# Judeo-Christian

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Term grouping Judaism and Christianity together

For other uses, see [Judeo-Christian (disambiguation)](/source/Judeo-Christian_(disambiguation)).

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The term ***Judeo-Christian*** is used to group [Christianity and Judaism](/source/Christianity_and_Judaism) together, either in reference to a shared history before [Christianity split from Judaism](/source/Split_of_early_Christianity_and_Judaism), Christianity's recognition of [Jewish scripture](/source/Jewish_scripture) (constituting the [Old Testament](/source/Old_Testament) of the [Christian Bible](/source/Christian_Bible)), or [values supposed to be shared between them](/source/Judeo-Christian_ethics). The term *Judæo Christian* first appeared in the 19th century as a word for Jewish [converts to Christianity](/source/Conversion_to_Christianity). In the United States, the term was widely used during the [Cold War](/source/Cold_War) in an attempt to invoke a unified [American identity](/source/American_identity) that stood opposed to [communism](/source/Communism).

The term has received criticism, largely from Jewish thinkers, as relying on and perpetuating notions of [supersessionism](/source/Supersessionism), as well as glossing over fundamental differences between Jewish and Christian thought, theology, culture and practice. Even using the more inclusive term "[Abrahamic religions](/source/Abrahamic_religions)" to refer to the common grouping of faiths which are attributed to [Abraham](/source/Abraham)—[Islam](/source/Islam), the [Baháʼí Faith](/source/Bah%C3%A1%CA%BC%C3%AD_Faith), [Samaritanism](/source/Samaritanism), [Druzism](/source/Druze), and other faiths (in addition to Judaism and Christianity)—is sometimes seen as problematic.[1]

## History

The term "Judæo Christian" appears in a letter by [Alexander McCaul](/source/Alexander_McCaul) which is dated October 17, 1821.[a] The term in this case referred to [Jewish converts to Christianity](/source/Apostasy_in_Judaism).[3] The term was similarly used by [Joseph Wolff](/source/Joseph_Wolff) in 1829, in reference to a type of church that would observe some Jewish traditions in order to convert Jews.[4] Mark Silk states in the early 19th century the term was "most widely used (in French as well as English) to refer to the early followers of Jesus who opposed" the wishes of [Paul the Apostle](/source/Paul_the_Apostle) and wanted "to restrict the message of Jesus to Jews and who insisted on maintaining Jewish law and ritual".[5]

[Friedrich Nietzsche](/source/Friedrich_Nietzsche) used the German term *"Judenchristlich"* ("Jewish-Christian") to describe and emphasize what he believed were neglected aspects of the continuity which exists between the Jewish and Christian worldviews. The expression appears in *[The Antichrist](/source/The_Antichrist_(book))*, published in 1895 but written several years earlier; a fuller development of Nietzsche's argument can be found in the prior work, *[On the Genealogy of Morality](/source/On_the_Genealogy_of_Morality)*.

The concept of [Judeo-Christian ethics](/source/Judeo-Christian_ethics) or Judeo-Christian values in an [ethical](/source/Ethics) (rather than a theological or liturgical) sense was used by [George Orwell](/source/George_Orwell) in 1939, along with the phrase "the Judaeo-Christian scheme of morals".[6] According to theologian [Richard L. Rubenstein](/source/Richard_L._Rubenstein), the "normative Judaeo-Christian interpretation of history" is to treat human suffering, such as a plague, as punishment for human guilt.[7]

According to historian K. Healan Gaston, the term became a descriptor of the U.S. in the 1930s, when the country sought to forge a unified cultural identity in an attempt to distinguish itself from [fascism](/source/Fascism) and [communism](/source/Communism) in Europe. Becoming part of the [American civil religion](/source/American_civil_religion) by the 1940s, the term rose to greater prominence during the [Cold War](/source/Cold_War), especially when it was used to express opposition to [communist atheism](/source/Marxism_and_religion). In the 1970s, the term became particularly associated with the American [Christian right](/source/Christian_right). It is sometimes employed in a separate context in political attempts to restrict [immigration](/source/Immigration) and [LGBT rights](/source/LGBT_rights).[8]

## Christian-Judeo

Some speakers have taken to the term "Christian-Judeo" for the same concept. Language columnist [William Safire](/source/William_Safire) noted that it's a linguistically problematic construction, putting the combining form "Judeo" at the end, instead of "Judaic".[9]

## Inter-group relations

Further information: [Covenant (biblical) § Abrahamic covenant](/source/Covenant_(biblical)#Abrahamic_covenant), and [Jerusalem in Christianity](/source/Jerusalem_in_Christianity)

### In the United States

Main article: [Israel lobby in the United States](/source/Israel_lobby_in_the_United_States)

The rise of [antisemitism](/source/Antisemitism) in the 1930s led concerned Protestants, Catholics, and Jews to take steps to increase mutual understanding and lessen the level of [antisemitism in the United States](/source/Antisemitism_in_the_United_States).[10] In this effort, precursors of the [National Conference of Christians and Jews](/source/National_Conference_of_Christians_and_Jews) created teams consisting of a priest, a rabbi, and a minister, to run programs across the country, and fashion a more pluralistic America, no longer defined as a Christian land, but "one nurtured by three ennobling traditions: [Protestantism](/source/Protestantism), [Catholicism](/source/Catholic_Church) and [Judaism](/source/Judaism)....The phrase 'Judeo-Christian' entered the contemporary lexicon as the standard liberal term for the idea that Western values rest on a religious consensus that included Jews."[11]

In the aftermath of World War II and the [Holocaust](/source/Holocaust), "there was a revolution in Christian theology in America. […] The greatest shift in Christian attitudes towards the Jewish people since [Constantine converted the Roman Empire](/source/Constantine_I_and_Christianity)."[12] The rise of [Christian Zionism](/source/Christian_Zionism), religiously motivated Christian interest, and support for the state of [Israel](/source/Israel) increased interest in Judaism among [American evangelicals](/source/Evangelicalism_in_the_United_States). This interest is especially focused on areas of commonality between the teachings of Judaism and their own beliefs.

During the late 1940s, evangelical proponents of the new Judeo-Christian approach lobbied Washington for diplomatic support of the new state of Israel. From the 1990s until the 2020s, interest in and a positive attitude towards the Judeo-Christian movement has been mainstream among [evangelicals](/source/Evangelicalism) and the political conservative movement in the United States.[13]

American Christians have historically supported Israel. This support has been diminished since the [October 7th attacks](/source/October_7th_attacks) and subsequent [Gaza War](/source/Gaza_War) in 2023 but remains strong among the American [Christian right](/source/Christian_right).[14][15] This support is rooted in conservative Protestant theology, which views Jews as God's chosen people with a special biblical status and role. However, this perspective is paradoxical, as it also considers Jews in need of conversion to Christianity for salvation. Beyond theological reasons, liberal Christian and secular organizations[*[who?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Words_to_watch#Unsupported_attributions)*] have played roles in advocating for Jewish migration to [Palestine](/source/Palestine) and the [Occupied West Bank](/source/Occupied_West_Bank).[16]

In contrast, by the 1970s, [mainline Protestant](/source/Mainline_Protestant) denominations and the [National Council of Churches](/source/National_Council_of_Churches) were more supportive of Palestinians than Israel.[17] [Natan Sharansky](/source/Natan_Sharansky) observed in 2019 that, for the first time, he was encountering the situation of nations with ample governmental support for Israel but disinterest and even overt hostility by the Jewish populace.

The scriptural basis for this new positive attitude towards Jews among evangelicals is found in [Genesis](/source/Book_of_Genesis) 12:3, in which God promises that he will bless those who bless [Abraham](/source/Abraham), and curse those who curse them. In the evangelical interpretation this promise includes the descendants of Abraham. Other factors in the new [philo-Semitism](/source/Philo-Semitism) include gratitude to the Jews for contributing to the theological foundations of Christianity and being the source of the prophets and [Jesus](/source/Jesus_in_Christianity); remorse for the [Church's history of antisemitism](/source/Antisemitism_in_Christianity); and fear that God will judge the nations at the end of time based on how they treated the Jewish people.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Moreover, for many evangelicals Israel is seen as the instrument through which prophecies of the [end times](/source/Eschatology) are fulfilled.[18]

The use of the term "Judeo-Christian" in 21st century discourse has been criticized for equating two different faiths and being a vector for [Islamophobia](/source/Islamophobia) by exclusion.[19][20][21]

### In Europe

Main article: [philosemitism](/source/Philosemitism)

## Jewish responses

The Jewish community's attitude towards the concept has been mixed. In the 1930s, "In the face of worldwide anti-semitic efforts to stigmatize and destroy Judaism, influential Christians and Jews in America labored to uphold it, pushing Judaism from the margins of American religious life towards its very center."[11] During [World War II](/source/World_War_II), Jewish chaplains worked with Catholic priests and Protestant ministers in order to promote goodwill, addressing servicemen who, "in many cases had never seen, much less heard a [Rabbi](/source/Rabbi) speak before".[11] At funerals for the unknown soldier, rabbis stood alongside the other chaplains and recited prayers in Hebrew. In a much-publicized wartime tragedy, the sinking of the [*Dorchester*](/source/SS_Dorchester), the ship's multi-faith chaplains gave up their lifebelts to evacuate seamen and stood together "arm in arm in prayer" as the ship sank. A 1948 postage stamp commemorated their heroism with the words: "interfaith in action".[11]

In the 1950s, "a spiritual and cultural revival washed over American Jewry" in response to the trauma of the Holocaust.[11] American Jews became more confident in their desire to be identified as different.

Two notable books addressed the relationship between contemporary Judaism and Christianity, [Abba Hillel Silver](/source/Abba_Hillel_Silver)'s *Where Judaism Differs* and [Leo Baeck](/source/Leo_Baeck)'s *Judaism and Christianity*, both motivated by an impulse to clarify Judaism's distinctiveness "in a world where the term Judeo-Christian had obscured critical differences between the two faiths".[22] Reacting against the blurring of theological distinctions, Rabbi [Eliezer Berkovits](/source/Eliezer_Berkovits) wrote that "Judaism is Judaism because it rejects Christianity, and Christianity is Christianity because it rejects Judaism."[23] Theologian and author [Arthur A. Cohen](/source/Arthur_A._Cohen), in *The Myth of the Judeo-Christian Tradition*, questioned the theological validity of the Judeo-Christian concept and suggested that it was essentially an invention of [American politics](/source/Politics_of_the_United_States), while [Jacob Neusner](/source/Jacob_Neusner), in *Jews and Christians: The Myth of a Common Tradition*, writes, "The two faiths stand for different people talking about different things to different people."[24]

Law professor Stephen M. Feldman looking at the period before 1950, chiefly in Europe, sees invocation of a "Judeo-Christian tradition" as [supersessionism](/source/Supersessionism):

Once one recognizes that Christianity has historically engendered antisemitism, then this so-called tradition appears as dangerous Christian dogma (at least from a Jewish perspective). For Christians, the concept of a Judeo-Christian tradition comfortably suggests that Judaism progresses into Christianity—that Judaism is somehow completed in Christianity. The concept of a Judeo-Christian tradition flows from the Christian theology of supersession, whereby the Christian covenant (or Testament) with God supersedes the Jewish one. Christianity, according to this belief, reforms and replaces Judaism. The belief, therefore, implies, first, that Judaism needs reformation and replacement, and second, that modern Judaism remains merely as a "relic". Most importantly the belief of the Judeo-Christian tradition insidiously obscures the real and significant differences between Judaism and Christianity.[25]

## See also

- [Mandaeans](/source/Mandaeans)

- [Messianic Judaism](/source/Messianic_Judaism)

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** "From all I can see there is but one way to bring about the object of the Society, that is by erecting a Judæo Christian community, a city of refuge, where all who wish to be baptized could be supplied with the means of earning their bread."[2]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Aaron W. Hughes (2012). [*Abrahamic Religions: On the Uses and Abuses of History*](https://books.google.com/books?id=0K3Ia1rQCZEC&pg=PA71). Oxford University Press. pp. 71–75. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780199934645](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780199934645).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** M'Caul, Alexander (1820–1821). ["Extract of a Letter From Mr. M'Caul"](https://books.google.com/books?id=dSYbAAAAYAAJ). *The Jewish Expositor, and Friend of Israel*. **V**: 478.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Judæo-, Judeo- in the [Oxford English Dictionary](/source/Oxford_English_Dictionary), Second Edition. Accessed online 2008-07-21

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Wolff, Joseph](/source/Joseph_Wolff) (1829). [*Missionary Journal of the Rev. Joseph Wolff, Missionary to the Jews*](https://books.google.com/books?id=Cd8_AAAAcAAJ&q=Judeo-Christian&pg=PA314). Vol. III. London: James Duncan. p. 314.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Silk-NCR-2019_6-0)** Silk, Mark (15 April 2019). ["Mark Silk on the history of the term 'Judeo-Christian'"](https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/mark-silk-history-term-judeo-christian). *National Catholic Reporter*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221014180104/https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/mark-silk-history-term-judeo-christian) from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Orwell, George (2017-02-04). [*George Orwell: An age like this, 1920-1940*](https://books.google.com/books?id=0j2qODEJkdoC&pg=PA401). David R. Godine Publisher. p. 401. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781567921335](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781567921335).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Rubenstein, Richard L.](/source/Richard_L._Rubenstein) (1966). *After Auschwitz: Radical Theology and Contemporary Judaism*. The Bobbs-Merrill Company. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [2118249](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/2118249).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Loeffler, James (August 1, 2020). ["The Problem With the 'Judeo-Christian Tradition'"](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/08/the-judeo-christian-tradition-is-over/614812/). *[The Atlantic](/source/The_Atlantic)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240514230155/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/08/the-judeo-christian-tradition-is-over/614812/) from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Safire, William (March 8, 1981). ["Mist at Foggy Bottom"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/san-francisco-chronicle-mist-at-foggy-bo/182715669/). *[San Francisco Chronicle](/source/San_Francisco_Chronicle)* – via newspapers.com.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESarna2004266_11-0)** [Sarna 2004](#CITEREFSarna2004), p. 266.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESarna2004267_12-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESarna2004267_12-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESarna2004267_12-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESarna2004267_12-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESarna2004267_12-4) [Sarna 2004](#CITEREFSarna2004), p. 267.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Brog, David. Standing With Israel. 2006.p.13

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Merkley, Paul Charles (2007). *Christian Attitudes Towards the State of Israel*. McGill-Queen's University Press.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** [""Dramatic Decrease of Israel Supporters Among Young Evangelicals""](https://english.tau.ac.il/news/declining-support-of-young-evangelicals). *"Tel Aviv University"*. Feb 12, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** [""American Evangelicals' Declining Support for Israel""](https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/american-evangelicals-declining-support-for-israel). *"Arab Center for Washington DC"*. Dec 31, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Salleh, Mohd Afandi; Abu-Hussin, Mohd Fauzi (Spring 2013). "The American Christians and the State of Israel". *Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies*. **12** (34). SACRI: 152–172. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1583-0039](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1583-0039).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** Carenen, Caitlyn (2012). *The Fervent Embrace: Liberal Protestants, Evangelicals, and Israel*. NYU Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780814741047](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780814741047).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** Evangelicals and Israel: The Story of Christian Zionism by Stephen Spector, 2008

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** Udi Greenberg (November 14, 2019). ["The Right's "Judeo-Christian" Fixation"](https://newrepublic.com/article/155735/rights-judeo-christian-fixation). The New Republic. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240510180637/https://newrepublic.com/article/155735/rights-judeo-christian-fixation) from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** Goldman, Shalom (February 15, 2011). ["What Do We Mean by 'Judeo-Christian'?"](https://religiondispatches.org/what-do-we-mean-by-judeo-christian/). Religious Dispatches. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240529221059/https://religiondispatches.org/what-do-we-mean-by-judeo-christian/) from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** Toby Greene (December 24, 2020). ["The term 'Judeo-Christian' has been misused for political ends – a new 'Abrahamic' identity offers an alternative"](https://theconversation.com/the-term-judeo-christian-has-been-misused-for-political-ends-a-new-abrahamic-identity-offers-an-alternative-125523). The Conversation. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240529221124/https://theconversation.com/the-term-judeo-christian-has-been-misused-for-political-ends-a-new-abrahamic-identity-offers-an-alternative-125523) from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESarna2004281_23-0)** [Sarna 2004](#CITEREFSarna2004), p. 281.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** Disputation and Dialogue: Readings in the Jewish Christian Encounter, Ed. F. E. Talmage, Ktav, 1975, p. 291.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** Jacob Neusner (1990), *Jews and Christians: The Myth of a Common Tradition*. New York and London: Trinity Press International and SCM Press. p. 28

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** Stephen M. Feldman (1998), *Please Don't Wish Me a Merry Christmas: A Critical History of the Separation of Church and State*

## Further reading

- Bobrick, Benson. *Wide as the Waters : The Story of the English Bible and the Revolution It Inspired*. [Simon & Schuster](/source/Simon_%26_Schuster) 2001. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0684847477](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0684847477)

- Paula Fredriksen. From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of the New Testament Images of Christ, [Yale University Press](/source/Yale_University_Press), [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0300084573](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0300084573)

- [Hexter, J. H.](/source/J._H._Hexter) *The Judaeo-Christian Tradition* (Second Edition). [Yale University Press](/source/Yale_University_Press), 1995; [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0300045727](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0300045727)

- McGrath, Alister. *In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture*. Anchor Books, 2002. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0385722168](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0385722168).

- [Sarna, Jonathan](/source/Jonathan_Sarna) (2004). *American Judaism, A History*. Yale University Press.

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