Christianity diverged from Judaism in the first century CE: for this reason, the Jewish view of Jesus is important for a historical understanding of Christianity's initial reception. The first Christians were Jews, and, as far as is known, subscribed to Jewish beliefs and practices common at the time. Among these was a belief that a messiah—a descendant of King David—would restore the monarchy and Jewish independence. Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus the Nazarene (circa 4 BC/BCE – 30 AD/CE), is the central figure of Christianity, in which context he is known as Jesus Christ (from Greek Ιησούς Χριστός) with Christ being a title meaning Anointed One or Messiah. Christian viewpoints on Jesus (known as Christology) are... This article presents a description of Jesus life, as based on the four gospels. ... According to the canonical Gospels, Jesus of Nazareth, also called the Christ by Christians, worked many miracles in the course of his ministry. ... The Parables of Jesus are a collection of parables told by Jesus that embody much of his teaching and are recorded in the four Gospels. ... Jesus sayings according to the Christian Bible are different things that Jesus said in the New Testament of the Bible. ... The chronology of Jesus depicts the traditional chronology established for the events of the life of Jesus by the four canonical gospels (which allude to various dates for several events). ... Religious perspectives on Jesus is the specific significance some religions place on Jesus. ... As historian E. P. Sanders has observed, of all the religions that existed within the Roman Empire, only two have widespread followings today: Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity, both of which have their origins in Roman-occupied Palestine, both of which claim to be based on the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament... A large variety of names and titles have been used to describe Jesus, many of which reflect various theological understandings or different beliefs about him. ... There are many relics attributed to Jesus that people believe or believed to be authentic relics of the Gospel accounts. ... The neutrality and factual accuracy of this article are disputed. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... The race of Jesus has been a subject of debate since at least the 19th century. ... The Passion of the Christs cover, a 2004 movie by Mel Gibson. ... There are no undisputed historical images of Jesus; he sat for no portraits which are preserved and of unquestioned authenticity and undoubted provenance. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... In Judaism, the Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ anointed one, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew Arabic ) initially meant any person who was anointed by God. ... This page is about the Biblical king David. ...

Messiah

Main articles: Messiah and Jewish Messiah In Judaism, the Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ anointed one, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew Arabic ) initially meant any person who was anointed by God. ... The Jewish Messiah, (משיח) or Mashiach, or Moshiach, has traditionally referred to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line who will be anointed (in Hebrew, mashiach -- משיח (messiah) means anointed with holy olive oil) and inducted to rule the Jewish people. ...

(Note that the Jewish and Christian concepts of "Messiah" differ substantially; readers who have not understood the Jewish concept often assume it to signify meanings which were in fact not a part of nor present within the Jewish understanding) As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ...

According to mainstream Jewish beliefs, the failure of Jesus to restore the line of Davidic Kings, his crucifixion by Romans, and his failure to meet the tests of a prophet outlined in Jewish Scripture, negated claims that he was the Messiah (see the Jewish eschatology and Jewish Messiah for a more detailed discussion of the Jewish understanding of the Messiah). Nevertheless, some of Jesus's followers redefined the concept of messiah to encompass the idea of a resurrection, the promise of a second coming, and the notion of messiah as God. Early Christians brought from Judaism its scriptures, fundamental doctrines such as monotheism, and other beliefs and practices. In Judaism, the Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ anointed one, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew Arabic ) initially meant any person who was anointed by God. ... Jewish eschatology is concerned with Mashiach (the Jewish Messiah) the continuation of the Davidic line, and Olam Haba (Hebrew for the world to come; i. ... The Jewish Messiah, (משיח) or Mashiach, or Moshiach, has traditionally referred to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line who will be anointed (in Hebrew, mashiach -- משיח (messiah) means anointed with holy olive oil) and inducted to rule the Jewish people. ... God is the term used to denote the Supreme Being ascribed by monotheistic religions to be the creator, ruler and/or the sum total of, existence. ... Monotheism (in Greek μόνος = single and θεός = God) is the belief in a single, universal, all-encompassing deity. ...

Prophets

Main articles: Prophet and False prophet A prophet is a person who is believed to communicate with God, or with a deity. ... False prophet is a label given to a person who is viewed as illegitimately claiming charismatic authority within a religious group. ...

Judaism teaches that it is heretical for any man to claim to be a part of God. Most Jews believe Jesus has been misinterpreted; that he himself adhered to Judaism and did not claim to be the "son of God" or messiah. See also: Jewish claimants to be the messiah. Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... In Judaism, the Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ anointed one, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew Arabic ) initially meant any person who was anointed by God. ...

Jewish views on Christianity

Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon) writes why Jews believe that Jesus was wrong to create Christianity (and why they believe that Muhammad was wrong to create Islam;) he laments the pains that Jews felt as a result of these new faiths that attempted to supplant Judaism. However, Maimonides then goes on to say that both faiths help God redeem the world: Commonly used image indicating one artists conception of Maimonidess appearance Moshe ben Maimon (March 30, 1135–December 13, 1204) was a Jewish rabbi, physician, and philosopher. ... This article is about the prophet. ...

Jesus was instrumental in changing the Torah and causing the world to err and serve another beside God. But it is beyond the human mind to fathom the designs of our Creator, for our ways are not God's ways, neither are our thoughts His. All these matters relating to Jesus of Nazareth, and the Ishmaelite (Muhammad) who came after him, only served to clear the way for the King Moshiach [Jewish Messiah] to prepare the whole world to worship God with one accord, as it is written 'For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language, that they all call upon the name of the Lord to serve Him with one consent.' (Zephaniah 3:9). Thus the messianic hope, and the Torah, and the commandments have become familiar topics of conversation among those even on far isles, and among many people, uncircumcized of flesh and heart. (Mishneh Torah, Maimonides, XI.4. This paragraph used to be censored from many printed versions of the Mishneh Torah because it contained verses explicitly critical of Jesus.)

Some Jews doubt the historical existence of Jesus, but most believe that he was a real person. Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus the Nazarene (circa 4 BC/BCE – 30 AD/CE), is the central figure of Christianity, in which context he is known as Jesus Christ (from Greek Ιησούς Χριστός) with Christ being a title meaning Anointed One or Messiah. Christian viewpoints on Jesus (known as Christology) are... Torah (תורה) is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or law. ... This article is about the prophet. ... The concept of the messiah in Judaism is briefly discussed in the Jewish eschatology entry. ... The existence of Jesus, known by Christians as Jesus Christ (Jesus the Messiah) and by Muslims as Isa, is accepted by the followers of two world religions, Christianity and Islam, on the basis of their respective scriptures - the Bible and the Koran. ...

Following the lead of many modern historians, some Jews believe that Jesus was a preacher with an apocalyptic message, that Jesus never claimed to be God or part of a trinity, and that he was a liberal reformer, in many ways more similar to the Pharisees than to Jews of the other movements at the time. In this view, Christianity as we know it today had nothing to do with Jesus' actual teachings, but rather was the outgrowth of the beliefs of Jesus' later non-Jewish converts, and the preaching of Paul of Tarsus. An early portrait of the Apostle Paul. ...

To most Jews, Jesus is simply irrelevant, a non-important figure in a different religion (much as Muhammad might seem to many Christians), known due to their being immersed in a Christian-oriented society rather than through religious significance.

Jews also do not believe anyone can "die" as a "repentance" for anyone else, nor that God would have a "son", nor has the concept of "original sin" ever been part of Judaic belief or philosophy. As a religion, Judaism is far more focused on the practicalities of understanding how one may live a sacred life in this world according to God's will, rather than hope of spiritual salvation in a future one. Jews do not believe in the Christian concept of Hell, nor that only those following one specific faith can be "saved". Jews as a whole do not evangelise, and view their divine purpose as being ideally a "role model to the nations" and a "holy people" (ie, a people who live their lives fully in accordance with Divine will), rather than "the one path to God". Medieval illustration of Hell in the Hortus deliciarum manuscript of Herrad of Landsberg (about 1180) Hell is, according to many religious beliefs, a place or a state of painful suffering. ... In Judaism, chosenness is the belief that the Jews are a chosen people: chosen to be in a covenant with God. ...

Jews do not celebrate Christmas or any other Christian festivals per se as these have no religious significance to their beliefs.

See also

• Jews as a chosen people

In Judaism, chosenness is the belief that the Jews are a chosen people: chosen to be in a covenant with God. ...

Views of Christianity as an oppressor

Over the centuries some Jews have converted to Christianity in order to avoid persecution or discrimination, particularly in historically strongly Catholic countries such as Spain, France and Italy; many were also forcibly converted at threat of death or torture. The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...

See also

• Moshiach significance of "messiah" to Jews
• messiah significance of "messiah" to Christians
• Cultural and historical background of Jesus overview of Jewish and secular culture and recent history and politics, at the time of Jesus
• Comparing and contrasting Judaism and Christianity

The concept of the messiah in Judaism is briefly discussed in the Jewish eschatology entry. ... In Judaism, the Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ anointed one, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew Arabic ) initially meant any person who was anointed by God. ... As historian E. P. Sanders has observed, of all the religions that existed within the Roman Empire, only two have widespread followings today: Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity, both of which have their origins in Roman-occupied Palestine, both of which claim to be based on the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament... Comparing and contrasting Judaism and Christianity suggests that Judaism and Christianity are not necessarily part of the same Judeo-Christian tradition. ...

External links

• The Jewish View of Jesus
• The False Prophet
• Why The Jews Do Not Believe in Jesus
• Why Judaism?
• Who killed Jesus?