Concept of God in Judaism and Christianity

Judaism and Christianity both have fairly common as well as totally contrasting religious concepts. In spite of the apparent differences and divisions it has to be understood that both these religions are like different streams of water merging in the ocean of god.

Christianity and Judaism are both religions of abrahamic origin. There are many similarities and differences between the two religions. Since Christianity originated from Judaism, it lends to the thought that both the religions are very closely related. However, in spite of their common origin, they differ considerably in some of the important issues while at the same time exhibit resemblance in many aspects. Even the monotheistic belief, which both these religions stand for, is quantified by entirely different perception of the attributes of godhead. Similarly, in the understanding of the messianic concept there is a significant contradiction giving us a hint of the vastly different nature of the religions. Let us have a brief outlook into the different aspects of godhead as represented by the two religions so that we may get a better appreciation of the inherent similarities and the conflicting doctrines that these two faiths stand for.

The Creation Theory

The theory of creation is significant and common to both Christianity and Judaism. The idea of creation as portrayed in the Genesis, which is part of the Old Testament, is accepted by both the Christians and the Jews alike. The very first chapter of 'Genesis' describes that all that exists emerged from the one God and that God took six days to create the world. Judaism confirms to the belief that God created the world out of his pure will. Since there was only a common history before the advent of Jesus there are many things in common and both the religions accept Abraham as the earliest ancestor. In the same vein, all the historical details and in particular, the life of Moses and the birth of Judaism are commonly accepted in Christian faith.

Origin of Judaism

The exodus from Egypt is marked as one of the important events in the history of mankind. Even more important was the revelation to Moses at Mount Sinai. Moses is rightly attributed as the father of Judaism, one of the ancient religions of the world. (Almost three thousand years). All we know about Moses is what we read from the Bible and hence the bible is our only source when we try to study the origin and the history of Judaism. It was Moses, who was the mentor and the leader of a group of people, under whose guidance they started to respect and worship 'Yahweh' as the god of the universe. It all began with the massive exodus of the Israelis who were slaves in Egypt. The most important instance of the miraculous happening, of the existential proof of God, occurred when the group of escaping slaves crossed the 'Reed sea' (Yam Suf). The water automatically receded to give way for them while their pursuers were drowned by the tide, which returned. It is this miraculous escape and the divinely ordained exodus, which culminated in the formation of the Israeli land that is celebrated each year as the Passover festival by the Jews. There is total agreement that it was Moses who created the monotheistic belief among the Hebrews. [Goldberg, 14-20]

The revelation

The revelation at Mount Sinai completely transformed Israel as a religious nation. According to Bible, the people of Israel came to the mountain Sinai during the third month of their wandering. It was here that God came down and revealed the Ten Commandments and spoke to Moses. The Torah is considered a divine gift to the children of Israel and it is a complete and comprehensive divine exhortation. 'When God revealed the Torah, no bird chirped, no fowl beat its wings, no ox bellowed, the angels did not sing, the sea did not stir, no creature uttered a sound, the world was silent and still and the divine voice spoke" (Midrash, Exodus Rabbah, 29:9) The subservience to the one God 'Yahweh' was a vital factor in Israel's successful war against the philistines and the development of an individual Israeli nation. [Goldberg, 18]

Rambam's thirteen principles of faith

Rambam's thirteen principles of faith constitute the basic belief of the judaistic religion. The thirteen principles are 1) God exists, 2) He is eternal, 3) Unique, 4) incorporeal, 5) All prayers are to be addressed directly to God and there is no intermediation, 6) 'The words of Prophets are true' and 7) Moses is a true prophet, 8) Moses directly received the written Torah and the oral Torah, 9) There is no other Torah, 10) God is omnipresent and he knows the inner workings of each and every man, 11) Good will be rewarded and the wicked punished, 12) The Messiah will come and 13) The dead shall be resurrected.

Treatment of Evil

Judaism, as a purely monotheistic religion does not agree with the Christian viewpoint of an evil force, operating against the pure holy divinity. Christianity accepts the existence of a negative and evil aspect (Satan) as a force operating against god. Christians attribute all the evil deeds to Satan and his willful manipulations. Judaism is found wanting to explain the existence of evil in the world. The purely monotheist position of Judaism makes it impossible to attribute the evil that is rampant in the world to any radical source other than God. The Christian faith though it does not approve a dualistic doctrine, still accepts a primary evil force of Satan as an opposing force to God.

While it may be argued that the Hebrew Bible does include an occasional reference to Satan, it is understood as an angel rather than as a personification of evil. Satan, from the Jewish point-of-view, is more of an accusing angel rather than a force different from god and is always considered as subordinate to God. Even in the Lurianic Kubbalah, which to a certain extent accepts a dualistic notion accedes that 'sitra achara' or the dark side is actually a projection of the self-contraction of god. That is the expression of evil is ascribed to be God's self-contribution (tzimtzum). The judaistic philosophy is that it is God who willingly (as opposed to Satan in Christian context) expresses the evil side so that people can execute their free will. Thus one of the fundamental differences between the two religions is their perception of evil. Christianity, by including the concept of Satan seems to support the existence of a force extrinsic and opposing to god while Judaism considers evil as a self-projection of god. [Goldberg, 249]

Explanation for Suffering

In logical continuance with our discussion of Evil is the discussion on suffering. Having accepted the notion of evil as an expression of the other side of God, and as an opportunity for man to choose between good and bad, it is imperative for us to understand the implication of evil actions. Judaism attempts to explain the sufferings of human kind as a remedial and retributive action of God. However, the concept of 'retributive justice' and remedial action does not explain the expression of evil, often out of proportion as in the case of the Holocaust, which virtually decimated 1/3 of the total Jewish population. Jewish thinker's reason that God does not intercede to avert these and other catastrophical action, though it is purely under his power. The interpretation of this seemingly non-interfering nature of god (as a pure witness) is that god does not want to intervene and in human freedom of action. Suffering can also be studied from a different perspective when we deal with the concept of afterlife.

Miraculous Intervention

There is a mention of miracles in the Jewish Bible, as for example, we can recollect from the Hebrew Bible some miraculous happenings such as 'Ten Plague and the Crossing of the Red Sea'. According to the biblical account when Moses and the followers cross the Reed Sea the water recedes to make way for their crossing. Apart from these early miraculous events there is a general lack of miraculous incidents in the Jewish bible and even the Jewish literature seems to weigh down the concept of miracles. Judaism does not confine God as a Supernatural phenomenon. God is very much an immanent principle of the universe. Some of the Jewish philosophers like Maimonides and Albo, though they believed in miracles and the possibility of supernatural powers tended to weigh down the importance of miracles and even expounded the miracles found in bible as parable's rather than as realities. [Goldberg, 256]

Having said this it must also be added that when we discuss 'Miracles' and 'Miraculous intervention of God ', we observe that Judaism in general though it does not negate, refrains from exhortation of Divine intervention manifesting in the form of Miraculous happenings. To quote from the Genesis "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14) 'Behold the Lord's hand is not Shortened, that it cannot save' (Isaiah 59:1) Christianity, on the other hand, is a religion, which is purely based on faith rather than on laws. Christians believe in divine intervention and miraculous healing as an integral part of their faith. The New Testament and the various gospels are replete with innumerable miraculous episodes of Jesus.

God and his attributes

Judaism and Christianity are both religions of Abrahamic origin. Judaism can be rightly attributed as the mother of Christianity. They both accept the 'Old Testament' even as Christians subscribe to the 'New Testament'. Christianity, which evolved from Judaism, as an independent religion is entirely based on the teachings of Jesus. Many Jews consider Jesus as a reformative Prophet, rather than as a radical individual, who disagreed with many of the accepted doctrines of Judaism. The fundamental difference between Judaism and Christianity is their basic understanding of the attributes of God. While both these religions are monotheistic, there are some vital differences in their perception and explication of the nature of God. Judaism, as we understand, is very simple and straightforward in its conception of divinity. Judaism exhorts God as a single, non-divisible, immutable eternal principle. Its purely monotheistic philosophy disallows or disclaims the existence of demigods or other intermediaries.

Judaism (The concept of God)

Judaism is one of the ancient religions whose origin is traced back to the period of Moses and it is generally accepted that it was only around 5th century BCE that Judaism evolved in its classical form. Jewish religion is strongly monotheistic with one god. To the Jews god represented a totality and an indivisible power. God is perceived as a complete facet without any identifiable attributes. Since any personification of godhead meant a limitation Jewish religion does not ascribe a form to god. All creations were perceived to be created and under the direct control of god. Judaism takes for granted the existence of god and the religious texts do not offer any proof for the same. Instead the very existence of the created world is considered to be an automatic proof for the existence of god.

God is considered as the eternal source of all that exists beneath and above, and of light and darkness. Even the so-called evil that exists in this world is assumed to be the creation of the god. To quote the Isaiah, "I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil. I am the Lord, that does all these things." (Is. 45:6-7) The main concept of the Judaism is that there is nothing apart from god and god is the source of all good and bad. That is, behind all the diversity there is an underlying unity, that everything is derived from the same source. [Tracey R. Rich]

Christianity on the other hand, while still a monotheistic religion, has an entirely different perception of Godhead. Christianity is firmly entrenched on the belief of the principle of trinity. That is to say that God is manifest as three different aspects i.e., God as the father, God as the son and God as the Spirit. Jesus Christ is widely acknowledged as the 'Holy Son' and the link between God and man. That Jesus, was the incarnation of God is widely accepted by the Christians and he is looked forward to as the intermediary one, the connecting link between men and the realm of the eternal father. It is here that we find another important distinction between Judaism and Christianity. Judaism does not accept or acknowledge the prospect of divine incarnation and any kind of intermediation between God and man is strictly ruled out. Having said this we still have to account for the Jewish belief in 'Arrival of Messiah'. Though the concept of the Messiah seems contradictory to the Jewish belief [no intermediation], it is clarified by the entirely different messianic concept as opposed to Christianity. We will discuss later when we refer to the idea of Messiah.

Monotheism

Monotheism, in effect refers to a single, primordial divine principle. The notion of God in a monotheistic religion is that of an all encompassing one without a second. Judaism views God as the eternal creator of the universe. There is no gender orientation of god. The godhead is neither male nor female. The divine principle is the power behind, the creation, sustenance, and even the destruction of life. So God is in every bit an intrinsic as well as an extrinsic part of the universe. God is ascribed to as eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent and infinite. Because Christianity considers three different aspects of god, though it refers to the single godhead it is drastically different from the purely monotheistic approach of Judaism. Hence we see that there is fundamental difference in the concept of god between Judaism and Christianity though they both subscribe to the monotheistic belief.

Apart from the basic difference in understanding the nature of the divine principle (Godhead), there is a fundamental similarity in the appreciation of different attributes of God as explained by the two religions. Let us briefly analyze the different attributes of Godhead as defined by these religions.

God as the eternal principle

Fundamental to the religions is the staunch belief that God is eternal. The notion that God is eternal clearly differentiates between the demigods that the pagan mythology expounds. The ninetieth psalm declares "Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God...For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night." So there is no beginning and no end to God and he is unaffected by time. Though God is considered to be specially manifest in certain places like the Temple there is no place in the universe where he is not immanent. That is to say, that God is eternal, infinite and omnipresent.[Goldberg, 237]

Omnipotent

God is not only eternal and omnipresent but he is in full control of all things in the world. There is nothing impossible for God. So, the concept of God's omnipotence extends his omnipresence.

God as incorporeal

Though Judaism and Christianity emphasize the nature of God as pure Spirit, There is a considerable difference between them. Judaism expounds God as being complete incorporeal and considers idolatry as a detestable practice. That God cannot be physically manifest is central to the Jewish religion. This thought is reflected in the divine reply to Mosses who wanted God to reveal himself before him. "I will make all my goodness pass before you... But, He said, you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live." This principle is in stark contrast to Christianity, which accepts the divine manifestation in human form.

Anthropomorphism and Incarnations

As we had discussed above, Judaism strictly objects idolatry and any idea relating to the incarnation or the manifestation of divinity in human form. But when we study Jewish literature, in particular the Rabbinic Aggerdah, there is a frequent mention of anthropomorphism. But these controversial ideas are always disclaimed as mere metaphorical presentations rather than realities.

God as a Transcendental

Judaism considers God as a supreme transcendental power. This implicates that there is an essential difference between God and the world that he created. Since Judaism does not approve incarnations and any kind of divine intermediation the idea of a transcendental divine being implies a huge void between God and his creation.

Christianity, on the other hand, does not have any such problems in dealing with the transcendental reality of Godhead because it fully endorses the concept of divine incarnation as an effective link between God and man.

Judaism, however, strikes a balance by accepting the notion of God's immanence in correlation with his transcendence. Thus God is both above as well as a part of nature. The notion of transcendence and immanence present two different qualities and seems to be a paradoxical concept. Since God transcends time he is eternal and since he is immanent, he very much permeates the world at any point of time. So we see that the concept of transcendence and immanence fully explain and account for the omnipresence and omnipotence of God. In the words of psalmist, 'Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend to Heaven, thou art there! If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there! If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me' (139:7-10).

The fundamental principle of Judaism is that God is pure and unsullied. He is the eternal manifestation of righteousness and moral conduct. This is expounded in the Jewish belief that 'There is none Holy like the Lord, there is none besides thee' (Samuel 2:2). This understanding of God's holiness in essence constitutes a challenge for man to raise from his lowly state to the pure state of divinity. In fact, ' Imitation of God' is one of the important principles in Judaism. This implies that in daily conduct, man should base all his actions and thoughts in tune with the divine attributes. This is one of the 13 commandments of Mitzvot. Throughout the Jewish Bible and other religious scriptures we see the emphasis on 'Imitating God' in the daily activities. For example, in the Genesis "Walk before Me, and be blameless"(Genesis 17:1),"You shall be Holy, for I the Lord Your God am Holy"(Levitices 19:2).

Emphasis on Love

Both Judaism and Christianity expound love as the central quality of humanness. 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' (Levitices 19:18) was declared by Rabbi Akiva' as the most important principle of the Torah. In the Christian context, the quality of love is expressed as the Supreme one. Jesus, for example, was very particular about showing love to others and avoiding hatred. We can see it emphasized in his teachings 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'. There is no other commandment greater than this'. So we see that both the religions lay particular stress on the cultivation of love and the removal of hatred.

The concept of Free Will and Evil Inclinations

Judaism and Christianity both accept the notion of free will and with it the responsibilities of man. In the Bible, the commandments of the Torah declare 'I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse, therefore choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19). Hence it is left to man to choose between being good and abiding divine injunctions or to stray away from them.

The predisposition (to sin) of man who is created in the image of the Lord, is not effectively explained in Judaism. Christianity counters this problem by introducing the concept of 'Fall of Man'. That is, the primeval sin committed by Adam was not by his own will but by the temptations of Satan. From the moment that Adam committed the mistake of not being obedient to god and not listening to his commands and eating from the begotten tree, the stain of primordial sin or 'fall of man' had begun. [J. Gresham Machen].

Thus Christianity tries to justify human inclination for evil as an inherent aspect in him ever since the original sin committed by Adam and Eve. "Ye shall not surely die," said the serpent "for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:4-5). From the Christian perspective from that moment in the garden of Eden (when they ate from the prohibited tree) the propensity for sin was greater in man. To quote Jesus "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good: or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." (Matthew 12:33-35) [J. Gresham Machen]

Judaism has a different doctrine in enumerating man's propensity for sin. It argues that man is controlled by two opposing forces 'Yetzera tov ' (good inclination' and 'Yetzer ha-ra' (bad inclination). Again, in tune with Jewish philosophy 'Bad quality' is not innately bad but it serves the purpose of highlighting the good (as for example indulging in pleasure). Judaism advocates listening to the inner voice or the conscience as the right way of avoiding the temptation or the inclination for evil from assuming demoniacal proportions. Rabbi Akiva say that "At first sin appears as a Spider's web, in the end it becomes like a ship's rope; At first it enters as a visitor, in the end it makes itself master of the house" (Genesis Rabbah 22:6). So constant communion with the divine by way of prayer or reading the bible is considered the best way to stay away from the evil inclinations lurking in the mind. The confounding aspect is that though Judaism and Christianity accept the Old Testament there is a clear distinction in the Jewish understanding of evil and sin. Judaism does not conform to the idea of the original sin and does not decry man as essentially a sinner. This approach seems quite logical since man who is made in the image of god is not to be condemned as impure.

Charity

Tzedakah, is a biblical word, which implies charity. Charity is one of the most important and cherished qualities in the Jewish tradition. It is considered supreme in as much as it outweighs all other commandments in its importance. Judaism considers it an obligation on the part of the rich to help out the poor and the impoverished and to help man stand on his own. Jesus too exhorts the same philosophy that charity is supreme and that the 'one hand must not know what the other hand gives'. Both the religions endorse anonymous charity.

Atonement of Sins

Sincere repentance is said to deliver man from the consequence of his sinful acts. But unlike Christians, who confess their misdeeds to a priest as a way towards atonement Jews do not recount any intermediaries. In essence, repentance is seen as positive step towards reconciliation and atonement of sins.

The Messianic Concept

The understanding of the concept of the messiah is the most distinguishing factor of all things that contrast Judaism and Christianity. Both Judaism and Christianity accept the notion of a messiah. The Jewish literature is replete with references of many varied personalities like kings, priests, prophets who were regarded to as the messiah. That is, as per Judaism, the messiah is a divinely ordained person particularly chosen to accomplish a holy task. In particular Jews were confirmed to the belief that the messiah will be a brave king or a warlord who would protect the Israeli land from foreign forces and by his reign establish peace and happiness. This thought is reflected in their belief that David, the brave fighter, was the leader of Jews designated by the supreme Yahweh. David's phenomenal success against the demonical Goliath got him instant acceptance. The messiah as per Jewish concept is considered to be a descendent of David the great. [Israel Abrahams]

There is a considerable difference in the understanding of the nature of the messiah. In judaistic context the term messiah, which is derived from the Hebrew word mashiach, refers to the 'anointed' one. In fact the Bible refers to him as the chosen leader. So the Jews expect the messiah to be a leader from the lineage of David. In short the messiah in context of the Jews, is not a person of divine nature rather a mighty king or a warlord. Another vital difference between Judaism and Christianity is that Judaism is totally against any attempt of perceiving god in human form. So the idea of god being cognized in flesh and blood is totally rejected. The messiah would restore their temple which was destroyed in 70 CE and would resume the practice of sacrifices which was also stopped with the destruction of the temple as the Jews were forbidden to offer sacrifices anywhere else.

Furthermore according to the Jews the reign of the messiah would be followed by a period of peace and happiness. However this did not happen during the time of Jesus and this was one of the reasons for the Jews not accepting Jesus as their messiah. The Christians very much subscribe to the thought of the incarnation of god in flesh and blood. Jesus was considered the 'Son of God', the messiah who descended from god to deliver mankind from its sin. Since Jesus proclaimed himself as the messiah and further said that he is the eternal child of god he presented a totally contradictory picture to the judaistic notion of messiah. Judaism, as we know does not believe in the decsendence of god in human form and hence the messiah, as an intermediary or as an incarnation of godhead is totally inassimilable to their religious faith. This is precisely the reason why the vast majority of Jewish community did not accept Jesus as the messiah.

For the Jews the period that follows after the coming of the messiah is referred to as Olam Ha-Ba. The messianic era is said to be one of peace and plenty where there would not be any conspiracy, jealousy among people. It is also believed that after the coming of the messiah all the Jewish people who are scattered all around the world would come back to Israel. Since the era of the messiah is characterized by peace and prosperity the sacrifices which are generally offered as atonement for one's sin will only be offered as a thanks-giving offering. [Tracey R. Rich]

Comparison of the messianic Concept

From what we understand from the ideologies of these religions it transpires that though both these religions are monotheistic there is a certain degree of difference in their approach to monotheism. The Christian belief in the trinity principle gives a totally different perception and lends itself naturally to the concept of the messiah. From a practical viewpoint it is pretty clear that for the absolvence of sin and the establishment of righteousness the manifestation of divinity in human form is indispensable. Only when man mixes with god does he get a chance to understand and taste divine love. It is a logical presumption that even though god is defined as an eternal entity who is all pervasive and ever watching over us, it is only when man experiences him in his own form that he will be able to comprehend the grandeur and the love of god. Furthermore the very idea that salvation is to be sought from a man (as per Jewish concept of messiah) fails bitterly as a little logical reasoning reveals that nothing short of divine intervention can bestow on man the deliverance from sin and the joy of eternal bliss.

Having understood the differing ideologies pertaining to the messianic belief it would be appropriate here to mention the other important characteristic that separates these two religions. Judaism is not a religion that emphasizes on belief, as is the Christian approach but rather a religion based on codes of conduct and legislations. Judaism is in general accepted as universal in its approach. That is to say that Judaism recognizes that god is one and the same for all people irrespective of their race and creed and most importantly salvation does not depend on adherence to judaistic religion alone. People from any faith, as long as they are observant of ethical and moral principles are entitled to salvation and divine blessings. In this approach it differs drastically from Christian principle which focuses on belief in Christ as an indispensable criteria for salvation. Even if a person is ethically and morally adherent to divine injections he may still be ineligible for salvation if he does not base his faith on Christ as the lord. Though this distinction seems trivial it does reveal the contrasting nature of the flexible, encompassing and action oriented approach of Judaism and the forceful and belief oriented approach of Christianity on the other side.

Original Sin

The concept of original sin is unheard of in Judaism. In fact Judaism totally rejects the idea of original sin. Christianity on the other hand accepts that notion that all people are born with the original sin and hence are delivered from their sinful position only by Jesus, the Son of God. That man is stained by the original sin committed by Adam is an accepted doctrine in Christianity. Hence every child born into the world is already sinful as it is stained with the original sin of Adam. The Christian idea also believes that it is because of the first or the primordial sin that human beings were afflicted with death. Death is closely interlinked with the sin committed by Adam. "Wherefore as by one man sin entered into this world and by sin death; and so death passed upon all men." [Catholic Encyclopaedia]. Conversely, Judaism believes that men are neither sinful nor good at the time of their birth but that they have inherent inclinations to do good or bad, which again is controlled by their free will. Thus the Judaism believes that man is not destined to suffer because of some primordial sin and that he can by exercising his moral free will overcome the sinful inclinations.

Resurrection, Immortality and Judgement Day

The one concept where there seems to be a fundamental understanding in both these religions is that both treat the idea of resurrection and immortality of soul in a similar fashion, though the means through which it is attained is entirely different. The central point is that both Christianity and Judaism infer that since god is eternal and because man is created in the image of god he has a right to the immortality of god. Such beliefs have been central to both the religions. In the Hebrew bible there are several references to life after death, as does the New Testament. 'Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being' (Genesis 2; 7). Similarly death was considered the withdrawal of the animated breath from the physical body. "When thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust' (psalms 104; 29). Initially some Jews believed that souls after the death would enter an underworld known as Sheol from which there is no way of returning back.

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of god, and no torment shall touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they seem to have died, and their departure is thought an affliction, and their going from us their destruction; but they are at peace, for though in the sight of men they have been punished, they have a sure hope of immortality" (Wisdom of Solomon 3; 1-4). However Jews unlike Christians, though they believe in an after life do not attach too much significance to an afterlife as compared to life on earth. However orthodox Jews consider that after death the pure souls go to a heavenly abode and that sinful souls are tormented by demons. There is also the belief that souls will be resurrected when the messiah arrives.

The inevitable evolution of humankind to god is one of the fundamental concepts of Judaism. For it is quite logical that all that has emanated from the lord has to merge back in him irrespective of the time it takes for that to happen. The following phrase from Isaiah makes it clear, "I am the Lord; in its time I will hasten it"(Isaiah; 60:22). To quote another rabbi from the third century, "If you are not worthy, the redemption will come in its own time; if you are worthy, I will hasten it" (Canticles Rabbah 8:14:1). Like Christianity, Judaism also believes that the messiah will resurrect the dead and give them eternal life. Even the holy Torah mentions the union of righteous souls after their death. The fact that Jews accepted both the idea's of resurrection and the concept of immortality is made clear from the following 'And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt' (Biblical book of Daniel, 12; 2).

The Christian religion however revolves around the faith that souls either go to hell or to heaven. On the judgement day all the souls are judged for their good and bad actions on earth and are either cast away into hell for eternal suffering or reach the abode of god (the heaven) where they enjoy eternal life with the lord. In hell the souls are put to eternal pain (burned). Furthermore there is no belief as it is in rebirth, but only the hope of salvation or resurrection by the messiah. What differentiates Judaism and Christianity in their outlook on resurrection and afterlife is that the Christian faith as we had discussed above considers all human beings as tainted with the original sin and that those who do not abide and accept the holy cross and the son of god are doomed to hell for eternity. It is precisely this notion of the divine judgement which underlines the Christian faith. Compared to Judaism in Christianity the divine retribution or the punishment for sinful deeds committed by people is severe. This leads us to the understanding that there is a considerable difference in the concept of life after death.