What do Judaism and Christianity share?

One God, the Hebrew Scriptures (the Tanakh, which Christians call the Old Testament), the story of Israel, and the hope of a Messiah from David's line. Christianity was born within Judaism; Jesus and his first followers were all Jews.

What is the main difference between Judaism and Christianity?

Whether Jesus is the Messiah, and who he is. Judaism awaits a human Davidic king who visibly brings the age of peace; Christianity confesses Jesus as the Messiah who comes twice and is also God with us.

Is this content respectful of Judaism?

That is our aim. Living Bread is openly Christian, but we represent Jewish belief accurately from Jewish sources, mark Christian readings as interpretations, reject all anti-Jewish contempt, and simply invite honest reading. A Jewish reader should be able to say we described their faith fairly.

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Christianity & Judaism: The Messiah, the Hebrew Bible, and Jesus the Jew

Christianity was born within Judaism. Jesus, his mother, and his first followers were Jews; the Hebrew Bible is the Christian Old Testament. The two faiths share one God, the Scriptures of Israel, and the hope of a Messiah, and differ over whether Jesus is that Messiah. This is a respectful, primary-source walk through what each tradition teaches, and where they honestly part.

We write this mindful of a long and painful history in which Christians wronged the Jewish people. We reject that history utterly. One cannot love a Jewish Messiah and despise his people (Romans 11). Everything here is offered in respect, and as an invitation, never a demand.

What we hold in common

The oneness of God, “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4), the Scriptures of Israel, the moral vision of the prophets, and the longing for the day when God sets the world right.

Explore the questions

Was Jesus Jewish?Yes, unmistakably. Jesus was a first-century Jew, born to a Jewish mother, circumcised on the ei…The MessiahBoth Jews and Christians hope for the Messiah, God's anointed king from the line of David. In Ju…Isaiah 53Isaiah 53 describes a servant of God who is despised, suffers, and bears the sins of others. It …Son of DavidGod promised King David that one of his descendants would reign on an everlasting throne (2 Samu…Passover and JesusPassover (Pesach) remembers God delivering Israel from slavery in Egypt, when the blood of a lam…The Hebrew BibleThe Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh (Torah, Prophets, and Writings), is Judaism's Scripture and also th…Why Jesus is MessiahChristians believe Jesus is the Messiah because of his descent from David, the pattern of suffer…

Frequently asked questions

What do Judaism and Christianity share?: One God, the Hebrew Scriptures (the Tanakh, which Christians call the Old Testament), the story of Israel, and the hope of a Messiah from David's line. Christianity was born within Judaism; Jesus and his first followers were all Jews.
What is the main difference between Judaism and Christianity?: Whether Jesus is the Messiah, and who he is. Judaism awaits a human Davidic king who visibly brings the age of peace; Christianity confesses Jesus as the Messiah who comes twice and is also God with us.
Is this content respectful of Judaism?: That is our aim. Living Bread is openly Christian, but we represent Jewish belief accurately from Jewish sources, mark Christian readings as interpretations, reject all anti-Jewish contempt, and simply invite honest reading. A Jewish reader should be able to say we described their faith fairly.

Come and see

Jesus, his mother, and his first followers were all Jews who loved the Scriptures of Israel. The most honest way to know who he was is to read the accounts of his life. There is no pressure here.

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