The Dual Inheritance Within Christianity Of Greek And Jewish Thought

One of the many decisions that has to made in life is what, if any, religion they will practice. Christianity, the belief in God, and Jesus as his son, or Judaism, to follow the direction of the Torah are some of the major religions that a person may choose. This decision may be one of the biggest decisions of a person’s life, and each religion has similarities and differences, and pro’s and cons. Two of the major religions, Judaism and Christianity, are alike in their inspiration of sacred texts, but are different in their identity of Jesus, and practice of worship.

There is a close relationship between Christianity and Judaism both from a theological and historical perspective. The similarities between these two religious platforms emanates from the notion that Christianity arose and protested from Judaism. However, it is worth noting that Christianity is not a continuation of Judaism as some people perceive. Both Jesus and most of his disciples, who pioneered the earliest Christian churches, were Jews. Particularly, Jesus’ family practiced and followed Jewish beliefs, and He frequently referenced the Hebrew bible. On the contrary, the disciples believed that Jesus was the one and only Messiah, which is predicted in the Jewish Bible. While the creation narrative is still mysterious to many people, most individuals are still obsessed with the attempt to discover how everything came to existence. The primary purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the basic ideologies of Christianity and Judaism (Neusner, 76).

The Greek Alexander Romance describes the life of Alexander the Great, focusing primarily on his great military feats as a leader of Greece and highlighting why he is remembered as a great Greco-Roman leader. Similarly, the Gospel of Matthew explains the life of Jesus Christ through his teachings and miracles, which underline why he is known as the greatest figure from Judeo-Christian culture. Alexander and Jesus easily compare because they died in their early thirties, were known as kings, and are remembered for impressive triumphs while on earth. Alexander sought to build his empire and essentially rule the world through victories on the battlefield and the conquering of neighboring countries. Jesus sought to destroy evil on earth by establishing God’s Kingdom and teachings in the hearts of all. Comparing the lives of these great Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian leaders highlight the differences in cultural opinion on the highest good in life, how one obtains that good, and what that means in connection to an afterlife. Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman perspectives on elements of a meaningful life contrast in the sense that Judeo-Christian actions to pursue these elements are motivated by the desire for everlasting life in heaven, while Greco-Roman actions are motivated by the desire for perpetual fame on earth after one dies.

Throughout the history of Christianity, there have been many different ideas on how a Christian should interact with the world in which they lived. From the biblical writings of The Gospel according to Matthew, and The Acts of the Apostles, to the non-biblical writings of On Philosophy, and The Prescription Against Heretics, the ideas of Christianity were brought together. The two non-biblical documents highlight the arguments of whether or not Christians should study Greek philosophy. The books from The Bible showed that Christian beliefs focused on how one should primarily seek their ultimate reward or satisfaction in the Kingdom of God (spiritual), rather than in the here and now (temporal). Christianity, as it began, was a faith that emphasized the importance of acting charitable towards the less fortunate, while understanding that it was ones duty to worship God and spread that love for Him to those who didn’t believe.

The religions Judaism and Christianity are two of the five major belief systems. Some of the similarities they share are: they are both monotheist, believe in the afterlife, and they share the old Testament in their Holy Book. Some of their differences include: the Jews believe that Jesus isn't a divine being and the Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and their holy ceremonies are guided by Rabbis, for the Jews, and Priest, for the Christians.

The context of this will be showing how Judaism and Christianity more similar than most people think. Three ways these two religions are the same are, both are monotheistic, how both share same holy city, and their beliefs to the “Good Life.”

Since the Invention of the spoken language humans have told stories. Over hundreds of years, these stories were spread and changed. William Blake believed that all myths and religions started from the same place. That two completely unrelated sets of beliefs, like the Greeks and the Christians, could have many similarities. The two certainly have their differences but, also have a plethora of parallels.

(1) Describe the interrelation between the Roman Empire and Christianity by examining the following: (a) Emperor Constantine (b) The Latin Language (c) Church Ritual.

In this assignment we as the students were asked to explain how Judaic monotheism and the Classical Greek Elements including the Platonic inheritance, has influenced the development of the Christian Worldview. Firstly I believe that a clear description should be allocated to break up and describe the following: - Judaic Monotheism - The Classical Greek elements - Platonic Inheritance - And finally, how all these have influenced the development of Christian Worldviews Firstly, what is Judaic monotheism?

Beliefs relating to Gods or spirits - The ancient Greeks believed that after you died, your soul would go to a place called the underworld - Polytheistic: • Many gods • Performed specific functions - The believers would have to pray, visit temples and provide offerings to ensure they were seen by the gods. - Afterlife: • Spirit was joined to the underworld - The ancient Greeks believed that gods and goddesses would take care of them when they died.

Judaism and Christianity During The Roman Empire By: Deonna Weil Vance History 111 World Civilization before 1650 Professor Joseph Esposito August 20, 2014 In order to decorously portray the evolution of Judaism and Christianity the reader needs to know how Israel was conquered by the Roman Empire. The reader also needs to know how Christianity developed from the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Even though Christianity developed out of the Jewish religion both religions have their differences.

As dissimilar as they were, the encounter between Judaism and the Hellenistic and Roman worlds – with the latter taking on much of what the Greeks stood for – should not be considered as a clash between civilizations. Doing so, I believe, would render a complex society and a dynamic process into an absolute and a static one. The postexilic period had obviously brought Jews into contact and in activity with the surrounding non-Jewish communities in which they now lived; however, this social and commercial interaction with the non-Jews was enhanced, like never before, with the emergence of the Greco-Roman eras. The Jews often managed to retain control over their own internal affairs and found favor before various rulers, but pagan ritual, idolatry, and Greco-Roman philosophies became almost impossible to avoid.

Although culture and history have lived far longer than religion, the three have become practically synonymous due to the conflicts, structures, and scriptures that have been created throughout the world’s timeline due to religion. In 1096, the First Crusade was fought between Christian and Muslim groups; each was battling for Jerusalem, the holy city. The Second, Third, and Fourth Crusades soon followed as the Muslims and Christians struggled to settle their differences, and hold truce. Currently, in the twenty-first century, religious groups are still in conflict. In 2015, a French magazine company, Charlie Hebdo, was attacked by Islamist extremists for printing a drawing of Muhammad, who is never supposed to be pictured. Throughout the world, there are temples, churches, statues, pagodas, mosques, synagogues, and many other structures with religious and historical significance.

Discuss the relationship between at least TWO of the aspects shown in the diagram below and the way they contribute to Christianity as a living religious tradition

As an illustration, the chief priests and the elders questioned Jesus’ revealed authority. Previously, Jesus cursed a fig tree by declaring that no one would ever eat fruit from the tree again, according to the Lord’s command the fig tree withered by morning (Mark 11:14, 21). In addition, the chief priests and the elders attacked Jesus’ teaching that was not approved according to their rabbinical principle.