The Bible is said to be the basis of the three great Abrahamic religions, but none of them took shape until centuries later.
Maybe Jesus never existed, but the gospel teachings must have originated somehow. Assuming it was mostly one person, call him Jesus.
People say Jesus was a Jew, but I don't think that makes any sense, because Judaism did not exist yet. According to Wikipedia, rabbinic Judaism started in the 6th century AD.
In the time of Jesus, Jerusalem and the surrounding area was under Roman occupation. So Jesus lived in the Roman Empire. So I think it makes much more sense to call him a Roman, than a Jew.
The Roman Empire was the most important civilization in pre-modern times, by far. The people and culture of the Jerusalem are might seem important if you read the Bible, but they were not. Being part of the Roman Empire was the most important thing about them.
Much of early Christian theology was defined by the Bible books written by St. Paul, and he brags about being a Roman citizen. I think it makes sense to think of Christianity as being Roman from the start.
People say Judaism is older than Chistianity, but I also question that. Both religions trace their roots to the Old Testament of the Bible. Both were radically reinvented, with Christianity by the 3rd century, and Judaism by the 6th. Christianity became a real religion before Judaism did.
You could say that the God of the Old Testament is more similar to the Jewish God than the Christian God. Maybe. I am not sure.
Even today Judaism is defined much more by its rejection of Christianity, than by following the Old Testament.
I could be wrong about this, but I say Jesus was a Roman, and Judaism was an outgrowth and rejection of Christianity. Not the other way around.
2 comments:
Interesting that you date Judaism from the sixth century since consensus identifies its beginning as much earlier. Not that consensus is infallible of course.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_of_Christianity_and_Judaism
That article says Christianity diverged from the Jews in the 4th century, with some debate about the date.
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