Dr. Peter Kreeft - Comparing Christianity and Judaism

8/10/2019 Dr. Peter Kreeft - Comparing Christianity and Judaism

1/4

Comparing Christianity and Judaism

If Jesus returned to earth today, which church would He go to? A

Catholic church, of course, replies the Catholic. No, a Protestant

church, argues the Protestant. I think both are wrong. I think he would

begin as He did ,!!! years ago in a Jewish synagogue.

"he long history of Christian anti#$e%itis%, in thought and deed, is

perhaps the worst scandal in all the Church&s history. It is the 'edipus

co%ple(, for Judais% is Christianity&s father. All Christians are

spiritually Jews, said )atican II, echoing $t. Paul. Christianity subtracts

nothing fro% Judais%, but only ful*lls it.

"his is the point of the +Jews for Jesus, who insist that a Jew who

beco%es a Christian does not lose anything Jewish but co%pletes his

or her identity. -hen a Hindu or a pagan beco%es a Christian, he is

conerted. -hen a Jew beco%es a Christian, he is co%pleted.

"his is surely Jesus& point of iew too, for He said He ca%e not to

destroy the /aw and the Prophets but to ful*ll the%. 0ro% His point of

iew, Christianity is %ore Jewish than %odern Judais%. Pre#Christian

Judais% is like a irgin1 post#Christian Judais% is like a spinster. InChrist, 2od consu%%ates the %arriage to His people and through

the% to the world.

-hat hae Christians inherited fro% the Jews? 3erything in the 'ld

"esta%ent. "he knowledge of the true 2od. Co%paring that with all the

other religions of the ancient world, si( crucial, distinctie teachings

stand out1 %onotheis%, creation, law, rede%ption, sin and faith.

'nly rarely did a few gentiles like $ocrates and Akenaton eer reach to

the heights and si%plicity of %onotheis%. A world of %any forces

see%ed to %ost pagans to point to %any gods. A world of good and

eil see%ed to indicate good and eil gods. Polytheis% see%s

e%inently reasonable4 in fact, I wonder why it is not %uch %ore

popular today.


2/4

"here are only two possible e(planations for the Jews& uni5ue idea of a

single, all#powerful and all#good 2od1 3ither they were the %ost

brilliant philosophers in the world, or else they were +the Chosen

People 6 i.e., 2od told the%. "he latter e(planation, which is their

traditional clai%, is 7ust the opposite of arrogant. It is the hu%blest

possible interpretation of the data.

-ith a uni5ue idea of 2od ca%e the uni5ue idea of creation of the

unierse out of nothing. "he so#called +creation %yths of other

religions are really only for%ation %yths, for their gods always fashion

the world out of so%e pre#e(isting stu8, so%e pri%al glop the gods

were stuck with and on which you can bla%e things1 %atter, fate,

darkness, etc. 9ut a Jew can&t bla%e eil on %atter, for 2od created it4

nor on 2od, since He is all#good. "he idea of hu%an free will, therefore,

as the only possible origin of eil, is correlatie to the idea of creation.

"he Hebrew word +to create :bara; is used only three ti%es in the

2enesis account1 for the creation of the unierse :


3/4

central prayer of Judais%, the sh%a :fro% its *rst word, +hear;1 +Hear

' Israel1 the /ord, the /ord our 2od is one /ord4 and you shall loe the

/ord your 2od with all your heart and with all your soul and with all

your %ight eut. B1@;.

"hus, the essence of Judais% is the sa%e as the essence of

Christianity1 the loe of 2od. 'nly the way of ful*lling that essence 6

Christ 6 is di8erent. Judais% knows the "ruth and the /ife, but not the

-ay. As the song says1 +"wo out of three ain&t bad.

3en the -ay is foreshadowed in Judais%, of course. "he act brought

dra%atically before the Jews eery ti%e they worshiped in the te%ple

was an act of sacri*ce, the blood of bulls and goats and la%bs

foretelling forgieness. "o Christians, eery detail of 'ld "esta%ent

Judais% was a line or a dot in the portrait of Christ. "hat is why it was

so tragic and ironic that +He ca%e to what was His own, but his own

people did not accept Hi% :John


4/4

otherwise :att. 1

Documents

Dr. Peter Kreeft - Comparing Christianity and Judaism