The Interfaith Marriage Between Christianity And Judaism

An interfaith marriage is a marriage between two people who come from different religious backgrounds. Growing up in an interfaith family, my mom Christian, and my dad Jewish, has always fascinated me. My parents decided when my sisters and I were very young, that my mom would stay home and raise my sisters and I, while my dad worked. Because of this decision, my parents decided that my sisters and I would be raised catholic because my mom would be able to teach us about the catholic faith. My sisters and I grew up going to church and attending catholic school on Sunday mornings, where we learned more about the catholic faith.

From growing up in an interfaith family, my family celebrates both Christian and Jewish holidays. We celebrate Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, Passover, Christmas, and Easter. It is has been very unique growing up in an interfaith family because I have learned not just about the Christian faith, but also, I have learned about the Jewish faith as well.

From learning about the two religions, I have seen the connections between the Christian and Jewish religions. Not many people understand how closely related Christianity and Judaism are. There are so many similarities and differences between Christianity and Judaism. In order to see all of the similarities and differences, we have to go back to when Christianity and Judaism were just beginning to evolve, which was more than 2,000 years ago.

The connections between Christianity and Judaism start out when Judaism was just beginning to evolve. The Jewish faith, which is also called Judaism, started nearly 4,000 years ago. According to Jews, “Judaism is more than a religion. It is also a way of living and thinking, a body of literature, a society, a musical, a tradition, a language, and a history that stretches back over 4,000 years”(Lewinsky, Adam, 9). The importance of this opening sentence of the first chapter of this book is about how Jews see Judaism. Jews look at Judaism as way more than a religion, they look at Judaism as a way to live. One element of Christianity and Judaism that makes the two religions different is through the religious beliefs.

Judaism revolves around their beliefs, laws, and teachings, which are all be found in the Tanakh. Another name for the Tanakh is the Hebrew Bible. These beliefs, laws, and teachings that are found in the Tanakh, “have provided the framework for a practical and spiritual way of life for its followers since the origins of Judaism thousands of years ago”(Lewinsky, 9). Just like how Christians use the Bible, Jews use the Tanakh.

Besides for the Tanakh, there are also three very important principles of Judaism, “God, the Torah, and the land of Israel”(Lewinsky, 9). Judaism revolves around the belief that there is only one God. The belief is that God is, “the creator who is eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, and loving”(Lewinsky, 9). What is interesting about Judaism is that it was and still is considered the first monotheistic religion. This means that Judaism was the first religion to teach the idea that there is only one God. The second principle, which is the Torah, is based off of the belief that, “the word of God was revealed directly to the prophet Moses on Mount Sinai and was written down by him as the five books of the Torah”(Lewinsky, 10). The Torah is the first division of the Tanakh, which translates to the word, “law.” The Torah is also known for its teachings as well as the laws. Within the Torah, there are the first 5 books of the Tanakh, which are also called, “Five Books of Moses,” because it is said that Moses was the author of these 5 books. The laws found in the Torah, which also include their interpretation of the ten commandments are still followed by many Jews today. The third principle is based on the belief that God made an agreement with the Jewish ancestors, by making them, “ a kingdom of priests and a holy people”(Lewinsky, 10). Based on this belief, they also believed that God made a promise to give them land, which the Jews believe lies along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. This land is known as the “Promised Land” and is within Israel. Today, the “Promised Land” is known as Jerusalem.

One more thing that Jews believe in is that someday, God will send the “Messiah.” The word Messiah comes from the Hebrew word, “Mashiah,” which means the anointed one. The Jews believe that the Messiah will be sent by God in order to unite people, and bring peace, justice, and equal rights to the world. Besides for bringing peace, justice, and equal rights, they also believe that the Messiah will be able to restore, “Temple in Jerusalem and all its rituals, and will also mark the establishment of God’s Kingdom on Earth”(Lewinsky, 12). These are just some of the beliefs of Judaism. Judaism beliefs differ from Christianity beliefs.

Christianity beliefs are different from Judaism beliefs because Christianity beliefs revolve around the teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus’s teachings were, “God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength”(Bowen, 9). Jesus also taught that it was very important to follow the teachings of God. Because of this, Jesus tried to get people to, “accept God into their lives”(Bowen, 10). To teach, Jesus used parables, which were stories of everyday situations that related to the people who were living during his time. He also used miracles to teach. The first connection between Judaism and Christianity can be seen through Jesus’s teachings by miracles. According to Bowen, “Miracles were not new in the Jewish tradition; they were signs of the power of God”(Bowen, 11). Because miracles were not new in the Jewish faith, Jesus used miracles as a way to show the power God had. The Christian Gospels revolve around three important words, “Look, listen, and understand,”(Bowen, 13) because they were words that related to Jesus’s teachings.

The earliest difference one can see between Christianity and Judaism is through the life of Jesus. Jesus was born into a Jewish family, and throughout Jesus’s life, he was Jewish. Throughout his life, he would go around and teach the importance of obeying God. The problem was that while some Jews accepted Jesus’s teachings, others disagreed with his teachings. Another problem was that Jesus’s followers believed that he was the Messiah. However, his followers misunderstood his teachings. While they thought Jesus was sent to free the Jews from the Roman’s and create a kingdom on Earth, Jesus was actually sent to save humanity from their sins. Jewish authorities disagreed with Jesus’s claim that he was, “the Son of God”(Bowen, 29). This is what created the main difference between Christianity and Judaism.

Judaism did not and still does not accept the teachings of Jesus because they believe that only God could forgive sins. The result of this belief led to Jesus being sentenced to death by the Jewish authorities. “Christians believe that three days after he was crucified, Jesus rose from the dead and is alive today”(Bowen, 13). Not only do Christians believe that Jesus rose on the third day, but they also believe that Jesus was the only son of God and was sent by God to teach what it meant to be a human being. This is another belief that separates Christianity and Judaism.

There are some arguments within Christianity. For example, “Most Christians believe that Jesus rising from the dead is literally true—a historical fact. Others believe it is a way of describing how powerfully his followers felt him to be with them after his death”(Bowen, 13). Even with this argument, Christians can still agree that Jesus is the son of God. Based on this belief, Christians believe that there has only been one God. “However, they refer to God in three ways: as the Father Creator, as the Son, Jesus Christ, and as the Holy Spirit, the power of God that people feel and experience in their lives”(Bowen, 14). This is very different than what Jews believe in because they only look at God as one. They do not have three separate references of God.