Messianic Judaism

Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Pp-vandalism Template:Messianic Judaism Template:Jewish Christianity

Messianic Judaism is a syncretic Template:Sfn Abrahamic religious sect that combines Christian theology with select elements of Judaism. It considers itself to be a form of Judaism but is generally considered to be a form of Christianity,<ref name="Melton2005" />Template:Sfn including by all mainstream Jewish religious movements. Mainstream Jews consider the belief that Jesus was the Messiah and a divine being in the form of God the Son (and the doctrine of the Trinity, in general) to be among the most defining distinctions between Christianity and Judaism. It is also generally considered a Christian sect by scholars and other Christian groups.<ref>See:

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It emerged in the United States between the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier Hebrew Christian movement,Template:Sfn Template:Sfn and was most prominently propelled through the non-profit organization Jews for Jesus founded in 1973 by Martin "Moishe" Rosen, an American minister in the Conservative Baptist Association.<ref name = "Brown2010" /><ref name = "Burton2018" />

Messianic Jews adhere to conventional Christian doctrine, including the concept of salvation by believing in Jesus (referred to by the Hebrew name Template:Transliteration among adherents) as the Jewish Messiah and humanity’s redeemer, and in the spiritual authority of the Bible (including the Hebrew Bible and New Testament).Template:Sfn<ref name="UMJC_StatementOfFaith"/><ref name=Ariel2006p194/>

In Hebrew, Messianics tend to identify themselves with the terms Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Template:Literal translation) and Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Template:Literal translation) in opposition to being identified as Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Template:Literal translation).Template:Efn<ref name="Spector2008"/> Jewish organizations inside and outside of Israel reject this framing. The Supreme Court of Israel declared Messianic Judaism a Christian sect for purposes of the Law of Return.<ref name="Denominations"/><ref name="Berman"/>

DemographicsEdit

From 2003 to 2007, the movement grew from 150 Messianic houses of worship in the United States to as many as 438, with over 100 in Israel and more worldwide; congregations are often affiliated with larger Messianic organizations or alliances.Template:Sfn<ref name="Yeoman" /> Template:As of, Messianic population estimates were between 175,000 and 250,000 members in the United States, between 10,000 and 20,000 members in Israel, and an estimated total worldwide membership of 350,000.<ref name="Posner2012" />Template:Update inline

HistoryEdit

Pre-19th centuryEdit

Efforts by Jewish Christians to proselytize to Jews began in the 1st century, when Paul the Apostle preached at the synagogues in each city that he visited.Template:Sfn However, by the 4th century CE, non-biblical accounts of missions to the JewsTemplate:Efn do not mention converted Jews playing any leading role in proselytization.<ref name="Stemberger"/> Notable converts from Judaism who attempted to convert other Jews are more visible in historical sources beginning around the 13th century when Jewish convert Pablo Christiani attempted to convert other Jews. This activity, however, typically lacked any independent Jewish-Christian congregations and was often imposed through force by organized Christian churches.Template:Sfn

19th and early 20th centuriesEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} In the 19th century, some groups attempted to create congregations and societies of Jewish converts to Christianity, though most of these early organizations were short-lived.Template:Sfn Early formal organizations run by converted Jews include the Anglican London Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews of Joseph Frey (1809),<ref name=Moscrop/> which published the first Yiddish New Testament in 1821;Template:Sfn Template:Verify source the "Beni Abraham" association, established by Frey in 1813 with a group of 41 Jewish Christians who started meeting at Jews' Chapel, London for prayers Friday night and Sunday morning;Template:Sfn and the London Hebrew Christian Alliance of Great Britain founded by Dr. Carl Schwartz in 1866.<ref name=Schwartz1870/>

The September 1813 meeting of Frey's "Beni Abraham" congregation at the rented "Jews' Chapel" in Spitalfields is sometimes pointed to as the birth of the semi-autonomous Hebrew Christian movement within Anglican and other established churches in Britain.Template:Sfn However, the minister of the chapel at Spitalfields evicted Frey and his congregation three years later, and Frey severed his connections with the society.Template:Sfn A new location was found and the Episcopal Jew's Chapel Abrahamic Society registered in 1835.Template:Sfn

In Eastern Europe, Joseph Rabinowitz established a Hebrew Christian mission and congregation called "Israelites of the New Covenant" in Kishinev, Bessarabia, in 1884.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn In 1865, Rabinowitz created a sample order of worship for Sabbath morning service based on a mixture of Jewish and Christian elements. Mark John Levy pressed the Church of England to allow members to embrace Jewish customs.Template:Sfn

In the United States, a congregation of Jewish converts to Christianity was established in New York City in 1885.<ref name=NYT18851012/> In the 1890s, immigrant Jewish converts to Christianity worshipped at the Methodist "Hope of Israel" mission on New York's Lower East Side while retaining some Jewish rites and customs.Template:Sfn In 1895, the 9th edition of Hope of Israel's Our Hope magazine carried the subtitle "A Monthly Devoted to the Study of Prophecy and to Messianic Judaism", the first use of the term "Messianic Judaism".Template:Sfn Template:Sfn In 1894, Christian missionary Leopold Cohn, a convert from Judaism, founded the Brownsville Mission to the Jews in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York as a Christian mission to Jews. After several changes in name, structure, and focus, the organization is now called Chosen People Ministries.Template:Sfn

In the early 1900s, there was a community of Messianic Jews in South Africa representing themselves as "Christian Jews" whose goal was to create a "true and genuine Christ-loving Jewish Christian Synagogue".<ref name = "TMJ" />

Missions to the Jews saw a period of growth between the 1920s and the 1960s.<ref name=Ariel2006p191/>Template:Sfn In the 1940s and 1950s, missionaries in Israel, including the Southern Baptists, adopted the term Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, "messianics") to counter negative connotations of the word Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, "Christians"). The term was used to designate all Jews who had converted to Protestant Evangelical Christianity.<ref name=Ariel2006p194/>

Modern-day Messianic Judaism movement, 1960s onwardsEdit

The Messianic Jewish movement emerged in the United States in the 1960s.<ref name="Feher1998p140"/>Template:Sfn Prior to this time, Jewish converts assimilated into gentile Christianity, as the church required abandoning their Jewishness and assuming gentile ways to receive baptism. Peter Hocken postulates that the Jesus movement, which swept the nation in the 1960s, triggered a change from Hebrew Christians to Messianic Jews and was a distinctly charismatic movement. These Jews wanted to "stay Jewish while believing in Jesus". This impulse was amplified by the results of the Six-Day War and the restoration of Jerusalem to Jewish control.Template:Sfn<ref name = "Kinzer2005" />Template:Sfn

Foundational organizationsEdit

In 2004, there were 300 Messianic congregations in the United States, with roughly half of all attendants being Gentiles and roughly one-third of all congregations comprising 30 or fewer members.Template:Sfn Many of these congregations belong to the International Association of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (IAMCS), the Union of Messianic Congregations (UMJC), or Tikkun International.Template:Citation needed

The Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA) began in 1915 as the Hebrew Christian Alliance of America (HCAA).<ref>Ariel, Y. (2016). THEOLOGICAL AND LITURGICAL COMING OF AGE: NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MESSIANIC JUDAISM AND EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY. Hebrew Studies, 57, 381–391. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44072313</ref> As the idea of maintaining Jewish identity spread in the late 1960s, the Hebrew Christian Alliance of America (HCAA) changed its name to the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA).Template:Sfn David Rausch writes that the change "signified far more than a semantical expression—it represented an evolution in the thought processes and religious and philosophical outlook toward a more fervent expression of Jewish identity."Template:Sfn Template:As of, the MJAA was an organization of Jewish members who welcome non-Jews as "honored associates".Template:Sfn In 1986, the MJAA formed a congregational branch called the International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (IAMCS).<ref name="IAMCS_home"/>

In June 1979, 19 congregations in North America met at Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and formed the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC).Template:Sfn In 2022, it would have 75 congregations in 8 countries.<ref>Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, OUR HISTORY, umjc.org, USA, retrieved October 22, 2022</ref> In 2016, Douglas Hamp founded The Way Congregation near Denver, CO. with the concept of recognizing fundamentalist Christian beliefs<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and yet embracing One Law Theology, Two House Theology (see sections below), and Commonwealth Theology. Their website states the fellowship was founded "to serve as a bridge between the Jews and the gentile Church."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Non-Jewish congregants are not encouraged to convert to Judaism and Jewish attendants are encouraged to celebrate their Jewish heritage. Hamp blames the heretic Marcion for mainstream Christianity's juxtaposition of Law and Grace.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On the other hand, the Congregation meets on the Sabbath, celebrates the Feasts, and teaches conformance to the Dietary Laws given through Moses.

Messianic Seal of JerusalemEdit

File:Messianic symbol.svg

The Messianic Seal

The Messianic Seal of Jerusalem is a symbol used by Messianic Judaism. It is a depiction of the temple menorah, an ancient symbol used by Jews, together with the "ichthys," a depictive representation of Christianity, with a Star of David at the intersection.<ref name = "ENS" /> The Messianic Seal is not the only symbol of Messianic Judaism; other symbols, such as a cross inside a Star of David and the dolphin.<ref name="Nerel"/>

There is an ongoing dispute as to whether the seal dates from the 1st century CE<ref name = "Schmalz">Template:Cite book </ref> or if it is a 20th-century invention.<ref name="Nerel"/>

Theology and core doctrinesEdit

Template:See also

The TrinityEdit

Many Messianic Jews affirm the doctrine of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit as three representations of the same divinity.<ref name="UMJC_StatementOfFaith"/><ref name="IAMCS_Belief"/><ref name="GraftedInSoF"/>

God the Father: Messianic Jews believe in God, and that he is all-powerful, omnipresent, eternally existent outside of creation, and infinitely significant and benevolent. Some Messianic Jews affirm both the Shema and the Trinity, understanding the phrase "the Template:LORD is One" to be referring to "a differentiated but singular deity",<ref name="Kinzer2010"/> and "eternally existent in plural oneness".<ref name="IAMCS_Belief"/>
God the Son: Most Messianic Jews consider Jesus to be the Messiah and divine as God the Son, in line with mainstream Christianity,<ref name="UMJC_StatementOfFaith"/><ref name="IAMCS_Belief"/> and will even pray directly to him.Template:Sfn Many also consider Jesus to be their "chief teacher and rabbi" whose life should be copied.<ref name="FFOZ"/>
God the Holy Spirit: According to some Messianic Jews, the Spirit is introduced in the Old Testament, is the inspirer of prophets, and is the spirit of truth described in the New Testament.<ref name="IAMCS_Belief"/>

God, Jesus, and the Holy SpiritEdit

God the Father: Some Messianic Jews profess only a strict view of monotheism, rejecting Trinitarian doctrine<ref name="Kerstetter"/> and Arian doctrine.
Jesus the Son of God: Some Messianic Jews, who reject Trinitarian doctrine and Arian doctrine, believe that the Jewish Messiah is the son of God in the general sense (Jewish people are children of God) and that the Jewish Messiah is a mere human, the promised Prophet. Some Messianic Jews believe Jewish Messiah is the pre-existent Word of God, the mighty God, and the only begotten God. Some congregations do not directly ascribe divinity to Jesus, considering him a man, yet not just a man, fathered by the Holy Spirit, who became the Messiah.<ref name="JC_IYG"/> Even others consider him "Word made flesh" and the "human expression of Divinity".<ref name="LevH"/>
The Holy Spirit (Template:Langx, Template:Transliteration) refers to the divine force, or to the word or spirit of God.<ref name = "JC_T" />

Scriptures and writingsEdit

The BibleEdit

Both the Hebrew Bible and the New TestamentTemplate:Efn are usually considered to be the established and divinely inspired biblical scriptures by Messianic Jews.<ref name="Beit Simcha"/> With a few exceptions, Messianic believers generally consider the written Torah, the five books of Moses, to remain in force as a continuing covenant, revised by Jesus and the Apostles in the New Testament, that is to be observed both morally and ritually. Jesus did not annul the Torah, but its interpretation is revised through the Apostolic scriptures.<ref name="GraftedInSoF"/>

Jewish oral traditionEdit

There is no unanimity among Messianic congregations on the issue of the Talmud and the Oral Torah. There are congregations which believe that adherence to the Oral Law, as encompassed by the Talmud, is against Messianic beliefs.<ref name="Brown-CPM-Talmud"/> Similarly, there are congregations which deny the authority of the Pharisees, believing that they were superseded, and their teachings contradicted, by Messianism.<ref name="RabbiYeshuaRab"/> There are adherents which call rabbinic commentaries such as the Mishnah and the Talmud "dangerous",<ref name="RabbiYeshuaRab"/> and state that followers of rabbinic and halakhic explanations and commentaries are not believers in Jesus as the Messiah.<ref name="RabbiYeshuaRab"/><ref name="BT"/> Other congregations are selective in their applications of Talmudic law, and may believe that the rabbinic commentaries such as the Mishnah and the Talmud, while historically informative and useful in understanding tradition, are not normative and may not be followed where they differ from the New Testament.Template:Sfn<ref name="CTOMC-SoF-4"/><ref name="MJRC2"/> Still others encourage a serious observance of Jewish halakha.<ref name="Fischer"/>

Messianic Bible translationsEdit

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Messianic publicationsEdit

Template:Unsourced section David H. Stern has released a one-volume Jewish New Testament Commentary, providing explanatory notes from a Messianic Jewish point of view. Other New Testament commentary authors include Arnold Fruchtenbaum of Ariel Ministries, who has written commentaries on the Epistles, Judges and Ruth, Genesis, and 7 systematic doctrinal studies.

Sin and atonementEdit

Some Messianic believers define sin as transgression of the Law of God and include the concept of original sin. Some adherents atone for their sins through prayer and repentance – the acknowledgment of the wrongdoing and seeking forgiveness for their sins (especially on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement). Disagreeing with these rites and practices, other Messianics hold to a belief that all sin (whether committed yet or not) is already atoned for because of Jesus's death and resurrection.Template:Sfn

Evangelism and attitudes toward Jews and IsraelEdit

Messianic Jews believe God's people have a responsibility to spread his name and fame to all nations. It is believed that the Children of Israel were, remain, and will continue to be the chosen people of the God, and are central to his plans for existence. Most Messianic believers, whether Jewish or non-Jewish, can be said to oppose supersessionism (popularly referred to as replacement theology), the view that the Church has replaced Israel in the mind and plans of God.<ref name="GraftedInSoF"/>

According to certain branches of Messianic Judaism, Jews are individuals who have one or more Jewish parents, or who have undergone halakhic conversion to Judaism.<ref name=MJRC_Status/><ref name="MJO"/>Template:Primary source inline

One Law theologyEdit

One Law theology (also known as "One Torah for All") teaches that anyone who is a part of Israel is obligated to observe the Covenant and its provisions as outlined in the Torah. Dan Juster of Tikkun, and Russ Resnik of the UMJC, have argued against the One Law movement's insistence on gentiles being required to observe the entirety of Torah in the same way as Jews.<ref>One Law Movements; a Challenge to the Messianic Jewish Community Template:Webarchive January 28, 2005</ref> Tim HeggTemplate:Who responded to their article defending what he believes to be the biblical teaching of "One Law" theology and its implications concerning the obligations of Torah obedience by new Messianic believers from the nations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Coalition of Torah Observant Messianic Congregations (CTOMC) likewise rejects bi-lateral Ecclesiology in favor of the One Torah for All (One Law) position.<ref name=CTOMC_SoF/>

Two House theologyEdit

Proponents of Two House theology espouse their belief that the phrase "House of Judah" in scripture refers to Jews, while "the House of Israel" refers to the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, or Ephraim. Where scripture states the House of Israel and Judah will again be "one stick" (Template:Bibleverse), it is believed to be referring to the End Times, immediately prior to the Second Coming, when many of those descended from Israel will come back to Israel. Advocates of this theology postulate that the reason so many gentiles convert to Messianic Judaism is that the vast majority of them are truly Israelites. Like One Law groups, the Two House movement has many superficial similarities to Messianic Judaism, such as their belief in the ongoing validity of the Mosaic Covenant. While much of the Two House teaching is based on interpretations of Biblical prophecy, the biggest disagreements are due to inability to identify the genealogy of the Lost Tribes. Organizations such as the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America and Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations have explicitly opposed the Two House teaching.<ref>MJAA position paper:The Ephraimite Error Template:Webarchive</ref>

SupersessionismEdit

Historically, Christianity has taught supersessionism (replacement theology), which implies or outright states that Christianity has superseded Judaism,Template:Citation needed and that the Mosaic Covenant of the Hebrew Bible has been superseded by the New Covenant of Jesus, wherein salvation is brought about by the grace of God, and not by obedience to the Torah.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This is generally complemented with the concept of God having transferred the status of "God's people" from the Jews to the Christian Church. Messianic Jews, in varying degrees, challenge both thoughts,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and instead believing that although Israel has rejected Jesus, it has not forfeited its status as God's chosen people. Often cited is Template:Bibleverse: "for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable". The core of supersessionism, in which the Mosaic Covenant is canceled, is less agreed upon. Though the mitzvot may or may not be seen as necessary, most are still followed, especially the keeping of Shabbat and other holy days.

EschatologyEdit

All Messianic Jews hold to certain eschatological beliefs such as the End of Days, the Second Coming of Jesus as the conquering Messiah, the re-gathering of Israel, a rebuilt Third Temple, a resurrection of the dead, and many believe in the Millennial Sabbath, although some are Amillenialist. Some Messianic Jews believe that all of the Jewish holidays, and indeed the entire Torah, intrinsically hint at the Messiah, and thus no study of the End Times is complete without understanding the major Jewish Festivals in their larger prophetic context. To certain believers, the feasts of Pesach and Shavuot were fulfilled in Jesus's first coming, and Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot will be at his second. Some also believe in a literal 7000-year period for the human history of the world, with a Millennial Messianic kingdom prior to a final judgment.<ref name = "Kinzer2018" />

Religious practicesEdit

File:Messianic synagogue.jpg

Baruch Hashem Messianic Synagogue in Dallas, Texas

Torah observanceEdit

Template:See also There is a variety of practice within Messianic Judaism regarding the strictness of Torah observance. Generally, Torah observant congregations observe Jewish prayers, biblical feasts, and the Sabbath.<ref name=CTOMC_SoF/> While most traditional Christians deny that the ritual laws and specific civil laws of the Torah apply to gentiles, some Messianic believers say certain passages regarding Torah observance in the New Testament are cited by as proof that the Torah was not abolished for Jews. They say that in Template:Bibleverse, Jewish believers in Jerusalem are described as "zealous for the Law".

Sabbath and holiday observancesEdit

Some Messianic Jews observe Shabbat on Saturdays.<ref name="Spector2008"/> Worship services are generally held on Friday evenings (Template:Transliteration) or Saturday mornings.Template:Sfn According to the Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship (SBMF), services are held on Saturday to "open the doors to Jewish people who also wish to keep the Sabbath".<ref name="Worshill2008"/> The liturgy used is similar to that of a Jewish Template:Transliteration with some important differences including the omission of "salvation by works" as the Messianic belief is salvation through Jesus.<ref name="Worshill2008"/> Other branches of the movement have attempted to "eliminate the elements of Christian worship [such as frequent communion Template:Efn] that cannot be directly linked to their Jewish roots".Template:Sfn Almost all such congregations in Israel observe Jewish holidays, which they understand to have their fulfillment in Jesus."<ref name="Spector2008"/>

The Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council recommends the observance of Jewish holidays.<ref name = MJRC_Holidays /> Most larger Messianic Jewish congregations follow Jewish custom in celebrating the three biblical feasts (Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot), as well as Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah.Template:Sfn

Dietary lawsEdit

The observance of the Template:Transliteration dietary laws is a subject of continued debate among Messianic Jews.<ref name="Rein"/><ref name = "MJRC_Kashrut" /> Some Messianic believers keep kosher purely for the purposes of evangelism to Jewish people.<ref name="Rein"/> Most avoid pork and shellfish, but there is disagreement on more strict adherence to kosher dietary laws.

Conversion to Messianic JudaismEdit

Large numbers of those calling themselves Messianic Jews are not of Jewish descent,Template:Sfn but join the movement as they "enjoy the Messianic Jewish style of worship".Template:Sfn Messianic perspectives on "Who is a Jew?" vary. The Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council says a Jew is one born to a Jewish mother or who has converted to Judaism. Copying from the Reform stream of Judaism, the council also says a Jew is one who was born to a Jewish father but not a Jewish mother on the condition that the family of the child, or the individual as an adult, has undertaken public and formal acts of identification of the individual with the Jewish faith and people.<ref name="MJRC_Status"/> The MJAA accepts gentiles into their congregations, but views gentiles and Jews as spiritually distinct and conversion as an "unbiblical practice".Template:Sfn

BaptismEdit

Messianic Jews practice baptism, calling it a Template:Transliteration ("cistern", from Template:Bibleverse) rather than the term Template:Transliteration ("baptism" ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) in the Hebrew New Testament).Template:Sfn<ref name="JeC1"/>

CircumcisionEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:See also Some within the Ephraimite movement seek to convert themselves for identification with Israel, but most Messianic governing bodies acknowledge the presence of gentiles in the congregations, and do not see a need for them to convert to worship in the Messianic style and understanding. When conversion is sincerely desired by a gentile Messianic believer, Messianic Jewish halachic standards (including circumcision) are imposed to maintain integrity among the world Messianic Jewish community.<ref name="JeC1"/><ref name="JeC3"/>

Use of Hebrew names and vocabulary in EnglishEdit

The movement generally avoids common Christian terms, such as Jesus, Christ, or cross and prefers to use Hebrew or Aramaic terms.Template:Sfn

CultureEdit

MusicEdit

Messianic Jewish hymns differ from evangelical Christian ones in their focus on Israel's role in history and messianic hope. Other differences include reference to Jesus—usually using the name Template:Transliteration—as the "Savior of Israel". Messianic hymnals often incorporate Israeli songs.<ref name=Ariel2006p208/> The movement has several recording artists who consider their music to be Messianic in message, such as Joel Chernoff of the duo Lamb,<ref name="Lamb2014"/> Ted Pearce,<ref name="Pearce2015"/> and Chuck King.<ref name="King2009"/>

ReceptionEdit

Among mainstream ChristianityEdit

In the United States, the emergence of the Messianic Jewish movement created some stresses with other Jewish-Christian and missionary organization. In 1975, the Fellowship of Christian Testimonies to the Jews condemned several aspectsTemplate:Which of the Messianic Jewish movement.<ref>Peter J. Tomson, Doris Lambers-Petry The image of the Judaeo-Christians in ancient Jewish and Christian ... 2003 p. 292 "From outside the movement hostile criticism of Messianic Judaism was voiced by such bodies as the Fellowship of Christian Testimonies to the Jews. At their annual conference from 16 to 19 October 1975 a resolution was passed condemning"</ref>

In Israel, the linguistic distinction between Messianic Jews and mainstream Christians is less clear, and the name Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, 'messianic') is commonly used by churches in lieu of Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, 'Christian'). The Israel Trust of the Anglican Church, based at Christ Church, Jerusalem, an organization that is ecumenical in outlook and operates an interfaith school in Jerusalem, gives some social support to Messianic Jews in Israel.Template:Sfn

Among JewsEdit

Template:See also As in traditional Jewish objections to Christian theology, opponents of Messianic Judaism hold that Christian proof texts, such as prophecies in the Hebrew Bible purported to refer the Messiah's suffering and death, have been taken out of context and misinterpreted.Template:Sfn Jewish theology rejects the idea that the Messiah, or any human being, is a divinity. Belief in the Trinity is considered idolatrous by most rabbinic authorities. Even if considered Template:Transliteration (literally, "partnership")—an association of other individuals with the God of Israel—this is only permitted for gentiles, and that only according to some rabbinic opinions. It is universally considered idolatrous for Jews.<ref name="OhrSomayach"/><ref name = "Shochet1999" />Template:Sfn Further, Judaism does not view the role of the Messiah to be the salvation of the world from its sins, an integral teaching of ChristianityTemplate:Sfn and Messianic Judaism.<ref name="UMJC_StatementOfFaith"/>

Jewish opponents of Messianic Judaism often focus their criticism on the movement's radical ideological separation from traditional Jewish beliefs, stating that the acceptance of Jesus as Messiah creates an insuperable divide between the traditional messianic expectations of Judaism, and Christianity's theological claims.Template:Sfn They state that while Judaism is a messianic religion, its messiah is not Jesus,Template:Sfn and thus the term is misleading.<ref name="Lotker"/> All denominations of Judaism, as well as national Jewish organizations, reject Messianic Judaism as a form of Judaism.<ref name="Denominations"/><ref name="JList1"/> The Central Conference of American Rabbis states that ""Jewish Christians" or "Messianic Jews" have never been considered believers in Judaism."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Regarding this divide, Reconstructionist Rabbi Carol Harris-Shapiro said: "To embrace the radioactive core of goyishness—Jesus—violates the final taboo of Jewishness.[...] Belief in Jesus as Messiah is not simply a heretical belief, as it may have been in the first century; it has become the equivalent to an act of ethno-cultural suicide."Template:Sfn

B'nai Brith Canada considers Messianic activities as antisemitic incidents.<ref name="BB_C_1998"/> Rabbi Tovia Singer, founder of the anti-missionary organization Outreach Judaism, noted of a Messianic religious leader in Toledo: "He's not running a Jewish synagogue.[...] It's a church designed to appear as if it were a synagogue and I'm there to expose him. What these irresponsible extremist Christians do is a form of consumer fraud. They blur the distinctions between Judaism and Christianity in order to lure Jewish people who would otherwise resist a straightforward message."<ref name="Singer_Blade"/>

Association by a Jewish politician with a Messianic religious leader, inviting him to pray at a public meeting, even though made in error, resulted in nearly universal condemnation by Jewish congregations in Detroit in 2018,<ref name="Forward103118"/><ref name="NBC103018"/> as the majority opinion in both Israeli and American Jewish circles is to consider Messianic Judaism as Christianity and its followers as Christians.<ref name="WP103018"/>

In 1999, Pardes Shalom Cemetery in Toronto, Canada barred Reverend Malvern Jacobs from being buried in the cemetery as Jacobs had converted to Christianity and become a Messianic Jewish minister and dean of Canada Christian College's Jewish Studies department.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Pardes Shalom locked its gates to prevent Jacobs's casket and his funeral procession of 400 mourners from entering the cemetery.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Response of Israeli governmentEdit

Template:See also Messianic Jews are considered eligible for the State of Israel's Law of Return only if they can also claim Jewish descent.<ref name="Berman"/> An assistant to one of the two lawyers involved with an April 2008 Supreme Court of Israel case explained to the Jerusalem Post that Messianic Jews who are not Jewish according to Jewish rabbinic law, but who had sufficient Jewish descent to qualify under the Law of Return, could claim automatic new immigrant status and citizenship despite being Messianic.<ref name="JIJ"/> The state of Israel grants Template:Transliteration (right of return) and citizenship to Jews, and to those with Jewish parents or grandparents who are not considered Jews according to halakha, such as people who have a Jewish father but a non-Jewish mother. The old law had excluded any "person who has been a Jew and has voluntarily changed his religion", and an Israeli Supreme Court decision in 1989 had ruled that Messianic Judaism constituted another religion.<ref name="New York Times - 1989"/> However, on April 16, 2008, the Supreme Court of Israel ruled in a case brought by a number of Messianic Jews with Jewish fathers and grandfathers. Their applications for Template:Transliteration had been rejected on the grounds that they were Messianic Jews. The argument was made by the applicants that they had never been Jews according to Template:Transliteration, and were not therefore excluded by the conversion clause. This argument was upheld in the ruling.<ref name="JIJ"/><ref name="Wagner2008"/><ref name="CBN2008"/>

The International Religious Freedom Report 2008, released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in the US, stated that discrimination against Messianic Jews in Israel was increasing.<ref name="IRF2008"/> Some acts of violence have also occurred; in one incident on March 20, 2008, a bomb concealed as a Purim gift basket was delivered to the house of a prominent Messianic Jewish family in Ariel, in the West Bank, which severely wounded the son.<ref name="JPost2008"/> Eventually, Yaakov Teitel was arrested for the attempted murder.<ref name="Mitchell2009"/>

This antagonism has led to harassment and some violence, especially in Israel, where there is a large and militant Orthodox community. Several Orthodox organizations, including Yad L'Achim and Lehava, are dedicated to rooting out missionary activity in Israel, including the Messianic Jewish congregations. One tactic is to plaster posters asking Israelis to boycott shops where Messianic Jews are owners or employees; another is to report Messianic Jews to the Interior ministry, which is charged with enforcing an Israeli law forbidding proselytizing.<ref name="Azulai2009"/> In another incident, the mayor of Or Yehuda, a suburb of Tel Aviv, held a public book-burning of literature passed out to Ethiopian immigrants. He later apologized for the action.<ref name="Time-IMJUA"/> On other occasions, Lehava activists attempted to interrupt Messianic Jewish and violently harass the participants.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Response of US governmentsEdit

The US Navy made a decision that Messianic Jewish chaplains must wear as their insignia the Christian cross, and not the tablets of the law, the insignia of Jewish chaplains. According to Yeshiva World News, the Navy Uniform Board commanded that Michael Hiles, a candidate for chaplaincy, wear the Christian insignia. Hiles resigned from the program, rather than wear the cross.<ref name="TYW"/> Eric Tokajer, a spokesman for the Messianic Jewish movement, responded that "This decision essentially bars Messianic Jews from serving as chaplains within the U.S. Navy because it would require them to wear an insignia inconsistent with their faith and belief system."<ref name="Tokajer"/>

A Birmingham, Alabama, police employee's religious discrimination case was settled in her favor after she filed suit over having to work on the Jewish Sabbath.<ref name="Harmon2013"/>

Messianic organizationsEdit

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Chosen People Ministries (CPM).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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HaYesod (First Fruits of Zion).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (IAMCS).<ref name = "IAMCS_home" />
Jewish University of Colorado<ref name = "JUC" />
Jews for Jesus<ref name="JFJ-WWA" /><ref name = "JFJ-MJ" /> (contested).Template:Sfn
Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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