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Messianic Judaism

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An Outside Perspective of Messianic Judaism
John W. Stroud
HUM/130
November 28, 2010
Terry Barnes

An Outside Perspective of Messianic Judaism
Many people are born and raised in a religion without ever feeling complete or whole. There are those born and raised Jewish but never felt Judaism provided the answers for which they sought. These unsatisfied Jews have often looked to other religions for their answers. Many of those answers have been found in a form of Judaism that is often looked down upon by the more traditional Jews. This Messianic Judaism combines the core beliefs of Christianity with the traditional Jewish lifestyle. This combination of two distinct religions has shown the world that a religion can allow its members to maintain their traditional lifestyle while providing them with the spiritual nourishment they long for.
Messianic Judaism
Messianic Judaism is a branch of Judaism that believes Yeshua or Jesus was the Son of God and the Messiah as foretold by the prophets in the Old Testament of the Bible. Messianic Judaism also believes that the Bible, which consists of the Tenach or Holy Scriptures and the B’rit Hadasha or New Covenant, is the only infallible and authoritative word of God (Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, 2008). This belief includes that the Bible comes from divine inspiration and its teachings are the final authority in matters of faith and how to practice that faith (International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues, 2010). The significant difference between Messianic Judaism and traditional Judaism is the inclusion of Yeshua as the Messiah. According to Messianic Judaism, this gives validity to the B’rit Hadasha, which is not recognized by traditional Judaism as part of the word of God.
Messianic Judaism has been in existence since the time of Jesus. Early followers of Jesus were Jewish and

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