So, I was reading on of the texts last week in Rel 312, and I was struck by how the book ended one of its chapters on the life of Jesus. It talked about how Jesus was a Jew (of course), and things might have turned out a lot differently if Christianity had not become a new prominent religion after his life on earth. What if Jesus came not to create a new faith, but merely to expand upon Judaism? What if we got it wrong?
The text mentioned that the absence of Christianity might have drastically impacted the rise of anti-semitism and the events of European history in the mid-20th century. Would Hitler have found another reason for genocide, or would the Holocaust be entirely erased from history?
Was Christianity merely a way for Gentiles to become believers? Could we have handled the inclusion of Gentiles in Judaism better? Why is there such a division between Jews and Christians? Did Jesus, after all of his works and teachings, ascend into Heaven and roll his eyes at the misunderstandings of humankind? I really woudn't blame him.
I like that Katie, its true that there is always the possibility that we got it wrong...the downside of being human. In the gospels you have some of the leaders of the churches arguing over whether Christianity at the beginning should still have some of the same practices as the Jews or whether they should turn from them completely. Most of the converted Jews knew the old testament and wanted their new faith to reflect some of the same values. The gentiles might not have liked that, they might have seen it as the Jews trying to get them to convert to their old religion. So I so think God used different methods to convert them. And if we did mess it up, He will use our mistakes!
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