Can Anything be Judeo-Christian?
Can Anything be Judeo-Christian?
Pastor Bertrand L. Comparet
This was originally published about 1970, but it’s still appropriate today.
This is an age when news has been superseded by propaganda and education by brainwashing and indoctrination. From the advertising used to sell shoddy goods, to the classes in your schools designed to make your children into obedient robots of a socialist state. The art of persuasion has displaced the simple virtue of truth. The masters who rule out of the shadows, using as puppets those who govern us, to drive this nation ever farther down the path to socialism.
They seek to gain control of your mind, for with that, they will rule you in all things. One of the great fortresses of the mind, which they must capture if they are to change your destiny, is your religion.
Suddenly we have been bombarded from all sides with references to “our Judeo-Christian religion” and “our Judeo-Christian heritage”. Just as the other Communist party line phrases, “war monger”, “hate monger” and “extreme right wing”, have appeared suddenly in all our newspapers and most of our magazines. When the Communist party decreed it, so likewise has the similarly inspired phrase “Judeo-Christian” appeared suddenly in the writings of hosts of men who seek to mold public opinion. Were this the spontaneous idea of some one writer who originated it, he would have a monopoly on it for some time. Instead it has been used simultaneously by the many who serve the Party, until even the fumbling copyists join in the chorus, not knowing whose purpose they are serving.
Is there any truth in this phrase, “Judeo-Christian”? Is Christianity derived from Judaism? Does Christianity have anything in common with Judaism? Who can say with authority what the answer may be? Certainly Jesus Christ is the great authority on this subject, for none knows better than He and next would come His disciples. Let us ask them whether Christianity can be truthfully called “Judeo Christian”.
The foundation and highest authority of Judaism is the Talmud. In the time of Jesus Christ, this bore the name of “The Tradition of the Elders”. At that time there were two principal religious sects, the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The Sadducees were gross materialists who did not believe in a resurrection of the dead, or in any other form of immortality. They recognized the written Law, as given by Moses in the Pentateuch, but it was “Lip service” rather than honest obedience. In the time of Christ, they controlled the priesthood and the High Priest was always chosen from their ranks.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, recognized the existence of angels and spirits, both good and bad and believed in resurrection of the dead. While they recognized the written Law, as given in the Scriptures, they also claimed that there was a great body of oral tradition which was of at least equal authority with the written Law. Many claimed that the Tradition was of greater authority. By their tradition, they undertook to explain and elaborate upon the Law. This was the Tradition of the Elders, to which the name of “Talmud” was later given. It had its beginning at Babylon, during the Babylonian captivity of the nation of Judah, where it developed in the form of the commentaries of various rabbis, undertaking to explain and apply the Law.
This traditional, or Talmudic Judaism, was very different from the true religion, the true religion which we find in the Old Testament. The late Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, who was the chief Rabbi of the United States, expressed this so clearly that I cannot improve upon his words. Rabbi Wise said, “The return from Babylon and the adoption of the Babylonian Talmud, marks the end of Hebrewism and the beginning of Judaism.” Since the true religion of the Old Testament was the religion of the real Hebrews (NOT JEWS), the learned Rabbi was quite right in calling it “Hebrewism” and noting that it was abandoned when the Talmud, or “Tradition of the Elders” was adopted. This also constitutes the beginning of Judaism.
Nothing could be clearer than the total antagonism between Judaism and Christianity. All the opposition to Jesus Christ, including their murder of Him upon the cross, came from Judaism and those who professed it as their religion. Remember that the total entirety of Judaism was represented by the Pharisees and Sadducees. Now, with this in mind, let us review the Gospels and see if there we can find anything which can truthfully be called “Judeo Christian”.
The scene opens with John the Baptist at the River Jordan, baptising those who came to him in genuine repentance of their sins. We read in Matthew 3:7, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, “O children of vipers!, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” John must have felt that he didn’t get any of his religion from Judaism, the Talmud or the Tradition of the Elders.
But what of Jesus Christ, Himself? Did He feel that He owed any of His religion to Judaism? Let Him answer that. In Matthew 15:1-9, we read, “Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Why do thy disciples transgress the Tradition of the Elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread.” He answered and said unto them, ‘WHY DO YE ALSO TRANSGRESS THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD BY YOUR TRADITION? Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites! Well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying ‘This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth and honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING FOR DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN.'”
Do you find anything “Judeo-Christian in that? Jesus was always warning people to beware of the false religion of the Pharisees and Sadducees. For example in Mark 8:15, we read, “And He charged them saying ‘Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.'” In Matthew 5:20, He said, “For I say unto you, that unless your righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.” In Luke 11:39, it says, “And the Lord said unto him, ‘Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and platter: but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness,'” Was it from this source that Jesus Christ drew Christianity? Nothing “Judeo-Christian” in that!!
Turn now to Matthew 23:13-15,23,25,27 & 29, seven different times Jesus Christ begins His denunciation of them with the words, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites!” Remember that the Pharisees represented the highest form of Judaism. Was this ‘Judeo-Christian”? Without one single exception, Jesus Christ utterly rejected and condemned Judaism, in language as strong as He ever used against complete idolatry.
But what of the Pharisees and Sadducees? Did they show any attempt to become reconciled to Him and to have a part in some so called “Judeo-Christian” religion? When they heard of His miraculous healing of the sick or even saw it with their own eyes, their attitude is summed up in Matthew 12:24, “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘This fellow doth not cast out devils but by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils.'” They totally rejected Him. For example in the 7th Chapter of John, where they sent officers to arrest Jesus, so they could murder Him; but the officers came back without Him. Then we read, “Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, ‘Why have ye not brought Him?’ The officers answered, ‘Never man spake like this man.’ Then answered them the Pharisees, ‘Are ye also deceived?'” Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on Him?
Finally, their only reaction to Him was that of hatred and murder. Matthew 12:14, Mark 3:6, and John 11:47-53, record the incident. “Then gathered the chief priests and Pharisees a council and said, ‘What do we? For this man doeth many miracles! If we let Him alone, all men will believe on Him. Then from that day forth, they took counsel together for to put Him to death.” In fact, as we read in John 13:10-11, they even conspired to murder poor Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead, because this miracle caused many to believe in Jesus Christ. Is THIS “Judeo-Christian”? “Judeo” it truly is, but Christian it is NOT and never was.