Rick Peraza
Judaism and Christianity
Professor Durfee
Sociology 1001
South University Online
Mar 21, 2015
“The most beautiful and deepest experience a man can have is the sense of the mysterious…He who has never had these experience seems to me, if not dead, then at least eyeless. To sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is a something that our mind cannot grasp and whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly and as a feeble reflection, this is religiousness,” –Albert Einstein. The significance of this quote is to acknowledge that regardless of the faith, every person throughout history has encountered religion, whether or not they believe it; but those who experience it can help to shape a person. All over history, religions have been changed by the course of human behavior and societal structure. Pertaining to recent studies, both Judaism and Christianity were among the two heaviest impacting monotheistic religions ever known. As the Roman Republic began to descend downward due to internal strife, invasions, and major divisions, both Judaism and Christianity became more vividly distinguished, ultimately leading to major historical events regarding many groups of people of the time. If it wasn’t for the beginning of Judaism, history would be epically altered, considering that it is crucial to the development of Christianity. Over the course of time there have been moderate altercations that have allowed society today to better identify the main differences between Judaism and Christianity. The traditional Jewish population abides by the literal interpretation of the “Hebrew Bible” referred to as the Tanakh, which consists of the Torah (teaching), Nevi’im (prophets), and Ketuvim (writings); this is the original document of the people of Israel that discusses the people of Israel as well as their origins, history, and hopes of a just society. From this developed Jewish religious practices and worship, such as attending synagogue each Sabbath held on Sundays, and eating kosher foods. Similarly, Christianity has built its ground roots of the Bible, which shares the same first five books of Old Testament, or “Torah” as mentioned previously. Both believe in Heaven as the afterlife for those who have lived faithfully, and confirm that Jesus Christ was a living prophet. Christianity derived from the core beliefs of Judaism, but came about later during a series of detrimental rulers in Rome. Where the two meet significantly contrasting views is the belief in a Messiah, or savior who was promised by God to free his chosen people; Christians believe that Jesus himself was in fact, the Son of God, whereas the Jews believe their savior has yet to come. As the Roman Republic conquered new land and continuously attempted to expand, Rome became one of the largest, most powerful forces in the world. Unfortunately, due to leaders who swayed the economic, political, and religious structures of Rome back and forth, it slowly began to fall. This historical downfall occurs during a phase of many bad rulers, beginning with Tiberius who was never well respected in the Senate to begin with; eventually he is led into a traumatic depression from the death of his son, which ultimately leads him to die. During this same period, amidst the chaos occurring in the Roman Empire, Jesus of Nazareth was becoming widely known throughout the land, preaching that he was the Son of God. As many of the Jews began to follow him, he was crucified by order of Pontius Pilot during this reign of Tiberius. This created the initial divide between Christianity and Judaism, where those who truly believed Jesus of Nazareth as being a man of miracles and the Messiah sent by God started branching out to spread Jesus’ message. Those who did not know of him nor accept this man as the true Son of God remained, and still remains hopeful for another Messiah. Judaism’s role in history helped to navigate much of the history that modern
