Description
Judaism, like the other Abrahamic religions, obviously relies upon the Tanakh. The Jewish argument for scriptural authenticity is the national revelatory aspect of the Torah. That is, when Moses stood at Mount Sinai, the entire nation was with him and heard God speak. To say some celestial being spoke to you in a cave is one thing, but to make up a national event is implausible.
Some skeptics disagree that this is the only national revelation, citing Aztec legends about the god Huitzilopochtli addressing the nation. However, study shows that that was not actually the natives’ original story. The original story is that Huitzilopochtli spoke to certain priests, and then those priests related his message to the countrymen (see here). Although there is a version of that story involving national revelation, that only appeared after the Spanish conquered the Americas. The most likely scenario is that Spaniards altered the story to match the events of Exodus, perhaps as part of a missionary effort. As such, it seems legitimate that Exodus is the only claim to national revelation in history. That is significant.
For the sake of argument, I will accept that the Tanakh is true on the basis that the story of Exodus proves divine involvement. However, I will argue that, given the Tanakh is true, it inevitably leads to the conclusion that Christianity is true, and actually repudiates rabbinical Judaism, which sprung up after the Second Temple period.
The Messiah
Judaism obviously rejects that Jesus is the Messiah. This is and always will be the fundamental point of schism between Judaism and Christianity. Often, Jewish apologists will cite examples of unfulfilled prophecies: world peace (Isaiah 2:4, Ezekiel 39:9), universal knowledge of God (Zechariah 14:9), peace among the animals (Isaiah 11:6-8), the end of death and sadness (Isaiah 25:8), the end of hunger and illness (Isaiah 25:8), the resurrection of the dead (Isaiah 26:19), and all the worthy desires of man’s heart being met (Psalms 37:4).
The Christians have a simple answer to these prophecies: they describe Heaven, and the second coming of Christ. Judaism, as with any topic, does not have a coherent consensus on what the Messiah will be like, but the general idea is that he will only come once, will be a mortal man, and will be a political leader who brings Israel to leadership of the earth.
My first contention is that Judaism raises far more questions here than Christianity does. How could the Messiah be a mortal man when he’s prophesied to end death? How could he meet the worthy desires of all men’s hearts? Or, how could he possibly assure universal knowledge of God? Heaven (or something very similar) is the only place these prophecies make sense anyway. If the Messiah isn’t ushering in Heaven, you have to ignore many of the prophecies regardless. But further still, you have to ignore many of the prophecies which have demonstrably already come true:
In the Tanakh, God foretells a “New” and “Everlasting Covenant” (Jeremiah 31, 32, Ezekiel 16, 34, Malachi 3, Zechariah 11). Now, the Talmud – the cornerstone of rabbinical Judaism – says that the year Jesus was crucified, all the miraculous signs that God accepted the Yom Kippur sacrifice ceased. For forty consecutive years, the sacrificial goat came from the high priest’s left hand (a bad omen), the scarlet thread – which turned white following atonement – stayed scarlet, and the perpetual lamp went out. In fact, the Talmud says the only sign they received was the massive sanctuary gates swinging open – a sign of impending destruction. In 70 AD, the Temple was destroyed, and the priestly lineage and Sanhedrin succession were lost forever. If God’s dismissal and destruction of all the essential elements of the Old Covenant is not evidence that the New Covenant has come, what would be?
What did the prophets say this New Covenant would look like? It would welcome the Gentiles (Psalm 22, Isaiah 2, 54, 56, 60, 66, Jeremiah 3, 19, Micah 4, Jonah 3), and be rejected by many Jews (Psalm 69, 118-Is 28, Isaiah 6, 10, Micah 7, Jonah 4). Of course, the Messiah would have to institute it (Malachi 3, Daniel 9). And what is the Messiah like? Isaiah 9:5, which Maimonedes confirms is Messianic, calls the Messiah – an infant – “Mighty God” – a phrase repeated in Isaiah 10 referring to God. The Messiah is called God (Jeremiah 23, Isaiah 7). In Genesis, God takes on human form, eating and wrestling. God says that He will live among His people (Zec 2) and shepherd them (Ezekiel 34). Micah 5 says the Messiah is from ancient times. Proverbs 30 says God has a Son who shares His name.
Daniel 9 prophesies that the Messiah would come 483 years after the rebuilding of Jerusalem post-Babylonian exile. This aligns exactly with the birth of Jesus. Daniel 9 goes on to say that the Messiah would be “cut off” or put to death, and confirm a Covenant with many, and that, following this, an abomination would occur and Temple sacrifice would end. I remind you that in 70 AD, Rome destroyed the Temple and scattered the Jews, ending Temple sacrifice forever. The Talmud, Midrash, and Maimonedes confirm that Isaiah 53 – which describes the suffering servant dying to save Israel – is about the Messiah. In Ezekiel 9, God’s chosen are marked with the TAV – a cross-shaped Hebrew letter. Daniel 7 prophesies that Rome would persecute God’s chosen, but eventually become their kingdom – the history of Christianity.
So, a quick reiteration. The Tanakh says God desired a New Covenant. The essentials of the Old Covenant no longer exist and are unsalvageable. Prior to this, the custodians of the Old Covenant wrote that God was no longer cooperating with it. The date that began was the death of Jesus. Scripture says many Gentiles would accept the New Covenant and many Jews would reject it. Scripture is full of strong suggestions that the Messiah is actually God. It is full of explicit references to the Messiah dying to save the people and establish the Covenant. His people would be marked by a cross, and His people would overthrow the Roman Empire.
The General Narrative
But we can go much further than this. Let us analyze the general narrative of the Tanakh and see how Jesus fits into it:
Adam is made from the dust of the earth. Jesus is born of a virgin. Adam and Eve desire to be gods, so they disobey. Jesus is God, yet chooses to obey. Adam and Eve take fruit from the tree of life, and through their disobedience, sin and death enter the world. Jesus, the “fruit of [Mary’s] womb,” is attached to a tree of death, and through He and Mary’s obedience, sin and death are destroyed. God tells the snake who tempted Eve that he would strike at the heel of her offspring, but would be crushed. Jesus is that offspring – suffering and dying at the hands of the snake, but defeating him in the same stroke.
Cain makes an imperfect sacrifice and kills his brother, the shepherd, who made a good one. The Jewish priests, who sacrifice animals, kill their brother, Jesus, the good shepherd and the perfect sacrifice. God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son, but stops him, differentiating Himself from the pagan gods. In Jesus, God fully reverses the pagan sacrifices by sacrificing His son, for us. Judah sells Joseph, the beloved son of Israel, into slavery for a few silver coins. He rises from that state and eventually rescues his 12 brothers and their tribe from famine. Judas sells Jesus, the beloved son of God, unto death for a few silver coins. He rises from that state and rescues His 12 Apostles and the whole world from death.
Moses ventures into the desert for forty years before starting his ministry. Jesus fasts in the desert for forty days before starting His. Moses protects his people from death through the blood of the lamb, and then the manna in the desert. At the Last Supper, Jesus reveals that bread and wine can be transformed into His body and blood. Christ fulfills the offerings of Melchizedek, is the perfect Passover lamb who protects men from spiritual death, and makes His body the eternal Manna. Moses led his people out of Egypt through the Red Sea; Jesus washes away man’s sin through Baptism. Moses healed his people from poison by placing the icon of the snake on the pole. Christ heals His people from death through His placement on the cross.
The Old Covenant was made at one time with all the people present and all those to come (Deut 29:9-15). Jesus makes His future sacrifice present to the Apostles at the Last Supper and ushers in the New Covenant before the crucifixion. Both covenants stand outside of linear time.
God revealed Himself to Moses through the fire of Mt. Sinai, providing the law written on stone. The Holy Spirit revealed Himself to the Apostles through tongues of fire, replacing their hearts of stone and wrote the law on them, as prophesied by Ezekiel and Jeremiah (Ezekiel 36:26, Jeremiah 31). The Ark of the Covenant stored the Law, the Manna, Aaron’s staff, and the presence of God. Any Tabernacle with the Body of Christ in it stores – in Him – the new law, the bread from Heaven, the authority of God, and the physical presence of God. Moses established the Sanhedrin to judge matters of Jewish law, and to carry his authority throughout the ages. Jesus established the Apostles to judge matters of eternal law, and to carry His authority throughout the ages.
The book of Joshua is the establishment of the Mosaic governance. Joshua, who has the authority of Moses, subdues the great pagan empires with the Israelite army by the sword. The book of Acts is the establishment of the Christian governance. Peter, who has the authority of Christ, subdues the greatest pagan empire, Rome, with the Christian evangelists by martyrdom.
Jesus and Elijah both demonstrated power over the elements, denounced sin among the ruling class, prophesied, multiplied bread, raised the dead, fasted forty days and nights, and ascended to Heaven. Jesus reveals that Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel’s “glorious dwelling place” is Heaven, and their “place of judgment” is Hell. He is the “Suffering Servant” in Isaiah. He is the New and everlasting Covenant promised to all three. Jesus fulfills and adds to the moral and liturgical law of the Torah, as Ezekiel did. His descriptions of Heaven complete Ezekiel’s vision of bodily resurrection and everlasting life.
Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Saul, David, Solomon, Elijah – all the chosen ones sinned and fell short. Jesus did not, fulfilling the old covenant and ushering in the new epoch.
This is a lengthy section, so let me bring it back to the original point once more. Judaism rejects Jesus as the Messiah because He did not bring world peace, an end to death, and so on. Christians claim that Heaven fulfills these prophecies, and indeed, Heaven is the only sensible answer anyway. How could a mortal man end death, fulfill the desires of all men’s hearts, and assure universal knowledge of God? Yet, beyond simply making this nonsensical argument, the interlocutor must double-down and totally ignore the incontrovertible evidence that the Old Covenant is abrogated, and the mountains of scriptural affirmations – both particular and general – that Jesus really was the Christ.
Continuity
The key features of the religion of Moses were right sacrifice, God’s presence, and access to the sole truth. These distinctions separated the Jews from the pagans. As I said before: rabbinical Judaism has none of these features. Zero. A proper Mosaic sacrifice involves making the offering, killing the offering, and then eating the offering at the Temple. But the Temple does not exist, and the lineage of the priestly class is lost, so there is no right sacrifice, and right sacrifice can never possibly be salvaged. The Ark of the Covenant, which contained God’s presence, is lost. Judaism does not have a Sanhedrin to rule on matters of doctrine, which has led to as many interpretations of Judaism as there are believers.
The Catholic Church, which also claims to be the continuation of the religion of Moses, claims to have all three of these distinguishing features. At every Mass, the sacrifice of Christ is present. That is, there was only the one true sacrifice, but to be at Mass is to be there, the same way entering into the Mosaic covenant was to be there at Mount Sinai. The sacrifice fulfills all three of the ritual requirements. The bread becomes the true and real body of Christ, the Eucharist. He is offered to God, sacrificed (with the splitting of body and blood), and then consumed. The Tabernacle contains the Eucharist; it is the new Ark of the Covenant. All Catholics unite under the truths decided by the Bishops and the Pope, the new Sanhedrin and Nasi (president).
On top of this, consider one of the major themes of scripture: election. Over and over, God takes some obviously preferable option and then chooses a massively disadvantaged one instead. Here are a few examples: God chooses Abraham and Sarah, past childbearing years, to sire His nation. Cain is the firstborn, but God chooses Abel. Ishmael is firstborn, but God chooses Isaac. Esau is firstborn, but God chooses Jacob. Joseph was one of the youngest brothers, but God chose him to lead the family. God chooses Moses, who has a speech impediment, to trade words with Pharaoh. Moses leads the people to the Promised Land, but Joshua is the one who gets to see it. God chooses the shepherd David over the wealthy, upper-class Saul. God chooses Solomon over the firstborn heir. Under King David, God chooses Jerusalem (Judah) over Hebron (Israel).
The New Testament shows a series of similar elections which satisfy the narrative of the Jewish scripture. After Adam and Eve sin in a perfect world, God chooses Jesus and Mary to be sinless in a sinful world. Instead of sending a powerful mortal to save Israel, God Himself shows up as a pauper. God chose the educated Sanhedrin to have authority over the imperfect law, but the hardly-literate Apostles to have authority over the perfect law. Ritually clean Levites made imperfect sacrifices, but God chooses tax collectors and fishermen to make the perfect sacrifice of the Eucharist. God chooses Paul, a legal scholar, to spread a faith-based religion. The Jews were the “firstborn sons” of God, but God chooses the Christians out of all the nations. Jerusalem was the seat of God’s Kings, but God chooses Rome – the seat of pagan emperors – to host His Popes.
Judaism has the outward signs of the religion of Moses, but is entirely lacking in the substance. The Catholic Church has this substance, and its existence follows a series of elections which satisfy and perfect the election motifs of the Jewish scripture.
Look at the difference between Christianity and Judaism under the Roman Empire. The Christians were meek like Christ, suffering centuries of oppression and martyrdom. In 380 CE, Christianity became the official state religion; Jesus conquered the Roman Empire without ever lifting a sword. On the other hand, the Jews who refused to convert – preferring their idea of an ethnocentric Jewish kingdom to Christ’s new kingdom of love and peace – tried to violently rebel against Rome between 66-136 CE, and it resulted in the unsalvageable destruction of their religion and permanent diaspora. God’s favor and God’s judgment leaping off the pages of the Bible and into the history books.
And I think this point on election ties together the Messianic sections with this one quite nicely:
God did not choose the Israelites to be his people because they were strong. He chose them because they were weak, and chose them at their weakest. The offspring of geriatrics, slaves, sinners, and shepherd-kings are God’s glory. Yet the Jews expected (and still expect) the same sort of Messiah that the pagans would: a superhuman leader who would make them mighty beyond compare. For all their preparation, the Jews failed to recognize that God does not reveal Himself through the strongest of the strong, but the weakest of the weak, and that God consequently makes Himself the “weakest of the weak” by patiently suffering our constant abuses, always ready to forgive (Ezekiel 16). As St. Paul says, critiquing his people, “Jews demand signs, but we preach Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:22-23); in other words: “the crucifixion is the sign; after all, what could be more Godlike?”
Summary
The New Testament is the only way to make sense of Jewish scripture. It provides evidence for the legitimacy of the Jewish scripture, reveals the coherent, overarching narrative, and provides clarity to its meaning. Modern Judaism has no evidence for their scripture, no key to unlock the narrative, and cannot derive any clear instruction from it.
Except for its monotheism, modern Judaism is indistinguishable from ancient paganism. It does not make worthy sacrifice, does not have the physical presence of God, and does not claim absolute truth. The clear continuation of the Mosaic religion is Catholicism, not Judaism. The evidence for Catholicism is objectively stronger and clearer, and it has the three key claims of right worship, absolute truth, and God’s presence. It fulfills the prophecies related to the new and everlasting covenant and the motif of election. Meanwhile, Judaism is nothing more than a reactionary response to Christianity and a shell of Mosaic religion.
The Jewish rejection of Jesus as Messiah is self-contradictory, considering the prophecies they cite. Further, the idea of the Messiah being a political superhero contradicts the whole of scripture. God’s glory is perfect in weakness, not in strength. The Christians who accepted death with meekness defeated the greatest pagan empire on earth. The Jews who fought Rome with swords and steel were destroyed.