𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐀 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐦

What if I told you that Christianity didn’t start as a new religion? It began as a Jewish movement, deeply rooted in the practices and beliefs of Second Temple Judaism. The early followers of Yeshua didn’t see themselves as breaking away from Judaism. They were Jews living out their faith in a way they believed fulfilled the promises of the Torah. To understand their story, we need to look back at the world they lived in—a world filled with diversity, challenges, and hope.

𝐀 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

Yeshua wasn’t a stranger to the Jewish world. He grew up in it, taught within it, and practiced it. He prayed in the Temple, read from the Torah, and celebrated the biblical festivals. His teachings reflected a deep knowledge of Jewish law and tradition. Scholars like Paula Fredriksen point out that Yeshua’s message often echoed the Pharisees’ focus on living a life that honors G-d (Fredriksen, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, 1999).

This connection to Judaism didn’t stop with Yeshua. His disciples kept Jewish practices, too. The Book of Acts describes them going to the Temple daily (Acts 2:46). They saw themselves as part of Israel, not as founders of a new faith. For them, Yeshua wasn’t the end of Judaism. He was its fulfillment.

𝐀 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝

The Jewish world at the time of Yeshua was anything but simple. You had the Pharisees, who focused on oral law and ethical living. The Sadducees controlled the Temple and stuck to the written Torah. Then there were groups like the Essenes, who lived in the desert and awaited the end of days.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in caves near Qumran, give us a glimpse into this diversity. These ancient texts show how the Essenes practiced strict purity laws and awaited a coming Messiah. While Yeshua’s teachings were different, they engaged with the same hopes and questions of His time (VanderKam, The Dead Sea Scrolls Today, 2010). His call to repentance and faith in G-d’s Kingdom was both familiar and revolutionary.

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬

At first, Yeshua’s followers were almost entirely Jewish. They worshiped in synagogues, prayed in Hebrew, and studied Torah. As more Gentiles joined, though, things began to change. Gentiles admired Jewish monotheism but often hesitated to fully convert. The question became: How much of the Torah should Gentiles follow?

The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 answered this. They decided that Gentiles didn’t need to keep all the laws of the Torah, like circumcision, to follow Yeshua. They were asked to avoid idolatry, sexual immorality, and certain dietary practices (Acts 15:20). This decision balanced respect for Jewish traditions with the inclusion of non-Jews.

Archeological evidence supports this. In places like Antioch, inscriptions show that Gentile "G-d-fearers" often joined synagogues without fully converting. The early church built on this foundation, creating a community that welcomed both Jews and Gentiles (Dunn, The Partings of the Ways, 2006).

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞

When the Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 CE, it marked a turning point. For Jews, it meant a shift from sacrificial worship to prayer and Torah study. Synagogues became central, and rabbinic leadership grew stronger.

For Christians, the Temple’s destruction had a different meaning. They already believed that Yeshua’s death and resurrection had fulfilled the Temple’s role. Some saw its destruction as a sign of G-d’s plan unfolding. Jewish Christians, however, faced a struggle. They mourned the loss of the Temple but also found themselves part of a movement that was becoming less tied to it (Schiffman, From Text to Tradition, 1991).

𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡

Early Christians didn’t abandon Jewish practices overnight. They kept the Sabbath, celebrated Passover, and followed dietary laws. Yeshua’s last meal with His disciples, likely a Passover seder, became the basis for what Christians now call communion. Archeological finds, like early Christian art showing menorahs and Torah scrolls, reveal that Jewish traditions stayed alive in the early church (Fine, Art and Judaism in the Greco-Roman World, 2005).

Gentile believers adopted some of these practices, but not all. This created a diverse community where Jewish and Gentile believers worshiped side by side. Scholars like Mark Kinzer argue that this dual identity helped preserve the Jewish roots of the faith while expanding its reach (Postmissionary Messianic Judaism, 2005).

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

The split between Judaism and Christianity didn’t happen all at once. It was a slow process shaped by disagreements over Yeshua’s identity, social pressures, and even politics. By the 4th century, Christianity had become a predominantly Gentile movement. Many Christians distanced themselves from Jewish traditions, partly to avoid persecution under Roman rule.

Even so, some Jewish Christians continued to live out their faith. Writings from Jewish-Christian groups, like the Nazarenes, show that they held onto both their belief in Yeshua and their Jewish identity for centuries. Archeologists have even found evidence of Jewish-Christian communities in Byzantine-era inscriptions (Reed, Jewish-Christianity and the History of Judaism, 2018).

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

Understanding the Jewish roots of early Christianity changes how we see both faiths. It reminds us that Christianity wasn’t born in opposition to Judaism but grew out of it. The first believers didn’t reject the Torah. They sought to live it out in a way that welcomed the nations.

This shared history isn’t just about the past. It invites us to reflect on what it means to live faithfully today. It reminds us that faith isn’t about building walls but about seeking G-d’s purpose together.

What do you think? How does this history shape your understanding of faith? Let’s keep the conversation going.

B"H