Years ago I did read several books related to Judaism, including fragments of English translation of Talmud (I did not have time or patience to read everything). One of my readings was Faith Strengthened by Isaac from Troki written in about 1500AD. It is probably the best Jewish polemics against Christianity and was given to me by one rabbi.
Also Karaites are related to the Polish history and I knew a Polish Karaite from old family. This made me interested in their history.
Another reason was the debate I had with Protestant friends about canon of the Bible. Protestants rejected Christian biblical tradition of the first 15 centuries and instead they embraced the Masoretic anti-Karaite version from 800AD.
According to your logic, Jews are actually Christians, even if they don't believe in Christianity, because they have a similar foundation in the Torah (five books of Moses.)
You are not far of the mark. I do think that the Church and the Synagogue are the two branches of the same religion. The key difference is what is believed to be the Redemption/Tikkun. Those Jews who became the first Christians accepted the teaching of Jesus that the Kingdom of God is not of this world and that man has higher heavenly calling.
Those Jews who thought that Messiah/Christ (Christos is a Greek word for the Anointed One) will repair this world, will bring freedom and justice to the Jews and to whole world decided to wait for the other one. (Still they expected Messiah to come at that time and it was one of the motives for the mass uprisings against Roman oppressors).
In the post-Christian Jewish/Talmudic perspective the man is created primarily for this world and this world has to be brought to order.
Before the split the both interpretations - the spiritualist/otherworldly one and second more down to the earth were present among Jews and got separated after Jesus. I assume that this moment of fatal decision is referred by the warning of Saint John the Baptist: "Repent, for the Kingdom of the Heavens is now close at hand"
Well,
I was never into deep-minded religious discussions.
Yet I concider Judaism and Christianiti, one the same and most of all only true religion.
Being Serb Ortodox, Judaism is much closer tome than to Catholics. I have allways concidered Judaism to be older-brother to christianity, and my full respect to actual religion of Christ.
As for diference with Serb Ortodoxy, lets just say that Serbs actualy pray to God, than to Jesuss Christ. Ortodoxy teaches that God is elder than Jesuss, for Jesuss being SON, and God being the Father.
Well, priests could explain it better.
sipmly, judaism is something like a fundament of Christianity, most important standard for actual Christianity.