As we look at the Jewish and the Christian faiths, both of which trace their origins back past Abraham and Moses, to the original stories of Genesis and the Garden of Eden, we notice basic similarities and major differences between the two religions. This paper will attempt to highlight those similarities and differences, illustrating major points in each religion and contrasting them, in order to come to a higher understanding of each religion and their relationship to each other.

Judaism is the faith of a people, in a people and as such, does not qualify itself so much as a religion as a group of people who follow the same traditions, laws, and beliefs. “Judaism does not characterize it

self as a religion. The subject of the Tanakh is the history of the Children of Israel, especially in terms of their relationship with God. Thus, Judaism has been categorized as a culture or as a civilization.”3 However, Christianity is a faith in faith, in an idea or ideal. The purely theological aspect of Christianity is one of the many differences between the two religions, and also one of the most important. There is no concept of national identity in Christianity the way there is in Judaism, nor does Christianity permeate everyday life quite in the same way Judaism does.

The trappings and institutions of both religions are similar yet they differ as well. The Christian Churches and the Jewish Synagogues serve the same purpose. They are both houses of God, holy to their religions, place where one can worship and pray to God. Both the Church and the Synagogue are the centers of religious life in their respective religions. The Church does present some elements that will never be found in a Synagogue, such as the representation of Jesus and other mystical figures, something Judaism considers idolatry. The rites and rituals presented in Christianity also go against Jewish sensibilities, with the presentation of the Eucharist as the blood and body of Jesus, which is in direct conflict with Jewish dietary laws. The labels attached to religious leaders, as well as the Christian hierarchy (especially in Roman Catholicism) are also vastly different from the Jewish traditions.

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