Not all people know what kind of faith the Jews have. And this is not at all surprising - after all, there are so many confusing moments and historical realities layered on top of each other that it is not easy for a person with little knowledge of religious affairs to understand. Let's try to formulate the answer to the question in accessible language.

So, what faith are Jews? Everything is simple here - it is called Judaism. Some consider it one of the world religions or part of one of them, but this is not so. Although there are grounds for such opinions. And they go back centuries.

What kind of faith do Jews have? Are they Christians? This question can often be heard from people who have learned that the Old Testament is sacred to the inhabitants of Israel. No, Judaism is not part of Christianity, and does not belong to world religions. It does not reach this status, if only because of the insufficient number of adherents. But it is true that this religion is closely connected with Christianity. After all, the latter actually came out of it.

What kind of faith did the Jews have before Christ?

Long before the beginning of our era, Jews began to believe in Yahweh, whom they considered and consider to be the only god, the creator of the world, a supreme being without form or any external appearance. In their opinion, it is an infinite substance. She was, is and will be. But at a certain moment people forgot about God, and then he reminded himself through the prophet Abraham, who became the father of many nations - including Israel.

But Abraham is still not a higher power, but a person who conveyed the truth to other people. The Jews did not accept the teaching about the birth of Jesus Christ, elevated to the rank of god. And this separated them from Christians, putting them on opposite sides of the barricades and giving rise to a thousand-year-old enmity.

"Mother" of world religions

The Torah is the holy book of the Jews. In essence, this is the same Old Testament revered by Christians. Hence the confusion about what faith Jews profess. Many, having learned that they live according to this book, consider Judaism one of the branches of Christianity. This opinion is absurd, because the very name of the latter comes from the name of the one whom Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants perceive as the son of God. But the Jews fundamentally disagree with this, because, in their opinion, the infinite (God) cannot be embodied in the finite (man).

But the basic commandments of Christianity and Judaism are the same. And the Old Testament is what united them forever. And the Gospel is what has become a stumbling block. With the birth of Christ, the path of a world religion began, whose adherents today are billions of people. Jews are not Christians, but, in fact, are their ancestors. By the way, Islam also emerged from Judaism, albeit somewhat later.

Faith in Modern Israel

As you know, the “tribe of Abraham” is spread all over the world. What kind of faith do Jews have in Israel - in their own state? According to statistics, the overwhelming majority of representatives of this nationality, living on land that is sacred to both Jews and Christians, believe in one god, Yahweh, and revere the Torah. About 80% of Israeli citizens are Jews. Another 18% are Muslims - but they are not Jews, but Arabs. And only 2% of Israelis are Christians. As a rule, these are Russians, Poles and other emigrants from Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant countries.

So, now it is clear who the Jews worship, what faith they have and what connects it with Christianity. Their god is Yahweh, their religion is Judaism, their holy book is the Torah. And they are “tied” to Christians by the Old Testament, recognized by both.

Hello, friends. Are you interested in learning about the oldest religion in the world that has survived to this day? About its principles, foundations, commandments and secrets, about the history of development and stages of formation? Perhaps you want to go to Israel and take a tour of the holy places?

Or maybe you have heard the ridiculous opinion of the unenlightened that Judaism has common roots with Judas, who betrayed Christ? Or do you have other questions regarding this topic?

If yes, then we will satisfy your curiosity and after reading this article everything will become very clear.
Judaism is the faith (religion) of the Jewish people. The term "Judaism" or "Jewish religion" is sometimes used. First, let's take a short historical excursion.

History of Judaism

The word “Judaism” itself is derived from the term “tribe of Judah.” What it is? The fact is that the Israeli people “grew up” from the tribes of Israel (tribes) descendants of the sons of the patriarch Jacob. And he had them, not many, not few, but twelve! Sons were born from four different women: two wives and their two maids (yes, this happens). The fourth son was Judah.

According to the Holy Scriptures, Judah played a special role in the formation of the Israeli people. His name formed the basis for the name of the religion and the entire Jewish people; in Hebrew and other languages ​​this name sounds like “Jews.”

The history of Judaism spans more than three thousand years; this religion is considered the most ancient of those that have survived to this day. Judaism is a monotheistic religion, which means that its adherents believe in one God.

According to the science that studies religion, philosophy, culture and social development of the Jewish people, Judaica, there are four large stages in the entire history of the development of the Jewish faith:

1) Biblical period (from the 20th to the 6th century BC).

At this time there was no writing or chronology, so all knowledge and religious concepts were passed on by word of mouth and were rather mythological in nature. Even when the holy book appeared, it was not yet called the Bible. This was the Judaism of priests and prophets.

2) Second Temple or Hellenistic Judaism. (6th century BC to 2nd century AD).

This stage began after the Jewish people returned to Palestine from Babylonia (where most of them were forcibly resettled). They were in Babylonian captivity from 598 to 539 BC.

It is widely believed among modern religious scholars that the Jewish faith is based on the principle of the union of God with the people of Israel, which he concluded on Mount Sinai in the era of Moses. The second stage of Judaism is considered bookish, unlike the first. At that time, sacrifices and other ancient rituals were still common.

The high priest who wrote down the scriptures was called Ezra (in Islam he is called Uzair). He recreated Jewish statehood on the basis of the law of the Torah (the law of Moses), wrote the holy book of Ezra.

During the Second Temple, so-called Messianic Judaism became widespread. Its tenets are based on the Jewish people's faith in the Messiah. When Yeshua (Jesus of Nazareth) appeared, tens of hundreds of Jews followed his faith. After Yeshua's death on the cross and his resurrection, this movement took hold of other nations, over time gradually transforming into Christianity, which had little in common with Messianic Judaism.

3) Talmudic (rabbinic or rabbinic) Judaism (2nd to 8th century AD).

After the Second Temple was destroyed, the Talmudic stage of the development of Judaism began. The rituals of sacrifice became obsolete and ceased.

At the heart of this period was the belief that the main sacred text of Judaism - the Written Torah (the Pentateuch of Moses and his Ten Commandments) also contained oral explanations and laws that were not written down, and were passed down between generations by word of mouth. They were called by the Jewish people the Oral Torah (or Talmud). The Oral Torah is a kind of addition to the Written Torah (the main sacred scripture of Judaism).

4) Modern Judaism(from 1750 to the present time).

The main currents of modern Judaism originate from the times of rabbinism.
Currently, there are about fifteen million adherents of Judaism, of which about 45% are residents of Israel, about 40% live in Canada and the United States of America, the rest are mainly in Europe.

The main currents of modern Judaism are Orthodox, Reform and Conservative. So that these words do not remain hanging in the air as an empty sound, we will briefly explain the essence of each.

Orthodox Judaism

The centerpiece of Orthodox Judaism is Halacha. So, halakha is a set of laws and rules of Jewish law that regulates the life of Jews in all respects (family, religious, social and cultural). These are the laws that are contained in the Torah and Talmud and which representatives of Orthodox Judaism strictly and tirelessly follow. Halacha also contains legal decisions and rabbinic laws that dictate rules of conduct.

These laws are divided into five main groups:

1. these are the laws of the Written Torah, interpreted in accordance with the Oral Torah;
2. laws whose basis is not in the Written Torah, but they were also received by Moses (Moshe) on Mount Sinai;
3. laws that were derived by sages based on the analysis of the Written Torah;
4. the laws that the sages established in order to protect the Jews from violating the laws of the Written Torah;
5. injunctions of the sages designed to regulate the life of Jewish communities.

The development of Halakha continues to this day; it is believed that the Torah contains answers to absolutely all questions that arise before the Jewish people.

Orthodox Christians oppose any innovations in religion.

Reform Judaism (sometimes called Progressive or Modern Judaism)

In contrast to the teachings of the Orthodox school, representatives of Reform Judaism advocate innovation and renewal. Progressive Judaism emerged in nineteenth-century Germany. Its adherents believe that the old ethical commandments should be preserved, and the ritual ones should be abandoned. Which is what was done. The ritual of the divine service underwent reformation, namely: the service was conducted in German, the shofar (ritual horn) was no longer blown, ritual clothing was not required during prayer, women were recognized as equal to men in all religious matters.

According to reformists, religion should develop and improve, thus adapting to the spirit of modernity. Justice, mercy and respect for loved ones are the path followed by the movement of Reform Judaism.

Conservative Judaism

Conservative Judaism arose in Europe, or more precisely Germany, several decades later than Reform Judaism. This is “something in between” (so to speak) between orthodox and reformist views. Its adherents are supporters of the idea of ​​compromise between traditional religious teachings and modern ones.

The ideas of Conservative Judaism, however, are much “softer” than Orthodox Judaism. For example, representatives of sexual minorities are allowed to ordain as rabbis. You can even have same-sex marriages. That's it, friends! So much for the conservatives!

The main ideas of this movement are the following:

• Halacha is recognized as the main guide for life;
• The attitude towards modern culture should be only positive;
• The foundations of the Jewish religion are not given fundamental importance.

Commandments of Judaism

The Torah contains not ten commandments as in the Bible, but six hundred and thirteen! Of these, two hundred and forty-eight (the number of bones and organs in the human body) commandments oblige one or another action, and three hundred and sixty-five commandments (this, as you guessed, is the number of days in a year) prohibit!

We will not list them all, but we will list the most interesting, unusual and ridiculous ones (and there are some among them):

• “The husband must remain with his wife during the first year of marriage”, like this; in the second and subsequent years of marriage, it is apparently not necessary.
• “If you bought a Jewish slave, you must marry her or marry your son.”
• “Buy a Jewish slave.” Paying attention to the previous commandment, it turns out that there are absolutely no options.
• "Do not settle in Egypt."
• "Don't scratch your body."
• “In the seventh year it is necessary to stop cultivating the land.”
• “Give up everything that grows on the earth in the seventh year.”
• “If a man’s body is found in a field and it is not known who killed him, the head of the heifer must be broken.” (Just in case, let’s clarify that the heifer is, most likely, a cow).
• “For those who committed intentional murder, six cities of refuge must be allocated.”
• In addition to this, there are also such as: do not shave with a blade, do not cast spells, do not tell fortunes, do not practice magic, do not wear women's clothing for men and men's for women, and a number of other commandments.

Symbols, attributes, traditions and holy places

The main attributes of Judaism are:

• shofar (ritual horn, it is blown during worship in the Synagogue - the center of the religious life of the Jewish community);
• poison (the so-called pointer for reading the Torah);
• Tanakh (holy scripture);
• a mug intended for washing hands;
• candlesticks;

Symbols and traditions of the Jewish faith:

• Shema - a prayer that consists of four quotations from the Pentateuch;
• observance of Shabbat - in Judaism this is the seventh day of the week on which one must abstain from work;
• kashrut is a set of rules governing attitudes towards food and other areas of life;
• wearing a kippah is a Jewish national headdress, a small cap covering the top of the head, it symbolizes humility and admiration before the Lord;
• the Star of David is a Jewish symbol depicted on the flag of Israel, which is a six-pointed star (two equilateral triangles superimposed on each other, one angled down, the other angled up);
• the seven-branched Menorah - a golden lamp, is the oldest symbol of Judaism and the religious emblem of the Jewish people;
• the lion is a symbol of the tribe of Judah.

Holy places:

• At an altitude of seven hundred and seventy-four meters above sea level, the Temple Mount rises above the old city of Jerusalem (this is a quadrangular area enclosed by high walls), and it goes approximately that far underground. Currently, active excavations are underway there. The First and then the Second Temple were located on the Temple Mount. According to Jewish belief, a Third Temple will be built there in the future. Currently, Muslim religious buildings are built there - the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock (these are the third most important Muslim shrines).
• The Western Wall (its other names are Western Mountain or A-Kotel) is the most important shrine of the Jewish faith. It is located around the surviving western slope of the Temple Mount. According to legend, wishes written on a piece of paper and left in the Western Wall will certainly come true. Every year, pilgrims from all over the globe leave their deepest wishes with faith and hope, awaiting their fulfillment. So, if you are going to visit Israel, formulate your wishes correctly in advance, because they tend to come true!

If, dear readers, this article has only fueled your interest in the Jewish religion, ancient customs, and shrines.

If you want to know even more, delve into history, and perhaps trace the connection of Judaism with Christianity and other religions, we advise you to read books, which you can easily order by simply following the appropriate links:

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Spiritual development

What is the faith of the Jews? Religion of the Jews

The people of Israel have always aroused envy, hatred and admiration among Europeans. Even having lost their state and being forced to wander for almost two thousand years, its representatives did not assimilate among other ethnic groups, but retained both their national identity and culture based on a deep religious tradition. What is the faith of the Jews? After all, thanks to her, they survived many powers, empires and entire nations. They went through everything - power and slavery, periods of peace and discord, social welfare and genocide. The religion of the Jews is Judaism, and it is thanks to this that they still play an important role on the historical stage.

Yahweh's first revelation

The religious tradition of the Jews is monotheistic, that is, it recognizes only one god. His name is Yahweh, which literally means “he who was, is and will be.”

Today, Jews believe that Yahweh is the creator and creator of the world, and they consider all other gods to be false. According to their beliefs, after the fall of the first people, the sons of men forgot the true God and began to serve idols. To remind people of himself, Yahweh called a prophet named Abraham, whom he predicted to become the father of many nations. Abraham, who came from a pagan family, having received the revelation of the Lord, renounced his previous cults and went to wander, guided from above.

The Torah - the Holy Scripture of the Jews - tells how God tested Abraham's faith. When he had a son from his beloved wife, the Lord ordered him to be sacrificed, to which Abraham responded with unquestioning submission. When he had already raised the knife over his child, God stopped him, regarding such submission as deep faith and devotion. Therefore, today, when Jews are asked what kind of faith the Jews have, they answer: “The Faith of Abraham.”

According to the Torah, God fulfilled his promise and from Abraham through Isaac produced a large Jewish nation, also known as Israel.

The Birth of Judaism

The veneration of Yahweh by the first descendants of Abraham was not yet, in fact, Judaism or even monotheism in the strict sense of the word. In fact, the gods of the biblical religion of the Jews are numerous. What distinguished the Jews from other pagans was their reluctance to worship any other gods (but, unlike monotheism, they recognized their existence), as well as a ban on religious images. Much later than the time of Abraham, when his descendants had already multiplied to the size of an entire nation, and Judaism took shape as such. This is briefly described in the Torah.

As fate would have it, the Jewish people fell into slavery to the Egyptian pharaohs, most of whom treated them rather poorly. To free his chosen ones, God called a new prophet - Moses, who, being a Jew, was raised at the royal court. After performing a series of miracles known as the Plagues of Egypt, Moses led the Jews into the desert to lead them to the Promised Land. During this sojourn on Mount Sinai, Moses received the first commandments and other instructions concerning the organization and practice of the cult. This is how the formalized faith of the Jews arose - Judaism.

Video on the topic

First Temple

While on Sinai, Moses, among other revelations, received from the Almighty guidance on the construction of the Tabernacle of the Covenant - a portable temple intended for making sacrifices and performing other religious rites. When the years of wandering in the desert ended, the Jews entered the promised land and established their statehood in its vastness, King David set out to replace the tabernacle with a full-fledged stone temple. God, however, did not approve of David's enthusiasm, and entrusted the mission of building a new sanctuary to his son Solomon. Solomon, having become king, began to fulfill the divine command and built an impressive temple on one of the hills of Jerusalem. According to tradition, this temple stood for 410 years until it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586.

Second Temple

The temple was a national symbol for the Jews, a banner of unity, fortitude and a physical guarantor of divine protection. When the temple was destroyed and the Jews were taken into captivity for 70 years, Israel's faith was shaken. Many began to worship pagan idols again, and the people were threatened with dissolution among other tribes. But there were also zealous supporters of paternal traditions who advocated for the preservation of former religious traditions and social structure. When in 516 the Jews were able to return to their native lands and restore the temple, this group of enthusiasts led the process of reviving Israeli statehood. The temple was restored, services and sacrifices began to be held again, and along the way, the religion of the Jews itself acquired a new face: the Holy Scriptures were codified, many customs were streamlined, and an official doctrine was formed. Over time, several denominations arose among the Jews, differing in their doctrinal and ethical views. Nevertheless, their spiritual and political unity was ensured by a common temple and worship. The era of the second temple lasted until 70 AD. e.

Judaism after 70 AD e.

In 70 AD e., during the fighting during the Jewish War, the military leader Titus began to besiege and subsequently destroyed Jerusalem. Among the damaged buildings was the Jewish temple, which was completely destroyed. Since then, Jews have been forced, based on historical conditions, to modify Judaism. Briefly, these changes also affected the doctrine, but mainly concerned subordination: the Jews ceased to submit to priestly authority. After the destruction of the temple, there were no priests left at all, and the role of spiritual leaders was taken on by rabbis and teachers of the law - laypeople with a high social status among the Jews. From that time to this day, Judaism has been represented only in this rabbinic form. The role of synagogues - local centers of Jewish culture and spirituality - came to the forefront. In synagogues, services are held, scripture is read, sermons are delivered, and important rituals are performed. Yeshivas are established under them - specialized schools for the study of Judaism, Jewish language and culture.

It is important to keep in mind that together with the temple in 70 AD. e. Jews also lost their statehood. They were prohibited from living in Jerusalem, and as a result they were scattered to other cities of the Roman Empire. Since then, Jewish diasporas have been present in almost every country on every continent. Surprisingly, they turned out to be quite resistant to assimilation and were able to carry their identity through the centuries, no matter what. And yet, we must remember that over time, Judaism has changed, evolved and developed, therefore, when answering the question “What is the religion of the Jews?”, it is necessary to make allowances for the historical period, because Judaism of the 1st century BC. e. and Judaism of the 15th century AD. e., for example, this is not the same thing.

Creed of Judaism

As already mentioned, the doctrine of Judaism, at least modern, is classified as monotheism: both religious scholars and the Jews themselves insist on this. The faith of the Jews is to recognize Yahweh as the one god and creator of all things. At the same time, Jews see themselves as a special chosen people, children of Abraham, who have a special mission.

At some point in time, most likely during the era of the Babylonian captivity and the second temple, Judaism adopted the concept of the resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment. Along with this, ideas about angels and demons appeared - personified forces of good and evil. Both of these doctrines originate from Zoroastrianism and, most likely, it was through contacts with Babylon that the Jews integrated these teachings into their cult.

Religious values ​​of Judaism

Speaking about Jewish spirituality, it can be argued that Judaism is a religion briefly characterized as a cult of traditions. In fact, traditions, even the most insignificant ones, are of great importance in Judaism, and severe punishment is imposed for their violation.

The most important of these traditions is the custom of circumcision, without which a Jew cannot be considered a full-fledged representative of his people. Circumcision is done as a sign of the Covenant between the chosen people and Yahweh.

Another important feature of the Jewish way of life is strict observance of the Sabbath. The Sabbath day is endowed with extreme holiness: any work is prohibited, even the simplest, like cooking. Also, on Saturday you cannot just have fun - this day is intended only for peace and spiritual exercises.

Currents of Judaism

Some believe that Judaism is a world religion. But actually it is not. Firstly, because Judaism is for the most part a national cult, the path to which is quite difficult for non-Jews, and secondly, the number of its followers is too small to talk about it as a world religion. However, Judaism is a religion with worldwide influence. Two world religions emerged from the bosom of Judaism - Christianity and Islam. And numerous Jewish communities scattered throughout the world have always had one or another influence on the culture and life of the local population.

However, it is important that Judaism itself today is not homogeneous within itself, and therefore, when answering the question of what religion the Jews have, it is also necessary to clarify its course in each specific case. There are several such intra-Jewish groups. The main ones are represented by the Orthodox wing, the Hasidic movement and Reformed Jews. There is also Progressive Judaism and a small group of Messianic Jews. However, the Jewish community excludes the latter from the Jewish community.

Judaism and Islam

Speaking about the relationship of Islam to Judaism, it is necessary, firstly, to note that Muslims also consider themselves children of Abraham, although not from Isaac. Secondly, the Jews are considered the people of the book and the bearers of divine revelation, albeit outdated from the Muslim point of view. Reflecting on what kind of faith the Jews have, adherents of Islam recognize the fact of worshiping the same god. Thirdly, the historical relationship between Jews and Muslims has always been ambiguous and requires separate analysis. The important thing is that in the field of theory they have a lot in common.

Judaism and Christianity

Jews have always had a difficult relationship with Christians. Both sides disliked each other, which often led to conflicts and even bloodshed. Today, however, relations between these two Abrahamic religions are gradually improving, although they are still far from ideal. The Jews have a good historical memory and remember Christians as oppressors and persecutors for one and a half thousand years. For their part, Christians blame the Jews for the fact of the crucifixion of Christ and associate all their historical misfortunes with this sin.

Conclusion

In a short article it is impossible to comprehensively examine the topic of what kind of faith Jews have in theory, in practice and in relations with adherents of other cults. Therefore, I would like to believe that this short review will encourage further, deeper study of the traditions of Judaism.

Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world and the oldest of the so-called Abrahamic religions, which, in addition to it, includes Christianity and Islam. The history of Judaism is inextricably linked with the Jewish people and extends back centuries, at least three thousand years. This religion is also considered the oldest of all those that proclaimed the worship of one God - a monotheistic cult instead of worship of pantheons of different gods.

The emergence of faith in Yahweh: a religious tradition

The exact time when Judaism arose has not been established. The adherents of this religion themselves attribute its appearance to approximately the 12-13th centuries. BC e., when on Mount Sinai the leader of the Jews, Moses, who led the Jewish tribes from Egyptian slavery, received Revelation from the Almighty, and a Covenant was concluded between the people and God. This is how the Torah appeared - in the broadest sense of the word, written and oral instruction in the laws, commandments and requirements of the Lord in relation to his fans. A detailed description of these events is reflected in the book of Genesis, the authorship of which is also attributed to Moses by Orthodox Jews and which forms part of the written Torah.

A scientific view of the origins of Judaism

However, not all scientists are ready to support the above version. Firstly, because the very Jewish interpretation of the history of man’s relationship with God includes a long tradition of honoring the God of Israel before Moses, starting with the forefather Abraham, who, according to various estimates, lived in the period from the 21st century. to the 18th century BC e. Thus, the origins of the Jewish cult are lost in time. Secondly, it is difficult to say when the pre-Jewish religion became Judaism proper. A number of researchers attribute the emergence of Judaism to much later times, right up to the era of the second Temple (mid-first millennium BC). According to their conclusions, the religion of Yahweh, the god professed by the Jews, was not monotheism from the very beginning. Its origins lie in the tribal cult called Yahwism, which is characterized as a special form of polytheism - monolatry. With such a system of views, the existence of many gods is recognized, but veneration is given to only one - one’s divine patron based on the fact of birth and territorial settlement. Only later did this cult transform into a monotheistic doctrine, and thus Judaism appeared - the religion that we know today.

History of Yahwism

As already mentioned, God Yahweh is the national God of the Jews. Their entire culture and religious traditions are built around it. But in order to understand what Judaism is, let us briefly touch on its sacred history. According to Jewish belief, Yahweh is the only true God who created the entire world, including the solar system, the earth, all its flora, fauna and, finally, the first pair of people - Adam and Eve. At the same time, the first commandment for man was given - not to touch the fruits of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But people violated the divine command and were expelled from paradise for this. Further history is characterized by the oblivion of the true God by the descendants of Adam and Eve and the emergence of paganism - gross idolatry, according to the Jews. However, from time to time the Almighty made himself felt, seeing the righteous in the corrupt human community. Such was, for example, Noah - the man from whom people again settled on the earth after the Flood. But Noah’s descendants quickly forgot the Lord, starting to worship other gods. This continued until God called Abraham, a resident of Ur of the Chaldeans, with whom he entered into a Covenant, promising to make him the father of many nations. Abraham had a son Isaac and a grandson Jacob, who are traditionally revered as patriarchs - the ancestors of the Jewish people. The last one - Jacob - had twelve sons. By God's providence it happened that eleven of them were sold into slavery by the twelfth, Joseph. But God helped him, and over time Joseph became the second person in Egypt after Pharaoh. The family reunion took place during a time of terrible famine, and therefore all the Jews, at the invitation of Pharaoh and Joseph, went to live in Egypt. When the royal patron died, another pharaoh began to brutalize Abraham's descendants, forcing them to do hard work and killing newborn boys. This slavery continued for four hundred years until God finally called Moses to free his people. Moses led the Jews out of Egypt, and at the command of the Lord, forty years later they entered the Promised Land - modern Palestine. There, waging bloody wars with idolaters, the Jews established their state and even received a king from the Lord - first Saul, and then David, whose son Solomon built the great shrine of Judaism - the temple of Yahweh. The latter was destroyed in 586 by the Babylonians, and then rebuilt by order of Tire the Great (in 516). The second temple lasted until 70 AD. e., when it was burned during the Jewish War by the troops of Titus. Since that time it has not been restored, and worship has ceased. It is important to note that in Judaism there are not many temples - this building can only be one and only in one place - on the temple mount in Jerusalem. Therefore, for almost two thousand years, Judaism has existed in a unique form - in the form of a rabbinic organization led by learned laymen.

Judaism: Basic Ideas and Concepts

As already mentioned, the Jewish faith recognizes only one and only God - Yahweh. In fact, the true meaning of his name was lost after the destruction of the temple by Titus, so "Yahweh" is simply an attempt at reconstruction. And she did not gain popularity in Jewish circles. The fact is that in Judaism there is a ban on pronouncing and writing the sacred four-letter name of God - the Tetragrammaton. Therefore, from ancient times it was replaced in conversation (and even in Holy Scripture) with the word “Lord.”

Another important feature is that Judaism is the religion of strictly one nation - the Jews. Therefore, it is a rather closed religious system, which is not so easy to get into. Of course, in history there are examples of the adoption of Judaism by representatives of other nations and even entire tribes and states, but in general, Jews are skeptical about such practices, insisting that the Sinai covenant applies only to the descendants of Abraham - the chosen Jewish people.

Jews believe in the coming of the Moshiach - an outstanding messenger of God, who will return Israel to its former glory, spread the teachings of the Torah throughout the world and even restore the temple. In addition, Judaism has a belief in the resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment. In order to righteously serve God and know him, the people of Israel were given the Tanakh by the Almighty - the sacred canon of books, starting with the Torah and ending with the revelations of the prophets. The Tanakh is known in Christian circles as the Old Testament. Of course, Jews categorically disagree with this assessment of their Scripture.

According to the teachings of the Jews, God cannot be depicted, therefore in this religion there are no sacred images - icons, statues, etc. Artistic art is not at all what Judaism is famous for. We can also briefly mention the mystical teachings of Judaism - Kabbalah. This, if we rely not on legends, but on scientific data, is a very late product of Jewish thought, but no less outstanding. Kabbalah views creation as a series of divine emanations and manifestations of a number-letter code. Kabbalistic theories, among other things, even recognize the fact of transmigration of souls, which distinguishes this tradition from a number of other monotheistic, and especially Abrahamic, religions.

Commandments in Judaism

The commandments of Judaism are widely known in world culture. They are closely connected with the name of Moses. This is truly the true ethical treasure that Judaism brought to the world. The main ideas of these commandments come down to religious purity - worship of the one God and love for him and to a socially righteous life - honoring parents, social justice and integrity. However, in Judaism there is a much more expanded list of commandments, called mitzvot in Hebrew. There are 613 such mitzvot. This is believed to correspond to the number of parts of the human body. This list of commandments is divided into two: prohibitive commandments, numbering 365, and imperative commandments, of which there are only 248. The generally accepted list of mitzvot in Judaism belongs to the famous Maimonides, an outstanding Jewish thinker.

Traditions

The centuries-old development of this religion has also shaped the traditions of Judaism, which are strictly observed. Firstly, this applies to holidays. Among the Jews, they are timed to coincide with certain days of the calendar or lunar cycle and are designed to preserve the people’s memory of certain events. The most important holiday of all is Passover. The command to observe it was given, according to the Torah, by God himself during the exodus from Egypt. That is why Passover is timed to coincide with the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian captivity and the passage through the Red Sea into the desert, from where the people were later able to reach the Promised Land. Also known is the holiday of Sukkot, another important event that Judaism celebrates. Briefly, this holiday can be described as a remembrance of the Jews’ journey through the desert after the exodus. This journey lasted 40 years instead of the initially promised 40 days - as punishment for the sin of the golden calf. Sukkot lasts seven days. At this time, Jews are required to leave their homes and live in huts, which is what the word “Sukkot” means. Jews also have many other important dates that are celebrated with celebrations, special prayers and rituals.

In addition to holidays, there are fasts and days of mourning in Judaism. An example of such a day is Yom Kippur - the day of atonement, prefiguring the Last Judgment.

There are also a huge number of other traditions in Judaism: wearing sidelocks, circumcision of male children on the eighth day of birth, a special kind of attitude towards marriage, etc. For believers, these are important customs that Judaism imposes on them. The basic ideas of these traditions are consistent either directly with the Torah or with the Talmud, the second most authoritative book after the Torah. They are often quite difficult for non-Jews to understand and comprehend in the modern world. However, it is they who shape the culture of Judaism today, based not on temple worship, but on the synagogue principle. A synagogue, by the way, is a meeting of the Jewish community on a Sabbath or holiday for prayer and reading the Torah. The same word also refers to the building where believers gather.

Saturday in Judaism

As already mentioned, one day per week is allocated for synagogue worship - Saturday. This day is generally a sacred time for Jews, and believers are especially zealous in observing its statutes. One of the ten basic commandments of Judaism prescribes keeping and honoring this day. Breaking the Sabbath is considered a serious offense and requires atonement. Therefore, not a single devout Jew will work or generally do anything that is forbidden to do on this day. The sanctity of this day is associated with the fact that, having created the world in six days, the Almighty rested on the seventh and prescribed this to all his admirers. The seventh day is Saturday.

Judaism and Christianity

Since Christianity is a religion that claims to be the successor of Judaism through the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Tanakh about the Moshiach on Jesus Christ, the relations of Jews with Christians have always been ambiguous. These two traditions especially moved away from each other after the Jewish conclave imposed a herem, that is, a curse, on Christians in the 1st century. The next two thousand years were a time of enmity, mutual hatred, and often persecution. For example, Archbishop Cyril of Alexandria expelled a huge Jewish diaspora from the city in the 5th century. The history of Europe is replete with such relapses. Today, in the era of the heyday of ecumenism, the ice has gradually begun to melt, and dialogue between representatives of the two religions is beginning to improve. Although among broad layers of believers on both sides there is still distrust and alienation. Judaism is difficult for Christians to understand. The basic ideas of the Christian church are such that the Jews are charged with the sin of the crucifixion of Christ. Since ancient times, the Church has represented Jews as Christ-killers. It is difficult for Jews to find a way to dialogue with Christians because for them, Christians clearly represent heretics and followers of the false messiah. In addition, centuries of oppression taught the Jews not to trust Christians.

Judaism today

Modern Judaism is a fairly large (about 15 million) religion. It is characteristic that at its head there is no single leader or institution that would have sufficient authority for all Jews. Judaism is spread almost everywhere in the world and consists of several denominations that differ from each other in the degree of religious conservatism and the peculiarities of their doctrine. The strongest core is represented by representatives of Orthodox Jewry. The Hasidim are quite close to them - very conservative Jews with an emphasis on mystical teaching. Following are several Reform and Progressive Jewish organizations. And on the very periphery there are communities of Messianic Jews who, like Christians, recognize the authenticity of the messianic calling of Jesus Christ. They themselves consider themselves Jews and, to one degree or another, observe the main Jewish traditions. However, traditional communities deny them the right to be called Jews. Therefore, Judaism and Christianity are forced to divide these groups in half.

Spread of Judaism

The influence of Judaism is strongest in Israel, where about half of all the world's Jews live. Another approximately forty percent comes from North American countries - the USA and Canada. The rest are settled in other regions of the planet.

Anatoly Ermokhin
Director of the Even-Ezer Foundation in the Ural region, Master of Theology.

Frankly about the desired, but unrealistic...

...or why Jews never believe in Jesus

Perhaps this will be my most frank conversation on the pages of our portal. I hope to compensate for excessive frankness with utmost sincerity.

All Christians before the Second Vatican Council and almost all in recent history have one thing in common. Moreover, this thing is inherent in both radical and more liberal Christians, both anti-Jewish and pro-Zionist. You can read about this in Aurelius Augustine, and modern masters of Christian-Jewish dialogue also write about this. We all believe that sooner or later all Jews will believe in Christ and join the Church. But I doubt it! More precisely, I think differently: I think that all of Israel will never become the Church. For this I see a whole series of arguments, the red thread of which is five humanly insurmountable barriers between the Jewish people and Jesus Christ.

First of all, I want to say a few words about the New Testament (I would even say Christian) term “believe” used. This term itself is key for us, because... is present in the soteriological (saving) formula - “believe with the heart and confess with the mouth” (Rom. 10: 9-10). On the other hand, faith is “...the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Those. in the Christian understanding, the conditions of salvation are faith in the invisible Jesus as a personal Lord!

The second starting point is understanding who, according to the Torah, should be considered a Jew. This also needs to be taken into account. The answer to this question is closely intertwined with the interpretation of the term "remnant of Israel"; This is a big and interesting question, but we’ll leave it until next time. Returning to the text of the Torah, we should understand Israel to a greater extent as the Jews, i.e. assimilated Jews are difficult to consider as part of the Jewish people; dozens of times in the Torah we read the terrifying formulation: “[may] that soul be cut off from among his people.” For this reason, many modern Jews of the Diaspora, by decision of the rabbinical court, are forced to undergo the rite of conversion; for similar reasons, the Jews did not communicate with the Samaritans. In other words, by Jews in our conversation we will understand unassimilated Jews, Jews, which more accurately corresponds to biblical instructions.

1. So, the first obstacle is cultural. It is necessary to understand that the main reason why the Jews survived in dispersion as a nation and did not lose their faith over many centuries was their firm adherence to religious culture and religious traditions. To better understand, remember the reaction of a Russian person who, in the wake of the awakening of the 90s, found himself at an evangelical meeting. The first thing such a person felt was culture shock: “You can’t sing to God with a guitar!” This is not according to us, not according to the Orthodox! This is not in Russian! Where are the icons, where are the priests? What, they sold themselves to the American faith for chewing gum!” Moreover, this Russian-Soviet citizen did not necessarily have to be a church-going Orthodox believer. And not everyone managed to overcome this cultural barrier. For Jews, the commitment to their culture and traditions is much deeper, which means the cultural barrier is incomparably higher, and therefore much more difficult to overcome.

2. The second barrier between the Jews and Christ is historical. About 80-90% of the history of the relationship between Israel and the Church, between Jews and Christians is anti-Jewish, and sometimes openly anti-Semitic. For the reasons stated in the first paragraph, Jews remember well the history of their predecessors, and, unlike us, are well aware of the history of persecution and persecution by the Christian world. Until recently, Christians were perceived by Jews as enemy number one. And there is nothing surprising about this. If we, our grandfathers and great-grandfathers had been oppressed, crushed and killed by anyone for many, many generations, then these someone would have been perceived by us as enemies. And if these someone acted with the Name of Christ, then I don’t think that we would be sitting and reading these lines now because of our alienation from the Christian society that we hate. Such relationships are absorbed and nurtured with mother’s milk, and to eradicate them, to replace them is the duty of more than one generation of Christians. I wrote about this in more detail in a previous post.

3. The third, even more difficult to overcome obstacle is religious. In Ephesians 2:12, the Apostle Paul notes about us that we were pagans, alienated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel... and most importantly, we were ungodly in the world. What does this mean, godless people? This means that there was no God in us! In other words, we had nothing worthy within us that could “compete” with the Good News (forgive my loose terminology). Let me ask a question: to whom is it easier for us to evangelize: a convinced Muslim or an atheist, a Buddhist monk or an alcoholic neighbor? The Jews are not empty in their souls, they have a firm and true faith in the living God, which God Himself gave them, through His Holy Word, and which they preserved at the cost of enormous blood through centuries and millennia.

4. The fourth reason is Christological. Ah, if only the question was to recognize in Jesus the Messiah they expect, whom they find in the texts of the Old Testament. Everything is made several times more complicated by questions related to Christology in church theology. Now I am not saying that the Christological views of Christianity are not correct. No. I say that the understanding of the trinity of God and the consubstantiality of the Messiah (God the Son) with the Father, even to us Christians, who yesterday were like a blank slate, is not simply given; often we act in accordance with the classic saying - Credo quia absurdum! I believe it because it’s absurd! What can we say about the Jews who daily declare the unity of God in their greatest prayer, “Shema Yisrael”! For them, these questions are simply humanly incomprehensible, and even unacceptable!

5. And the last question, also difficult for Jews to understand, is the messianic barrier. For the Jews, who are basically the heirs of Rabbinic-Talmudic Judaism (and who in turn are the heirs of the Pharisaic teachings), it is clear that Jesus did not fulfill a significant part of the important prophecies of the Old Testament. Namely, He did not establish the foretold kingdom of Israel. It is difficult for them to see and recognize the Messiah in Jesus, because He did not bring the promised liberation to the Jewish people and did not establish prosperity throughout the entire Earth. We Christians have a clause that allows and harmonizes everything - “for now.” As I already pointed out in my articles on the Qumran heritage, members of the Dead Sea community also guessed about this “for now”. However, for the ideas of modern Jews, this “yet” does not work, because The Messiah, in their understanding, must sit on the throne of David and His kingdom must be eternal.

Based mainly on these reasons I have outlined, I assume that the mass conversion of the Jews (Jews), which we have all so desired since Augustine's times, will not happen. And no matter how much we would like to, statistics only confirm these conclusions: there are almost no Jews of the Haridim (Orthodox) world who voluntarily believed in Christ as Lord. If it is possible for them to believe in Christ in the period before His second coming, then only in a miraculous way, and no less supernatural than the faith of the apostle himself. Paul through the personal appearance of Christ to him and direct prophecy associated with his blindness. Although ap. Paul knew the teachings of the first Jewish Christians very well, and was personally present at Stephen’s dying sermon, but this did not convince him of the fidelity of the teachings of the first followers of Jesus.

But how should we relate to the words of the Apostle Paul, in which he quotes the prophet Isaiah: “And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Deliverer will come from Zion, and will turn away wickedness from Jacob.” (Rom. 11:26). (Let us note here an even more accurate translation of the prophecy of Isaiah: “And a deliverer will come for Zion and for those who turn away from wickedness in Jacob - the word of the Lord!” (Is. 59:20). I think I have already pointed out quite a few times that the Messiah will come to Earth for Zion and for Jacob when the Church has already been taken from the Earth (see 1 Thess. 4:16-17).According to the prophecy of Zechariah, only at this moment will their eyes be opened and they will look at the pierced and will mourn (see Zech. 10). This will be their acceptance of the Messiah and their acceptance by the Messiah; as the Apostle Paul points out to us, God will take away their sins from them (see Rom. 11). Such acceptance in its kind is nothing other than salvation , and salvation by the Messiah Jesus.However, this is not quite what we expect, and this is not quite the “classical salvation” that we pagans who believed in the invisible Lord are accustomed to profess.

With this understanding of part of the eschatological events, many things become more consistent: the Jewish people meet the Messiah on Earth and remain Israel for the entire Messianic period (1000 years); at this time the Church remains the Church of the Hellenes and part of the Jews to “reign with Christ.” At the same time, the names of the great apostles of the Church and the names of the 12 tribes of Israel will remain separate on the New Jerusalem for centuries and centuries. The inhabitants of the New Jerusalem will be called simply “slaves of God” (Rev. 22:3). As we see, absorption, and certainly not displacement of one another, does not occur.

All this once again convinces me that we do not have sufficient grounds to expect mass faith among Jewish Jews in Christ until His second coming. It cannot be any other way, otherwise many of the words and promises of Scripture simply will not be fulfilled!