Judaism is an incredibly ancient religion.

Its history spans since 1800 BCE and is s=ll widely

prac=ced today. Chris=anity is a certain belief that originated in Judaism, however, which separated

from it due to some basic conflict of belief. This paper aims to explore some of the similari=es and

differences between the two religions.

The first, and perhaps most well known similarity between Chris=anity and Judaism is that their

scriptures heavily overlap. The Old Testament of the Chris=an Scriptures, contains largely the same

books as the Jewish Scriptures. The first five books of the Holy Bible are called the Torah in Judaism and

tell the stories of crea=on as well as how one is to live in Judaism. The difference between Judaism and

Chris=anity in rela=on to scripture is that Chris=anity has a New Testament, which abolishes many rules

of the old to make way for a more faith-based religion as opposed to an almost en=rely acts-based

religion. The scriptures in both Judaism and Chris=anity provide a great deal of commonality and

overlap.

The second similarity is that Jesus Himself was a Jew. The Jews who later became Chris=ans

knew Him as the Messiah and Lord who had been long awaited in earlier =mes. He was known as a

Rabbinic Jew, and was indeed a Rabbi Himself. His followers admired Him for His great wisdom, and they

took many lessons from His teaching. Later, aPer the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles,

Chris=ans s=ll iden=fied as Jews, un=l a split occurred. However, the Catholic Church acknowledges the

Jews to be our forefathers in faith. This is a fact which can never be denied by the Church, otherwise she

would be denying her history. Jesus’ Jewish heritage gives Chris=ans and Jews a great deal of

commonality.

The third, and perhaps most striking similarity, is that both Judaism and Chris=anity are

monotheis=c religions, meaning that they believe in the existence of a sole omnipotent Deity. Religions

of ancient =mes largely help believed in many gods, however Judaism was a groundbreaker as it was the

first popular religion to believe in a single Deity. Chris=ans held onto this belief, although by extension

believing in the Holy Trinity, three Persons yet one God. The monotheis=c beliefs of Chris=anity and

Judaism hold them very closely together.

In conclusion, the similari=es between Judaism and Chris=anity cannot be ignored. They are

much too poignant and important. They bring Chris=ans and Jews closer together than with any other
non-Chris=an religion. The similari=es have even moved the Catholic Church to give a high degree of

respect for the Jews. Chris=ans and Jews should always be grateful for each other and should have a

mutual respect for one another which they could not hold with any other religion.