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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.

Contents

Historical background

Etymological background

Basis of a common concept of the two religions

Use of term in United States law

Criticism of the term

See also

Related terms

References

External links

Historical background

Christianity emerged from Judaism in the century after the death of Herod the Great, the century that saw the building and destruction of the Herodian Temple and in which Rabbinical Judaism also developed. Christians took from Judaism scriptures, fundamental doctrines such as monotheism, the belief in a Messiah (in Christianity, known as Christ (χριστος ''christos'' in Greek), meaning 'anointed one'), concepts of sacred space and sacred time, 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 the 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, but see also Christian view of the Law). 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, contributing to the religion's spread.
For a systematic comparison of the two religions see: Judaism and Christianity

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, and was then used 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 argue 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.

Basis of a common concept of the two religions

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.

Use of term in United States law

In the legal case of Marsh v. Chambers, 463 U.S. 783 (1983), the Supreme Court of the United States 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 "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 Muslim clergy in its invited list.

Criticism of the term

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.^[1]. It has been suggested that the term obscures fundamental differences between the two religions - Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits writes that "Judaism is Judaism because it rejects Christianity, and Christianity is Christianity because it rejects Judaism"^[2] - while erasing continuities between them and other religions, especially other monotheistic faiths. The Slovenian postmodern philosopher Slavoj Žižek has argued in this last point that the term ''Judeo-Muslim'' to describe the middle-east culture against the western Christian culture would be more appropriate in these days^[3], especially noting the reduced influence from the Jewish culture on the western world due to the historical persecution and exclusion of the Jewish minority. A ''Judaeo-Christian-Muslim'' concept thus refers to the three main monotheistic religions that root to the Babylonian civilization, commonly known as the Abrahamic Religions.

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

★ 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 people 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 sect that combined Judaism with Christianity

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

References

1. [2]
2. Disputation and Dialogue: Readings in the Jewish Christian Encounter, Ed. F.E. Talmage, Ktav, 1975, p. 291.
3. [3]


★ 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.

External links

★ A Judeo-Christian Looks at the Judeo-Christian Tradition

★ Jews, Christians and the Word of God

★ Scripture & Torah Study Resources