah, he has not yet come.

Tenth difference. Since Christianity is aimed exclusively at the next world, the Christian attitude towards the human body and its desires is similar to the attitude towards ungodly temptations. Since the next world is a world of souls, and it is the soul that distinguishes man from other creatures, Christianity believes that man is obliged to nourish his soul, and neglect his body as much as possible. And this is the way to achieve holiness. Judaism recognizes that the soul is more important, but one cannot neglect the desires of one's body. So instead of trying to deny the body and completely suppress physical desires, Judaism turns the fulfillment of these desires into a holy act. The Holiest Christian priests and the Pope take a vow of celibacy, while for a Jew creating a family and procreating a family is a holy act. While in Christianity the ideal of holiness is a vow of poverty, in Judaism, wealth, on the contrary, is a positive quality.

I dare to add an eleventh distinction to Rabbi Nachum Amsel.

In Christianity, a person is responsible for the sins he has committed before God; they can be corrected by repentance and confession before a priest, who is endowed with the power, in the name of God and Jesus Christ, to let them go in peace. In Judaism, sins are divided into two categories: sins against G-d and sins against man. Sins committed against G-d are forgiven after a person’s sincere repentance before the Almighty himself (no intermediaries are allowed in this matter). But even the Almighty himself does not forgive crimes against a person; only the offended party, that is, another person, can forgive such crimes. Thus, a person is necessarily responsible to G‑d, but this does not exempt him from responsibility to people.
Jewish roots of Christianity. First of all, we must note the form of worship in Christianity, which has signs of Jewish origin and influence. The very concept of church ritual, namely the gathering of believers for prayer, the reading of Holy Scripture and a sermon, follows the example of worship in the synagogue. Reading passages from the Bible is the Christian version of reading the Torah and the Book of the Prophets in the synagogue. The Psalms, in particular, play very important role, both in Catholic and Orthodox liturgy. Many early Christian prayers are excerpts or adaptations of Jewish originals. And what can we say about many wordings in prayers, like “Amen”, “Hallelujah”, etc.

If we turn to one of the central events of the New Testament - the Last Supper, we will see that there is a description of the real Passover seder, obligatory for every Jew on the holiday of Passover.

Needless to say, the very existence of similarities did more than just exacerbate the conflict. It became impossible for the Jews to consider Christians as mere bearers of an unfamiliar and completely alien religion, since they laid claim to the heritage of Israel, tending to deprive the Jewish people of the reality and authenticity of their religious existence.

PAVEL ARYE

The reason for the tragic tension between Christianity and Judaism cannot be explained simply by differences in religious beliefs and dogmas, which also exist in relation to all other religions. If you look from the Jewish side, you can assume that the reason is a long history of Christian persecution. However, this is not the root cause, since persecution is a consequence of an already existing conflict between Christianity and Judaism. This problem is more relevant than ever in our time.

A time to reflect on the future of relations between Jews and Christians. After all, only now have representatives of Christian churches openly admitted that the cause of crimes against Jews is primarily religious intolerance. In the 20th century, anti-Semitism took on a form that was dangerous to Christianity itself. Then certain circles of the Christian world began to reconsider their positions.

Yet Christianity is different from Judaism, otherwise it cannot be a different religion. The outstanding scholar of our time, Rabbi Nachum Amsel, cites ten such differences.

Third difference. The core belief of Judaism is the belief in one G-d. There cannot be any other higher power in the world except G‑d. In addition to believing in the concept of God, Christianity believes in the concept of Satan as the source of evil, which is a force opposed to G-d. Judaism is very specific about the belief that evil, like good, comes from G-d and not from another force. A verse from the Holy Scripture reads: “I [G-d] create the world and cause disasters.” (Ishayahu, 45:7). The Talmud tells the Jew that when trouble comes, the Jew must recognize G‑d as the Just Judge. Thus, the Jewish reaction to obvious evil is to attribute its origin to G‑d and not to any other force.

Sixth difference. Judaism believes that every person has a personal relationship with G‑d and that every person can communicate directly with G‑d on a daily basis. In Catholicism, priests and the Pope serve as intermediaries between G-d and man. Unlike Christianity, where the clergy is endowed with sublime holiness and a special relationship with G-d, in Judaism there are absolutely no religious actions that a rabbi can perform that any individual Jew cannot perform. Thus, contrary to what many people believe, a rabbi does not have to be present at a Jewish funeral, a Jewish wedding (the ceremony can be performed without a rabbi), or when performing other religious activities. The word "rabbi" means "teacher." Although rabbis have the authority to make official decisions about Jewish law, a Jew who is sufficiently trained can also make decisions about Jewish law without receiving orders. Thus, there is nothing unique (from a religious point of view) about being a rabbi as a member of the Jewish clergy.

Eighth difference. Judaism believes that a person begins life with a “clean slate” and that he can achieve good in this world. Christianity believes that man is inherently wicked, burdened with Original Sin. This prevents him from achieving virtue, and so he must turn to Jesus as his savior.

Jewish roots of Christianity. First of all, we must note the form of worship in Christianity, which has signs of Jewish origin and influence. The very concept of church ritual, namely the gathering of believers for prayer, the reading of Holy Scripture and a sermon, follows the example of worship in the synagogue. Reading passages from the Bible is the Christian version of reading the Torah and the Book of the Prophets in the synagogue. The Psalms, in particular, play a very important role in both Catholic and Orthodox liturgy. Many early Christian prayers are excerpts or adaptations of Jewish originals. And what can we say about many wordings in prayers, like “Amen”, “Hallelujah”, etc.

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The reason for the tragic tension between Christianity and Judaism cannot be explained simply by differences in religious beliefs and dogmas, which also exist in relation to all other religions. If you look from the Jewish side, you can assume that the reason is a long history of Christian persecution. However, this is not the root cause, since persecution is a consequence of the already existing conflict between Christianity and Judaism. This problem is more relevant than ever in our time.

Yet Christianity is different from Judaism, otherwise it cannot be a different religion. The outstanding scholar of our time, Rabbi Nachum Amsel, cites ten such differences.

Third difference. The core belief of Judaism is the belief in one G-d. There cannot be any other higher power in the world except G‑d. In addition to believing in the concept of God, Christianity believes in the concept of Satan as the source of evil, which is a force opposed to G-d. Judaism is very specific about the belief that evil, like good, comes from G-d and not from another force. A verse from the Holy Scripture reads: “I [G-d] create the world and cause disasters.” (Ishayahu, 45:7). The Talmud tells the Jew that when trouble comes, the Jew must recognize G‑d as the Just Judge. Thus, the Jewish reaction to obvious evil is to attribute its origin to G‑d and not to any other force.

Sixth difference. Judaism believes that every person has a personal relationship with G‑d and that every person can communicate directly with G‑d on a daily basis. In Catholicism, priests and the Pope serve as intermediaries between G-d and man. Unlike Christianity, where the clergy is endowed with sublime holiness and a special relationship with G-d, in Judaism there are absolutely no religious actions that a rabbi can perform that any individual Jew cannot perform. Thus, contrary to what many people believe, a rabbi does not have to be present at a Jewish funeral, a Jewish wedding (the ceremony can be performed without a rabbi), or when performing other religious activities. The word "rabbi" means "teacher." Although rabbis have the authority to make official decisions about Jewish law, a Jew who is sufficiently trained can also make decisions about Jewish law without receiving orders. Thus, there is nothing unique (from a religious point of view) about being a rabbi as a member of the Jewish clergy.

Jews and Christians... What is the difference between them? They are followers of related faiths belonging to the Abrahamic religions. But many differences in their understanding of the world often led them to hostility and persecution from both sides. Tensions between Jews and Christians have existed since ancient times. But in modern world both religions are moving toward reconciliation. Let's look at why the Jews persecuted the first Christians. What was the reason for centuries-old hostility and wars?

Relations between Jews and Christians in the early period

According to some researchers, Jesus and his disciples professed a doctrine close to the sectarian movements of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Christianity initially recognized the Jewish Tanakh as sacred scripture, which is why at the beginning of the 1st century it was considered an ordinary Jewish sect. And only later, when Christianity began to spread throughout the world, it was recognized as a separate religion - the successor of Judaism.

But even in the first stages of the formation of an independent church, the attitude of Jews towards Christians was not very friendly. Often Jews provoked the Roman authorities to persecute believers. Later, in the books of the New Testament, Jews were attributed full responsibility for the torment of Jesus and their persecution of Christians was recorded. This became the reason for the negative attitude of the followers of the new religion towards the Jews. And later used by many Christian fundamentalists to justify anti-Semitic actions in many countries. Since the 2nd century AD. e. Negative sentiments towards Jews in Christian communities only increased.

Christianity and Judaism in modern times

For many centuries, strained relations existed between the two religions, which often resulted in mass persecution. Such incidents include Crusades and the preceding persecution of Jews in Europe, as well as the Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazis during World War II.

Relationship between two religious movements began to improve in the 60s of the twentieth century. Then the Catholic Church officially changed its attitude towards the Jewish people, eliminating anti-Semitic elements from many prayers. In 1965, the Vatican adopted a declaration “On the attitude of the Church towards non-Christian religions” (Nostra Aetate). In it, the thousand-year-old accusation against the Jews for the death of Jesus was lifted and all anti-Semitic views were condemned.

Pope Paul VI asked forgiveness from non-Christian peoples (including Jews) for centuries of persecution by the church. The Jews themselves are loyal to Christians and consider them a related Abrahamic religion. And although some religious customs and teachings are incomprehensible to them, they still favor the spread of the basic elements of Judaism among all peoples of the world.

Is there one God for Jews and Christians?

Christianity as an independent religion is based on the dogmas and beliefs of the Jewish people. Jesus himself and most of his apostles were Jews and were raised in Jewish traditions. As you know, the Christian Bible consists of two parts: the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is the basis Jewish religion(Tanakh is the sacred scripture of the Jews), and New Testament are the teachings of Jesus and his followers. Therefore, for both Christians and Jews, the basis of their religions is the same, and they worship the same God, only they observe different rituals. The very name of God both in the Bible and in the Tanakh is Yahweh, which is translated into Russian as “Existent.”

How are Jews different from Christians? First of all, let's look at the main differences between their worldviews. For Christians there are three main dogmas:

The original sin of all people.
Second coming of Jesus.
Atonement for human sins by the death of Jesus.

These dogmas are designed to solve the main problems of humanity from the Christian point of view. The Jews do not recognize them in principle, and for them these difficulties do not exist.

Different attitudes towards sins

First of all, the difference between Jews and Christians is in the perception of sin. Christians believe that every person is born with original sin and only throughout life can he atone for it. Jews, on the contrary, believe that every person is born innocent, and only he himself makes the choice - to sin or not to sin.

Ways to atone for sins

Due to the difference in worldview, the next difference appears - atonement for sins. Christians believe that Jesus atoned for all the sins of people through his sacrifice. And for those actions that the believer himself has committed, he bears personal responsibility before the Almighty. He can atone for them only by repenting to the clergyman, since only representatives of the Church in the name of God are endowed with the power to forgive sins.

The Jews believe that only by their deeds and actions can a person achieve forgiveness. They divide sins into two types:

committed against the orders of God;
crimes against another person.

The first are forgiven if the Jew sincerely regrets and repents of them to the Most High. But in this matter there are no intermediaries in the person of priests, like Christians. Other sins are crimes that a Jew committed against another person. In this case, the Almighty limits his power and cannot grant forgiveness. A Jew must beg for it exclusively from the person he has offended. Thus, Judaism speaks of separate responsibility: for offenses against another person and for sins and disrespect for God.

Because of such differences in views, the following contradiction arises: Jesus' forgiveness of all sins. For Christians, he is endowed with the power to forgive the sins of all who repent. But even if a Jew can equate Jesus with God, such behavior still fundamentally violates the laws. After all, as mentioned above, a Jew cannot ask God for forgiveness for sins committed against another person. He himself must make amends to him.

Attitude to other world religious movements

Almost all religions in the world adhere to the same doctrine - only those people who believe in the true God can go to Heaven. And those who believe in another Lord are essentially deprived of this right. To some extent, Christianity also adheres to this doctrine. Jews have a more loyal attitude towards other religions. From the point of view of Judaism, anyone who follows the 7 basic commandments that Moses received from God can go to Heaven. Since they are universal, a person does not have to believe in the Torah. These seven commandments include:

The belief that the world was created by one God.
Don't blaspheme.
Obey the laws.
Don't worship idols.
Don't steal.
Don't commit adultery.
Do not eat from living things.

Compliance with these basic laws allows a representative of another religion to enter Paradise without being a Jew. If you take it in general outline, then Judaism is loyal to monotheistic religions such as Islam and Christianity, but does not accept paganism due to polytheism and idolatry.

On what principles is a person’s connection with God based?

Jews and Christians also look differently at ways of communicating with the Almighty. What is the difference? In Christianity, priests appear as intermediaries between man and God. The clergy is endowed with special privileges and exalted in holiness. Thus, in Christianity there are many rituals that an ordinary person does not have the right to perform on his own. Fulfilling them is the exclusive role of the priest, which is a fundamental difference from Judaism.

Jews do not have one that is performed exclusively by a rabbi. At weddings, funerals or other events, the presence of a clergyman is not required. Any Jew can perform the necessary rituals. Even the very concept of “rabbi” is translated as teacher. That is, simply a person with extensive experience who knows the rules of Jewish law well.

The same applies to the Christian belief in Jesus as the only savior. After all, the Son of God himself claimed that only he could lead people to the Lord. And, accordingly, Christianity is based on the fact that only through faith in Jesus can one come to God. Judaism looks at this problem differently. And as stated earlier, anyone, even a non-Judaizer, can approach God directly.

Difference in the perception of good and evil

Jews and Christians have completely different perceptions of good and evil. What is the difference? In Christianity, the concept of Satan, the Devil, plays a big role. This huge, powerful force is the source of evil and all earthly troubles. In Christianity, Satan is presented as a force opposite to God.

This is the next difference, since the main belief of Judaism is the belief in one omnipotent God. From the Jewish point of view, there cannot be any higher power other than God. Accordingly, a Jew will not separate good into God’s will, and evil into the machinations of evil spirits. He perceives God as a fair judge, rewarding good deeds and punishing sins.

Attitude towards original sin

In Christianity there is such a thing as original sin. The ancestors of mankind disobeyed God's will in the Garden of Eden, for which they were expelled from paradise. Because of this, all newborns are initially considered sinful. In Judaism, it is believed that a child is born innocent and can safely receive blessings in this world. And only the person himself determines whether he will sin or live righteously.

Attitude to worldly life and worldly comforts

Also, Jews and Christians have completely different attitudes towards worldly life and consolations. What is the difference? In Christianity, the very purpose of human existence is considered to be life for the sake of the next world. Of course, Jews believe in the world to come, but the main task of human life is to improve the existing one.

These concepts are clearly visible in the attitude of both religions to worldly desires, the desires of the body. In Christianity they are equated with ungodly temptations and sin. People believe that the next world can only be reached by a pure soul not subject to temptation. This means that a person must nourish the spiritual as much as possible, thereby neglecting worldly desires. Therefore, the Pope and priests take a vow of celibacy, renouncing worldly pleasures in order to achieve greater holiness.

The Jews also recognize that the soul is more important, but do not consider it right to completely renounce the desires of the body. Instead, they turn their performance into a holy act. Therefore, the Christian vow of celibacy seems to Jews to be a strong departure from religious canons. After all, creating a family and procreation is a holy act for a Jew.

The two religions have the same different attitudes towards material wealth and wealth. For Christianity, taking a vow of poverty is an ideal of holiness. Whereas for Judas, accumulation of wealth is a positive quality.

In conclusion, I would like to say that Jews and Christians, the differences between whom we have examined, should not be pitted against each other. In the modern world, each person can understand the holy scriptures in his own way. And he has every right to do so.

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