Comparison and Contrast of Judaism and Christianity Essay

Comparison and Contrast of Judaism and Christianity - Essay Example Unfortunately, most people do not share one set of beliefs and this is one of the reasons there are so many religions in the world today. In the very beginning of religion, much was known about paganism and how nature was worshipped. In each religion, someone thought they understood something better than someone else. In contrasting Judaism and Christianity, it is clear to see that both religions have similarities and that one grew out of another. These two religions provide a classic understanding of how sacred thought evolved and how these two religions came to be believed by millions of people world-wide. Historical Development Judaism Between the two religions, Judaism is the oldest. It has as its origins thousands of years before Jesus and traces its roots to the beginnings of mankind (Religionfacts, 2013). Abraham is said to be the creator of Judaism as it was told in the Torah. As the second oldest world religion, Judaism began many thousands of years before Christianity (Spat z,2008). According to historical accounts, God created a covenant with Abraham to form a new nation. He was to leave the place where he was living and move to a different area. It is not known exactly when this happened because it happened before history was recorded; the estimated time period for this is â€Å"around 2000 B.C.E† (Spatz, 2008, para. 3). Both Jews and Christians believe that Moses was instrumental in the early years of their faith. It was Moses that was asked by God to go to the pharaoh and ask for the release of the Israelites (Jews) (Spatz, 2008). When Abraham died, the covenant was made with his son Isaac, then another covenant was done with Isaac’s son Jacob. Jacob wrestles with God (according to the Jews) or an angel (according to the Christians). God change’s Jacob’s name to Israel and he begins the 12 tribes of Israel (Spatz, 2008). Jacob moved his family to Egypt and as time went on, the ruler in Egypt feared the insurgence of Isra elites in Egypt and ordered all Israelite male children to be killed. One Israelite child was put in a basket and placed on a river to escape; he was later found by the pharaoh’s daughter who named him Moses (Spatz, 2008). Moses would eventually move the Israelites out of Egypt and he would eventually receive the 10 commandments from God (Spatz, 2008). Christianity Christianity began approximately 2000 years after Judaism and is said to have started with Jesus and the Disciples. When Jesus and the Disciples began to move through Judea, many Jewish people left the area to study the Jewish laws in other areas while others continued to practice a more pagan faith. Some Jewish people were referred to as zealots because they were fighting against Roman rule (â€Å"History of Christianity†, 2013). As Jesus and his Disciples continued to teach people in Judea, he drew the attention of the Romans and the Jews at that time because he appeared to talk against them (â€Å"A One Page†, 2013). The Romans eventually would crucify Jesus and the Disciples would disappear, because they were not sure of their fate (â€Å"A one page,† 2013). Paul, one of the Disciples, later converted to Christianity, the religion that was begun after Jesus was crucified. He would go throughout the Roman Empire and build churches, preaching Christianity as he knew it. But Christianity would be persecuted by the Romans during the third and fourth centuries AD, because they were accused of creating false teachings and they were still going against the beliefs of the Romans. In the fourth century AD, Constantine converted to Christianity and the Christian persecution was stopped (â€Å"A one page†, 2013). Christianity and