Judeo-Christian
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Judeo-Christian (or Judaeo-Christian) is a term used to describe the body of concepts and values which are thought to be held in common by Judaism and Christianity, and typically considered (sometimes along with classical Greco-Roman civilization) a fundamental basis for Western legal codes and moral values. In particular, the term refers to the common Old Testament/Tanakh (which is a basis of both moral traditions, including particularly the Ten Commandments); and implies a common set of values present in the modern Western World.
Compare with Ebionites and Judaizers.
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[edit] Historical background
Christianity emerged from Judaism in the century after the death of Herod the Great. Christians brought from Judaism its scriptures; fundamental doctrines such as monotheism; the belief in a Messiah, a term that is more commonly known as Christ (χριστοςchristos in Greek) and means 'anointed one'; form of worship, including a priesthood, concepts of sacred space and sacred time, the idea that worship here on Earth is patterned after worship in Heaven, and the use of the Psalms in community prayer. Christianity dropped some fundamental Jewish practices, among them the Jewish covenant on male circumcision, keeping of Sabbath, and the keeping of kashrut (in general, only general ethics of the Written Torah of Judaism transferred into Christianity; most of the Law and traditions of the Oral Torah did not). One of the most significant early Christian preachers, Paul of Tarsus, himself a Jew and a Roman citizen, made a point of preaching to the gentiles of the contributing to the religion's spread.
For a systematic comparison of the two religions see: Judaism and Christianity
[edit] Etymological background
The first-known uses of the terms "Judæo-Christian" and "Judaeo-Christianity", according to the Oxford English Dictionary, are 1899 and 1910 respectively, but both were discussing the emergence of Christianity from Judaism. The term was first used with its current meaning in 1938, during World War II[1] to as an alternative to using the term 'Christian civilization' in light of Hitler's attacks on Jews and Judaism. Some assert that the term was invented in the United States in an attempt to create a non-denominational religious consensus or civil religion that, by embracing Judaism, avoided the appearance of anti-Semitism.
The term is now commonly used in popular culture as a shorthand for the predominant religious influences upon Western culture.
[edit] Basis of a common concept of the two religions
Judaism and Christianity have many areas of agreement.
Supporters of the Judaeo-Christian concept point to the Christian claim that Christianity is the heir to Biblical Judaism, and that the whole logic of Christianity as a religion is that it exists (only) as a religion built upon Judaism. In addition, although the order of the books in the Christian Old Testament and the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) is different, the books are the same. The majority of the Old Testament is in fact Jewish scripture, and is used as moral and spiritual teaching material throughout the Christian world. The prophets, patriarchs, and heroes of the Jewish scripture are also known in Christianity, and unlike Islam which uses their identities but changes their actions and lives, Christianity uses the Jewish text as the basis for its understanding of Judaeo-Christian patriarchs, prophets and heroes such as Abraham, Elijah and Moses. As a result a vast chunk of Jewish and Christian teaching is based on the same inspiration.
Fundamental parts of Christianity based on the Jewish tradition include:
- Monotheism
- Most of the Old Testament is Jewish scripture
- The Ten Commandments
- The concept of covenant
- The concept of atonement
- Observing a sabbath day
[edit] Use of term in United States law
In the legal case of Marsh v. Chambers, 463 U.S. 783 (1983), the United States Supreme Court held that a state legislature could constitutionally have a paid chaplain conduct legislative prayers "in the Judeo-Christian tradition." In Simpson v. Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, No. 04-1045 (4th Cir. 2005), the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Supreme Court's holding in the Marsh case permitting legislative bodies to conduct prayer in the "Judeo-Christian tradition" entitled Chesterfield County's Board of Supervisors to limit the clergy it invited to lead its legislative prayers to members of monotheistic religions. It held that Chesterfield County could constitutionally exclude Cynthia Simpson, a Wiccan priestess, from leading its legislative prayers, because her faith was not "in the Judeo-Christian tradition." Chesterfield County's Board included Jewish, Christian, and Moslem clergy in its invited list.
[edit] Criticism of the term
The term Judeo-Christian has been criticized by some observers on various grounds.
[edit] General criticism
The term Judeo-Christian has been criticized for implying more commonality than actually exists. In The Myth of the Judeo-Christian Tradition, Jewish theologian-novelist Arthur A. Cohen questions the theological appropriateness of the term and suggests that it was essentially an invention of American politics. [2].
It has also been criticized by some for excluding or marginalizing Islam, the third major Abrahamic religion. (See below.)
In its political applications, the term is also criticized for over-emphasizing the role of Judaism and Christianity in Western political theory, especially to the exclusion of other predecessor and concurrent schools of thought. In the United States particularly, it is noted that few of the Founding Fathers were Jewish, several were Deists, and that the Enlightenment, religious pluralism, and other philosophies were as influential as either of the religions' holy scriptures. Characterizations of the United States or the West generally as "Judeo-Christian," thus, are often met with criticism that these groups were singled out arbitrarily, and that the hybrid represents more of a political compromise than an accurate description.
There are of course differences between Judaism and Christianity, such as different ceremonies, but this does not necessarily challenge the concept of Judaeo-Christian commonalities.
Judaism is to an extent tied to a specific land, while Christianity is more of a pan-religion like Islam, although Christianity identifies with the "Holy Land", and Jews live worldwide and can convert from any nation.
Christianity has no concept of the Mishna or Talmud (Oral Law)and has not availed itself of the commentary builtup over the last 2000 years by Jewish sources e.g. by Rashi.
[edit] Exclusion of Islam
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While Islam is considered to be the third major religion to trace its roots to the Judeo-Christian culture, the term "Judeo-Christian" does not include Islam in the title specifically. While Islam has similar beliefs and values, it is often seen to have quite different ideas, and is not referred to as "Judeo-Christian". The terms Judeo-Islamic or Judeo-Christo-Islamic are used to more fully incorporate Islam into this umbrella.
Unlike Muslims, who consider their religion to be a continuation of Judaism and Christianity, both Jews and Christians tend to be unconvinced by the claims of Islam to belong to the same moral tradition, seeing Muslim ethics as entirely different, and connected to Judaism and Christianity only by the claims of Islam to supersede them both.
Many support the rejection of Islam in the term Judaeo-Christian, since Islam lacks basic features in doctrine that Judaism and Christianity share, and also because they believe that Judaism and Christianity has shaped the cultural settings of Europe while Islam has been outside of this development, and if it had any influence, it was a negative one.
The term Judeo-Christian values is commonly used in the West, and many Muslim scholars view this term as emblematic of a disconnect between Western-culture Christianity and Islam. Attempts have been made to unite this split, followed closely by attempts to discredit them. The term Judeo-Christian-Islamic has been coined to describe the values shared by the common history of the three religions. This term has been used, for example, by Abrahamic faith gatherings held in various cities of the U.S., which are designed to promote mutual understanding, and have drawn the limited participation of Christians, Jews, and Muslims.
Some argue that this term is appropriate, since some say that one faith "builds" on the previous faith.
Jews believe in the authority and authenticity of the Torah (five books of Moses), Tanakh (The Hebrew Bible) and an oral law that explains how the Tanakh is to be understood. Building on this, Christians believe in the authority and authenticity of the Torah (five books of Moses), Tanakh (The Hebrew Bible), yet become a distinct religion because they reject the Jewish oral law (at least the majority), and add the New Testament, and recognize Jesus as both the Messiah and as being the Son of God Himself, in the Trinity. Some people in the west believe that the same scheme links Islam with Judaism and Christianity. That is, they believe that Muslims believe in the authority and authenticity of the Torah (five books of Moses), Tanakh (The Hebrew Bible), the New Testament, and recognize Jesus as a messiah; in this view Islam differs because Muslims add to this a belief in the authority and authenticity of the Quran, and reject Jewish and Christian concepts of God.
However, a problem with this schema is that Muslims simply do not have such beliefs. The above representation, while popular in some groups, misrepresents mainstream Islamic theology. In point of fact, Islam rejects the authority and authenticity of the Torah (five books of Moses), the Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament. Muslims believe that some original, "undefiled" versions of these books at one time existed, but that they were deliberately distorted by corrupt Jewish and Christian leaders. This perceived distortion of the Bible is known as tahrif. The prophets, patriarchs, and heroes of the Jewish scripture are also known in Christianity and Islam. However, Islam uses their identities but changes their actions and lives sometimes beyond recognition (e.g. Islam's Moses brings plagues upon the Jews, not the Egyptians), while Christianity uses the Jewish text as the basis for its understanding of Judaeo-Christian patriarchs, prophets and heroes such as Abraham, Elijah and Moses. As a result a vast chunk of Jewish and Christian teaching is based on the same inspiration.
Both Muslims and Jews reject Christian beliefs about Jesus as God as heretical (i.e. view the Christian Trinity as mistaken) and often blasphemous.
[edit] See also
- Law and Gospel — traditional Protestant views against reviving Jewish laws among Christian Gentiles
- Supersessionism — the belief that Christianity has superseded Judaism
- Antinomianism — term used to describe those who believe that Christians are not subject to laws
- Grace — For by grace ye are saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)
- Comparing and contrasting Judaism and Christianity — defining their distinct identities
- Cultural and historical background of Jesus — perspective on the period in which the two religions began to diverge
- Judaizers — term used to describe an early heresy that taught that Christians must keep the law of Moses
- Noahides, gentile monotheists who keep the Bible's universal commandments, the Noahide laws
- Ebionites — an early heresy that combined Judaism with Christianity
- Seventh-Day Adventism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Worldwide Church of God — modern groups that combine Judaism with Christianity
[edit] Related terms
- Abrahamic religions — an umbrella term used to refer to the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as well as sometimes indicating smaller, related religions such as Baha'i Faith and Samaritans .
- Christo-Islamic — term used to refer to common elements in Christianity and Islam
- Judeo-Christo-Islamic — a term used to describe common elements in Judaism, Christianity and Islam; this is normally called Abrahamic.
- Judeo-Islamic — term used to refer to the common cultural elements and backgrounds of the two religions
[edit] References
- Bulliet, Dick. The Case for Islamo-Christian Civilization. Columbia University Press, 2004.
- Cohen, Arthur A. The Myth of the Judeo-Christian Tradition. Harper & Row, New York, 1970.
- Hexter, J. H. The Judaeo-Christian Tradition (Second Edition). Yale University Press, 1995.
- Neusner, Jacob. Jews and Christians: The Myth of a Common Tradition. Trinity Press International, Philadelphia, 1991.
