Judaism and Christianity in conflict
The emergence of Christianity as a major western religion, and as the domi-
nant religion of the Roman Empire by the fourth century, profoundly altered
the situation of Jews in the Roman Empire. While beginning as a sect of
Judaism during the first century C.E., Christianity eventually posed the most
serious and sustained challenge to the claim by Rabbinic Judaism of being
the sole heir to the religion of ancient Israel. For this reason, it is important to
understand the early relationship between Christianity and Judaism as rival
religious traditions claiming to be the authentic expression and realization of
the biblical covenant and prophetic tradition. The challenge in fleshing out
this relationship is complicated by the absence of contemporary accounts of
the life of Jesus and early Christianity. The earliest books of the Christian
New Testament were written a generation or more after his death. There is
little or no mention of Jesus in Jewish sources until the second century, and
no mention of Jesus in Roman records until 130 C.E.
Despite these methodological difficulties, the ingenuity of Bible scholars
and historians of Christianity and first-century Judea has made clear that most
core Christian doctrines – notably the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection –
seem to have been added later. The initial impressions of Jesus vary between
the historically reliable passages of the Gospels that regard Jesus as an apoca-
lyptic prophet, and Josephus Flavius, who refers to Jesus as the “Messiah of the
Jews.” What is clear is that, as one historian noted, Christianity evolved dur-
ing the first century from the religion of Jesus to the religion about Jesus.
Jesus was most likely born in Nazareth or somewhere in Galilee. His puta-
tive birth in Bethlehem was apparently added to give him a Davidic pedigree –
an important prerequisite for a messianic claimant. His familiarity with
Pharisaic law suggests he was a Pharisee, but he clearly had adopted some
Essene views as well. His dynamic oratory and charisma won him a growing
following. His message was primarily religious and moral in nature, and not
overtly political. Like the Essenes, he preached a non-violent, passive resis-
tance to Roman and Sadducean corruption.
Eventually he was arrested, tried, and convicted by the Sanhedrin for trea-
son and heresy. The notion that the Jews crucified him is belied by the fact
that the Sanhedrin had lacked authority to execute anyone since the reign of
Herod. Rather, the Sanhedrin gave him to the Romans, who sentenced him to
crucifixion – a common and brutally Roman-style form of capital and corpo-
ral punishment.
In general, Jesus attracted the same types of individuals that were attracted
to Pharisaic Judaism and, later, to the rabbinic movement. He appealed to the
lower classes without being ascetic, and to propertied people with being elit-
ist. His widest appeal was in Galilee, where his followers included Zealots
such as Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot. He attracted many followers in
the synagogue, especially in the diaspora.
44 The challenge of Hellenism