21 Facts About Messianic Judaism

Messianic Judaism is a modernist and syncretic movement of Protestant Christianity that incorporates some elements of Judaism and other Jewish traditions into evangelicalism.

Evangelical Protestants who identify as Messianic Jews believe that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Bible, and that the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament are the authoritative scriptures of mankind.

Salvation in Messianic Judaism is achieved only through the acceptance of Jesus as one's saviour, and not through adherence to Jewish rabbinical law.

However, adherents of Messianic Judaism believe that the movement is instead a form of Judaism.

Jewish organizations inside and outside of Israel reject this framing; the Supreme Court of Israel has rejected this claim in cases related to the Israeli Law of Return, and Messianic Judaism is recognized only as a Christian movement in the country.

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Notable converts from Messianic Judaism who attempted to convert other Jews are more visible in historical sources beginning around the 13th century, when Jewish convert Pablo Christiani attempted to convert other Jews.

In 1894, Christian missionary Leopold Cohn, a convert from Messianic Judaism, founded the Brownsville Mission to the Jews in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York as a Christian mission to Jews.

Peter Hocken postulates that the Jesus movement which swept the nation in the 1960s triggered a change from Hebrew Christians to Messianic Judaism Jews, and was a distinctly charismatic movement.

The Messianic Seal is not the only symbol of Messianic Judaism, which has other symbols such the cross in the Star of David, and the dolphin.

Some Messianic Judaism believers define sin as transgression of the Law of God and include the concept of original sin.

Messianic Judaism Jews believe God's people have a responsibility to spread his name and fame to all nations.

Advocates of this theology postulate that the reason so many gentiles convert to Messianic Judaism is that the vast majority of them are truly Israelites.

All Messianic Judaism Jews hold to certain eschatological beliefs such as the End of Days, the Second Coming of Jesus as the conquering Messiah, the re-gathering of Israel, a rebuilt Third Temple, a resurrection of the dead, and many believe in the Millennial Sabbath, although some are Amillenialist.

Some Messianic Judaism Jews believe that all of the Jewish holidays, and indeed the entire Torah, intrinsically hint at the Messiah, and thus no study of the End Times is complete without understanding the major Jewish Festivals in their larger prophetic context.

Some Messianic Judaism believers keep kosher purely for the purposes of evangelism to Jewish people.

Large numbers of those calling themselves Messianic Judaism Jews are not of Jewish descent, but join the movement as they "enjoy the Messianic Judaism Jewish style of worship".

The Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council, acknowledges a Jew as one born to a Jewish mother, or who has converted to Judaism.

Some within the Ephraimite movement seek to convert themselves for identification with Israel, but most Messianic Judaism governing bodies acknowledge the presence of gentiles in the congregations, and do not see a need for them to convert to worship in the Messianic Judaism style and understanding.

Jewish opponents of Messianic Judaism often focus their criticism on the movement's radical ideological separation from traditional Jewish beliefs, stating that the acceptance of Jesus as Messiah creates an insuperable divide between the traditional messianic expectations of Judaism, and Christianity's theological claims.

Messianic Judaism Jews are considered eligible for the State of Israel's Law of Return only if they can claim Jewish descent.

One tactic is to plaster posters asking Israelis to boycott shops where Messianic Judaism Jews are owners or employees; another is to report Messianic Judaism Jews to the Interior ministry, which is charged with enforcing an Israeli law forbidding proselytizing.