Comments on: Christianity is Older than Judaism

By: Catholicgauze

Catholicgauze — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 15:49:20 +0000

Sophie has some valid points. The Protestant Reformation did change Christianity for a minority (and still a minority) of Christians. There is an argument to equate that to what happened to the Jews. On the other hand, the leap from Temple Judiasm to Sola Tohraism is a big one to make.

By: sophie

sophie — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 03:09:10 +0000

“Both Christianity and Judaism are based largely on religio-legal corpora, which are called “Testaments” in Christianity and “Torahs” in Judaism.” Not exactly, there is only one Torah, (note upper case denotation) the five books of Moses, from which commandments are taken, 613 to be precise. The haftorah, note lower case, has stories of prophets and kings, along with poetry and even prophesy but no laws. Religious law is based only from Torah, which is older than Christianity.

….much of the Jewish liturgy used today was developed in Medieval Europe. this is certainly true. “The Oral Law was first written down circa 200AD, and the Written Law a few hundred years later” depends on which oral law, there is more than one.

However, the key to the argument is, how many Christians believe observe and practice their Christianity using the same Latin liturgy used by the Catholic Church during the middle ages? I seem to recall the Protestant reformation changed the way most Christians believe and practice in some very substantial ways.

While for the most part, the services that Jews regularly participate in varies little from those done 1000 years ago. Even the service preformed by modern reformed Jews has significant and recognizable elements from that time period.

People may change, Torah does not, nor has it for over 2000 years.

Believe what you wish, but don’t change history.

By: PrimroseRoad

PrimroseRoad — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 13:18:40 +0000

While “The Jews” or “The Hebrews” and their written Torah certainly existed before Jesus (who himself practiced Rabbinic Judaism), much of the Jewish liturgy used today was developed in Medieval Europe. So the argument that Christianity is older than Judaism does, in a sense, make sense, depending on how the terms are defined.

The Oral Law was first written down circa 200AD, and the Written Law a few hundred years later. And the extensive commentary (i.e. Rashi) is also medieval.

By: Jeffrey James

Jeffrey James — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 03:29:16 +0000

“This meme has been making the rounds again, that Americans are ignorant yokels for thinking that Christianity is older than Judaism.”

Bubba says, “Yeah, that’s what I been sayin’ all along, what with the Orals n’Temples n’stuff.

By: purpleslog

purpleslog — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 02:37:47 +0000

Nicely played!