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Messianic Judaism is a religious movement that arose in the 1960s and 1970s. Its members declared themselves as followers of Judaism and believers in Yeshua (Jesus). Messianic Judaism is not accepted as a valid form of Judaism by most Jewish communities, who have declared it as a form of Christianity.
Name | Formed | Focus | Current (or last) Leader | Headquartered In |
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Chosen People Ministries | 1894 by Leopold Cohn | Chosen People Ministries, formerly known as the American Board of Missions to the Jews, is an organization founded in 1894 by Leopold Cohn as the Brownsville Mission to Jews. It purpose is to convince Jews that worship of Jesus is compatible with Judaism. It currently focuses on the production of evangelistic material geared towards converting Jews and material which links aspects of the Torah as the Passover Seder with Jesus. | Mitch Glaser | New York City |
Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA) | 1915 | Formerly known as Hebrew Christian Alliance of America, MJAA renamed itself in 1975 to Messianic Jewish Alliance of America to change tactics in evangelism and to coincide with terminology changes in the wider movement. [1] | MJAA General secretary Joel Chernoff | Springfield, Pennsylvania |
Jews for Jesus | 1973 by Moishe Rosen | Jews for Jesus is a Messianic Jewish non-profit organization founded in 1973 which seeks to share its belief that Jesus is the promised Messiah of the Jewish people. | David Brickner | San Francisco |
Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations [2] | 1979 | Cooperating congregations focused on relational unity of Jews and Gentiles in the Messiah. | Jeffrey Seif, Executive Director | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
Messianic Jewish Fellowship International [3] | 2016 | Jews who consider themselves descendants of the first Jewish messianic community in Jerusalem. Converts are welcome, the Old Testament is accepted as well as the four Gospels of the New Testament. The remaining books of the New Testament are understood as additional inspirations from God. No membership fees, non-profit. The Fellowship is running the Jewish University of Colorado, the only Messianic Jewish university worldwide. [4] [5] | William Smith sr., Primus inter pares. | Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, Denver, Boise |
Jews for Jesus | 1973 by Moishe Rosen | Jews for Jesus is a Messianic Jewish non-profit organization founded in 1973 which seeks to share its belief that Jesus is the promised Messiah of the Jewish people. | David Brickner | San Francisco |
Jewish University of Colorado (JUC) [6] | 1980 | The only messianic jewish university which is fully accredited and tuition-free. It is funded by the Messianic Jewish Fellowship International, [7] a religious society under the law of the State of Colorado (CO Rev Stat § 7-50-101 [2020]). Consequently, JUC is a strictly ecclesiastical not-for-profit institution providing higher education in the broad field of theology. Under Colorado law, specifically CO Rev Stat § 7-50-105 (2020), the Jewish University of Colorado is permitted to operate similarly to any secular university within the state. This provision allows JUC to award and grant degrees, equivalent to other universities, under the laws of the State of Colorado. JUC meets all state requirements for religious exemption as stipulated in CO Rev Stat § 7-50-105 (2020). | Dean Bill Jefferson | Denver and global |
TTN - The Torah Network [8] | 2021 | The Torah Torah Network (TTN) is a social platform catering to followers of Yeshua worldwide who adhere to Torah principles. It provides a space for individuals to convene and exchange their interpretations and insights on the entirety of the Bible. | Rhy Bezuidenhout | Leeds, United Kingdom |
Christianity began as a movement within Second Temple Judaism, but the two religions gradually diverged over the first few centuries of the Christian era. Today, differences of opinion vary between denominations in both religions, but the most important distinction is Christian acceptance and Jewish non-acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish tradition. Early Christianity distinguished itself by determining that observance of halakha was not necessary for non-Jewish converts to Christianity. Another major difference is the two religions' conceptions of God. Depending on the denomination followed, the Christian God is either believed to consist of three persons of one essence, with the doctrine of the incarnation of the Son in Jesus being of special importance, or like Judaism, believes in and emphasizes the Oneness of God. Judaism, however, rejects the Christian concept of God in human form. While Christianity recognizes the Hebrew Bible as part of its scriptural canon, Judaism does not recognize the Christian New Testament.
Judaism is an Abrahamic monotheistic ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jewish people. Along with Samaritanism, to which it is closely related, Judaism is one of the two oldest Abrahamic religions.
In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of mashiach, messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a mashiach is a king or High Priest traditionally anointed with holy anointing oil.
Jews for Jesus is an international Christian missionary organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, that is affiliated with the Messianic Jewish religious movement. The group is known for its proselytism of Jews and promotes the belief that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. It was founded in 1970 by Moishe Rosen as Hineni Ministries before being incorporated under its current name in 1973.
Messianic Judaism is a syncretic Abrahamic new religious movement that combines various Jewish traditions with belief in Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. It is widely considered to be a sect of Evangelical Christianity, including by all major groups within mainstream Judaism, but the movement considers itself Jewish. Belief in Jesus as a messianic figure and as divine is considered by Jews to be one of the most defining distinctions between Judaism and Christianity.
The Messiah in Judaism is a savior and liberator figure in Jewish eschatology who is believed to be the future redeemer of the Jews. The concept of messianism originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible a messiah is a king or High Priest of Israel traditionally anointed with holy anointing oil.
The Law of Return is an Israeli law, passed on 5 July 1950, which gives Jews, people with one or more Jewish grandparent, and their spouses the right to relocate to Israel and acquire Israeli citizenship. Section 1 of the Law of Return declares that "every Jew has the right to come to this country as an oleh [immigrant]". In the Law of Return, the State of Israel gave effect to the Zionist movement's "credo" which called for the establishment of Israel as a Jewish state. In 1970, the right of entry and settlement was extended to people with at least one Jewish grandparent and a person who is married to a Jew, whether or not they are considered Jewish under Orthodox interpretations of Jewish law.
Jews for Judaism is an international organization that focuses on preventing Jews from converting to other faiths and reclaiming those who have already converted. It provides counseling services, education, and outreach programs to all Jewish denominations. It was established in 1985 by Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz.
Adherents of Judaism do not believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah nor do they believe he was the Son of God. In the Jewish perspective, it is believed that the way Christians see Jesus goes against monotheism, a belief in the absolute unity and singularity of God, which is central to Judaism; Judaism sees the worship of a person as a form of idolatry, which is forbidden. Therefore, considering Jesus divine, as “God the Son”, is forbidden.
A number of religious groups, particularly Christians and Muslims, are involved in proselytization of Jews: attempts to recruit or "missionize" Jews. In response, some Jewish groups have formed counter-missionary organizations to discourage missionary and messianic groups such as Jews for Jesus from using practices that they say are deceptive.
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms established by Rabbi Wise are the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. The current president of the URJ is Rabbi Rick Jacobs.
Religion in Israel is manifested primarily in Judaism, the ethnic religion of the Jewish people. The State of Israel declares itself as a "Jewish and democratic state" and is the only country in the world with a Jewish-majority population. Other faiths in the country include Islam, Christianity and the religion of the Druze people. Religion plays a central role in national and civil life, and almost all Israeli citizens are automatically registered as members of the state's 14 official religious communities, which exercise control over several matters of personal status, especially marriage. These recognized communities are Orthodox Judaism, Islam, the Druze faith, the Catholic Church, Greek Orthodox Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Armenian Apostolic Church, Anglicanism, and the Baháʼí Faith.
Noahidism or Noachidism is a monotheistic Jewish religious movement aimed at non-Jews, based upon the Seven Laws of Noah and their traditional interpretations within Orthodox Judaism.
The Hebrew Christian movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries consisted of Jews who converted to Christianity, but worshiped in congregations separate from denominational churches. In many cases, they retained some Jewish practices and liturgy, with the addition of readings from the Christian New Testament. The movement was incorporated into the parallel Messianic Jewish movement in the late 1960s.
History of the Jews in Kenya refers to the history of Jewish settlement in Kenya, which began in 1899. There is still a Jewish community living in Kenya today.
Daniel C. Juster is an author and advocate of Messianic Judaism. He has served in the Messianic Jewish movement since 1972.
David J. Rudolph is an American scholar and Director of Messianic Jewish Studies at The King's University, who has written books and articles on the New Testament, Second Temple Judaism, Messianic Jews, intermarriage, and Jewish-Christian relations. His work A Jew to the Jews: Jewish Contours of Pauline Flexibility in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 won the 2007 Franz Delitzsch Prize from the Freie Theologische Akademie. Rudolph is also a lecturer in New Testament at Messianic Jewish Theological Institute’s School of Jewish Studies and a fellow at the MJTI Center for Jewish-Christian Relations.
Jonathan David Cahn is an American Messianic Jewish pastor, author, and novelist known for his debut novel The Harbinger. He is the founder and leader of the Beth Israel Worship Center in Wayne, New Jersey.