Similarities Between Christianity and Judaism

Christianity and Judaism share so many characteristics.

Christianity and Judaism are two large religions that take up a large chunk of the population. Their beliefs and practices differ in different manners, but due to their origins, there are also commonalities between the two. Here, we will discuss the similarities between Christianity and Judaism.

Christianity

It is the largest religion in the world. Christianity believes in one God and the Holy Trinity. Christians believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah who sacrificed his life to save mankind from their sins. Other religious figures in the religion include the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints. Although these figures do exist, Christians pay respect to God through adoration while Mary and the saints are only venerated. Christians read the Holy Bible and practice sacraments like baptism, communion, and confirmation.

Judaism

It is one of the world’s major religions It is also one of the oldest religions that continue to exist to this day. Jews believe in one God that they call Yahweh or Jehovah, but they do not perceive Jesus Christ as the Son of God. They believe in a covenant relationship with God. As God continues his works and blessings, Jews play their part by keeping his laws and maintaining holiness in their words and actions. It is a religion based on community and many prayers and activities are practiced as one.

Similarities

Listed below are the similarities between Christianity and Judaism.

Monotheism

Monotheism is the belief that there is only one God. Both religions believe in only one God and Creator, which separates them from other religions that believe in many deities and religious figures as God.

Number of Believers

Both possess a large number of followers. Christianity currently holds the top rank in the number of followers. It is believed that Christians take up a third of the world’s human population. Judaism is also among the top 12 largest religions with an estimated following of 14.4 million people.

Old Testament

The Old Testament is the first half of the Christians’ holy book, the Christian Bible. Christians perceive the Holy Bible as the Word of God. The Jewish book, the Tanakh, also consists of the Old Testament. The Torah, which is a part of the Jewish bible, is made up of the Pentateuch, the first give books in the Old Testament.

Holy Spirit

Both Christianity and Judaism acknowledge the existence of the Holy Spirit, although the interpretations do differ. Christianity sees it as the third person in the Holy Trinity, while Judaism perceives it as a form of divine power given to the prophets.

Origins

Both religions originate from Palestine. Christianity is said to be derived from Judaism, especially because of Second Temple Judaism. Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew were the initial major languages used in the religions.

A Trinity

Both believe in the concept of a trinity. Christians believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, Judaism believes in God, People, and Israel.

	Christianity	Judaism
Belief in God	Christians believe in one God who exists in three persons in the form of the Holy Trinity	Jews acknowledge one God, referred to as “Yahweh” or “Jehovah”
Belief in the Holy Spirit	A divine person/entity that is the third part of the Holy Trinity	A divine power
Origins	Originated from Second Temple Judaism in the 1st century	Moved into being in 535 BCE during the time of Abraham’s descendants
Role of the Old Testament	First half of the Holy Bible	Where the Pentateuch is derived from, which can be also found in the Torah.
The Trinity	Father, Son and Holy Spirit	God, People and Israel
Number of believers	About 2.4 billion	About 14.4 million