Everything about Jewish Christians totally explained
Jewish Christians (sometimes called also
"Hebrew Christians" or
"Christian Jews") is a term which can have two meanings, an historical one and a contemporary one. Both meanings are discussed below.
Jewish origin of Christianity
The term "Early Jewish Christians" is often used in discussing the
Early History of Christianity, see also
Early Christianity.
Jesus, his
Twelve Apostles, the
Elders, his
family, and essentially all of his early
followers were
Jewish or Jewish
Proselytes. Hence the 3,000 converts on
Pentecost (
Sivan 6), following the
death of Jesus (
Nisan 14 or 15), described in
Acts of the Apostles, were all Jews and Proselytes.
Samaritans were not Jewish (
Judean), but are still identified with the
tribes of Israel and also numbered among the early followers, as is the
Ethiopian eunuch . Traditionally the
Roman Centurion Cornelius is considered the first
Gentile convert, as recorded in, albeit he too is a
"God-fearer" proselyte who participated in a Jewish synagogue. The major division prior to that time was between
Hellenistic and non-Hellenistic Jews or
Koine Greek and
Aramaic speakers. The conversion and acceptance of the Gentile Cornelius can be described in terms of the Judaic teaching which describes strangers becoming part of the community . Acts doesn't use the term "Jewish Christians", rather those led by
James the Just,
Simon Peter, and
John the Apostle, the "Pillars of the Church", were called followers of "The Way". Later groups, or perhaps the same group by different names, were the
Ebionites and
Elkasites.
The "
Christian" appellation was first applied to the followers after
Paul of Tarsus started preaching at Antioch . Paul made explicit the division between those who were
circumcised and those who were not circumcised in his
Epistle to the Galatians 2:7-9:
» "On the contrary, when they saw that I'd been entrusted with the
gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the
gospel for the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter making him an
apostle to the circumcised also worked through me in sending me to the
Gentiles), and when James and
Cephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to
Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the
Gentiles and they to the
circumcised." (
NRSV)
These terms (circumcised/uncircumcised) are generally interpreted to mean
Jews and
Greeks, who were predominant; however they're an oversimplification as 1st century
Iudaea Province also had some Jews who no longer circumcised (sometimes called
Hellenized Jews), and some Greeks (called
Proselytes or
Judaizers) and others such as Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Arabs who did. See also
Abrahamic religion.
Jesus is frequently called the "Nazarene" (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; . Named after him, the followers of Paul are the
Nazarenes (Jerome,
Commentary on Isaiah 9:1).
The
Council of Jerusalem, according to, determined that circumcision wasn't required of Gentile converts, only avoidance of "pollution of idols, fornication, things strangled, and blood" (
KJV, Acts 15:20). The basis for these prohibitions is unclear, Acts 15:21 states only: "For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the
synagogues every
sabbath day", the implication being that they're based on the
Law of Moses. Many, beginning with
Augustine of Hippo consider them to be based on the
Noahide Laws, while some modern scholars reject the connection to
Noahide Law and instead see as the basis. Also unclear is whether this meant that this Law in some way applied to them or merely that the requirements were imposed to facilitate common participation in the Christian community by Gentiles who would be in constant relation with the Jewish Christians who would be constantly reminded of their obligation to follow the Law. See also
Biblical law in Christianity and
Expounding of the Law.
The early Jewish Christians included those who believed non-Jews must become Jews and adopt
Jewish customs. They were derogatively called
Judaizers, and even Paul used this term against Jesus's student Peter in public according to
Young's Literal Translation of :
However, Barnabas, Paul's partner up till then, sided with Peter ().
Catholic Encyclopedia: Judaizers: The Incident at Antioch
claims: "St. Paul's account of the incident leaves no doubt that St. Peter saw the justice of the rebuke." however, L. Michael White's
From Jesus to Christianity claims: "The blowup with Peter was a total failure of political bravado, and Paul soon left Antioch as persona non grata, never again to return." See also
Pauline Christianity. Scholar
James D. G. Dunn has proposed that Peter was the
bridge-man (for example the
pontifex maximus) between the two other "prominent leading figures" of early Christianity: Paul and James the Just.
Marcion in the 2nd century, called the "most dangerous"
heretic, rejected the Twelve Apostles, and interpreted a
Jesus who rejected the
Law of Moses using 10
Pauline Epistles and the
Gospel of Luke. For example, his version of Luke 23:2
(External Link): "We found this fellow [Jesus] perverting the nation and destroying the law and the prophets".
Irenaeus in turn rejected Marcion and praised the Twelve Apostles in his
Against Heresies 3.12.12:
(External Link) » "...being brought over to the doctrine of
Simon Magus, they've apostatized in their opinions from Him who is God, and imagined that they've themselves discovered more than the apostles, by finding out another god; and [maintained] that the apostles preached the Gospel still somewhat under the influence of Jewish opinions, but that they themselves are purer [indoctrine], and more intelligent, than the apostles."
According to
Eusebius'
History of the Church 4.5.3-4: the first 15
Bishops of Jerusalem were "of the circumcision". The Romans destroyed the Jewish leadership in
Jerusalem in year 135 during the
Bar Kokhba Revolt. However, that doesn't necessarily mean an end to Jewish Christianity, any more than
Valerian's Massacre of 258, (when he killed all Christian bishops, presbyters, and deacons, including
Pope Sixtus II and
Antipope Novatian and
Cyprian of Carthage), meant an end to Roman Christianity.
Circumcision controversy
A common interpretation of the circumcision controversy of the
New Testament was, that it was over the issue of whether Gentiles could enter the Church directly or ought to first
convert to Judaism. However, the
Halakha of
Rabbinic Judaism was still under development at this time, as the
Jewish Encyclopedia article on Jesus notes: "Jesus, however, doesn't appear to have taken into account the fact that the Halakha was at this period just becoming crystallized, and that much variation existed as to its definite form; the disputes of the
Bet Hillel and
Bet Shammai were occurring about the time of his maturity." This controversy was fought largely between opposing groups of Christians who were themselves ethnically Jewish. According to this interpretation, those who felt that conversion to Judaism was a prerequisite for Church membership were eventually condemned by Paul as "
Judaizing teachers".
The source of this interpretation is unknown; however, it appears related to
Supersessionism or
Hyperdispensationalism (see also
New Perspective on Paul). In addition, modern Christians, such as
Ethiopian Orthodox and
Coptic Orthodox still practice circumcision while not considering it a part of conversion to Judaism, nor do they consider themselves to be Jews or Jewish Christians. In 1st century
Pharisaic Judaism there was controversy over the significance of circumcision, for example between
Hillel the Elder and
Shammai (see also
Circumcision in the Bible #In rabbinic literature).
Roman Catholicism condemned circumcision for its members in 1442, at the
Council of Florence(External Link).
Surviving communities whose origins reflect both Judaism and early Christianity
The
Nasrani or
Syrian Malabar Nasrani community in
Kerala,
India is conscious of their Jewish origins. However, they've lost many of their Jewish traditions due to western influences. The
Nasrani are also known as
Syrian Christians or
St. Thomas Christians. This is because they follow the traditions of
Syriac Christianity and claim descent from the early converts by
St. Thomas the Apostle. Today, they belong to various denominations of Christianity but they've kept their unique identity within each of these denominations. (Refer to
St. Thomas Christians).
Two of the existing communities that still maintain their Jewish traditions are the Knananites and the Fallasha. The
Knanaya, who are an endogamous sub-ethnic group among the
Syrian Malabar Nasrani are the descendants of early Jewish Christian settlers who arrived in Kerala in A.D 345. Although affiliated with a variety of Roman Catholic and Oriental Orthodox denominations, they've remained a cohesive community, shunning intermarriage with outsiders (but not with fellow-Knanaya of other denominations). The
Fallasha of Ethiopia likewise reflect a Hebrew tradition that was outside the influence of much of the conflicts and conquests of the Hebrews of Israel and Judea.
Contemporary Jewish Christians
There are at least two varieties of
syncretisms between Judaism and Christianity: syncretisms that emphasize Christianity (Jewish Christians) and syncretisms focusing on Judaism (Messianic Jews). "Jewish Christians" is sometimes used as a contemporary term in respect of persons who are ethnically Jewish but who have become part of a "mainstream" Christian group which isn't predominantly based on an appeal to Jewish ethnicity or the
Law of Moses. This term is used as a contrast to
Messianic Jews, many of whom are ethnic Jews who have converted to a religion in which Christian belief (usually
evangelical) is generally grafted onto Jewish ritual which would, to outsiders at least, typically resemble Judaism more than Christianity.
The term could thus be used, for example, of
Arnold Fruchtenbaum, the founder of
Ariel Ministries. Another group which could be described as Jewish Christians is "
Jews for Jesus".
Modern Jewish Christians and Messianic Jews
There are important similarities and differences between "Jewish Christians" (or "Hebrew Christians") and "
Messianic Jews". Jewish Christians identify themselves primarily as
Christians. They are (mostly) members of
Protestant and
Catholic congregations, (usually) are not so strict about observing Kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) or the Sabbath, and are (generally) assimilated culturally into the Christian mainstream, although they retain a strong sense of their Jewish identity which they, like Messianic Jews, strongly desire to pass on to their children. In Israel, there's a growing population of Orthodox Christians who are of Jewish descent and conduct their worship mostly in Hebrew (the most prominent language in Israel, as well as the official language).
Messianic Jews consider their primary identity to be "Jewish" and belief in
Jesus to be the logical conclusion of their "Jewishness". They try to structure their worship according to Jewish norms, they circumcise their sons and (mostly) abstain from non-kosher foods, and (often) observe the Sabbath. Many (but by no means all) don't use the label "Christian" to describe themselves. The boundary between the two movements is blurred, but the differences between the two movements are such that it may not be fair to treat them as one (cf.
Baptists and
Methodists, for example).
There are a few organizations which have been established to support Jews who wish to become Christian, most notably
Jews for Jesus.
Additionally, there are a few organizations to support
Messianic Jews who wish to remain faithful to
Torah, most notably the
UMJC and
MRC.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Jewish Christians'.
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