compare and contrast judaism christianity and islam essay

Religions and Faiths
Christianity

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: A Common Tradition

Arshad Khan The Review of Religions, October 1992

The world of the ancient Near East — particularly in the regions of Egypt and the lands east of the Mediterranean Sea (Assyria and Media) — was predominantly a polytheistic world around the time of the 7th Century B.C. (Historical Atlas of the World, p. 3). The people in those lands worshipped many different kinds of deities. Some were linked to the welfare of towns and cities in local areas, such as Marduk in Babylonia or Ra of Heliopolis in Egypt. Other gods were responsible for the livelihood and welfare of man during times of war and chaotic upheaval — such as Baal for the Canaanites, and Ishtar for the Sumerians and Assyrians. (The Heritage of World Civilizations, p 54)

Amongst this diverse conglomerate of varying polytheistic cultures and beliefs, emerged a single great tradition that was to later fuse the foundations of three great religions of the world: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These three religions can all be linked to one common religious tradition that goes as far back as the time of the patriarchal prophet Abraham. This underlying religious tradition forms the solid foundation on which all three religions have built upon over the course of history, and from which each has developed different beliefs and ideals that set them apart from others.

To begin with, the one fundamental difference that sets apart the religious tradition of these three religions was the unifying concept of monotheism:

faith in a single, All-Powerful God who is the sole Creator, Sustainer and Ruler of the universe. (Ibid, p. 56)

While it is not quite clear exactly when this doctrine first came into being, historians generally agree that the concept of monotheism first made a clear appearance amongst a nomadic tribal people known as the Hebrews. (Ibid, p. 56) Essentially, the common religious tradition that Islam, Christianity, and Judaism share can be traced back to these peoples. A better understanding of the history of this group of people can be useful in understanding the common origin of contemporary monotheistic religions.

The precise account of the activities of the Hebrews is not available. Nevertheless, scholars agree on the fact that Biblical accounts of the migration of the Hebrews into the Near Eastern area from Mesopotamia are plausible, and in accord with what is known of the general migration routes of such semi-nomadic tribes. (Ibid, p. 57) Religious and historical traditions mention that the patriarch Abraham came from Mesopotamia, and migrated west with his Hebrews followers, and settled along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, in the area now known as Palestine. (Ibid, p. 56)

Abraham brought with him the idea of a monotheistic belief, an idea that would later prove to endure for a long time in the area. Monotheistic belief emphasized on the moral demands and responsibilities of the individual and the community towards the worship of one God, who was ruler over all. Moreover, a belief in one God stressed the idea that God had a divine plan for human history, and the actions and ideals of His chosen people were inextricably tied to that divine plan. (Ibid, p. C-1) At the apex of this tradition sits Abraham, who is recognized as the founder of their faith by all three religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Abraham’s followers passed down this tradition generation after generation, strengthening and unifying the people in the Palestine area with the belief in God and the covenant made with His chosen people. It was the 13th century B.C. that the personage of Moses proved to be a great unifying force that was to quite literally forge the nation of Israel. It was during the time of Moses that the concept of the covenant was reiterated and reinstated amongst the descendants of Abraham.

The importance of this covenant can be recognized from a close scriptural analysis of all three religions. All three branches of the original monotheistic beliefs introduced by Abraham into the Palestine area recognize and account for the event in their religious scriptures:

And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. … And Moses took half of the blood of the oxen, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient. (Exodus: 24: 4, 6, 7)

Similarly, the religion of Islam also recognizes the covenant of the Hebrews with God. It is mentioned in the Holy Quran, the religious text of the Muslims, that man must remember the fact that such a covenant was taken by a group of people with God:

O children of Israel! Remember My favours which I bestowed upon you, and fulfil your covenant with Me, I will fulfil My covenant with you, and Me alone should you fear….. (The Holy Quran: 2:41) O children of Israel! Remember My favour which I bestowed on you and that I exalted you above the peoples of the time . (The Holy Quran: 2:48) And remember when We gave Moses the Book and the Discrimination, that you might be rightly guided. (The Holy Quran: 2:54) And remember the time when WE took a covenant from you and raised you above the Mount, saying, `Hold fast that which WE have given you and bear in mind what is therein, that you may be saved.’ (The Holy Quran: 2:64)

The need to quote the fore-going passages is seen when one attempts to correlate and compare them together with other underlying beliefs found in all three religions. It is seen that the tradition brought by Abraham, and reinforced and reinstated by Moses, is present and recognized by all three religions. This is the common point among all the three faiths: an affirmation and acknowledgment of the covenant which the Hebrews of the Palestine area made with God. This forms the fundamental basis for these monotheistic religions.

Another important similarity among the three religions is their relative closeness in terms of geographical proximity. It is not coincidental that all three great monotheistic religions of the world today have a common ancestral homeland: the fact that Abraham was the father of the faithful for all three religions also would signify that the place where he lived and led his people would be the place where all three faiths would be born. The Near East, comprising of the Palestine area, the Sinai peninsula, the Arabian peninsula (especially the northern half), and the areas of modern-day Turkey and Greece — essentially make up the birthplace of all three faiths.

Yet another parallelism among the three religions is the belief and ideal that through prayer and supplications, and establishing a relationship with God, one can achieve goodness in life and be in a constant state of peace and tranquillity with himself. This is the fundamental root of all worship in a monotheistic religion. The Almighty Creator is seen as a Being actively concerned with the deeds and doings of His creatures: thus a turning to Him would eventually lead to a path of divine Grace and Mercy. Essentially speaking, God’s purpose in creating mankind was for a very good reason:

they were called upon to be just and good like their Creator, for they were involved with the fulfilment of His divine purpose. (Craig, Albert, et al; [The Heritage of World Civilizations, page 60]) This concept is illustrated in God’s statement to the House of Israel mentioned in the Bible. I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah: 31:33)

God’s purpose, according to monotheistic beliefs, was to raise man in rank and elevation in terms of spiritual conduct and moral excellence. This could only be done if the individual, or the society at large, would acknowledge the fact that they were created for a divine purpose, and according to a pre-ordained plan. Believers were expected to follow the teachings given to them through their respective scriptures and to recognize such personages as Abraham, Moses, and others to be Prophets who were inspired and enlightened by God, and given the task of leading and reforming the people. (Craig, Albert, et al; [The Heritage of World Civilizations, page 59])

All of the beliefs mentioned are found in all three faiths. They all share a common belief in a living, self-sufficient, and ever-present God that maintains and regulates each and every individual’s lifestyle and conduct. These beliefs formed the cement for the foundation that was common to all faiths which originated from Abraham. This common point also served as the unifying force that united all of Israel under one belief and one God.

The religions of Islam and Christianity also maintain these beliefs. Originating in the Arabian Peninsula and Palestine area respectively, both hold the personage of Christ to be the extension of this tradition. While both Islam and Christianity believe in Christ as a Prophet and reformer — the Jewish faith does not.

This is where the parallelisms and similarities among all three religions stop. Islam and Christianity break away from Judaism when they acknowledge the holiness and righteousness of Christ. All three share a belief in Moses, but only two share a belief in the truth of Christ. The similarities between Christianity and Islam come to an end as well, when Islam breaks away from the parallelisms and acknowledges the Holy Prophet of Islam as a true prophet of God who came after Christ to bring God’s final law for the guidance of all mankind. Both Judaism and Christianity reject this claim. Hence, the religions split apart, and their similarities end when they begin to differ in opinion regarding Christ and Muhammad (peace be on them). Only Islam acknowledges the divine selection and prophethood of all three personages, while the other two do not.

All three religions do not share common beliefs after the belief in Moses. Islam acknowledges all three, Christianity acknowledges two, and Judaism only one.

Yet all are deeply rooted in the fabric of monotheism. It is this tradition that serves as the backbone for each religion. The covenant established by the patriarch Abraham, reinstated by Moses — serves as the common link between three world religions. A close geographical and historical origin brings all three religions closer together, and under a unifying perspective. This feature is what makes the religions so remarkably similar.

The great tradition that gave raise to these three faiths traces its origin and birth to a tiny group of nomadic Hebrew people, simple in lifestyle and habits. It was not the product of imperial forces, or from great empires (Bid, page 56). The eventual products that formed as a result of this tradition came into being after a long period of time. It was a gradual and slow process — not a quick period of religious upheaval and chaos. The time interval between the advent of Moses and Muhammad (peace be on them) was roughly nineteen centuries (1300 B.C. – 600 A.D.) — a monumental amount of time to change and evolve in religion.

Nevertheless, a proper understanding of the origin of monotheistic belief enables one to clearly and understand to what extent Judaism, Christianity and Islam can be considered as part of the same religious and spiritual tradition: a tradition that dates back to the time of Abraham, simple nomad leading his flock of followers to a better homeland.

Conflicting Christian attitudes

Contemporary views.

Christianity and world religions

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Table Of Contents

The global spread of Christianity through the activity of European and American churches in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries brought it into contact with all other existing religions. Meanwhile, since the beginning of the 19th century, the close connection between Christian world missions and political, economic, technical, and cultural expansion was, at the same time, loosened. Meanwhile, as the study of religion emerged as an academic discipline , scholarship on non-Christian and non-Western religious traditions developed. Philosophers and writers in both Europe and the United States (particularly the New England Transcendentalists ) drew from an increasing body of scholarly and missionary writing on Indian and Chinese traditions, incorporating some Eastern ideas—or at least their interpretations of them—into their own idiosyncratic religious visions of a reformed or reinvigorated Christianity. The World Parliament of Religions, held at the World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago in 1893, increased the visibility in the West of traditions from South and East Asia in particular.

Recent News

After World War II the former mission churches were transformed into independent churches in the newly autonomous Asian and African states. The concern for responsible cooperation between the members of Christian minority churches and their non-Christian fellow citizens became more urgent with a renaissance of the Asian higher religions in numerous Asian states.

Missionaries of Asian world religions moved into Europe, the Americas, and Australia. Numerous Vedanta centres were established to introduce Hindu teachings within the framework of the Ramakrishna and Vivekananda missions. In the United States the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 dramatically increased the number of legal immigrants from East, Southeast, and South Asia , the vast majority of whom were not Christians. In that year the Hare Krishna movement (formally the International Society for Krishna Consciousness [ISKCON]) was founded in the United States, attracting followers to its version of Vaishnavism , one of the main branches of Hinduism . Followers of South Asian Theravada Buddhism ; Mahayana Buddhism, particularly that of Japan (largely Pure Land , Nichiren [especially Sōka-gakkai ], and Zen ); and Tibetan Vajrayana ( Tantric ) Buddhism founded temples (some of which were called “churches”), meditation centres, community centres, and other spiritual retreats. This influence penetrated Europe and North America on several fronts, whether in the form of a spontaneously received flow of religious ideas and methods of meditation through literature and philosophy , through developments in psychology and psychotherapy, or through institutions within which individuals could develop a personal practice of meditation and participate in the life of the sangha (community). As a result, Christianity in the latter part of the 20th century found itself forced to enter into a factual discussion with non-Christian religions.

There has also been a general transformation of religious consciousness in the West since the middle of the 19th century. Until about 1900, intimate knowledge of non-Western world religions was still the privilege of a few specialists. During the 20th century, however, a wide range of people studied translations of source materials from the non-Christian religions. The dissemination of the religious art of India and East Asia through touring exhibitions and the prominence of the 14th Dalai Lama as a political and religious figure have created a new attitude toward the other religions in the broad public of Europe and North America. In recognition of this fact, numerous Christian institutions for the study of non-Christian religions were founded: e.g., in Bengaluru (Bangalore), India; in Yangon, Myanmar (Rangoon, Burma); in Bangkok, Thailand; in Kyōto, Japan; and in Hong Kong , China.

The readiness of encounter or even cooperation of Christianity with non-Christian religions is a phenomenon of modern times. Until the 18th century, Christians showed little inclination to engage in a serious study of other religions. Even though contacts with Islam had existed since its founding, the first translation of the Qurʾān (the Islamic holy book) was issued only in 1141 in Toledo by Peter the Venerable , abbot of Cluny. Four hundred years later, in 1542/43, Theodor Bibliander, a theologian and successor of the Swiss reformer Zwingli , edited the translation of the Qurʾān by Peter the Venerable . He was subsequently arrested, and he and his publisher could be freed only through the intervention of Luther .

Christian exposure to Asian religions also was delayed. Although the name Buddha is mentioned for the first time in Christian literature—and there only once—by St. Clement of Alexandria about 200 ce , it did not appear again for some 1,300 years. Pali , the language of the Theravada Buddhist canon ( see also Pali literature ), remained unknown in the West until the early 19th century, when the modern Western study of Buddhism began.

The reasons for such reticence toward contact with foreign religions were twofold: (1) The ancient church was significantly influenced by the Jewish attitude toward contemporary pagan religions. Like Judaism , it viewed the pagan gods as “nothings” next to the true God; they were offsprings of human error that were considered to be identical with the wooden, stone, or bronze images that were made by humans. (2) Beside this, there was the tendency to identify the pagan gods as evil demonic forces engaged in combat with the true God. The conclusion of the history of salvation , according to the Christian understanding, was to be a final struggle between Christ and his church on one side and Antichrist and his minions on the other, culminating with the victory of Christ.

The history of religion , however, continued even after Christ. During the 3rd and 4th centuries a new world religion appeared in the form of Manichaeism , which asserted itself as a superior form of Christianity with a new universal claim of validity. The Christian church never acknowledged the claims of Manichaeism but considered the religion a Christian heresy and opposed it as such.

Christianity faced greater challenges when it encountered Islam and the religions of East Asia. When Islam was founded in the 7th century, it considered the revelations of the Prophet Muhammad to be superior to those of the Old and New Testaments . Christianity also fought Islam as a Christian heresy and saw it as the fulfillment of the eschatological prophecies of the Apocalypse concerning the coming of the “false prophet,” as portrayed in the Revelation to John . The religious and political competition between Christianity and Islam led to the Crusades , which influenced the self-consciousness of Western Christianity in the Middle Ages and later centuries. In China and Japan, however, missionaries saw themselves forced into an argument with indigenous religions that could be carried on only with intellectual weapons. The old Logos theory prevailed in a new form founded on natural law , particularly among the Jesuit theologians who worked at the Chinese emperor’s court in Beijing. The Jesuits also sought to adapt indigenous religious traditions to Christian rituals but were forbidden from doing so by the pope during the Chinese Rites Controversy .

Philosophical and cultural developments during the Enlightenment brought changes in the understanding of Christianity and other world religions. During the Enlightenment the existence of the plurality of world religions was recognized by the educated in Europe, partly—as in the case of the German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz —in immediate connection with the theories of natural law of the Jesuit missionaries in China. Only in the philosophy of the Enlightenment was the demand of tolerance , which thus far in Christian Europe had been applied solely to the followers of another Christian denomination , extended to include the followers of different religions.

Some missionaries of the late 18th and19th centuries, however, ignored this knowledge or consciously fought against it. Simple lay Christianity of revivalist congregations demanded that a missionary denounce all pagan “idolatry.” The spiritual and intellectual argument with non-Christian world religions simply did not exist for this simplified theology , and in this view a real encounter of Christianity with world religions did not, on the whole, occur in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The 20th century experienced an explosion of publicly available information concerning the wider religious life of humanity, as a result of which the older Western assumption of the manifest superiority of Christianity ceased to be plausible for many Christians. Early 20th-century thinkers such as Rudolf Otto , who saw religion throughout the world as a response to the Holy (or the Sacred ), and Ernst Troeltsch , who showed that, socioculturally, Christianity is one of a number of comparable traditions, opened up new ways of regarding the other major religions.

During the 20th century most Christians adopted one of three main points of view. According to exclusivism , there is salvation only for Christians. This theology underlay much of the history outlined above, expressed both in the Roman Catholic dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus (“outside the church no salvation”) and in the assumption of the 18th- and 19th-century Protestant missionary movements. The exclusivist outlook was eroded within advanced Roman Catholic thinking in the decades leading up to the Second Vatican Council and was finally abandoned in the council’s pronouncements. The pope St. John Paul II ’s outreach to the world’s religions may be seen as the practical application of the decisions of Vatican II. Within Protestant Christianity there is no comparable central authority, but most Protestant theologians, except within the extreme fundamentalist constituencies , have also moved away from the exclusivist position.

Since the mid-20th century many Roman Catholics and Protestants have moved toward inclusivism—the view that, although salvation is by definition Christian, brought about by the atoning work of Christ, it is nevertheless available in principle to all human beings, whether Christian or not. The Roman Catholic theologian Karl Rahner expressed the inclusivist view by saying that good and devout people of other faiths may, even without knowing it, be regarded as “anonymous Christians.” Others have expressed in different ways the thought that non-Christians also are included within the universal scope of Christ’s salvific work and their religions fulfilled in Christianity.

The third position, which appealed to a number of individual theologians, was pluralism . According to this view, the great world faiths, including Christianity, are valid spheres of a salvation that takes characteristically different forms within each—though consisting in each case in the transformation of human existence from self-centredness to a new orientation toward the Divine Reality. The other religions are not secondary contexts of Christian redemption but independent paths of salvation. The pluralist position is controversial in Christian theology, because it affects the ways in which the doctrines of the person of Christ, atonement , and the Trinity are formulated.

Christians engage in dialogue with the other major religions through the World Council of Churches ’ organization on Dialogue with People of Living Faiths and Ideologies and through the Vatican’s Secretariat for Non-Christians, as well as through a variety of extra-ecclesiastical associations, such as the World Congress of Faiths. There is a National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States, and practically every U.S. state has its own similar state-level organization. A multitude of interreligious encounters have taken place throughout the world, many initiated by Christian and others by non-Christian individuals and groups. A Parliament of the World’s Religions was held in Chicago in 1993 to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the original parliament; it has been held every three or four years since then.

Christianity vs. Judaism

Christianity and Judaism are two Abrahamic religions that have similar origins but have varying beliefs, practices, and teachings.

Comparison chart

Christianity versus Judaism comparison chart
	Christianity	Judaism

Use of statues and pictures	In Catholic & Orthodox Churches.	Ancient times: Not allowed as it is considered Idolatry. Today, great artwork is encouraged. Statues of people are fine, but not as religious icons.
Place of worship	Church, chapel, cathedral, basilica, home bible study, personal dwellings.	Synagogues and temples, home, Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem
Clergy	Priests, bishops, ministers, monks, and nuns.	Ancient times: Hereditary privileged priest class--Kohen and Levi. Present day: Religious functionaries like Rabbis, Cantors, Scribes, Mohels.
Belief of God	One God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity.	One God (monotheism), often called HaShem—Hebrew for 'The Name', or Adonai— 'The Lord'. God is the one True Creator. God has always existed, none existed before him and will exist forever. He transcends life and death.
Founder	The Lord Jesus Christ.	Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses
Literal Meaning	Follower Of Christ.	Grateful person (named for Judah, who was named "gratitude" by his mother, Leah)
Marriage	A Holy Sacrament.	Ancient times: unlimited polygamy with concubinage. In modern times, monogamy officially since 1310 AD.
View of the Buddha	N/A.	N/A.
Original Language(s)	Aramaic, Greek, and Latin.	Hebrew, Aramaic. Over the centuries, Jewish languages have also included Yiddish (among the Ashkenazi Jews of Europe); and Ladino (among the Sephardic Jews of Spain and North Africa).
Followers	Christian (followers of Christ)	Jews, Jewish people
Scriptures	The Holy Bible	Tanakh (Jewish Bible), which includes the Torah
Population	Over two billion adherents worldwide.	Around 13-16 Million, debated. Population varies due to conversion (although some types are not recognized by the state of Israel) and "marrying out" (of the faith)
Second coming of Jesus	Affirmed.	Denied. (not part of liturgy)
Holy Days	Christmas (celebration of the birth of Jesus), Good Friday (death of Jesus), Sunday (day of rest), Easter (resurrection of Jesus), Lent (Catholicism), saints' feast days.	Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Chanukah, Tu B'Shvat, Passover, Lag B'Omer, Shavuot. Shabbat (Sabbath). Sabbath most important—one day a week no work, just peace, joy and prayer.
Position of Mary	Mother Of Jesus. Revered in all denominations. Degree of reverence varies from denomination.	Not applicable, as Jews do not believe that Jesus is their Messiah, and therefore, his Jewish mother plays no role in the Jewish religion other than history.
Place of origin	Roman province of Judea.	The Levant
Prophets	Prophets in the Bible are venerated.	Moses, and the subsequent Prophets of Israel as told in the Jewish Bible (Tanakh).
Belief	The Nicene Creed sums up Christian belief in the Holy Trinity.	Jewish central belief is that there is only one God, and God has a special relationship, a contract, with them that they can fulfill by performing mitzvot.
Practices	Prayer, sacraments (some branches), worship in church, reading of the Bible, acts of charity, communion.	Prayers 3 times daily, with a fourth prayer added on Shabbat and holidays. Shacarit prayer in the morning, Mincha in the afternoon, Arvit at night; Musaf is an extra Shabbat service.
Life after death	Eternity in Heaven or Hell, in some cases temporal Purgatory.	World to come, Reincarnation (some groups); unifying with God, there are different opinions and beliefs
Day of worship	Sunday (most denominations), Saturday (Seventh-Day Adventist, Seventh-Day Baptist)	Friday at sunset through Saturday sunset, is the Sabbath, THE most Holy Day (yes, all 52 of them). Taking time off from work, once a week, was invented by Judaism. It is more Holy than any other holiday, and is spent in contemplation and prayer.
Jesus	Son Of God. Second person of the Trinity. God the Son.	Not mentioned in the Jewish texts. No specific beliefs about this individual.
Position of Abraham	Father of the faithful.	The first patriarch and father of the Jewish religion. His father was an idol-maker but Abraham did not believe in idolatry or polytheism.
Status of Vedas	N/A.	N/A.
Means of salvation	Through Christ's Passion, Death, and Resurrection.	This is not a concept held in Judaism. Jews do not strive to achieve a status at the time of death.
Human Nature	Man has inherited "original sin" from Adam. Mankind then is inherently evil and is in need of forgiveness of sin. By knowing right and wrong Christians choose their actions. Humans are a fallen, broken race in need of salvation and repair by God.	You must choose good from bad. You are responsible for your actions, not thoughts.
Goal of religion	To love God and obey his commandments while creating a relationship with Jesus Christ and spreading the Gospel so that others may also be saved.	To celebrate LIFE! To fulfill the Covenant with God. Do good deeds. Help repair the world. Love God with all your heart. Strong social justice ethic.
Geographical distribution and predominance	As the largest religion in the world, Christianity has adherents are all over the world. As a % of local population, Christians are in a majority in Europe, North and South America, and Australia and New Zealand.	Existing in Israel for 1500 years, but the Romans in 70 AD kicked all Jews out. Jews are dispersed all over the world, at one time present in almost every country. Now the majority live in Israel, USA, Canada, Russia, France, England.
Use of Statues	Varies by denomination. Not used in Protestant denominations; icons are used in Catholic & Orthodox denominations.	Forbidden to use in religion
Abrahamic Lineage	Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.	Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are thanked every prayer day. Jacob's 12 sons became the 12 tribes of israel. Of these, 10 were lost during Assyrian Exile.
View of other Dharmic religions	N/A	N/A.
Birth of Jesus	Virgin Birth, through God.	Not mentioned in Jewish texts.
Confessing sins	Protestants confess straight to God, Catholic confess mortal sins to a Priest, and venial sins straight to God (Orthodox have similar practice) Anglicans confess to Priests but considered optional. God always forgives sins in Jesus.	Ancient times: there was a sin offering for individuals. Today people individually repair their sins. On Yom Kippur, they confess sins, and ask forgiveness from God. But also they must ask forgiveness directly from any people they may have wronged.
Symbols	Cross, ichthys ("Jesus fish"), Mary and baby Jesus.	Star of David, Menorah.
Authority of Dalai Lama	N/A.	N/A.
Death of Jesus	Death by crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. Will return.	Not mentioned in Jewish texts.
Religion which atheists may still be adherents of	No.	Yes. Judaism is both a faith practice and an ethnicity, so people are born and retain their Jewish identity whether or not they practice the religion.
Religious Law	Varies among denominations. Has existed among in the form of canon law.	Halakhah. Ethics. Commandments. 613 mitzvahs to be followed. Charity. Prayer. Rabbinical rulings with minority opinions. Debate very important part of system. Debate is encouraged in schools. Part of Bible addresses specific laws for everyday life.
About	Christianity broadly consists of individuals who believe in the deity Jesus Christ. Its followers, called Christians, often believe Christ is "the Son" of the Holy Trinity and walked the earth as the incarnate form of God ("the Father").	Judaism was created by Abraham 2000 BCE and his descendants, Isaac and Jacob.
Branches	Roman Catholics, independent Catholics, Protestants (Anglicans, Lutherans etc.), Orthodox (Greek orthodox, Russian orthodox).	Religious: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Renewel, Reconstruction. Traditions: Sephard, (Spain, Arab countries, Turkey). Ashkenazi: (Europe, Russia). MIzrachi: (Iraq, Persia, India).
Identity of Jesus	The Son Of God.	Simply not part of liturgy. Not mentioned one way or the other.
Promised Holy one.	Second Coming of Christ	Belief in the Coming of a Messiah.
Virtue on which religion is based upon	Love and justice.	Justice.
God's role in salvation	Humans cannot save themselves or ascend on their own to a higher level. Only God is good and therefore only God is able to save a person. Jesus came down from Heaven to save mankind.	Salvation is not a concept in Jewish faith. Each New Year, during Yom Kippur, Jews fast and pray for forgiveness from God, and if accepted, are written into the Book of Life, for the next year.
Names of God	God, Gud, Gott, Deo, Dios. Jehovah, YHWH, Eli Elohim, (depending on language Christians are of every language and culture around the world)	HaShem, Adonai,
Authority of Pope	Leader and overseer of the Catholic Church. his authority is completely rejected by Protestants, and is viewed by Orthodox as first among equals. Orthodox and Protestants reject Papal infallibility and Papal supremacy.	N/A
Ressurection of Jesus	Affirmed.	Denied.
Status of Muhammad	N/A.	N/A.
On Clothing	Conservative Christians dress modestly; women may wear long skirts or dresses; men may wear dress clothes that do not show the chest, legs, and arms. More moderate or liberal Christians generally reject such clothing restrictions.	Orthodox men always wear hats; Orthodox women either wear hats or wigs. Orthodox dress is modest.
View of God	One Trinity God, Who Is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.	God is the one True Creator. God has always existed, none existed before him and will exist forever. He transcends life and death. God is one and the only holiness. God is the creator. He is beyond human understanding, he is omnipotent.
Related Religions	Islam, Judaism, Baha'i faith	Christianity,
View of other Abrahamic religions	Judaism is regarded as a True religion but incomplete (without Gospel, and Messiah) Islam is regarded as a false religion, Christianity does not accept the Qur'an as true.	Believe that Christians are wrong in believing that Jesus is the Messiah; they neither believe nor disbelieve that Muhammad and/or Bah-u-llah are prophets.
Offshoot religions	Rastafarianism, Universalism, Deism, Masonry and Mormonism.	Abrahamic religions -- Christianity and Islam.
On Women	Equal to men. In some denominations, they may become nuns.	Equal to men and non-binary people in Reform/Liberal Judaism.
Resurrection of Jesus	Affirmed	Simply not mentioned. not part of liturgy in Judaism. Considered authentic part of Christianity.
Holy days/Official Holidays	The Lord's Day; Advent, Christmas; New Year, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, is dedicated to a Saint.	Sabbath, Havdalla, Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Chanukah, Tu BiShvat, Purim, Passover, Lag BaOmer, Shavout. Holocaust remembrance.
Goal of Philosophy	Objective reality. Worship of God who created life, the universe, and is eternal. Christianity has its own philosophy, found in the Bible. That philosophy is Salvation from sin, through the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.	To live a proper and Holy Life. To appreciate Life in every way. To do Good Deeds. To live Ethically. To make choice based on Free Will. Universal Education for every Jew; to study, learn. read and write.
Place and Time of origin	Jerusalem, approx. 33 AD.	1500 BC, Middle East. Religion formed over several centuries; was codified during the Babylonian exile. Literacy is encouraged to read Bible. Jews replaced animal sacrifice with prayer in Diaspora, after Romans destroyed Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD
No. of Gods and Godesses	1 God	1 God
Views on other religion	Christianity is the True Faith.	Judaism is the chosen faith, however, others are good too, provided that they follow Noahide Laws.
Praying to Saints, Mary, and Angel	Encouraged in the Catholic & Orthodox Churches; most Protestants only pray directly to God.	Jews only pray to God. They do not need Rabbis to pray. Each Jew can pray directly to God whenever he or she wants to. That said, they do choose to pray at the graves of holy men and some in Judaism. The Tomb of Rachel the Matriarch especially.
Original Language	Aramaic, Greek, and Latin	Hebrew has always been the central language of prayer. From 500 BCE, Aramaic and Greek koine and 'Aramized' Hebrew till 300 CE. Local languages and different extinct and living Jewish languages like Carfati, Yiddish, Ladino, Judesmo.
View of other Oriental religions	N/A.	N/A.
Virtue(s) in which religion is based upon	Love and justice.	Justice; strict adherence to God's law. Reading the Holy Books, and following the Commandments.
Primary God(s)	A single, all-powerful god known as God that is typically thought of in "trinity" form: God, the Father; Christ, the Son; and the Holy Spirit (or Ghost).	The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel).
Concept of Deity	1 God, in 3 Divine Persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.	Belief in one God and teachings of the tradition, prophets and rabbis.
Rites	Seven sacraments: Baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, matrimony (Catholic and Orthodox). Anglicans: and Eucharist. Other denominations: Baptism and communion.	Mitzvahs. Bar & Bat Mitvahs are the most well known, but, there are others too.
Original Languages	Aramaic, Common (Koine) Greek, Hebrew.	Hebrew common till 500 BCE, Aramaic and Greek koine till 300 CE. Hebrew always for religious services. Local languages and different extinct and living Jewish languages like Carfati, Yiddish, Ladino, Judesmo etc
Revered People	Varies by sect/denomination. Saints, the Pope, cardinals, bishops, nuns, church pastors, or deacons.	The Patriarchs, Moses, various rabbis, and Tzaddics, down through the centuries.
Views on the afterlife	Eternity in Heaven or Hell; some believe in temporal suffering in Purgatory, before admittance into Heaven.	Jews beleive in a human Soul, and Orthodox believe in A World To Come and a form of Reincarnation. Differing beliefs accepted. Very little discussion on afterlife. Focus is on time on Earth now.
Promised Holy One	Second Coming Of Christ.	The Messiah.
On Food/Drink	Jesus said, "'...Whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?' (Thus he declared all foods clean.)" Mark 7:19	Jews are required to eat . Pork is forbidden. Requirement for prayer and ritual butchery of meat. Quick and swift slaughter at single point on the throat; blood has to be completely drained.
Use of statues, images	some denominations regard It as forbidden and Idolatry. Anglicans and Lutherans allow pictures but forbid venerating them. Catholics encourage pictures and statues and venerate them. Orthodox encourage pictures and venerate them.	Forbidden
Most Common Sects	, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, .	Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Renewal and Reconstructionist.
Important Tenets	The Ten Commandments, The Beatitudes.	The Law of Moses.
Spiritual Beings	Angels, demons, spirits.	Angels, demons, and spirits.
Sacred Texts	Christian Bible (includes ). What is considered canon may vary slightly by sect/denomination.	Torah
On Race	All races viewed equal in Christianity. However, Bible passages on slavery were used to support the practice in the past in the U.S. The "curse of Ham" was sometimes thought to be Black people; modern interpretations reject this.	Jews believe they are the "chosen people" i.e. descendants of the ancient Israelites are chosen to be in a covenant with God. However, all human beings are God's people, descended from Adam and Eve who were created in the image of God.
View of Jesus	God in human form, "Son of God, " savior. Death by crucifixion. Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead, was taken up into heaven, and will return during the Apocalypse.	Regular Jewish person, not a messiah.
View on Abrahamic religions	All worship the One God.	Jews began Abrahamic religions. Christians share early prophets.The Koran also has renditions of these prophets. The New Testament can be viewed as written by Jews for the Jews of that time.
Founders and Early Leaders	Jesus, Peter, Paul, and the Apostles.	Abraham, Moses, David, and many Prophets.
Status of Adam	The first man. Humanity is in a state of Original Sin, due to Adam's disobedience to God.	First known use of the Adam/Eve mythology.
On Money	Tithing / charitable giving. "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." —Jesus in Matthew 19:24	Tzadaka
On LGBT	Varies. Christians who believe in more literal interpretations of the Bible rarely accept homosexuality; some see it as a crime. "Do not be deceived...men who have sex with men...will not inherit the kingdom of God." —1 Corinthians 6:9-10	Generally accepted and celebrated in Reform/Liberal branches.
On Marriage/Divorce	Definition of marriage and divorce acceptance varies by sect/denomination. Bible includes examples of polygamy and monogamy and only condones divorce in cases of adultery.	Orthodoxy only recognizes opposite-sex marriages. Only men can serve women the divorce document, known as a "get." In Reform Judaism, there's no need for the get. Civil marriages/divorces are recognized and same-sex couples can marry.
View of Animistic religions	Paganism is Heathenism. Witchcraft is communication and interaction with demons, fallen evil angelic beings. These have no real interest ultimately, in helping their worshipers. Demonic possession is common.	The earliest Jewish holidays correspond to agricultural seasons. Jews uniquely developed monotheism as a God of All. They were surrounded by pagen tribes who believed in gods based on their location, or nature.
On Atheism	Varies. Some believe atheists will go to hell because they do not believe in God; others believe God does not operate that way. "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, their deeds are vile..." —Psalm 14:1	Some Jews are atheists.
Prophet	Moses, Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, Elisha, etc., as well as both Johns in the New Testament too.	Moses, Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, Elisha, etc.
Belief of deities	One God three forms: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.	One God.
Legislation	Varies through denomination.	Prerogative of the people
Direction of Prayer	Catholics and Orthodox usually face the Tabernacle in their prayers but it is not considered necessary, but recommended. God is present everywhere recent reforms have prompted many Christians to not face anywhere in their prayers.	Toward Jerusalem.
Praying to Saints,Mary, and Angel	Affirmed, in Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, & Anglican(Episcopalian)Christianity; most Protestants do not.	N/A.
Purgatory	Believed in by various denominations. It is debated in Christianity.	Believed in Judaism.
Marriage and Divorce	Explained by Jesus in Mathew 19:3-9 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Therefore what God has put together let man not seperate.'	Monogamous. Marriage permitted.
Saints	Catholics and Orthodox venerate very Holy people as Saints. Most Protestants do not do this, however they do look at them as inspirational figures.	Jewish holy figures are known as Tzaddics.
Virtues in which religion is based upon	Love, charity, and mercy.	Justice, faithfulness, charity, modesty, Tikkun Olam (improving the world), mitzvot (good deeds, following God's law), Love of the creations. Ethics. Social Justice. Intellectual discussions, and study.
Status of Elohim	God	God
Views about other religions	No other religion leads to God. Judaism being a unique exception, Jews viewed as ignorant of the Messiah.	The m
Three Jewels/Trinity	The Blessed Trinity: In the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit	God, people, and Israel
What is it?	Christianity is the religion founded by Christ, to which He is central to.	Judaism is the Abrahamic religion of the Jewish people, based on principles and ethics embodied in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and the Talmud (the great written opinions of the different rabbi's and intellectuals and holy men throughout the years)
War between two churches/ major sects	Catholics & Protestants used to be at war in Northern Ireland; In USA, many fundamentalist Protestants vehemently deny Catholics are Christian.	Different sects agree and differ with each other. There is room for debate with no violence. Orthodox and Reform Jews greatly dislike one another.
Days of worship	Sunday.	Sabbath, sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. (Days start at sundown.)
Significance of Eucharist	It Is Christ Himself.	N/A.
Presence of Christ in Eucharist	Literally Present in Catholicism and in Orthodoxy.	N/A.
imams identified as	N/A.	N/A.
Concept of God	One God, Who Is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.	One God
sects	Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox.	Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Sephardim, Karaite, Samaritan, and so on.
Holy day(s)	Sunday, Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, All Saints' Day, various Saints' Days throughout the year.	Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Chanukah, Tu B'Shvat, Passover, Lag B'Omer, Shavuot, Shabbat (Sabbath).
Clothes	While there is no specific form of religious dress, people are encouraged to dress conservatively, rather than provocatively.	Jews wear skullcaps called kippot, or yarmulkes. In prayer, Men over 13 wear shawls, called Tallit, and during morning prayer, leather straps called Tefillin, which awaken the spiritual connection with God. Women cover their heads with a prayer shawl

About Judaism and Christianity

The definition of Christianity varies among different Christian groups. Roman Catholics, Protestants and Eastern Orthodox define a Christian as one who is the member of the Church and the one who enters through the sacrament of baptism . Infants and adults who are baptized are considered as Christians. Jesus's Jewish group became labeled 'Christian' because his followers claimed he was 'Christ' the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew and Aramaic word for ' Messiah .' Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people, based on principles and ethics embodied in the Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh ) and the Talmud .

Christianity began in 1st century AD Jerusalem as a Jewish sect and spread throughout the Roman Empire and beyond to countries such as Ethiopia, Armenia, Georgia, Assyria, Iran, India, and China. The first known usage of the term Christians can be found in the New Testament of the Bible . The term was thus first used to denote those known or perceived to be disciples of Jesus. The history of early Christian groups is told in Acts in the New Testament. The early days of Christianity witnessed the desert Fathers in Egypt, sects of hermits and Gnostic ascetics.

Jesus gave the New Law by summing up the Ten Commandments. Many of the Jews did not accept Jesus. For traditional Jews, the commandments and Jewish law are still binding. For Christians, Jesus replaced Jewish law. As Jesus began teaching the twelve Apostles some Jews began to follow Him and others did not. Those who believed the teachings of Jesus became known as Christians and those who didn't remained Jews.

Differences in Beliefs

The Religion of Mary and Joseph was the Jewish religion . Judaism's central belief is the people of all religions are children of God , and therefore equal before God. Judaism accepts the worth of all people regardless of religion, it allows people who are not Jewish and wish to voluntarily join the Jewish people. While the Jews believe in the unity of God, Christians believe in the Trinity. A Jew believes in divine revelation through the prophets and Christians believe it to be through Jesus and the prophets.

The Christian Religion encompasses all churches as well as believers without churches, as many modern practitioners may be believers in Christ but not active church goers. A Christian will study the Bible , attend church, seek ways to introduce the teachings of Jesus into his or her life, and engage in prayer. A Christian seeks forgiveness for his or her personal sins through faith in Jesus Christ . The goal of the Christian is both the manifestation of the Kingdom of God on Earth and the attainment of Heaven in the after-life.

In the following video, Christian apologist Lee Strobel interviews Rabbi Tovia Singer and fellow evangelical Christian apologist William Lane Craig about the Trinity of God:

Scriptures of Christianity and Judaism

Judaism has considered belief in the divine revelation and acceptance of the Written and Oral Torah as its fundamental core belief. The Jewish Bible is called Tanakh which is the dictating religious dogma. Christianity regards the Holy Bible, a collection of canonical books in two parts (the Old Testament and the New Testament) as authoritative: written by human authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and therefore the inerrant Word of God.

Jewish vs. Christian Practices

Traditionally, Jews recite prayers three times daily, with a fourth prayer added on Shabbat and holidays. Most of the prayers in a traditional Jewish service can be said in solitary prayer, although communal prayer is preferred. Jews also have certain religious clothing which a traditional Jew wears.Christians believe that all people should strive to follow Christ's commands and example in their everyday actions. For many, this includes obedience to the Ten Commandments . Other Christian practices include acts of piety such as prayer and Bible reading. Christians assemble for communal worship on Sunday, the day of the resurrection, though other liturgical practices often occur outside this setting. Scripture readings are drawn from the Old and New Testaments, but especially the Gospels .

Cathedral Petri at St. Peter's Cathedral, Rome

Comparing Jewish and Christian Religious Teachings/Principles

Judaism teaches Jews to believe in one God and direct all prayers towards Him alone while Christians are taught about the Trinity of God - The Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. Jews generally consider actions and behavior to be of primary importance; beliefs come out of actions. This conflicts with conservative Christians for whom belief is of primary importance and actions tend to be derivative from beliefs.

Another universal teaching of Christianity is following the concept of family values, helping the powerless and promoting peace which Jews also believe in.

The View of Jesus in Christianity and Judaism

To Jews, Jesus was a wonderful teacher and storyteller. He was just a human, not the son of God. Jews do not think of Jesus as a prophet . Also, Jews believe that Jesus cannot save souls, and only God can. In the Jewish view, Jesus did not rise from the dead. Judaism in general does not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

Christians believe in Jesus as a messiah and as the giver of salvation. Christians believe that all people should strive to follow Christ's commands and example in their everyday actions.

Geographical Distribution of Jews vs. Christians

The Jews have suffered a long history of persecution in many different lands, and their population and distribution per region has fluctuated throughout the centuries. Today, most authorities place the number of Jews between 12 and 14 million. Predominantly, Jews today live in Israel, Europe and the United States .

Data suggest that there are around 2.1 billion Christians in the world all around the globe inlcuding South and North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.

Groups/Sects

Jews include three groups: people who practice Judaism and have a Jewish ethnic background (sometimes including those who do not have strictly matrilineal descent), people without Jewish parents who have converted to Judaism; and those Jews who, while not practicing Judaism as a religion, still identify themselves as Jewish by virtue of their family's Jewish descent and their own cultural and historical identification with the Jewish people.

There are many people who follow christianity and have divided themselves into various groups/ sects depending upon varying beliefs. The types of Christians include Catholic , Protestant , Anglican , Lutheran , Presbyterian , Baptist, Episcopalian , Greek Orthodox , Russian Orthodox , Coptic .

Jews and Christians: Exploring the past, present and Future by Various Contributors and edited by James H. Charlesworth
Wikipedia: Jewish history
Wikipedia: Jew#Who is a Jew
Wikipedia: Christian
Wikipedia: Christianity

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Comments: Christianity vs Judaism

Anonymous comments (5).

January 10, 2012, 7:53pm A rather poor and static account of Judaisim with no distinction between the period of Temple worship and the evolution of Judaism after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, which involved innovations such as synagougue worship and the codification of the Oral Law. Halakha is merely a term for law or legaly study (see the Penguin Dictionary of Judaims by Nicholas De Lange). No mention of the fact that Judaism deals with how to bevave ethically in a divinely create world whose permissible pleasures and benefits which are enjoined to enjoy. Likwise, no mention of the seven basic Noachic Commandments, the observance of which places non-Jews and Jews on a equal footing. Therefore, I do not stop Christians in the street and try to convert them to Judaism. I wish that they would accord me the same courtesy. Judaism today covers a wide range of groups, some of whom, such as the Chassidim, have beliefs that are coloured by Christian thought such as original sin and the existence of Satan. In traditonal Jewish thought, everything is created by the Almighty and there is no supernatural source of evil. Every human being has an inclination towards good and towards evil and we are all indiviudally rsponsible for our own actions. Human beings therefore are capable of change and no Redeemer who died for our sins is required. I resent the historical treatment of Jews by Christians and their belief that theirs is the one truth faith, despite Christ's statement about the many mansions in my Father's house. I aslo resent Christians' sometimes deliberate misinterpretation of passages in the Old Testament such as "eye for eye" in a literal manner, in order to portray Judaism as a brutal religion that has been supersed by Christianity, the religion of love, although throught the ages we Jews have seen percious little of this virture. Even today, the indifference of most Christians towards animal welfare and animal cruelty is striking. In Judasim, all living beings are part of the divine creation and are to be respected accordingly. I suggest that you do more reading to deepen your knowledge and understanding of our religion, without which Christianity would not have been possible. — 82.✗.✗.178

December 1, 2012, 9:41am Are you talking a out a religion that came years after the Hebrews stopped using the name of God when he told you to keep it and remember it for it is his name forever? If I recall most jews don't even utter or even try to pronounce the name anymore. Jesus the rebel had to come along and use the name,lol, Jesus said Ehyah has sent me, and said he is one with Ehyah and most jews wanted to stone him and if possible kill all his followers or mess with there teachings due to the fact Gentiles after being exposed to Messiah and his culture were being taught that they needed to be circumcised and of that other such. I didn't come to say all jews are bad, in fact there are as many good as there are bad, we are all humans. What I am saying is Judaism formed over the years compared to there predecessors. I mean lets be rash No prophet in the bible was claiming to be apart of Judaism, what they claimed was there tribe and the God. If you ask Moses what's Judaism he wouldn't know what to say because its a religion and if I go to the nearest synagogue over a year I can possibly be called a Jew too. Does that make me Judah's descendant NO. Big difference between tribes and religion — 71.✗.✗.160

December 14, 2011, 3:04am I am a little late for the discussion here. I find it interesting that with the similar beliefs in the Old testament and the Torah that the two diverge as much as they do. I have yet to find one mention of the trinity in either the Old or New Testament (if I missed it please enlighten me). To me is seems both religions claim to worship the same G-d. One teaches redemption while the other preaches salvation. To me this are a lot alike it is where man is removed from his own sin and evil. I know on a social scale there is much difference. A person is Jewish by birth and or choice. In almost any event they will be Jewish even if they choose not to believe in g-d. In Christianity you are a Christian by choice , you must ask g-d to accept you. You must apologize for a sinful nature that is part of the human condition. You must live the best you can to G-d standards and the 10 commandments. However there were a number of restrictions lifted most notably diet. I am trying to get to the root of the differences myself as I sit and look at the two religions. I know that G-d's people are to be tormented and the Jews have had that throughout history. I see this happening with the Christians now as well. I will keep digging and hope somewhere someone can help me by shedding light on the Jews and Christians. Untill then may G-d bless every one of you as he does. — 71.✗.✗.121

May 2, 2014, 3:33pm no that is a hole different religion that that the cover their hair if you thought that because of the movie gods not dead her family was islamic — 209.✗.✗.254

August 16, 2013, 5:21am Start writing down how many times your prayer have been answered and how they were answered. So next time some one tells you there's no god show 'em the list. They may say that's just a coincidence but they are probably going to start wondering if what they've been told is true and start looking into it. And for those of you who say your prayers haven't been answered, here's some advice. APPRECIATE THE little THINGS. — 72.✗.✗.10

New Testament vs Old Testament
Catholicism vs Christianity
Catholic vs Protestant
Mormonism vs Christianity
Christianity vs Islam
Sunni vs Shia
Christianity vs Protestantism
Islam vs Shia

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Difference Between Islam and Christianity Essay

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In what way is Islam similar to Christianity? What are the differences between Christianity and Islam? The essay below will answer these questions! Compare and contrast the two religions effectively with us.

Introduction

Compare & Contrast

Works Cited

Christianity and Islam share a lot of similarities and at the same time differ on several aspects. This paper will carry out a detailed comparison of the Christian and Islam religions. Among the similarities are: they both worship one God, they both believe that Jerusalem is the holy city and lastly they believe that the date of the judgment is decided when one dies.

Despite the above similarities, the two religions differ on other aspects; their main points of differing are: on their central teacher – Christians consider Jesus to be their main figure whereas Muslims believe in Mohammed as their central figure; in reference to the revered texts; Christians consider the Bible as the holy book and Muslims have Quran as their holy book.

Both religions also differ with respect to their places of worship; for Christians their place of worship is church or cathedral and according to the Islamic religion the place of worship is masjid or the mosque (Flemming 332).

Islam vs. Christianity

Christianity and Islam are closely related religions due to the fact that they revere Abraham and other patriarchs cited in the Hebrew scripture as their spiritual ancestors.

Major denominations of Christianity :

Catholicism;
Protestantism;
Latter day saints (Anon 1).

Major denominations of Islam :

Sufism (Akhter 171).

Compare and Contrast Islam and Christianity

On religious beliefs : Christianity and Islam have various differences and at the same time related in other aspects. On the concept of the deity, Christians believe in the trinity which encompasses three persons in one God, that is, the God the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. Muslims on the other hand believe in only one Allah who can not be divided. Consequently, both religions believe in existence of Jesus though the Christians consider Jesus as the son of God whereas Muslims consider Jesus as a respected prophet who ranks second after Mohammed in significance.

On the death of Jesus : Christians believe that it was sanctioned by Pontius Pilate and carried out by the roman army and Muslims believe that Jesus was neither killed nor died but he ascended into heaven alive. They, however, both believe that Jesus ascended to heaven. Notwithstanding the fact that they both believe in a holy book, they refer them by different names; for the Muslims, their holy book is called the Quran and the Christians call it as the Bible.

Based on religious practices : On the interpretation of the holy book, Christians interpretation ranges from the statements made by the pope and also resolutions in conventions which is common among the Protestants; Muslims on the other hand interpret the holy book based on the opinion of various scholars and hence there is no individual who is an authority in the interpretation of the holy book according to the Muslims (Brodd and Sobolewsky 10).

With respect to the place of worship : Christians worship in the church or rather the cathedral whereas the Muslims worship in the mosque. Also the two religions differ based on their day of worship; Christians worship on the Saturdays and Sundays and to Muslims hold their worship on Friday.

With regards to the relationship between the church and the state : Christians believe that it should be separated and to an extend Christian countries are democracies. According to Islam, the church and the state are integrated and majority of Muslim countries are governed dictatorial (Christian and Islam 11-19).

On humanity : In the Christian perspective, Christians seek to foster cooperation among their churches especially in their mission to the world. They also seek to heal any historical division that might exist among churches. The main agent of the Christians is the World Council of Churches and they achieve their mission through ecumenical movements. Christians mobilize other Christians in the mission to confront social problems that afflict the societies like poverty and injustice (Young 12).

Islam stresses the need for social justice and they provide for the marginalized and the vulnerable members of the society which include the poor, the hungry and the orphaned. They as well stand against the extreme group of Muslims who take advantage of the conventional brotherhood and sisterhood to further clannism and sexism and they also reject globalization that benefits Multinational Corporation at the expense of ordinary citizens (Young 224)

On human problem : Christians consider a problem as an individual since individuals are sinners and any resolution is personal transformation; they consider the main problem as the separation of an individual from God (Young 213). Muslims appreciate gender justice as a way of promote justice in the Muslim community. Muslims also believe in pluralism. The cause of human problem according to the Muslims is when an individual rejects the guidance of Allah and does not believe in the original sin like the Christians (Young 242).

Cause of human problem : According to the Muslims, human problem is caused by human distraction (Young 242). With regard to the Christians, the main cause of human problem is the original sin that was committed in the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve; they argue that individuals should be liberated from sin (Young 214).

End of transformation : According to the Christian theologians, human life is subjected to danger by their sins and these sins may encompass ecological dimensions. To the Christians, there is life after death. They believe that Jesus rose from death in order to transform human life on earth (Young 215).

Sacred : According to the Muslims, there is no other God but only Allah and true connection with him can be established through dedication in prayers and also through Jihad, which is a holy war (Young 247). Christians on the other hand believe that there is only one God who exists in three forms, that is, God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit. This sacred can be known through the circumstances that he is the agent of creation and the fact that he brought harmony and unity to all the reality (Young 218).

Symbols, myths and rituals : Muslims wage Jihad to demonstrate their protection and allegiance to God. They celebrate rituals such as the holy month of Ramadan and also Id ul fitr which is their holy holiday, and Al-Hijra which is the moment of personal renewal, Christians, on the other hand, celebrate Christmas which is a reflection of the death of Jesus Christ and they also remember Good Friday and Easter Monday (Morrill 2).

When the two religions are compared with Judaism especially doctrine wise; both Islam and Judaism are based in the Middle East. Just like the other two religions, Judas believes in Jerusalem as the holy town. Judaism like Christians both shares the history of the Jews but Judaism like Islam designates civilization as a way of life. It is only the secular nature of Judaism that distinguish it form Christianity otherwise they are doctrines which are similar and both are the religions of the tribe of Abraham (Warren 235).

Akhter, Shamim. Faith & philosophy of Islam; Volume 2 of Indian religions series . New York: Gyan Publishing House, 2009. Print.

Anon. Christian denominations . article no.91. Upper Triad, 2011. Web.

Brodd, Jeffrey and Sobolewsky, Gregory. World Religions: A Voyage of Discovery, 3rd.edition. New York: Saint Mary’s Press, 2009. Print.

Christian and Islam. Forgotten Books . New York: Prentice Hall, n.d. Print.

Flemming, Laraine. Reading Keys , 3 rd edition. New York: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.

Morrill, Ann. Religious New Year’s Celebrations ; Holidays and Celebrations . New York: InfoBase Publishing, 2009. Print.

Warren, Mathews. World Religions , 6 th edition. New York: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print.

Young, William. The world religions ; worldviews and contemporary issues , 3 rd edition. New York: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.

Christianity Versus Judaism
Abrahamic Religions: Islam and Judaism
Comparing Judaism and Islam
Judaism Religion Through the History
The Rise of Christianity Compared to Hellenistic Judaism
Core Beliefs and Practices of Islam
Smith, Huston. The Religions of Man
World Religions and Ultimate Goal of Human Existence
The Second Great Awakening
Religion: The Past and the Future
Chicago (A-D)
Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2018, October 12). Difference Between Islam and Christianity Essay. https://ivypanda.com/essays/comparing-and-contrasting-islam-and-christianity/

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IvyPanda . 2018. "Difference Between Islam and Christianity Essay." October 12, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/comparing-and-contrasting-islam-and-christianity/.

1. IvyPanda . "Difference Between Islam and Christianity Essay." October 12, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/comparing-and-contrasting-islam-and-christianity/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Difference Between Islam and Christianity Essay." October 12, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/comparing-and-contrasting-islam-and-christianity/.

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Maria carmen de vita , university of siena. [email protected].

[Authors and titles are listed at the end of the review.]

The reviewed volume originated within a research group at MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society in Oslo. Its title reflects the variety of sources considered to reconstruct the reception of the Delphic precept “know thyself” across the first four centuries AD and various intellectual traditions. The editors have two stated objectives: to check the flexibility of the concept of self-knowledge in the range of interpretations it gives rise to through various contexts; and to assess the possibility of comparing modern conceptions of the self with those derivable from ancient sources. I start by summarizing the chapters, leaving to the end a comprehensive evaluation of the originality of the volume in relation to some other studies on the Delphic precept and self-knowledge.

The introductory chapters by Filtvedt and Schröter take stock of the ethical, epistemological, and theological implications that γνῶθι σαυτόν assumes over the course of its hermeneutic history. It is taken by ancient thinkers as the starting point of a reflection that develops along three main lines: examining the nature of the true “self” of man, in the maturation of the concept of individual identity and social identity; evaluating the possibilities that the individual has to know himself and improve himself through self-scrutiny; and verifying to what extent self-knowledge is preparatory to the realization of the supreme goal of life, the knowledge or assimilation to divinity (mediated, in Christian authors, by assimilation to Christ).

The first two aspects are already highlighted in Wasmuth’s essay, dedicated to the Delphic precept in pre-Christian Greek philosophy. There she traces the steps of a conceptual transformation process of the γνῶθι σαυτόν, from a popular saying (with Ion of Chios), to the expression of an ethical ideal (the virtue of σωφροσύνη: Heraclitus, Aeschylus), to an iconic synthesis of a cognitive journey referring both to human nature in general and to the nature of the individual. It is Platonic reflection that represents a true turning point in a psychological and intellectual sense in the way of understanding self-knowledge: dialogues such as the Republic , the Phaedrus and the Alcibiades I open new paths of investigation in the history of thought, including the effort to establish the mereology of the self, then the limits of self-knowledge, and finally its social implications.

Regarding the theological interpretation of the Delphic precept, it ultimately also goes back to Plato: more precisely, to a debated passage in the Alcibiades (133c8–7), which asserts that true self-knowledge can be achieved only by looking into the brightest mirror, which is God. The text is evaluated differently by supporters of the authenticity of the dialogue, scholars who reject it, and those who conceive those lines as the beginning of a ten-line interpolation. Wasserman examines the passage against the backdrop of the textual tradition of the Alcibiades , demonstrating how this part of the mirror metaphor could be considered a later Middle Platonist interpolation, subsequently adopted by Christian authors because it was perceived to serve the apologetic needs of the new religion; but nevertheless he is slightly inclined to consider it as originally belonging to Plato’s dialogue.

Wasmuth and Wasserman’s essays set the stage for the main chapters that follow, which can be divided into two major sections, on the Judeo-Christian tradition and on the pagan philosophical tradition of the late Imperial age. Wyss’s essay constitutes the ideal link between the first and second parts of the volume, as it focuses on the “transversal” author Philo, who, in his references to the Delphic precept, recovers the Socratic-Platonic conceptual legacy and makes it compatible with the allegorical interpretation of the Scriptures. The result of this operation is the accentuation of the transformative dimension of “know thyself” (as a strategy of self-purification) and the attribution of an apophatic dimension to the maxim, in the close connection established between God and the soul of man (never fully knowable).

The emphasis on the pedagogical dimension of self-knowledge – carried out through a daily exercise of self-scrutiny – also characterizes the ethical reflections of two “therapists of the soul,” Seneca and Epicurus. However, the two thinkers diverge in their reading of the γνῶθι σαυτόν. Seneca’s position, as demonstrated by Holtz, is more “pessimistic,” as he aims self-knowledge, understood as meditatio mortis and the awareness of human frailties, at controlling the passions, only to foreshadow later, in the Naturales Quaestiones , the transcendence of the self in the acquisition of a cosmic perspective through the study of natural phenomena ( sui naturaeque cognitio ). Epictetus’ vision, by contrast, according to Wehus, is more optimistic, as his interpretation of the Delphic precept is connected to the appreciation of the concept of προαίρεσις, which defines the quintessential aspect of being human and serves as a reminder of one’s exceptionality.

The ethical implications of self-knowledge then take a back seat to the theological ones in Plutarch’s De E apud Delphos , which Hirsch-Luipold examines. In this treatise, the recognition of the fullness of divine being (expressed by the mysterious E dedicated within Apollo’s temple) is dialectically linked to the awareness of human insignificance, providing an impetus to transcend the limits of material existence to achieve assimilation to the divine. This same theological dialectic is also present in the writings of Plotinus, with an exceptional focus on what Emilsson defines as the self-reflective aspect of self-knowledge. The philosopher of the Enneads acknowledges different levels of the (notion of) self, ranging from ordinary consciousness, discursive reason (διάνοια), to the “true self” of the soul, considered independently of the body, to the “higher self,” never entirely descended from the intelligible world. The movement from one self to another is carried out through an inward turn that leads discursive reason progressively to adopt the self-identical and absolutely perfect model of knowledge of the divine Intellect.

The works of Plotinus, but even those of Plutarch, represent significant points of intersection between ancient philosophy and the development of theological models of Platonic thought in the context of early Christianity (p. 211). It is important to emphasize how in the works of authors such as Clement of Alexandria, Irenaeus, and Tertullian, the theological and anthropological reflections prompted by the Delphic precept are stimulated by critical engagement with both the classical philosophical tradition and opponents of different doctrinal orientations. In the case of Clement, anti-pagan and anti-Gnostic polemics lead the Alexandrian, as reconstructed by Hägg, to draw on Philo and Middle Platonist sources in associating γνῶθι σαυτόν with the exegesis of Genesis 1:26–27 and in portraying the Christian gnostic, called to recognize in himself the image-bearer of the divine, and to achieve the likeness to God, under the guidance of the divine pedagogue. For Irenaeus, however, the discussion of true self-knowledge in Against Heresies 3 and 5 can be read, according to Kaufman, as contrasting with the false self-knowledge of the heretic Marcus. Against pagans (and Platonizing heretics) is also Tertullian’s interpretation of the maxim, which Sandnes highlights for its richness of nuance: it is an invitation to recognize in Christ the full expression of self-knowledge and to become aware of human nothingness even at moments of greatest success (such as the military rite of triumph); it is manifested in collective prayer within the Christian community.

In the essays considered so far, the authors are careful to highlight how, in ancient sources, objective and subjective elements of self-knowledge become intertwined: knowing oneself means starting from the recognition of one’s limitations in the face of objective truths/realities that transcend the self and then striving to make those truths operative in one’s life. This is so even in the case of the Hermetica , discussed by Bull: in those treatises, the goal of self-knowledge is to realize that one’s true self totally lacks particularity. This is also true in the case of Origen, whose writings reveal in the clearest way two new motifs added by Christians in their reinterpretation of the Delphic precept, namely eschatology and Christology. Origen’s works are the focus of contributions by Ramelli, Filtvedt, and Sødal Tveito, among the most substantial in the entire volume. Ramelli traces significant developments from Origen to Gregory of Nyssa, with respect to the usage of the maxim in their interpretations of the Song of Songs . Furthermore, she explores the link between self-knowledge, Origen’s theology of the Image, and his doctrine of apokatastasis: “the soul should know itself and its beauty, which it received at the beginning, because it is in the image of the God, and it ought to strive to recover it, after sinning, at the apokatastasis” (p. 439). Filtvedt focuses on the Christological implication of self-knowledge through a comparison between the Gospel of John and Origen’s commentary on the Gospel of John. In both texts, it is Jesus who is portrayed as knowing himself, and this kind of self-knowledge is, according to Origen, a model to be emulated. Regarding the path suggested by the Alexandrian theologian to his students for achieving self-knowledge, it is highly probable that it included the partial recovery of anthropological and ethical motives common to the classical philosophical tradition. This is evidenced by Gregory the Wonderworker in his Address of Thanksgiving to Origen , which is the subject of Sødal Tveito’s contribution.

Introspection, the theology of the Image, eschatology, and ecclesiology all converge in Augustine’s interpretation of the Delphic precept, the subject of Drever’s contribution, fittingly placed at the conclusion of the volume. The Bishop of Hippo truly stands at the culmination of a dual tradition, progressively transforming in his writings the quest for self-knowledge from an individual inward exercise ( agnosce te ) to a corporate exercise ( agnoscamus ) embedded within the liturgy of the church.

In conclusion, it can be affirmed that the volume certainly achieves the programmatic objectives set by the editors. It distinguishes itself from the classical studies of Pépin 1971 and Courcelle 1974 by paying attention to the echoes and interpretations of the Delphic precept in Christian and pagan sources that have been scarcely explored until now (also interesting is Cirafesi’s essay on the “Know Yourself” Skeleton Mosaic discovered beneath the monastery of San Gregorio in Rome). It aligns with the orientations of the most recent historiography on the subject (Taylor 1989; Gill 2006; Remes and Sihvola 2008; Moore 2015) which emphasize both the parallels and the differences between the modern conceptions of the “self” and that of the ancients, who were not inclined to radical forms of self-reflexivity, and never entirely isolated from social identity, and especially from an ethical ideal of self-formation. Overall, the contributions are all well-edited and the reading is facilitated by the final Indices of Authors and Biblical and Classical Sources.

In such a complex and well-articulated investigation on the history of the Delphic precept, however, it is surprising to notice the absence – except for a few references – of mentions of the methodological and doctrinal importance that the maxim assumes in post-Iamblichean schools. In these schools, the Alcibiades I is placed at the beginning of the Platonic curriculum, and the “know thyself” becomes a technical definition that summarizes the entire course of philosophical learning. [1] These aspects have been highlighted by recent studies (Renaud and Tarrant 2015, Ambury 2024) dedicated to the commentaries of Proclus and Olympiodorus on the Alcibiades , whose potential points of contact with contemporary Christian reflections on γνῶθι σαυτόν would be useful to study. An analysis of the possible intersections between the two perspectives – Neoplatonic-Iamblichean and Christian – on the Delphic precept could likely yield interesting discoveries in the near future.

Ambury, James. Neoplatonic Pedagogy and the Alcibiades I: Crafting the Contemplative . Cambridge 2024.

Courcelle, Pierre, Connais-toi toi-même: De Socrate à Saint Bernard , Vol. 1. Paris 1974.

Gill, Christopher, The Structured Self in Hellenistic and Roman Thought . Oxford 2006.

Moore, Christopher, Socrates and Self-Knowledge . Cambridge 2015.

Remes, Pauliina, and Sihvola, Juha, Ancient Philosophy of the Self . New York 2008.

Renaud, François, and Tarrant, Harold, The Platonic Alcibiades I: The Dialogue and its Ancient Reception . Cambridge 2015.

Taylor, Charles, Sources of the Self: The Making of the Modern Identity . Cambridge 1989.

Authors and titles

Part 1: Introductory Chapters

Ole Jakob Filtvedt and Jens Schröter, “The Delphic Maxim Interpreted: Aims, Scope, and Significance of the Present Study”
Ole Jakob Filtvedt, “Ancient Self-Knowledge: Exploring Some of the Scholarly Debates”
Ellisif Wasmuth, “Interpretations and Echoes of the Delphic Maxim in Pre-Christian Greek Philosophy”
Tommy Wasserman, ““Know Your Text”: the Integrity and Interpretation of Alcibiades m. 133c8-17”

Part 2: Main Chapters

Beatrice Wyss, “Philo of Alexandria and the Transitory and Apophatic Dimensions of Knowing Oneself”
Gudrun Holtz, “Seneca: Knowledge of Self and Nature”
Rainer Hirsch-Luipold, “Plutarch: Know God and Know Yourself”
Glenn Wehus, “Know Your Exceptionality. The Delphic Maxim Know Yourself in Epictetus”
Wally V. Cirafesi, “Between Self-Knowledge and Self-Enjoyment: ΓΝΩΘΙ ΣΑΥΤΟΝ in the Skeleton Mosaic from beneath the Monastery of San Gregorio”
Christian H. Bull, “Self-Knowledge as Alienation and Unification in the Hermetica”
Matthew P. Monger, “Self-Knowledge and the Hidden Kingdom: The Delphic Maxim in the Manuscripts of Gos. Thom. 3”
John Kaufman, “What does it Mean to be Human? The Delphic Maxim in Irenaeus
Henny Fiskå Hägg, Know Yourself in Clement of Alexandria: Self-Knowledge, God-Knowledge and the Transformation of Self”
Karl Olav Sandnes, “When Mortals Become Sinners: Tertullian Grappling with the Delphic Maxim”
Ilaria L.E. Ramelli, “A Maxim of Greek Philosophy Found in Scripture: “Know Yourself” in Origen and Reflections in Gregory of Nyssa”
Ole Jakob Filtvedt, “Jesus Knowing Himself: Origen and the Gospel of John ”
Eyjólfur Kjalar Emilsson, “Plotinus on the Delphic Maxim: Knowing and Being One’s True Self”
Hanne Birgitte Sødal Tveito, “Knowing Yourself as an Essential Part of Origen’s Teaching According to Gregory Thaumaturgus”
Matthew Drever, “Forged in the Community of Divine Love: Augustine’s Quest through the Maxim of Self-Knowledge for Finite Wholeness within the Infinite God”

[1] An interesting connection between the terms φιλοσοφία/φιλοσοφεῖν and “know yourself” both in Gregory’s Address and in Julian’s or. 6 is highlighted by Sødal Tveito, p. 538, n. 36.

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