Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: Mrs. Don-o
Maybe somebody else will supply the needed context here, but I take it to mean that Catholicism is the most Jewish of all the Christian groups. Which I take as a compliment :o)

It all depends on what you mean.

If by "Jewish" you mean adherence to a legal/ceremonial/ritual system and a rejection of antinomianism, then I suppose the Catholic Church would be considered (lehavdil) "Jewish," and antinomian Protestants often accuse the Catholic Church of being a "Judaizer" for this reason. Furthermore, the Roman (as opposed to the other ancient churches) has a very legal mindset, so I suppose you could say it is more Jewish than (for example) the Eastern Orthodox, though naturally the Orthodox would disagree with that.

However, if by "Jewish" you mean a sentimental attachment to the Biblical/Jewish legal/ritual/ceremonial system and Jewish understandings of a "political" Messiah and a Judaeo-centric interpretation of the Prophets, then the so-called "Hebrew roots" people among the Fundamentalist Protestants are far, far more (lehavdil) "Jewish" than the Catholic Church, and sure enough, Catholics often accuse these people of being "Judaizers."

The Fundamentalist Judaeo-Protestant attachment to Jewish rituals/holidays etc. seems to be out of Biblical sentimentalism, since they all reject the notion that human behavior has anything to do with "salvation." To them, while Jewish ritual does not good, it also does no harm. The Catholic Church OTOH while insisting on the necessity of laws, ceremonies, rituals, calendars, etc., positively forbids the Jewish ones and insists that others have taken their place. Thus it is probably truest to say that no version of chrstianity is "more Jewish" than any other.

26 posted on 04/29/2013 4:43:38 PM PDT by Zionist Conspirator (Ki-hagoy vehamamlakhah 'asher lo'-ya`avdukh yove'du; vehagoyim charov yecheravu!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies ]


To: Zionist Conspirator
Thanks, ZC, for an unexpected and fascinating discussion. Hope we can merit to be called, by the Almighty,
חסידי אומות העולם‎
khassidey umot ha-olam

27 posted on 04/29/2013 5:43:48 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (My kin are given to such phrases as, 'Let's face it.' - Flannery O'Connor)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson