Theology

JEWS

Remnant Network

Remnant Network

— 6 min read

Judaism 1 | HERESIES

Definition and Identity

The term Jew is polyonic in the 21st century, encompassing a complex set of identities. It may designate a believer in Torah, a citizen of Israel, a secular intellectual, a person born of a Jewish mother, or a cultural participant.

Jewish identity, therefore, is multifaceted, often encompassing ethnic, religious, and cultural national affiliation.

The Evolution of Covenantal Identity

The covenantal journey begins universally, tracing its lineage through three distinct stages of appellation: Hebrew, Israelite, and Jew.

Universal Stage  The concept of Jew does not exist in the primeval history of Genesis 1 through 11. Covenantal identity begins with Adam, who represents the universal man, created in the image of God, and the prototype of priesthood, mediating creation back to God. Subsequently, Noah represents the establishment of a universal moral law through the Noahide covenant, which is non-ethnic in character. The dispersion of humanity at the Tower of Babel marks the fragmentation of human unity, setting the stage for the progressive particularisation of divine revelation.

Hebrew (First Stage)  The transition to a particular identity begins with Abraham, who is first referred to in scripture as a Hebrew. The term Hebrew means one who crosses over—symbolically, one who crosses over from idolatry, pagan worship, or the sins of the fall, to the worship of the true God. Spiritually, the Hebrew is one who passes from death to life, foreshadowing the Pascal mystery of Christ. At this point, the term defines a spiritual trajectory and bears no ethnic connotation.

Israelite (Second Stage)  The identity narrows with Jacob, Abraham's grandson, who receives the name Israel, meaning one who wrestles with God. The Israelite moniker denotes a specific membership to the covenant nation. Under Moses, Israel is inaugurated as a theocratic nation, with the Mosaic covenant expanding the requirement not only to faith, but also to Torah, law, cult, and priesthood. At this stage, Hebrew becomes a broader ancestral term, while Israelite signifies national polity and citizenship.

Jew (Third Stage)  The term Jew derives from Judah, one of Jacob's sons. The term was not used to denote the collective Jewish community until post the Babylonian exile (roughly 6th century BC). This occurred because the Persians, during the diaspora, referred to the Israelites as Jews, as the tribe of Judah controlled Jerusalem and the Temple and was the tribe that resisted cultural assimilation the most while in exile. Following the exile, the term Jew crystallised, encompassing the ancestral Hebrew connotation, the national political identity of Israel, and the religious cultural identity.

Biblical Judaism versus Rabbinic Divergence

A necessary distinction exists between Biblical Judaism, practised at the time of Christ, and Rabbinic Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism is the dominant form established since the codification of the Talmud, occurring 200–500 years after Christ.

Theological Shift The destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD and the subsequent expulsion of Jews from the Roman Empire caused Jewish religious life to shift dramatically. With the priesthood and sacrifices gone, Rabbinic Judaism redefined identity as textual and communal, centering on rabbinic teachings, the Oral Law (Mishnah and Talmud), and synagogue worship. This change represents a divergence rather than a direct, unbroken continuation of the Hebrew tradition.

Orthodox Fulfilment Orthodox Christianity is the real inheritor of the Hebrew tradition. The period from Abraham to Christ is understood as the gestation of the church within the womb of Israel. The particularisation God used, such as circumcision, served as a biological identification of the covenant, which moves to a spiritual universalism in Christ. With Christ, chosenness is about a spiritual adoption, not ethnic descent. The continuation of Israel is through the Church, which is the spiritual Israel.

Later Historical Developments

Mystical and Governance Systems Further segmentation of Jewish identity occurred over the centuries:

  • Kabbalah: A Gnostic form of mysticism, added between the 12th and 16th centuries.
  • Kehilot System: A Jewish supra-natural governance structure, developed in the 18th and 19th centuries.
  • Hasidism: A mystical Ashkenazi movement rooted in Kabbalah, emphasising joy and spirituality.

The Enlightenment and Fragmentation The Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment), primarily Ashkenazi-led, promoted rationalism and integration into European society. This push led to the split of Judaism into Orthodox, Conservative, and Reformed movements. During this period, ethnicity began to eclipse religious practice. Jewishness shifted from a covenantal faith to a cultural heritage, leading to the emergence of the secular Jewish identity, often defined by cultural heritage rather than religious adherence.

The Byzantine Perspective The Byzantine Empire saw itself as the New Israel. They tolerated Jews as a restricted minority. Jews could live, trade, and worship privately but were forbidden to proselytise Judaism, blaspheme Christ, or hold public office that gave them power over Christians. Judaism was tolerated as a living proof of prophecy fulfilled, but viewed as spiritually incomplete, with imperial expectation urging ultimate conversion.

The Khazar Factor Waves of pressure and forced conversion decrees pushed some Jews to migrate north along the trade routes of the Black Sea, coinciding with the rise of the Khazar Khaganate. Khazaria, a Turk polity situated between the Caspian and Black seas, adopted Judaism as its official religion in the 8th or 9th century AD. The Khazar elite may have chosen Judaism as a mediator, seeing it as a foundation for both Islamic and Christian faiths, thus avoiding religious threats from the Byzantine Empire and the Caliphate. This created a safe political space for Jewish settlement. Some theories suggest Ashkenazi identity is a mixture of ethnic Jewish descent and the converted Khazar Jews population who migrated into Eastern Europe.

Modern Identity The Holocaust and the subsequent establishment of the State of Israel (1948) secularised Jewish identity, merging political nationalism with ancient covenantal language. The State of Israel now functions as an eschatological symbol for many Jews.

Theological and Eschatological Conflict

The theological divergence between Rabbinic Judaism and Orthodox Christianity is absolute, rooted in their opposing views on the nature of God and the Messiah.

Divergent Views on Revelation Orthodoxy affirms that the infinite enters into the finite (Incarnation). Judaism, conversely, insists that the infinite must remain separate from the finite. The Incarnation, which Orthodoxy sees as the summit of revelation, Judaism sees as the greatest impossibility.

Eschatological Frameworks The worldviews take opposite directions regarding last things, resulting in an inherent antagonism.

|Feature|Modern Judaism (Imminent Focus)|Eastern Orthodoxy (Transcendent Focus)| |:--|:--|:--| |Messiah|A future, fully human king anointed by God who is not divineand not a saviour from sin. He will be a worldly political leader.|Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Logos, who has already come.| |Goal of Redemption|Historical, national, and imminent. Redemption is understood through historical and national means. The goal is the restoration of Israel, the rebuilding of the Temple, and establishing justice and Torah worldwide.|Cosmic transfiguration beyond corruption. Salvation is spiritual adoption and cosmic deification.| |The Kingdom|The kingdom is in this world, focused on a material messianic age.|The kingdom is spiritual and mystical, not of this world. The Church already participates in the kingdom through the Divine Liturgy.| |Law and Salvation|The law remains externalised through commandment. Man ascends by obedience to divine law. Non-Jews are judged on abiding by the Noahide laws.|The spiritual law becomes interiorised through the spirit. Man ascends through mystical, grace-filled participation (Theosis).|

The Antichristological Conflict The ultimate antagonism arises because the political, fully human redeemer awaited by Judaism is eerily reminiscent of what Orthodox tradition has warned regarding the Antichrist. The Antichrist is defined as the final deceiver who mimics Christ’s mission while denying his divinity and presenting himself as a saviour offering a purely earthly salvation. Conversely, to traditional Judaism, the Orthodox worship of Jesus as divine is itself a theological error bordering on idolatry.

The Orthodox Church expects the final confrontation between the true Christ and a deceptive earthly messiah, who will enthrone himself in Jerusalem as the world leader. When viewed side by side, these expectations occupy the same eschatological space but with inverse valuations.

Universalism and Chosenness

The Orthodox Church affirms that the covenant was fulfilled and universalised in Christ. The particularisation used by God ended in Christ, who then offered a universal transcendent worldview. The purpose of history is not national restoration, but cosmic transfiguration.

In contrast, the Jewish covenant is particular and remains tied to land and lineage.

The idea of Judeo Christian values is a modern, Post-World War II invention and does not exist in theological reality.

HISTORY

RUSSIA

Israel As One Man Theory

BOOKS

Samson Option

POST WORLD WAR II

Nazi Book Burnings

THE STATE OF ISREAL

Pogroms

GERMANY

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