Messianic Judaism vs Christianity

In the New Testament, Yeshua preaches to a Jewish audience, converting the Jews under a New Covenant . The eleven Apostles went out after Yeshua’s crucifixion and resurrection preaching to “all the nations” (Matthew 28:19).

After Yeshua’s crucifixion, the Apostles began to champion a Messianic faith in Yeshua and the levels of the Yeshua movement (known as “the Way”) converting over 3,000 Jewish converts. At the beginning of “the Way,” Movement, these followers were distinctly Jewish, following Mosaic law (Exodus 20:1-17), Yeshua’s commands (Matthew 22:37-40), and Temple traditions, Feasts, and dietary customs.

“The Way,” Movement that included those who followed Yeshua, began around 40 C.E. with the admission into the church of the Roman centurion Cornelius in Caesarea (Acts 10).

Later gentile members of the mixed Jewish-Greek church in Antioch converted (Acts 11:19–24; Galatians 2:11–14), as well as the many pagan’s, converted under Paul in Syria, Asia Minor and Greece. With them the Jewish, Gentile Messianic monopoly in the new movement came to an end and Jewish and gentile Christianity was born, leaving the true Messianic following and Yeshua’s true name behind! Yeshua was known as Iesous or Iesus. Later Yeshua’s name was transliterated from its original Jewish origin to suit the church in Antioch, appeasing Roman theology and abandoning Yeshua’s Jewish name (Acts 4:12).

As gentiles joined the ‘Jesus’ movement, focus on Messianic Jewish law decreased and we began to see the origin of Christianity as a distinct religion.

Jewish Christians in Jerusalem continued to participate in separate Jewish services from the gentile Christian population. While the two groups agreed on Jesus’ message and importance, the separate rites and communities led to increasing division between the groups.

The Messianic following of Yeshua focused on Mosaic Law, the Love of God with all your heart, all your soul, and with all your mind, and Loving thy neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40), and observed Jewish traditions, water baptism, and the recitation of “Our Father,” and “Shema.”

The early second century Epistle of Barnabas shows a distinctly gentile Christianity in its presentation of the Hebrew Bible as allegory instead of covenantal fact.

The divinized Christian Jesus is distanced from the Jewish Messianic following of Yeshua and divide between the Christian Jesus communities and continued to grow over time. The Jewish Messianic following rapidly became a minority group in the newly established Christian church.

The origin of Christianity is distinctly a non-Jewish religion and in the late second century, the Jewish Messianic followers of Yeshua either rejoined their Jewish comrades or became a part of the newly formed Christian church.

Shalom, Shlama Alakoom, Peace be unto you!

Ruachel, HaShem Yehoshua HaMashiach ve Ruach Ha’Kodesh