Differences Of Authority And Divisions In Judaism And Christianity

Authority and Divisions within Christianity and Judaism Devin Gallagher While Judaism and Christianity have the same beginnings from the Torah and Old Testament, respectively, the development of the two religions has many differences as well. The way that religious authority is passed down throughout history differs greatly. However, throughout history, both religious groups were met with internal adversity. It is naturally very difficult for large groups of people to agree on all of the details of something as personal as religion. This adversity affected both groups, but at different times and to different extents. The chain of authority within Judaism is very centralized around the religious texts. The Torah is traditionally believed to

When prophecy ended, the next source of God’s word came with challenges as a result of the accompanying diaspora. Ezra was the next source of religious knowledge; he was appointed to establish Torah law and manage the finances for the Second Temple. At the time, the Torah was lost from the memory of the people, so Ezra played an important part in reintroducing its importance. Thus began the importance of the Torah as a basis of Judaism. Later, the Septuagint, a popular written translation of the religious texts for Judaism, was created. It holds many of the daily practices and teachings of Judaism. However, with the written versions of the Jewish sacred texts, came a difference in interpretation and subsequent disagreement within Judaism. Because the sacred texts were of such importance, those who could properly understand and interpret them became important leaders in Judaism. Known as Rabbis, these teachers of religion in Judaism modernly lead synagogues and played a major part in interpreting the Torah and other religious texts and traditions. As a result of the early disagreements on interpretation, some followers of Judaism split into sects: Pharisees, Sadducees, and