Defining Judaism
Specifically The Messianic Judaism of Jesus Messieh
By Pastor G. Reckart
acts0412@jmfi.org
Copyright 2001 All Rights Reserved

What is Judaism?

Judaism \Ju"da*ism\, n. [L. Juda["i]smus: cf. F. juda["i]sme.].

From Judah the tribe and ism used to form nouns which describe social, political or religious beliefs, studies or ways of behaving; a religion having a Jewish origin.

Judaism is a Jewish religion.

Christians who hate Jews are opposed to the use of the term Judaism.  This hate-group believes the term Judaism is satanic.  According to some who lead these with antisemite attitudes, Paul's rebuke of the Judaizers is sufficient reason to reject all forms of Judaism even that which embraces all that the Apostles taught.  What this group are sadly self-deceive about, is that the Judaism Paul was opposed to was enforcing upon Gentiles the observances of the Law.  The required observance of the law upon Gentiles was Paul's disagreement.  New Testament Judaism is not a Judaizing movement trying to teach or impose the law upon anyone. Therefore, it is falsehood for anyone to lump New Testament Judaism in with the Judaizers who were enforcing the Law upon Gentiles. This was settled in Acts 15 and the Apostolic letters from Jerusalem set forth the exemption of Gentiles from being circumcised and keeping the Law.  Gentiles were considered united with the Jewish Church (grafted in). All New Testament Churches were to comply with this Apostolic decision.  Gentile converts were members of a new Judaism, the New Covenant Church.  If Old Testament Law keeping can be called Judaism, the New Testament can be called Judaism.  The Testament will determine the Judaism of each. This is where the antismetism becomes virulent and extremely hateful among so-called Christians.  They are opposed to the New Testament Church being called a Jewish Church.  They hate the name Jew with such animosity, they refuse to accept what Paul wrote in Romans 2:28-29 about Gentiles who were now considered spiritual Jews.  In spite of this hatred along with Catholic and Protestant antisemitism against the use of the term Judaism, it is valid to use this term to describe the Jewish religion Jesus founded on the day of Pentecost.  The Church is Jewish and its doctrines are New Testament Judaism.

The Christian religion Jesus founded was Jewish therefore it is a new Judaism.

Most scholars recognize the connection of Christianity to Judaism.  They do not deny the Judao-Christian identity.  They recognize that Christianity has its roots in the Judaism of the Old Testament.  Christianity orginated from within the Jewish religion then separated from it and this is acknowledged by Jews themselves.  Christianity is then a Jewish sect started by Jesus.  Without the Judao-connection there is no Christianity and without Jesus there is no Christian religion.

Many Jews Deny Christianity Is Jewish or Judaism:

Jews are not silent on the Judaism of Christianity.  According to Jewish scholars, when Christianity departed from the Judaism of the Pharisees and the Temple cult it ceased being Jewish altogether.  The Pharisee sect became known later as Orthodox Judaism.  It is from the lips of these Pharisee-Orthodox Jews that Jesus is blasphemed and the connection of Christianity to Judaism is denied.  These Jews do not believe Jesus is the Messieh and that is the root of their hatred. There are Jews who do not share this hatred.  There are Messianic Jews who believe Jesus is the Messieh.  These last two groups do not deny Christianity was started in Israel and separated from the Temple cult into a new Judaism.  Those who do not believe Jesus was the Messieh usually consider him a prophet and those who followed him as still Jews.  The Pharisee-Orthodox vehemently object and claim that any Jew who is not of their religion cannot claim Jewishness.  These go so far as to denounce the Conservative, Reform, and Messianic Jewish movements as being Jewish.  However, when it comes to head-counting Jews for political and other reasons any man or woman, boy or girl born of a Jewish mother is considered Jewish.  The religious test is not applied.  When Christianity is brought up it is considered non-Jewish, apostate from Judaism, and a Gentile religion.  

It is from this identity as a non-Jewish religion that most base their teachings that Christianity is not a Jewish religion.  Regardless of these claims by Jews the Christianity in the Bible is a Jewish religion. We know this because of two simple facts:  1.) Some early Pharisee converts wanted all Gentile converts circumcised and to keep the Law (Acts 15).  There can be no purpose for these two requirements if these Gentile converts to Jesus and the New Testament Church were not to be considered Jewish.  A proselyte is a convert to a Jewish religion.  Gentiles are converted to a Jewish religion when they believe Jesus was the Messieh and come by salvation in Acts 2:38 into the Church; 2.) It is no secret that Jesus sent the Apostles into all the world to preach the Gospel and to convert the nations. This means he sent them to bring Gentiles into the Kingdom of God.  What is the Kingdom of God?  It is the Kingdom of Jesus Messieh upon the throne of his father David.  This Kingdom of God is then the Israel of God with the Kingdom restored to Israel.  Into this Israel, the Israel over which Jesus reigns right now as Lord and King, that Gentiles are converted.  This is the one sheepfold of John 10 that has within it Jewish and Gentile sheep.  This sheepfold is the New Testament Church and it is the one body of Ephesians 4.  It cannot be anything but a Jewish Church.  Being a Jewish Church and the olive tree of Romans 11, the Christians in it are Judao-Messianic and this establishes the Judaism identity of the Church.  We are Christians and we are also in the Judaism of Jesus Messieh.  There can be no divorce between the name Christian and Judaism.

Other Definitions Of Judaism False:

Any other definition or characterization of Christianity and Judaism that does not agree with what I have written here is false.  There is a lot of hatred being spread against New Testament Christian Judaism on the grounds the term was created by antichrist Jews who killed Jesus and is therefore an unwelcome identity upon those claiming to be Christians. Most of these so-called Christians do not want a Jewish association to their faith and the root of this is either hatred of Jews for killing Jesus or simply antisemitism. Just because Jews are adversaries against Jesus and Christianity gives no right for Jewish hatred whatsoever.  We must love Jews regardless of how hateful they are and desire their salvation just like the Apostle Paul. Because some Jews claim their Babylonian Talmud is the binding authority on identity of Judaism many think this seals all use of the name Judaism being of the devil. This assessment is wrong! It is a contradiction against the very name Christian they boast is better then the identity of Judaism.  Why do these not apply their rule of "evil association" to the use of the name Christian?

The name Christian is the Greek form of the Jewish name Messiehian.  Anyone who claims Christ and Messieh are not synonymous terms has an educational lacking. Anyone who claims the Messianic hope of Israel fulfilled in Jesus is not Jewish does not know their Bible.  To even use the term Christian is a confession in a Jewish religion started by Jesus. That Jesus was a Jew, ...only an idiot would deny. The blood shed on Calvary was done in the tribal area of Judah. The Church was born in the Judah city of Jerusalem on the original Mount Zion.  This is the foundation of New Testament Judaism.  Jesus did not  start, create, or establish a Gentile religion. He ushered in the Kingdom of David and it became the New Testament Church. Into it came many thousands from the 12 tribes of Israel.  New Covenant Judaism replaces all other Judaisms and is the only valid Judaism God accepts and recognizes.

Judaism is the religion, beliefs, customs, and practices found in the Scriptures among those who are called Israelites and Jews.

Old Testament Judaism:

Judaism is first the religion of the Jews based upon  Abraham, the nation of Israel, and the Old Testament law Covenant.  Thus, Judaism began with Abraham and flows to Mount Sinai where the religion of God for the nation of Israel was codified.  

Within the religious Judaism given to Moses are types and shadows of a greater future and coming Judaism.  Moses predicted this religious expectancy by saying that after him: 

"A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; and him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.  And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people (Acts 3:22-23).

The expectant Judaism to come via the prophet Moses spoke about is that to be brought and established by Jesus Messieh.  If this is denied, the one doing it must deny the purpose of Jesus regarding the Covenants, the fulfilling of the types and shadows in the Tabernacle religion, and also that the Messieh would be a Jew and found a Jewish religion.  After all the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31:31 is strictly Jewish.  It is made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.  For any Gentile to have access to this Covenant he/she must convert to a Jewish religion which is symbolised as the olive tree in Romans chapter 11.  There is no such thing as a Christian who is not in that olive tree and there is no such thing as a Christian who denies the Judaism of the olive tree.

Judaism is therefore simply a Jewish religion that incorporates Jewish beliefs, customs, practices, conducts, and order as found in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

Two Primary Judaisms:

There are two Judaisms specifically, the old and new Covenants.  There are sects that arose apart from old Covenant Judaism and instituted their own interpretations of the law.  The most famous are the Pharisees and the Saducees.  These forms of Judaism were rejected by Jesus as spurious and false.   Nevertheless these claimed Judaism then and claim it today under the disguise of calling themselves Orthodox, Conservative, and Reformed.  These modern Judaisms are additionally influenced by an occult Judaism known as Kabbalah.  It is the association of the name Judaism with this witchcraft and these unbiblical sects that causes many to denounce the use of the term when connected to Jesus and the Church.  This raises the eyebrows of those with a measure of intelligence because the same will proudly use the name Christian in spite of the fact it is also associated with false sects, cults, and witchcraft orders of Catholicism and Protestantism (Jesuits and Freemasons).  This is a contradiction to say the least.  Messianic Judaism is still Judaism and regardless how one expresses his/her dislike of this fact the New Testament Church is nothing but Jewish.  New Testament biblical Judaism is a Jewish religion regardless of  prejudice, antisemitism, and even the denials of Jews themselves.  Other names for New Testament Judaism:

Messianic Judaism
Kristyane Judaism
Christian Judaism
Judao-Christianity
Israel of God
Messianic Israel
Faith of Messieh
Faith of Christ
Church of God
Kingdom of God
Kingdom of Heaven
Messiahian
Olive Tree Israel
Church of Messieh
Church of Jesus Christ
Jesus Messieh Church

All the above identities have unbreakable connection to New Testament Judaism.  Any attempt to separate any of these identities and make it exclusively the correct and only identity is spiritual abuse of God's Church.

Biblical Judaism:

Biblical Judaism is then the belief in the one God who called Abraham and through his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed. This includes all the natural descendants of Abraham as well as the Gentiles to whom God swore a blessing of salvation (see Galatians 3:8).  It is impossible to strip away Judaism as an identity to the people of God.  One cannot say I am Israel and not confess at the same time Judaism.  Israel and Judaism are inseparatable.  Israel and Judaism properly associated in Jesus is one religion.  All other Judaisms are simply false.  Does such false Judaisms make it impractical or impossible for Christians to use this term?  No!  In fact we should use it the more so because they do not want us to use it while they use it as a seal upon their claim to be the people of God.

Abraham is considered the founder of Judaism since in him God set forth the seedline to bear forth the Messieh.  To make this valid Paul tells us that those in Christ are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:29).  Anyone who claims to be the seed of Abraham through Christ and who denies Judaism is simply espousing Jewish antisemitism.

We are Jewish by faith, religion, practices, conduct, and order.  That is, if you have been converted and grafted into the olive tree of God.  You give up your Gentilism to be cut out of the wild tree to be grafted into the good olive tree.  Once cut out of the old tree its life does not pass through you any more.  When you are grafted into the good olive tree the life of this tree flows through you. Welcome to the Jewishness of the root and enjoy the life and fatness thereof.  If you deny the root and identity of this olive tree how is this unbelief any different then that of the Jews who refused to accept Jesus and his Judaism and were broken off out of the tree?  Conscience tells us if we claim identity with the olive tree we must confess the root and the branches are our new identity. This is the only social and religious life we have.  In it we have our ways of behaving.

Judaism is a word that describes the New Covenant religion as founded by Jesus.

The Judaism of Jesus is therefore the only religion on earth that God accepts.   We call ourselves Christians because we are a part of this Messianic Judaism.  Gentiles who are grafted in are now Jews by choice through the new birth.  They are true Jews according to Paul in Romans 2:28-29.

Defining Judaism:  It is a Jewish religion.

The Christian religion is a new Jewish religion based exclusively upon the New Covenant.

The Judaism of Jesus Messieh is the Church the Kingdom of God.  And this is the true Israel of God!

May all those born again according to Acts 2:38 confess they are Jews of the New Covenant and heirs of the promises of Abraham.

The Judaism of Jesus eclipses all other religions in the world.

THE PROTEST BY ANTISMEITES

I received three or four emails from people who claimed they were Christians and they hated the use of the term Judaism to describe the Church. They said there is no Scripture where the Christian Church is called Judaism.  I ask them to show me where the Church was ever called the "Christian Church" in the New Testament and they could not.  The term Christian was applied only to the identity of a Believer as a follower of Christ. They wrote to protest that a Gentile can never become a Jew so Christians can never become Jews by being converted to the New Covenant. They quoted these verses:

And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch (Acts 11:26)--used for believers only.
Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian (Acts 26:28)--used in the sense of a follower of Christ.
Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf (1Peter 4:16)--used in the sense of a follower of Christ.

No where in the New Testament is the Church called Christian!  But if a person wants to use this term I personally have no objection. My point being made that since the Church is NEVER called Christian and they use this identity, why do they object when we say the Church is the Messianic Judaism of Jesus?  They object because they do not want the Church to have a Jewish identity and this gives them an excuse to spew their latent and perverse antisemitism on anything Jewish.

It is true the disciples were called followers of Christ (Kristyane) first in Antioch. They were not called by the Greek Christians which came when Kristyane was translated into Greek and then used there. Antioch is in Syria and the name Kristyane is what the disciples were called there. Christian is Greek. When someone wants to make a claim on the name used first and says this is the name Christian in Greek, this is false.  Agrippa and Paul most assuredly spoke in Aramaic when the name Christian came up. What is Christian in Aramaic? It is "Krstyn" (vowels "i" "a" and "e" removed. The reason it is close to Kristyane Syriac is because Aramaic is Syriac. What is my point?  The disciples were not called Christian by the Greek term at all anywhere in the Bible. It is when the Syriac Krstyn and Kristyane are translated into Greek we get Christian. I have no problem with anyone using either names. Neither do I have a problem of the root of this in Hebrew which is Messiehian. Krst is the Syriac translation for Messieh. And that settles it. Regardless if we use Krstyn, Kristyane, Christian, or Messiehian, they ALL MEAN FOLLOWERS OF MESSIEH, THE JEWISH MESSIEH.

There is no need for the followers of Christ to call themselves Jews, or their religion Judaism. Everyone in those days would know Jesus and his religion was Jewish and the Apostles were Jews. They would know the first Church had only Jewish members.  They would know the disciples were Jewish missionaries of the Messianic sect. They would know they were from the nation Israel. They would know they were being evangelized to be made converts to the Jewish Church and become followers of Christ. It is these very facts that caused the name Krstyn and Kristyane to be born. One cannot claim this Syraic identity as a follower of Christ and then deny the Church was Jewish, and the Messianic message of salvation was not a new Judaism. To say Christian and not mean all this flies in the face of Christ himself "take up thy cross and follow me."

The protest made was that the Christians were not called Jews, or Israelites, but Christians. Therefore, to say we are Jews by choice in conversion, that we are of Israel, that we are also the Kristyane and Christian, ALL IN ONE, is Biblically accurate.  To claim this is false is to be an outright liar against the very Word of God.  We use all the names interchangeably. Here come the antisemitic skin-heads (Black and White) and claim if any other name is applied to Believers then the term Christian, it is of the devil.  

One miscreant spouted off that all Judaism was the leaven of the Pharisees.  Well, historians recognize Judaism as beginning with Abraham and being the identity of the Mosaic Law system.  They identify Phariseeism as only one branch of interpretation of the Judaism religion of the Old Testament. Who said Phariseeism was the only Judaism sect or Judaism began with the Pharisees? I would like some verification that the Pharisees birthed the Judaism the term Judaism represents.

When I asked  the miscreant antisemites for a Bible verse that says Jew in the Bible who were in Judaism were in the leaven of the Pharisees, the young rebel would not respond.  Research into these protesters revealed they are antisemite against Jews. They do not believe Jews have a right to a homeland in Israel. They do not believe God still has a plan for Jews. In fact, to hear some of them spout off you would think you were in a KKK pep rally.  These miscreants because they are Black think they can say whatever they want against Jews and people will accept it because they claim to be Christians.  If a person claims to be a spiritual Jew, or a Jew by Choice, they go nuts with their hate rants.  

Is the name Christian the only identity of the Believers?  No, Paul said we are Jews in Romans 2:28-29. He says we are the circumcision in Philippines 3:11. He says we are the seed of Abraham in Galatians 3:29.  He says we are the Israel of God in Galatians 6:16. We are citizens of the commonwealth of Israel in Ephesians 2:12-17. We are the remnant of the woman's seed in Revelation 12. The Church is governed by the New Covenant given exclusively to the house of Israel and the house of Judah in Jeremiah 31:31. We have a Jewish King who reigns over us in the Church.  All this speaks to the Jewishness of the true Christian faith.  If a man wants to say he is a Christian we understand he is telling us he is a follower of Christ, the founder of a Jewish religious faith.  When the Scriptures refer to the "FAITH OF CHRIST" it means the Jewish religion of Jesus.  When a person claims they are a Christian, they mean they have been converted Jesus Messieh, founder of this Jewish religion. If anyone claims to be a Christian and denies they are a member in the one Jewish olive tree, we cut him off and let him go his own way back to his wild olive tree to live out his bitterness of life.

A true Christian is a Jew by Choice who believes Jesus started a new Jewish religion and this Church is the Judaism of Jesus Messieh.

Pastor Reckart
2001