Messianic Judaism
Jewish sect / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Messianic Judaism (Hebrew: יַהֲדוּת מְשִׁיחִית or יהדות משיחית, Yahadút Mešiḥít) is a syncretic[1] Abrahamist new religious movement or sect[2] that considers itself Jewish (despite the claims to the contrary of all major Jewish groups).[3][4][5][6] Many Jews and Jewish authority figures,[7] both in the United States and Israel,[7] consider it a part of Evangelical Christianity.[7]
It emerged in the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier Hebrew Christian movement,[8][9] and was most prominently propelled through the non-profit organization "Jews for Jesus"[7][10][11] founded in 1973 by Martin "Moishe" Rosen, an American minister under the Conservative Baptist Association.[12][13]
Evangelical Protestants who identify as Messianic Jews adhere to conventional Christian beliefs, including the concept of salvation through faith in Jesus (referred to by the Hebrew-language name Yeshua among adherents) as the Jewish Messiah and Savior from sin, and the spiritual authority of the Bible (including the Old and New Testaments).[14][15][11][16][17] Belief in Jesus as a messianic figure and as divine (i.e., God the Son) is considered by Jews to be one of the most defining distinctions between Judaism and Christianity.[18][19][20]
Among other evangelical Christian groups, Messianic Judaism is usually accepted as a form of Christianity.[21] However, adherents of Messianic Judaism claim that the movement is instead a form of Judaism.[22] In the Hebrew language, they tend to identify themselves with the terms maaminim (מאמינים, lit. 'believers') and yehudim (יְהוּדִים, lit. 'Jews') in opposition to being identified as notzrim (נוצרים, lit. 'Christians').[lower-alpha 1][23] Jewish organizations inside and outside of Israel reject this framing; the Supreme Court of Israel has also rejected this claim in cases related to the Israeli Law of Return, and Messianic Judaism is recognized only as a Christian movement in the country.[18][24] In this context, there is some discourse among scholars as to whether Messianic Judaism should be labeled a Jewish or Christian religious sect, though the typical consensus identifies it as a stream of the Christian religion.[25]
From 2003 to 2007, the movement grew from 150 Messianic houses of worship in the United States to as many as 438, with over 100 in Israel and more worldwide; congregations are often affiliated with larger Messianic organizations or alliances.[26][27] As of 2012[update], Messianic population estimates were between 175,000 and 250,000 members in the United States, between 10,000 and 20,000 members in Israel, and an estimated total worldwide membership of 350,000.[28][needs update]