“Jewish Christian? This doesn’t happen!” – a friend told me categorically.
“Who am I?” – I asked.

Knowing that I am actively involved both in the life of the local Jewish community (both of my parents are Jews) and in the activities of the local Christian church, my acquaintance found it difficult to answer. Then we had this conversation, excerpts from which I would like to bring to your attention.

First, let's define the terms. Who is a “Jew”? Who is a "Christian"? Do these words mean nationality or religion?

There are many definitions of the word “Jew”. Even Hebrew translators cannot give a definite answer to the question of what this word means. Most philologists believe that the word “Jew” comes from the word “Ivri” - “who came from the other side of the river.” This word was first used by Abraham when he entered the Promised Land.

There is another word that is often synonymous with the word “Jew.” This word is “Jew.” The word "Jew" means a person descended from the tribe of Judah, one of the sons of Jacob, the forefather of the Jewish people. The name of the religion, “Judaism,” comes from the same word.

In Russian, these two words express the main difference in concepts. If “Jew” means a follower of Judaism, then “Jew” means a person’s nationality. Russian is not the only language that offers different words for these two concepts. In English, for example, there are also several words with different roots - “Jewish” and “Hebrew”.

But modern disputes, unfortunately, are rarely based on facts of linguistics and science. People prefer to be based on their feelings and opinions. One such opinion is the following: “To be a Jew means to adhere to Judaism, the Jewish faith, rituals and traditions.” What's wrong with this definition? Just that it states that a person who believes in Jesus cannot be a Jew? No, not only. According to this definition, any atheist Jew who does not believe in the existence of God, or a Jew who does not observe all the traditions and rituals of the faith, “ceases” to be a Jew! But this description covers 90% of all Jews living in the territory of the former USSR! Can this opinion really be correct?

Now let's look at the definition of what the word "Christian" means.. This word also appears for the first time in the Bible, in the New Testament. At first it sounded like “Christ”, i.e. a person who belongs to Jesus Christ, who has believed in Him and follows Him in his life. But what does it mean to believe in Jesus? First, this, of course, means believing that He really existed and lived as a person on earth. But that's not all. Based on all the historical and scientific facts, this is not difficult to believe. To believe in Jesus also means to believe in His mission on earth, namely, that He was sent by God to die for the sins of all people and rise again to prove His power over life and death.

And what does the word “Christ” itself mean, from which the word “Christ’s” or “Christian” comes? The word "Christ" is the Greek version of the Hebrew word "Mashiach", or "Messiah". It is about the Messiah that the prophecies of the Old Testament - the Hebrew Bible - speak. Scholars once estimated that the Old Testament contained about 300 literal prophecies about the Messiah. Surprisingly, it is true that all the prophecies concerning the first coming of the Messiah were fulfilled by Jesus (Yeshua) of Nazareth. Even such specific ones were fulfilled as indicating the place where the Messiah was to be born (Bethlehem), the method of His birth (from a virgin), how He would die (Ps. 22, Is. 53) and many , a lot others.

So, the word “Christian” itself comes from a Hebrew root, which in itself already eliminates many contradictions.

Now let's turn to the first followers of Jesus. Who were they? Of course, Jews. In those days the question did not even arise about this. All 12 of Jesus’ apostles were Jews, visited the synagogue and the Jerusalem Temple, observed the traditions and culture of their Jewish people... And at the same time, with all their souls and hearts, they believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah of God, who fulfilled all the prophecies of the Tanakh (Old Testament) . And not only them.

Some of the readers probably do not know that in the first century AD the opposite question was acute: can a non-Jew be considered part of the Church? Can a person who does not know the Hebrew Scriptures and prophecies truly accept Jesus as the Messiah? This issue was widely discussed by the early Church and was even brought up at the First Church Council, where it was decided that Jesus died for all people, for all nations, therefore non-Jews cannot be excluded from God's salvation. How can anyone now try to exclude Jews from what rightfully belongs to the Jewish people?

After all, a person’s nationality does not depend on his faith. When I, a Jew, believed in Jesus, no one gave me a blood transfusion - just as I was a Jew with Jewish parents, I still am. Moreover, when I first came to church and believed that Jesus was God, I didn’t even think about whether I could believe it or not. This is what resonated with me; this is what made my whole life clear to me and gave me meaning and purpose in life. Therefore, I did not think about the fact that, due to my nationality, I might not have the right to believe in the truth. It seemed funny.

But the most interesting thing happened in the church where I first heard about Jesus. When the pastor found out that I was Jewish, he...encouraged me to begin reading the Hebrew Scriptures and studying Hebrew and Jewish tradition in order to better understand the New Testament and the meaning of the sacrifice of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ. And I am eternally grateful to this wise pastor, who correctly perceived the interconnection of the Jewish New Testament Scriptures, the Bible.

Jewishness is a nationality. Moreover, this nationality is not limited to belonging to only one race. After all, there are Negro Jews (Falasha from Ethiopia), white Jews, even Chinese Jews. What makes us all part of one people? The fact that we are all descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is our descent from these patriarchs that makes us, so different, children of Israel.

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So, Jewishness is a nationality, and Christianity is a religion, a belief. These two planes are not mutually exclusive; they are like two threads that intertwine and together make up a bizarre pattern. A person does not choose whether to be a Jew or not, because he does not choose from which parents he will be born. Everyone knows this. But only the person himself chooses what to believe in and what to base his life on. And a person is not born a Christian - he either accepts Christ and becomes His follower, i.e. “Christ”, or “Christian” - or does not accept - and remains in his sins. No nationality makes a person “holier” or “sinner” than others. The Bible says: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...”

The real question is not whether a Jew can be a Christian, because in these words, of course, there is no contradiction. The real question is whether a Jew—or anyone else—should believe in Jesus. After all, if Jesus is not the Messiah, then no one needs to believe in Him. And if He is the Messiah, then everyone needs to believe in Him, because only through Him can one know God, understand the Bible and get answers to one’s deepest questions.

One very serious and dangerous problem has arisen in Russia - in our time, suddenly, during the period of the rule of the Democrats - almost half of the priests in Moscow - began to be Jews. Many of them became bishops and, in fact, already rule our Orthodox Church - all this is strange and very suspicious, isn’t it? But to be honest, there are practically no real Jews left who really accepted and believed in Christ in our time - they are only from 2 to 4%, and all the other Jews, almost the entire Jewish people over 95% - did not accept Christ, they are Jews and Freemasons who worship the devil, that is, Jews, are ardent and very insidious enemies of Christ and all Christians.

Considering that Jews in general - DO NOT CONVERSE to Orthodoxy, as they were and remain Faithful Jews, and then suddenly, unexpectedly, such a large number of Jews en masse, as if by command or by someone's secret order - began to ACCEPT Orthodoxy and become priests and not only in Moscow, but also in many other regions of Russia? Why did it happen? And most importantly, Jews do not strive to become simple ordinary Orthodox laymen - this does not suit them, on the contrary, they all certainly climb into the authorities, into the leadership and become - only priests and bishops, which is three times suspicious - for what purpose did the Jews go to work? Orthodoxy, into leadership and becoming priests and bishops?

Jews in the Russian Empire - already once falsely, cunningly accepted Orthodoxy, and just like today - Jews became priests and bishops and from the inside, in a vile manner, DESTROYED Orthodoxy and Russia. They, together with the corrupt and bribed royal aristocrats and officials, BETRAYED the king and destroyed the royal empire. The Jews at one time betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, they cannot be trusted. He who betrayed once will betray again!

By the way, they still continue to make a hero out of the murdered Jew priest Alexander Men, but read his works, where he sharply opposes the institution of Monasticism in the Orthodox Church - is it really not clear that only ardent ENEMIES of the Orthodox Church can speak AGAINST Monasticism!

We must remember that Jews have always waged a fierce struggle against Christianity and to this day Jews HATE Christ and His Church - these are well-known facts. And then suddenly - such a love for Orthodoxy awoke in them... Such Jewish priests appeared in Rus' today - WEREWOLVES in robes. Knowing the insidious nature of the Jews, you begin to understand that there is something very unclean here. It is known that Jewish rabbis, back in the 14th century, instructed Jews to infiltrate the Christian Church and become shepherds in order to corrupt from within, and most importantly, to DEFAME and discredit the Christian Church in the eyes of the people. They achieved a lot in Western Europe. And today this story is being repeated again in Russia... (Monk Athanasius.)

The main DANGEROUS of the activities of Jewish priests and bishops - who entered the Russian Orthodox Church by DECEPTION - is that behind the backs of the Russian people - they BEGAN almost openly - to PREPARATE a secret ecumenistic CONSPIRACY - to unite the Orthodox Church with the so-called - Western Heretical sectarian churches into one future - HERETICAL UNITED WORLD CHURCH - which is to be governed by the American World Council of Churches, which was created and controlled and administered by the Masonic Zionist Lodges of the USA.

The Jews did not believe the prophets... The Jews did not believe in Christ and put Him to death on the cross... They also strongly HATE us, the Orthodox Russian people, and are sick with devilish hatred, they are pitiful, unhappy, subject to passions, hatred has blinded them their eyes of the heart, they are at HOSTITY against God, who commanded love to everyone. All saints - WILL be witnesses to the salvation of the Orthodox Faith of Christ - against the Jews. (Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt)

The Optina elder Father Fyodor spoke this way about the ecumenists, renovationists, reformers, who so zealously strive to REFORM our Holy Orthodox Church:

“They no longer have the authority of the Canon, you understand! - said the Elder. - For them, you see, the Canons are already OUTDATED. This is a disgrace! Well, just think, it’s written in black and white: “It is IMPOSSIBLE to pray with Heretics,” and they say: “It’s okay. Don’t be savages. You can pray together. Who knows, maybe they will become Orthodox.”

They will not - never, if we confirm the Heretics in their Error by our Communication with them. The Apostles even COMMANDED - Not to welcome the Apostates, so what happens that they are savages?! Or are the words of the Apostles no longer a Decree for us?

All these ecumenists, renovationists, are still trying to prove to us all that the Church is a friend of the World. But whoever is a Friend to the World is an Enemy to God (Cf.: James 4:4).

Church hierarchs, Westerners, ecumenists, together with the traitor to Orthodoxy, the Freemason - Patriarch Bartholomew - ANNOUNCEED the PREPARATION and holding in the next two, three years - the Pan-Orthodox Eighth Council, to which, in addition to all Orthodox churches, Western Heretical sectarian so-called churches are also invited: Catholics, Protestants, Lutherans, Adventists, Pentecostals and many others.

The upcoming “Eighth Ecumenical Council,” as many may have noticed, will clearly not bring anything good for Orthodoxy. One of the pressing issues for the organizers of the Council is the married episcopate and second marriages of the white clergy: that is, the opportunity for bishops to have wives, and for priests to marry a second time, and the question of reducing the Fasts will also be raised. In the Orthodox Church there are rules and canons on this matter, established by the Holy Fathers long before the birth of the current reformers - who All this is strictly PROHIBITED!

All the saints have long predicted that the Eighth Council will be a gathering of HERETS - this Council will be a Heretical ecumenistic wolf council and therefore - it is categorically IMPOSSIBLE for Orthodox people to take part in this council.

Therefore, if, nevertheless, some part of the Orthodox hierarchs - patriarchs, metropolitans, bishops and priests of ecumenist Westerners, contrary to the command of the saints - TAKES part in this devilish Heretical Council, then all the other worthy church hierarchs and priesthood - who remained faithful to true Orthodoxy - NEED To immediately convene a Russian Local Council, at which it is necessary to excommunicate from the Russian Orthodox Church all church hierarchs and ecumenist priests who have betrayed the holy truth.

It is, of course, worth getting baptized! - I will say this at the very beginning, so that my always rushing and impatient readers know what to expect, and if they are waiting for a different answer, so that they do not suffer, do not spoil their little eyes in vain and do not waste precious time.

Jews view baptism as old maids do—or, say, radical feminists view their wedding night. We heard a lot about it, both about joys and horrors. But installation - no way! Everything but this. Like in the story about the chicken that ran away from the rooster and got hit by a truck. The old maid saw this and said: “She chose to die!”

Likewise, Jews love to talk about martyrs who preferred to die rather than be baptized. And there were those who killed their children so that they would not accept the faith of Christ. And here you feel a similarity with radical feminism, because for those, intimate intimacy with a man is a betrayal of the highest purpose of a woman in their eyes, her complete autonomy.

Old maids have their joys. Jews also have their joys. There is an imitation of worship, but there is no rejoicing. And if you look carefully, there is a constant melancholy from incompleteness. That's the first difference. Christians have one hard, dreary day of the year - Good Friday. This is the day when the long-awaited Messiah died and it is unknown whether he will rise again. This is replaced by Holy Saturday, when the Holy Fire flares up with the promise of resurrection - but there is no resurrection yet. These are all Fridays and Saturdays among Jews. There is no Messiah, and it is not known when there will be. Doesn't send letters or call. For Christians, they are replaced by the eighth day of the week - resurrection. Christ has risen and returned to us. For Jews, the week begins anew - everyday life, melancholy, practical affairs, so that by the end of the week they again find themselves in a state of expectation and unfulfilled hopes.

And the Messiahs are different. The Jews have a national hero who will exalt the kingdom of Israel and resume worship in Jerusalem in the temple. They will start slaughtering calves again. For Christians, the temple has already been restored - this is the body of the risen Christ. Instead of slaughtering calves, we have our communion. Therefore there is no sadness, there is only joy.

Our Christ does not care about all of Israel, but about each of us. He is not a hero, he is God. Only God can save. And a national hero comes from the field of state building. The exaltation of earthly kingdoms is not at all a task for Christians qua Christians. So there are no empty expectations here either.

Why is he needed, the Jewish Messiah? Not needed at all - unless you are a rabid Jewish nationalist. After all, he will not give anything to an individual - except perhaps a hundred goyim slaves, if you are a devout Jew. And Christ saves us from sin, gives us joy, leads us to God.

Judaism is a collective faith, one is one and zero. The Christian faith - in it there is a collective, a church, but there is also an individual. There is the joy of repentance, confession, purification - this is the joy of a solitary person.

But collective joy is the joy of communicating with people. Not only with Jews, who are in the minority everywhere, but where they are in the majority, there is little joy in this. You will see how your attitude towards people changes. Shared communion breaks down the wall of mistrust and hostility. You will be able – in Israel – to freely pray and receive communion with Palestinians. They will no longer be your enemies, but your beloved brothers and sisters. You will not need a separate Jewish state to escape the company of non-Jews. And in Russia, and in any other Christian country, you don’t have to go to the ends of the earth in search of a synagogue, you don’t have to go through security and show your purse or turn out your pockets. There is always a church near your home. And believers are prettier, simpler, socially closer.

This is if you are not a banker or an oligarch. But it is probably easier for a banker and an oligarch to remain a Jew - the Christian faith does not approve of interest. Of course, the oligarch also has a choice, but it is easier for a camel to pass, as we know, through the eye of a needle (there are such narrow gates in Jerusalem) than for an oligarch to save his soul. But a camel can pass through the Ear, and a rich man can also be saved. There is neither social nor biological determinism.

Discovering Christ is a fabulous moment in life. The Japanese call it satori, and we call it Epiphany. When God appears to you, or you stand before Him, you will experience a feeling of such power that all others will fade away.

There were times when a Jew, coming to Christ, parted with all his loved ones, friends, and relatives. And now we have to part with many, but not all. So many Jews have come to Christ in recent years that Jews have become accustomed to this and do not tear out their hair, do not put on mourning, and do not become horrified. Persecution? Well, they’re not so scary that it’s worth thinking about.

You just need to go to the end, don’t slow down. The brakes were invented by a coward. It happens that Jews slow down and try to sit on two chairs. We are, they say, both Christians and Jews, twice chosen. I've encountered people like this. I think that this is both inherently wrong and harmful to the soul - unless it is just a missionary tactic. We become former Jews - the same Christians as our newfound brothers and sisters in faith, no more and no less.

For Jews living in Russia, coming to Christ will allow them to coincide in phase with the Russian people, who are now experiencing a huge spiritual upsurge. Jews who remain with their old faith - or lack of faith - continue to fight Christ, and harm not only others, but also destroy their souls.

If before the revolution, baptized Jews were suspected of baptism for profit, today there is no self-interest in this - but there is benefit for the soul. And the losses are small - a few unnecessary acquaintances, and some atavisms. History shows that the best of the Jews usually come to Christ. The children of the most famous Jews - Theodor Herzl, Moses Montefiore - were baptized. Baptism opens the heart and soul. It is no coincidence that Russian poets of Jewish origin, whose names are well known, Pasternak, Mandelstam, Brodsky, were all baptized. Jewish faith - not Jewish blood - interferes with the creative impulse. People must be loved, but Judaism teaches that only Jews must be loved.

Theodor Herzl, the founder of political Zionism, wanted to baptize Jews, just as Vladimir baptized the people of Kiev in his time. Perhaps it will come to that, but for now, the font is a personal feat. And personal great joy. I remember the feeling of water and oil, the smell of myrrh, leaving the temple to the ringing of bells, the radiance of the Jerusalem sun - you would give everything for such happiness, and you won’t regret it. For a person with a living soul, baptism is a miracle. And I will tell a person with a dead soul - Christ raised the dead Lazarus, already touched by corruption. He can resurrect your dead soul too.

Jews and Christians... What is the difference between them? They are followers of related faiths belonging to the Abrahamic religions. But many differences in their understanding of the world often led them to hostility and persecution from both sides. Tensions between Jews and Christians have existed since ancient times. But in the modern world, both religions are moving towards reconciliation. Let's look at why the Jews persecuted the first Christians. What was the reason for centuries-old hostility and wars?

Relations between Jews and Christians in the early period

According to some researchers, Jesus and his disciples professed a doctrine close to the sectarian movements of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Christianity initially recognized the Jewish Tanakh as sacred scripture, which is why at the beginning of the 1st century it was considered an ordinary Jewish sect. And only later, when Christianity began to spread throughout the world, it was recognized as a separate religion - the successor of Judaism.

But even in the first stages of the formation of an independent church, the attitude of Jews towards Christians was not very friendly. Often Jews provoked the Roman authorities to persecute believers. Later, in the books of the New Testament, Jews were attributed full responsibility for the torment of Jesus and their persecution of Christians was recorded. This became the reason for the negative attitude of the followers of the new religion towards the Jews. And later used by many Christian fundamentalists to justify anti-Semitic actions in many countries. Since the 2nd century AD. e. Negative sentiments towards Jews in Christian communities only increased.

Christianity and Judaism in modern times

For many centuries, strained relations existed between the two religions, which often resulted in mass persecution. Such incidents include the Crusades and the preceding persecution of Jews in Europe, as well as the Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazis during World War II.

Relations between the two religious movements began to improve in the 60s of the twentieth century. Then the Catholic Church officially changed its attitude towards the Jewish people, eliminating anti-Semitic elements from many prayers. In 1965, the Vatican adopted a declaration “On the attitude of the Church towards non-Christian religions” (Nostra Aetate). In it, the thousand-year-old accusation against the Jews for the death of Jesus was lifted and all anti-Semitic views were condemned.

Pope Paul VI asked forgiveness from non-Christian peoples (including Jews) for centuries of persecution by the church. The Jews themselves are loyal to Christians and consider them a related Abrahamic religion. And although some religious customs and teachings are incomprehensible to them, they still favor the spread of the basic elements of Judaism among all peoples of the world.

Is there one God for Jews and Christians?

Christianity as an independent religion is based on the dogmas and beliefs of the Jewish people. Jesus himself and most of his apostles were Jews and were raised in Jewish traditions. As you know, the Christian Bible consists of two parts: the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is the basis of the Jewish religion (Tanakh is the sacred scripture of the Jews), and the New Testament is the teachings of Jesus and his followers. Therefore, for both Christians and Jews, the basis of their religions is the same, and they worship the same God, only they observe different rituals. The very name of God both in the Bible and in the Tanakh is Yahweh, which is translated into Russian as “Existent.”

How are Jews different from Christians? First of all, let's look at the main differences between their worldviews. For Christians there are three main dogmas:

• The original sin of all people.
• Second coming of Jesus.
• Atonement for human sins by the death of Jesus.

These dogmas are designed to solve the main problems of humanity from the Christian point of view. The Jews do not recognize them in principle, and for them these difficulties do not exist.

Different attitudes towards sins

First of all, the difference between Jews and Christians is in the perception of sin. Christians believe that every person is born with original sin and only throughout life can he atone for it. Jews, on the contrary, believe that every person is born innocent, and only he himself makes the choice - to sin or not to sin.

Ways to atone for sins

Due to the difference in worldview, the next difference appears - atonement for sins. Christians believe that Jesus atoned for all the sins of people through his sacrifice. And for those actions that the believer himself has committed, he bears personal responsibility before the Almighty. He can atone for them only by repenting to the clergyman, since only representatives of the Church in the name of God are endowed with the power to forgive sins.

The Jews believe that only by their deeds and actions can a person achieve forgiveness. They divide sins into two types:

• committed against the orders of God;
• crimes against another person.

The first are forgiven if the Jew sincerely regrets and repents of them to the Most High. But in this matter there are no intermediaries in the person of priests, like Christians. Other sins are crimes that a Jew committed against another person. In this case, the Almighty limits his power and cannot grant forgiveness. A Jew must beg for it exclusively from the person he has offended. Thus, Judaism speaks of separate responsibility: for offenses against another person and for sins and disrespect for God.

Because of such differences in views, the following contradiction arises: Jesus' forgiveness of all sins. For Christians, he is endowed with the power to forgive the sins of all who repent. But even if a Jew can equate Jesus with God, such behavior still fundamentally violates the laws. After all, as mentioned above, a Jew cannot ask God for forgiveness for sins committed against another person. He himself must make amends to him.

Attitude to other world religious movements

Almost all religions in the world adhere to the same doctrine - only those people who believe in the true God can go to Heaven. And those who believe in another Lord are essentially deprived of this right. To some extent, Christianity also adheres to this doctrine. Jews have a more loyal attitude towards other religions. From the point of view of Judaism, anyone who follows the 7 basic commandments that Moses received from God can go to Heaven. Since they are universal, a person does not have to believe in the Torah. These seven commandments include:

1. The belief that the world was created by one God.
2. Don't blaspheme.
3. Obey the laws.
4. Don't worship idols.
5. Don't steal.
6. Don't commit adultery.
7. Do not eat from living things.

Compliance with these basic laws allows a representative of another religion to enter Paradise without being a Jew. In general terms, Judaism is loyal to monotheistic religions such as Islam and Christianity, but does not accept paganism due to polytheism and idolatry.

On what principles is a person’s connection with God based?

Jews and Christians also look differently at ways of communicating with the Almighty. What is the difference? In Christianity, priests appear as intermediaries between man and God. The clergy is endowed with special privileges and exalted in holiness. Thus, in Christianity there are many rituals that an ordinary person does not have the right to perform on his own. Fulfilling them is the exclusive role of the priest, which is a fundamental difference from Judaism.

Jews do not have one that is performed exclusively by a rabbi. At weddings, funerals or other events, the presence of a clergyman is not required. Any Jew can perform the necessary rituals. Even the very concept of “rabbi” is translated as teacher. That is, just a person with extensive experience who knows the rules of Jewish laws well.

The same applies to the Christian belief in Jesus as the only savior. After all, the Son of God himself claimed that only he could lead people to the Lord. And, accordingly, Christianity is based on the fact that only through faith in Jesus can one come to God. Judaism looks at this problem differently. And as stated earlier, anyone, even a non-Judaizer, can approach God directly.

Difference in the perception of good and evil

Jews and Christians have completely different perceptions of good and evil. What is the difference? In Christianity, the concept of Satan, the Devil, plays a big role. This huge, powerful force is the source of evil and all earthly troubles. In Christianity, Satan is presented as a force opposite to God.

This is the next difference, since the main belief of Judaism is the belief in one omnipotent God. From the Jewish point of view, there cannot be any higher power other than God. Accordingly, a Jew will not separate good into God’s will, and evil into the machinations of evil spirits. He perceives God as a fair judge, rewarding good deeds and punishing sins.

Attitude towards original sin

In Christianity there is such a thing as original sin. The ancestors of mankind disobeyed God's will in the Garden of Eden, for which they were expelled from paradise. Because of this, all newborns are initially considered sinful. In Judaism, it is believed that a child is born innocent and can safely receive blessings in this world. And only the person himself determines whether he will sin or live righteously.

Attitude to worldly life and worldly comforts

Also, Jews and Christians have completely different attitudes towards worldly life and consolations. What is the difference? In Christianity, the very purpose of human existence is considered to be life for the sake of the next world. Of course, Jews believe in the world to come, but the main task of human life is to improve the existing one.

These concepts are clearly visible in the attitude of both religions to worldly desires, the desires of the body. In Christianity they are equated with ungodly temptations and sin. People believe that only a pure soul, not subject to temptation, can enter the next world. This means that a person must nourish the spiritual as much as possible, thereby neglecting worldly desires. Therefore, the Pope and priests take a vow of celibacy, renouncing worldly pleasures in order to achieve greater holiness.

The Jews also recognize that the soul is more important, but do not consider it right to completely renounce the desires of the body. Instead, they turn their performance into a holy act. Therefore, the Christian vow of celibacy seems to Jews to be a strong departure from religious canons. After all, creating a family and procreation is a holy act for a Jew.

The two religions have the same different attitudes towards material wealth and wealth. For Christianity, taking a vow of poverty is an ideal of holiness. Whereas for Judas, accumulation of wealth is a positive quality.

In conclusion, I would like to say that Jews and Christians, the differences between whom we have examined, should not be pitted against each other. In the modern world, each person can understand the holy scriptures in his own way. And he has every right to do so.

Christianity and the Church through the eyes of an atheist scientist Georgy Ivanovich Starchikov

§ 1. Christianity is the religion of Jews and for Jews

“This is the covenant that I make with the house of Israel...”

The Old Testament says that God created man “in the image of God” (Gen. 1:27). Adam and Eve were Jews, therefore, the Lord God was also a Jew. The descendants of Adam and Eve - Noah, Abraham, Moses, etc. - all called the Lord “God of the Jews” (Ex. 3:18). Jesus Christ was born from a Jewish mother and from God himself (Mary's husband, Joseph, a carpenter, was also a Jew).

With such a well-known blood relationship, Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant preachers hide the main thing: Christianity was created by Jews and was intended only for Jews. And in this regard, the New Testament is not much different from the Old Testament: both speak of “God’s chosen people.” True, no special qualities of the Jews were highlighted, and the Lord’s choice is justified by only one incomprehensible argument: “You are fewer in number than other nations” (Deut. 7:7).

On such a “theoretical basis,” the Almighty declared to Abraham: “And I will make of you a great nation” (Gen. 12:2). A little later He made a clarification: “Arise, raise up the lad (i.e., the son of Isaac)... for I will make of him a great nation” (Gen. 21:18). And then the ideologeme is constantly repeated: “The Lord, the God of the Jews” (Ex. 3:18). The Lord Himself, who appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, assured: “And I will be your God, and you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of Egypt” (Ex. 6:2, 7). Or again: “Saith the Lord, I will be God to all the tribes of Israel, and they will be My people” (Jer. 31:1).

Based on what has been said, the Lord saved God’s chosen Jews from death, brought them out of Egyptian captivity, ensured their victory in battles with numerous enemies and performed many other miracles for them. True, sometimes He punished them. Naturally, only the Jews retained faith in God, who instills horror and works miracles.

The birth of Jesus Christ, presented to the world by the Magi as the “King of the Jews” (Matt. 2:2), initially did not provide any hope for non-Jews. God the Son was born into a purely Jewish family, circumcised on the 8th day, studied (if he studied at all) in the synagogue, and kept all the “laws of Moses.” And only after reaching the age of 30, he began to preach a doctrine that made significant adjustments to the covenants and practice of God the Father, in particular, to soften His cruel attitude towards people. This circumstance, as well as the promises of a happy afterlife, turned the eyes of Jews, pagans and atheists towards Jesus. Thus, for many peoples, the illusion of international teaching arose, which has existed for twenty centuries.

However, John the Baptist warned those gathered on the Jordan River that he had come to baptize in water so that “He might be revealed to Israel” (John 1:31). And Jesus himself, having become a preacher, declared without alternative: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). And His disciples-apostles (except for one - all Jews, including Judas) accordingly called Jesus “Rabbi”, i.e. rabbi (from the Hebrew rabbi - my teacher) (Matt. 26:49; John 1:38) .

This is what the Apostle Paul said about this: “We are by nature Jews” (Gal. 2:15) and “know this, that those who believe are sons of Abraham” (Gal. 3:7) and further: “We, brothers, children of the promise according to Isaac” (Gal. 4:28).

After the death of Christ, the Apostle Peter “fished for men” among the Jews and, turning to them, said: “But you are a chosen race” (1 Pet. 2:9). However, encountering misunderstanding and even hostility from the Jews (the apostles heard “crucify him” more than once and almost all were executed themselves), they were forced to expand their audience. The Apostle Paul also asked the question: “Is God really the God of the Jews only, and not of the pagans?” (Rom. 3:29). According to the Russian compilers of the encyclopedia, preachers so far only addressed Jews and partly Hellenes in Antioch (Greek was the dominant language in the Roman Empire at that time), and Peter even began to baptize without prior circumcision. It was in Antioch (the center of modern Turkey) that converts first began to be called Christians [Brockhaus, vol. XXXVIIa, p. 639]. And only then did the disciples preach there, “where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all and in all” (Col. 3:11). Thus, Christianity gained supporters among those nationalities for which it was not intended during the life of Christ.

But after many centuries, objective Russian encyclopedists came to the uncompromising conclusion that “the main task of the Messiah was the overthrow of Roman power, and then the establishment of the political world rule of Israel.” Moreover, they argued that initially “Christians were considered Jews” [Brockhaus, vol. XXXVIIa, p. 637, 660]. This is the cruel truth that Christian churches, sects and, of course, the faithful will never admit.

The current Russian Orthodox Church (like the Russian Orthodox Church) used a different option. She recognized that Judaism is an older and respected religion from which Christianity emerged. She suggested that the authorities officially celebrate one Christian and one Jewish holiday. At the insistence of the patriarchy in the secularist Russian Federation, Christmas - the birth of the “King of the Jews” (Matt. 2:2) and Easter - the Jewish holiday of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt began to be considered non-working days. Hence, in the Old Testament, the order of the Lord: “Let the children of Israel keep the Passover at the time appointed for it.” And the corresponding punishment: whoever “does not keep the Passover, that soul will be cut off from his people... that person will bear the sin” (Num. 9:2, 13). Thus, Orthodox Christians (as well as atheists, Muslims and other Russians) are forced to celebrate two Judeo-Christian holidays, and grateful Jewish oligarchs who control the media allocate hours and pages for conducting Orthodox propaganda, lengthy reports about solemn prayers, showing churches (only in There were more than 400 of them in Moscow) and praying parishioners.

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