Joshua Bennett
Catholicism is regarded as the completion of the Jewish religion. Jesus, himself a Jew, came to complete the Jewish religion by creating a Church that would be open to all people, not just ethnic Jews. The early Christian movement faced persecution from Jews, and Paul the Apostle, following his conversion, became a leading proponent for Christianity branching away from Judaism. Subsequently, many Jews did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah and did not accept Christianity, instead staying with an incomplete form of Judaism. This led to a split, with those who did recognize Jesus as the Messiah becoming Catholics, and those who did not becoming rabbinic Jews.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Catholicism is the completion of the Jewish religion | The ancient Jews who followed Christ are still regarded as Jews, but they are Jews in their completion |
| Jesus was a Jew | Jesus was a Jew, not a Gentile |
| Judaism as it exists today did not exist at the time of Jesus | Second Temple Judaism ended in the Roman era. It was replaced by Christianity and, later, Talmudic medieval Judaism |
| The Catholic Church and antisemitism | During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church institutionalized antisemitism through the creation of discriminatory laws and the establishment of the Inquisition |
| The Catholic Church and reconciliation | After the Holocaust in the 20th century, the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s improved the relationship between the Catholic Church and Judaism |
| The Catholic Church and Jewish persecution | Pope Gregory IX ordered the confiscation and burning of Jewish books while Jews were gathered in synagogues |
| Catholicism and the Hebrew literary heritage | Modern Catholicism has retained much of its Hebrew literary heritage, the Old Testament (Tanakh) |
| Catholicism and Jewish conversion | Pope Gregory the Great wrote a Papal Bull that specified that Christians were duty-bound to protect the Jews as an important part of Christian civilization |
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What You'll Learn
Jesus was a Jew
Jesus founded a Church that would serve as the fulfillment of Judaism and be open to people of all races, not just ethnic Jews. The apostles and their followers, who recognized Jesus as the Messiah, embraced this new, completed form of Judaism. They began to make many Gentile converts to the Christian faith, and so it was established that one could be a follower of Christ without being ethnically Jewish.
Over time, some Christians broke away from the Church that Jesus founded, and so a name was needed to distinguish it from the breakaway churches. Because these breakaway churches were local, it was decided to call Jesus' church the "universal" (Greek, kataholos = "according to the whole") Church, and thus the name Catholic was applied to it.
The relationship between Catholics and Jews has been fraught with conflict and persecution throughout history. Initially, many Jews did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah and chose to remain with the original form of Judaism. Paul the Apostle, for instance, initially took part in the persecution of Christians but later became a leading exponent for Christianity, portraying Jews as Christ's killers. During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church institutionalized antisemitism through discriminatory laws and the Inquisition, leading to widespread persecution of Jews, including forced conversions, expulsions, and pogroms.
In modern times, there have been efforts to improve Catholic-Jewish relations. Following the Holocaust, the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s led to a repudiation of the Jewish deicide accusation and a renewed focus on the shared heritage of Jews and Christians. In 1965, the Church issued the document "Nostra aetate", which condemned antisemitism and recognized the common roots of both religions. Interfaith committees have since worked together to address relations between the two faiths.
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Judaism and Catholicism's shared heritage
Judaism and Catholicism share a long and complex history. Jesus, the founder of the Catholic Church, was a Jew. The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus came to fulfil the Jewish religion, creating a church that would be open to all people, not just ethnic Jews. This is reflected in the name "Catholic", which means "universal".
The early followers of Jesus included both Jews and Gentiles. However, many Jews did not recognise Jesus as the Messiah and remained practising Judaism, creating a split between the two religions. Over time, the Catholic Church moved further away from its Jewish roots, and during the Middle Ages, the Church institutionalised antisemitism, leading to widespread persecution of Jews, including forced conversions, expulsions, and pogroms.
Despite these differences and periods of persecution, the two religions also share a significant amount of theological and liturgical overlap. Catholicism has retained much of its Hebrew literary heritage, including the Old Testament (Tanakh). In the Middle Ages, Pope Gregory the Great wrote a Papal Bull specifying that Christians were duty-bound to protect Jews, despite their condemnation by God for not accepting salvation through Christ. This Bull provided a level of legal protection for Jews in the Papal States, allowing them to maintain their religious practices and festivals.
In the 20th century, following the Holocaust, the Second Vatican Council worked to improve relations between the Catholic Church and Judaism, repudiating the accusation of Jewish deicide and addressing antisemitism. The Church issued the document "Nostra aetate" in 1965, which condemned antisemitism and recognised the shared heritage of Jews and Christians. Since then, interfaith committees have worked to foster dialogue and improve relations between the two religions.
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The Catholic Church's antisemitism
Over time, the Catholic Church played a significant role in institutionalizing antisemitism through the creation of discriminatory laws and the establishment of the Inquisition during the Middle Ages. This resulted in widespread persecution of Jews, including forced conversions, expulsions, and pogroms. For example, in 1239, Pope Gregory IX ordered the confiscation and burning of Jewish books, and similar instructions were sent to the kings of France, England, Spain, and Portugal. The Church also promoted the idea of Jewish deicide, portraying Jews as Christ's killers, and contributing to societal structures that perpetuated antisemitism.
In the modern era, anti-Jewish sentiment reached its peak with the racial antisemitism of the Nazi Holocaust. While the Catholic Church has denied its responsibility in fomenting the conditions that led to the Holocaust, scholars have argued that the Church played a significant role in spreading anti-Jewish sentiments and portraying Jews as an existential threat. After the Holocaust, there was a push for reconciliation between the Catholic Church and Jewish communities, with the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s leading to improvements in relations.
In 1965, the Catholic Church issued the document "Nostra aetate", which condemned antisemitism and recognized the shared heritage of Jews and Christians. The Church also established the Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and Pope John Paul II offered an apology to the Jewish community. However, tensions and criticisms remain, with ongoing debates and discussions about the relationship between the two faiths.
In summary, the Catholic Church has a long history of antisemitism, dating back to the early days of Christianity. While there have been efforts towards reconciliation and improved relations in recent decades, the impact of the Church's historical role in perpetuating antisemitism cannot be overlooked.
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Jews who recognised Jesus as Messiah
The Jewish view of Jesus is influenced by the fact that Jesus lived while the Second Temple was standing, and not during an exile. Jesus never reigned as king, and there was no subsequent era of peace or great knowledge. He died without completing any of the messianic tasks, which Christians believe will be achieved during the Second Coming. These discrepancies were noted by Jewish scholars who were contemporaries of Jesus.
Judaism does not accept Jesus as a divine being, an intermediary between humans and God, a messiah, or holy. Belief in the Trinity is also held to be incompatible with Judaism, as are several other Christian tenets. In Judaism, the idea of God as a duality or trinity is heretical, and it is considered polytheistic. According to Judaic beliefs, the Torah rules out a trinitarian God in Deuteronomy (6:4): "Hear Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one."
Despite these differences, there have always been Jews who believe in Jesus as the Messiah. In fact, initially, it was only Jews who believed in him, and today there are hundreds of thousands of Messianic Jews, although they are still a minority compared to non-Jewish followers of Jesus. Messianic Jews, or Hebrew Christians, believe that Jesus was the Messiah and a divine being in the form of God the Son, a member of the Trinity. They adhere to conventional Christian doctrine, including the concept of salvation and the spiritual authority of the Bible, including the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.
Some Messianic Jews, however, reject the Trinitarian doctrine and profess a strict view of monotheism. They believe that the Jewish Messiah is the son of God in a general sense, considering all Jewish people to be children of God. They may also believe that the Messiah is a mere human, the promised Prophet, or the "Word made flesh" and the "human expression of Divinity".
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Catholicism as completion of Judaism
The relationship between the Catholic Church and Judaism has been strained throughout history, with periods of persecution, violence, and discrimination directed toward Jews by Christians, particularly during the Middle Ages. However, the Catholic Church and Judaism also share a complex history of cooperation.
The Catholic Church, as the largest Christian denomination, traces its roots back to the early Christian community. Christianity started as a movement within Judaism in the mid-1st century, with the first Christians being Jewish. Jesus, who was a Jew, founded the Church to complete the Jewish religion. This new religion, known as Christianity, was open to people of all races, not just ethnic Jews. However, many Jews did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah and chose to stay with an incomplete form of Judaism. As a result, the two religions began to branch out, with Paul the Apostle becoming a leading exponent for Christianity branching away from Judaism.
During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church institutionalized antisemitism through discriminatory laws and the establishment of the Inquisition, leading to widespread persecution of Jews, including forced conversions, expulsions, and pogroms. Jews were expelled from Catholic kingdoms, including England and Spain, and various principalities and cities of the Holy Roman Empire and Italy. The Papal Bull, written by Pope Gregory the Great in 598, became the foundation of Catholic doctrine in relation to the Jews. It specified that Christians were duty-bound to protect Jews as an important part of Christian civilization, despite their condemnation by God for not accepting salvation through Christ.
In the 20th century, the Second Vatican Council led to improvements in the relationship between the Catholic Church and Judaism. The Church repudiated the Jewish deicide accusation, addressed antisemitism, and issued the document "Nostra aetate", which condemned antisemitism and recognized the shared heritage of Jews and Christians. Since then, interfaith committees have worked together on issues such as social justice, interfaith dialogue, and Holocaust education.
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Frequently asked questions
Catholicism is considered the completion of the Jewish religion. Jesus came to complete the Jewish religion by creating a Church that would serve as its fulfillment and be open to people of all races, not just ethnic Jews.
Many Jews did not recognize Jesus’ role as Messiah and so did not accept Christianity, instead, they stayed with a partial, incomplete form of Judaism.
Judaism did not have a concept of Messiah at the time of Jesus. After his death, the Jews who followed Christ are regarded as Jews in their completion. Jews today who don’t follow Christ are rabbinic Jews.
