Similarities Between Judaism And Christianity

Introduction

We three kings of Orient are; Bearing gifts we traverse far; Field and fountain; Moor and mountain; Following yonder star…” song written by John Henry Hopkins. This popular Christmas song is singing in malls, by carolers, played on the radio, heard on commercials, and even sang and used as a backdrop to Christmas plays in church. Although it portrays the Maji from the Bible in the book of Matthew chapter 2, it is not Biblically correct. The Bible for one does not state that they are kings; it states that they were “wise men” “(Matt. 2:1). Secondly, the Bible does not say they were from the Orient; it states that were “from the east” (2:1). In this writing, we will look at more historical aspects of the wise men, the culture, and

Here, Matthew, being Jewish, does not emphasize that the wise men were Gentiles, and did not come to Jesus to convert to Judaism, but to honor Jesus (2:1). Though there is a difference between the two cultures, they have common ground in worshipping a single God. “At its best, the syncretistic Magian religion of Achaemenid days had much in common with the religion of the Jews. Each had its monotheistic concept of one beneficent creator, author of all good, who in turn was opposed by a malevolent evil spirit,” depicts

Inculturation is “the gradual acquisition of the characteristics and norms of a culture or group by a person, another culture, etc. The adaptation of Christian liturgy to a non-Christian cultural background,” cite Oxford Dictionaries. Recognition of this cultural form meant that acceptance of the culture that accepted Christianity as the faith. Church scholars felt that this blending would water down the Christian faith, however, the first aspect was to ensure that the faith was maintained at the standard. Schineller writes, “Faithfulness to the Christian message. Above all, each new inculturation of the Gospel must be in accord with the Scriptures and not