Christianity’s Jewish Roots

The Hebrew God is a Being with Emotions and Acts

Unlike Plato’s first principle that does not act and is not affected by outside stimuli, Israel’s God is a being with emotions who does things. He spoke and created the world. He is identified by many anthropomorphic characteristics. He brought Israel out of slavery in Egypt(c. 1,550 B.C.) The New Kingdom of Egypt begins as the Pharaohs of Egypt regain independence and displace the Hyksos. The technical innovations brough... more with a strong arm by issuing waves of plagues, and eventually He miraculously destroys Egypt’s army. He inscribes ten commandments into two stone tablets. He is angry with Israel for forgetting him and worshipping a golden calf in the manner of the orgasmic religions of the region, so he causes a great earthquake that swallows up a large portion of the camp of Israel that he previously saved. Most importantly, He enters into a covenant, a bilateral agreement, with the house of Israel to be their God and they will be His people. The God of the Old Testament is not a passive god without body, parts or passions. He is a being who is intimately involved in the lives of His people.

Monotheism, A New Idea

In many respects, the God of Israel is more similar to the pagan gods of that era than the Greek philosopher’s first principle, the first mover. What really distinguishes the Jewish religion from all of the other religions and philosophies at the time of ChristDerived from a Greek term meaning anointed and is equivalent to the word “messiah” from Hebrew roots. The anointing references the act of installi... more was not their God’s characteristics but that He was the only one and true God, the creator of the universe. Monotheism. That is what set Judaism apart from everything else. Mono, meaning one, and theism, meaning god or immortal. The God of Israel was the only immortal being worthy of worship. He was their King or Monarch. This word comes from mono (one) and the Greek word archaea, meaning beginning or source. So, Israel’s God was the creator of all things, the King of kings, the only being who requires our complete loyalty and fidelity, the only thing worthy of worship.

This concept was new and very distinct. Generally, all societies believed in many gods. You have your god for your community and I have my god, and there are other gods for other locations or who control various aspects of nature. Our worship of the gods was to give them honor so that they would look favorably upon us subjects and be gracious to us, to bless us with a good life instead of cursing us with misery and woe. There really was no moral code imposed by the gods, as the various gods themselves were plagued by moral failings. Indeed, some of the gods demanded human sacrifice and sexual activity to satisfy their demands for homage.

A Covenant with God

The second major unique concept of ancient Judaism was that this one true God imposed a moral lawIs a fundamental concept of Luthernism and is contrasted by Luther with the Gospel. For Luther, the law consists of God’s commands regarding how one... more on his people. Not only this, but God Himself would be bound by a covenant with His people if they obeyed that lawIs a fundamental concept of Luthernism and is contrasted by Luther with the Gospel. For Luther, the law consists of God’s commands regarding how one... more. This concept was revolutionary. No longer were humans subject to the whims of gods who could change their mind at any moment, requiring people to always be on guard trying to stay in the good graces of these many fickle gods. Now, the one almighty God of the Universe condescended to make a treaty with His people to be their God and bless them if they remembered Him and obeyed his moral code. This God of ultimate power agreed to give humans the power to bind Him by following a defined written moral lawIs a fundamental concept of Luthernism and is contrasted by Luther with the Gospel. For Luther, the law consists of God’s commands regarding how one... more. If they obeyed His lawIs a fundamental concept of Luthernism and is contrasted by Luther with the Gospel. For Luther, the law consists of God’s commands regarding how one... more, God promised to bless them with prosperity and freedom from oppression. For the first time in recorded history, a god offered security and certainty. Israel could rely on the one true God to keep His word.

The covenant between God and Israel included not only blessings if they obeyed, but also a curse if they disobeyed. If Israel broke this covenant, God warned them that they would be conquered and carried away captive to foreign lands. But what is remarkable is that this almighty God agreed to forgive His people when they disobeyed if they would remember Him and amended their ways to follow His moral code once more. He promised that if they would repent and return to Him then He would reestablish them in their land and He again would be their God to bless them with all of the blessings promised in this covenant. Grace, mercy and atonementA term referring to how Christ’s suffering and death on the cross expiates sin and reconciles humans with God. There are various theories regarding ... more became a central precept of this religion.

The Presence of God was in the Temple

This principle of God’s mercy was demonstrated by the role of holiness in Israel’s establishment in the land of Palestine. Part of the covenant God made with AbrahamAbraham (c. 1800 B.C.) The founding figure of the world’s three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He is the first person in ... more was that the Palestine area would belong to AbrahamAbraham (c. 1800 B.C.) The founding figure of the world’s three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He is the first person in ... more and Israel’s descendants if they remained a holy people. This covenant was reaffirmed by Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) and his posterity at Mount Saini when Moses(Died c. 1400 B.C.) Moses was a Hebrew prophet who led his people out of slavery in Egypt. He instituted the Mosaic Law consisting of both ritual and ... more led his people out of Egypt(c. 1,550 B.C.) The New Kingdom of Egypt begins as the Pharaohs of Egypt regain independence and displace the Hyksos. The technical innovations brough... more. Holy (whole) means complete and healthy (like God) by being set apart or consecrated for a divine purpose. The closer one gets to God, the more holy and separated from the world he or she becomes. Also, no unclean thing can exist in the presence of God, so one does not go into a holy place unprepared and unclean without risking destruction. On a broad scale, the land of Palestine is the Holy Land so the nation, as a whole, needs to remain holy or they would be destroyed. Jerusalem is the Holy City, and the temple is the holy place, the center of religious observance. Each area becomes more sanctified as it gets closer to God’s presence in His Temple. Even in the temple, there is the sanctuary called the holy place and the inner sanctum called the Holy of HoliesIs the most sacred place in the Israeli temples where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. more. This location is so sacred that the high priest is the only personDerived from the Latin term persona and the Greek term prosopon. It is a technical term in Christian theology for the concept that the Trinity consist... more allowed to enter it on just one day of the year, the day of atonementA term referring to how Christ’s suffering and death on the cross expiates sin and reconciles humans with God. There are various theories regarding ... more. Inside the Holy of HoliesIs the most sacred place in the Israeli temples where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. more is Israel’s most holy artifact, the arch of the covenant, which contained the ten commandments written on tablets of stone, the lawIs a fundamental concept of Luthernism and is contrasted by Luther with the Gospel. For Luther, the law consists of God’s commands regarding how one... more of God. But above the lawIs a fundamental concept of Luthernism and is contrasted by Luther with the Gospel. For Luther, the law consists of God’s commands regarding how one... more was the lid to the arch of the covenant known as the mercy seat, a throne of God where He sat in judgement. The center and most sacred aspect of the ancient Israeli religion was the lawIs a fundamental concept of Luthernism and is contrasted by Luther with the Gospel. For Luther, the law consists of God’s commands regarding how one... more of the covenant and ultimately the mercy of God which was above the lawIs a fundamental concept of Luthernism and is contrasted by Luther with the Gospel. For Luther, the law consists of God’s commands regarding how one... more.

The Old Testament is a Story of Redemption

The story of the Old Testament is a story of graceIs a term used to identify unmerited assistance by God primarily to redeem and transform human beings. In the early and medieval church it also referr... more and redemption. Repeatedly, Israel broke its covenant with God by forsaking Him and worshiping other gods. After they suffered the consequences of their disobedience, they were redeemed when they finally remembered the covenant and returned to worship their God. This pattern began right away. When God called Moses(Died c. 1400 B.C.) Moses was a Hebrew prophet who led his people out of slavery in Egypt. He instituted the Mosaic Law consisting of both ritual and ... more up to the top of Mount Saini, God told Moses(Died c. 1400 B.C.) Moses was a Hebrew prophet who led his people out of slavery in Egypt. He instituted the Mosaic Law consisting of both ritual and ... more to set limits around the mount so that the people who were less righteousA translation of the Latin term justitia meaning “justice.” For Luther, righteous and justice refer to exactly the same thing, being justified or ... more than Moses(Died c. 1400 B.C.) Moses was a Hebrew prophet who led his people out of slavery in Egypt. He instituted the Mosaic Law consisting of both ritual and ... more would not get too close to God’s presence and be destroyed. After waiting forty days for Moses(Died c. 1400 B.C.) Moses was a Hebrew prophet who led his people out of slavery in Egypt. He instituted the Mosaic Law consisting of both ritual and ... more to return, the people became anxious and made a golden calf to worship. Consequently, many of them were annihilated when Moses(Died c. 1400 B.C.) Moses was a Hebrew prophet who led his people out of slavery in Egypt. He instituted the Mosaic Law consisting of both ritual and ... more came down from the Mount. Yet, God did not fully reject His people who broke their covenant, instead He agreed to remain in their presence by allowing them to create a tabernacle with set limits and priests who could follow a procedure to become clean enough to administer the functions of religious sacrifice in the tabernacle for the benefit of the people. Once the tabernacle was built, God’s presence rested on the tabernacle like a glowing cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The graceIs a term used to identify unmerited assistance by God primarily to redeem and transform human beings. In the early and medieval church it also referr... more of God is demonstrated by Him devising a way to allow His people to benefit from His presence in spite of their imperfections. The tabernacle and later Solomon’s temple built in Jerusalem became the focal point of their religious worship.

King David

King David(c. 1000 B.C.) David is known for killing the giant Goliath when he was a young shepherd and later when he was king of Israel expanding the territory ... more is revered by Jews and Christians for his trust in God that enabled him to unite Israel and conquer its surrounding territory, enabling him to assemble the materials to build the temple in Jerusalem. Later when David’s son, Solomon completed the construction of the temple, he reiterated the covenant between God and Israel in his dedicatory prayer and all of Israel again reaffirmed this covenant. God promised David(c. 1000 B.C.) David is known for killing the giant Goliath when he was a young shepherd and later when he was king of Israel expanding the territory ... more that if he and his posterity remembered the Lord, he and his descendants would sit on the throne in Jerusalem. Christians believe that this promise relates to Jesus(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 30-33) Also known as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Savior of the World. He is the founding figure of Christianit... more, a direct descendant of King David(c. 1000 B.C.) David is known for killing the giant Goliath when he was a young shepherd and later when he was king of Israel expanding the territory ... more, and that David(c. 1000 B.C.) David is known for killing the giant Goliath when he was a young shepherd and later when he was king of Israel expanding the territory ... more is a type or symbol of ChristDerived from a Greek term meaning anointed and is equivalent to the word “messiah” from Hebrew roots. The anointing references the act of installi... more.

The Babylonian Captivity

The Old Testament is another way of saying old covenant, which refers to the covenant God made with Israel on Mount Saini. This book of scripture records Israel falling away from this covenant and being carried away captive by Assyriawas an ancient Mesopotamian empire that ruled much of the near east and was conquered by the Babylonians around 609 B.C. more to never return during the history of Holy writ, and then the kingdom of Judah being carried away to Babylon around the year 600 BC. The Babylonian captivity had a dramatic and pivotal impact on the Jewish nation, culture and religion. This is the beginning of the diaspora where Jews are dispersed throughout the middle east and later the Greco-Roman empires, with a large community in Egypt(c. 1,550 B.C.) The New Kingdom of Egypt begins as the Pharaohs of Egypt regain independence and displace the Hyksos. The technical innovations brough... more.

With the loss of the presence of God when their temple was destroyed during the Babylonian conquest, the Jewish people remembered the curse and blessings promised in the covenant and turned to the TorahThe foundation of Jewish beliefs that refers to the first five books of the Old Testament and is also referred to as the Law or the Pentateuch. In a b... more (the five books of Moses(Died c. 1400 B.C.) Moses was a Hebrew prophet who led his people out of slavery in Egypt. He instituted the Mosaic Law consisting of both ritual and ... more referred to as the lawIs a fundamental concept of Luthernism and is contrasted by Luther with the Gospel. For Luther, the law consists of God’s commands regarding how one... more) to find solace in its promise of their return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple to again enjoy the presence of God in their midst. In the interim, the people began to look to the TorahThe foundation of Jewish beliefs that refers to the first five books of the Old Testament and is also referred to as the Law or the Pentateuch. In a b... more to find the presence of God, a trajectory that accelerated after the rebuilt temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. This led to the development of Rabbinical Judaism, which is the orthodoxDerived from a Greek term meaning “right belief” and also “right worship.” When the term is not capitalized it typically refers to teachings i... more Judaism we know today. This turn to the TorahThe foundation of Jewish beliefs that refers to the first five books of the Old Testament and is also referred to as the Law or the Pentateuch. In a b... more during the Babylonian captivity increased the importance of teachers to understand and explain the lawIs a fundamental concept of Luthernism and is contrasted by Luther with the Gospel. For Luther, the law consists of God’s commands regarding how one... more and the creation of synagogues or places of assembly where the TorahThe foundation of Jewish beliefs that refers to the first five books of the Old Testament and is also referred to as the Law or the Pentateuch. In a b... more was taught. The natural leaders to fill this void were scribes who were occupied with copying the TorahThe foundation of Jewish beliefs that refers to the first five books of the Old Testament and is also referred to as the Law or the Pentateuch. In a b... more. These teachers, known as rabbis, developed followings and over time replaced the priests from the tribe of Levi who had served in the temple as the practical leaders of the Jewish communities. The Bible recounts God’s role in the Jews’ return to Jerusalem as promised in the covenant. Even after their return, the dynamic of religious teaching and worship within the Jewish community was changed forever.

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