25. Christianity1
Christianity began life as a Jewish sect. Far from attempting to find a new religion, the first Christians viewed themselves as Jews following the teachings of the Jewish Messiah . It was only later, after many non-Jews converted, that Christianity became a religion distinct from Judaism2
Although Christianity shares much with Judaism, these two faiths differ significantly with respect to such fundamental issues as God s relationship with humanity. The central motif through which this relationship has been understood in both traditions is that of a covenant or contract. In Hebrew scriptures , God offers a special relationship with his chosen people the Jews through a contract that specifies the terms of this relationship . The details of this arrangement have been modified and expanded from time to time, in a series of covenants with Noah, Abraham, and Moses4. The most well known of these contracts is God s agreement with Moses on Mt. Sinai, the Ten Commandments5.
In the Christian understanding of covenant theology, God offers humanity a new contract the New Testament6 as revealed in the person and teaching of Jesus. Unlike previous covenants, the new covenant refers to the eternal fate of individuals rather than to the worldly fate of the nation of Israel. Also, rather than being offered only to Jews, the new contract is offered to humanity as a whole . Individual salvation7 and the question of how that salvation can be achieved is a dominant theme of traditional Christianity.
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