Key Differences Between Christianity And Judaism

 In my previous video, we discussed about the similarities between Christianity and Judaism, we mentioned how these two religions are both monotheistic and pointed out other things these two faiths share in common but in today's video, we will be looking at the differences between the two religions. 

The first difference is in their beliefs on the role of Jesus.  Beliefs about Jesus are the most widely known differences between Judaism and Christianity. Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God who was crucified, died and resurrected three days later. They recognise Jesus as the Messiah who came among men to announce the Kingdom of Heaven and died on the cross to cleanse the whole of humanity from its sins.

But for Jews, Jesus was merely a prophet and not the messiah. They still await the arrival of the true Messiah who will come to Earth to save the Jewish people and usher in a new era of peace, harmony and happiness. Since they do not recognise the importance of the passion of Jesus’ death, the symbol of the cross has no particular religious value for the Jews.

The second difference is in their places of worship. Christians practice their worship in the church every Sunday. The church is a physical place where the adherents gather in faith in Christ. Jews instead gather in the Synagogue every Saturday to observe their Sabbath.

The third difference is in their views about the scriptures. The Jews make references mainly to the Old Testament and in particular, the first five books of the Bible known as the Pentateuch which they refer to as the Torah. The books that make up the Torah are  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.  

These books tell the foundation of the Jewish people and the history of the Covenant with God. They do not recognise the New Testament, as it is centred on Jesus, which they do not accept as the Messiah. But the Christian Bible is composed of both the  Old Testament and the New Testament.

The third difference is in their views about God. In Christianity, God is viewed as a Holy Trinity, consisting of the Father, the Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. But the Jewish people reject the belief of trinity. They believe that God is one and cannot be divided into separate parts. They see the concept of trinity to be contradictory to the idea  of monotheism which is a belief in one single God. They believe that Christians are worshipping three Gods and therefore committing adultery.

The fourth difference is in their symbols. The most recognizable symbol of Christianity is the cross while the most recognizable symbol of Judaism is the star of David. Jews don't recognize the cross since they don't agree in the crucifixion of Jesus.

Now you know the differences between Christianity and Judaism. Thanks and God bless.