If Jesus was Jewish, why does Christianity exist? Why or how was Christianity created? This is a great question to the origin of Christianity, one of the most prominent religions in the world. First, we must understand who the Jewish people are and where they originate from. In the book of Genesis, Jacob had stolen the birthright of his older brother (the eldest son), Esau (Gen 27). Years later, Jacob returns to reunite with Esau. However, on that journey, Jacob runs into a man and they wrestle (Gen 32). Although Jacob’s “hip was wrenched” by this man, Jacob refused to give up. The man saw Jacob’s vigor and told him, “‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome’” (Gen 32:28). This is the origin of Israel – it all began with one man, Jacob, who fought with an angel and overcame. Jacob had twelve sons, who then established the twelve tribes of Israel. The origins of the Jewish, the Physical Israelites, people began here.
Many genealogies are recorded throughout the Bible as evidence to the existence of these people. For example, in Luke chapter 3, there is a genealogy that spans from Adam all the way to Jesus. The ages of each man are recorded throughout the Bible, and when all those years are added up, it equates to about 4000 years, which is approximately the amount of history from Adam in Genesis to Jesus in the New Testament. Jesus was born of a virgin – a Physical Israelite named Mary (Matthew 2).
But Jesus did not carry out his ministry, or create Christianity, out of his own free will. o. He did it all according to the Old Testament Scriptures. Not only was the Old Testament filled with history and moral instructions, but it was also prophetic. Nowhere in the Old Testament can Jesus’ name be found, but prophecies were recorded regarding a savior, or a ruler, to come. For example, Isaiah chapter 9 is about “a light [that] has dawned” and a “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Jesus fulfilled this prophecy when he began his ministry. In Matthew 4:12-17, Jesus acts according to Scripture, and Matthew even refers back to Isaiah 9. These are some of the best bible verses to see his work.
However, the Jews and their religious leaders did not believe Jesus was the promised messiah. They questioned Jesus and his authority, even though through his work it was evident he was the one sent by God. This is why he, and his disciples, were persecuted and martyred. But this is ultimately where Christianity began. Apostle Paul, who was once a Jewish leader named Saul, declared that it was no longer about being a Physical Israelite that dictated one’s belonging to God, but it was about being a Jew inwardly and if one’s heart is circumcised (Romans 2:28-29). Those who no longer followed the Jewish laws but instead accepted Jesus as the Messiah and followed his teachings were considered Christians (Acts 11:25-26). This was the separation of Judaism and Christianity; the disciples and apostles of Christ were the ones who spread the gospel after Jesus left and who established the early Christian churches.
All in all, we are able to see that in order to address such questions, attaining firm resources to understand versus mere interpretations and information by word of mouth takes understanding the scripture such as a bible in itself. That’s why a way to acquire this knowledge is learning scripture in depth such as EZ Bible as an example too. In understanding this, hopefully our capability to reason from a logical perspective from a standard can grow and aid in how we perceive things.