Does the term "Jewish Christian" make sense?

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Jesus and all of the first Christians were Jews.

Ragtime:

I'd have to say that srriv345 and ouinon are winning this one. Your arguments are circular. It's really hard to prove a point with a text (the New Testament) that is not accepted by those with whom you are arguing. It might be more effective to show others Christ's love without the expectation that your logic and debating skills will somehow win them over.

Z

Exactly. When it began, Christianity was universally known to be a sect of Judaism. Everyone knew that Yeshua was a rabbi; even those who disagreed with him addressed him as such. He was indeed a rabbi who taught in the Temple, although some viewed him as a revolutionary. So, what changed, to make some people view Christianity as fundamentally Gentile? Not Christian theology. There are different manuscripts of the New Testament, but they differ in only superficial ways, like variant spellings, etc. But we get Christian theology primarily from the words of Yeshua -- the Jewish Messiah Himself -- and His words have been preserved through the centuries to this day. Have sects split off from the original, Jewish Christianity? Of course! But the genuine article remains Jewish through and through.

It makes sense if you define "jew" as an ethic group and not a religion.

If we're talking religiously, absolutely not. For Jews, the Christian treatment of Jesus is idolatry. ("thou shalt not worship false idols.") Christianity may be based on Judaism to some extent, but they're two different religions which tend to emphasize different aspects and have different religious traditions. Hinduism and Buddhism are not the same religions either. I couldn't tell you exactly why, but I think it's significant that actual Buddhists and Hindus feel this way. Frankly, as a Jew I find it somewhat suspect that someone else would tell me that the distinction between Judaism and Christianity is not "real." Who are you to make this determination? How much Judaic theology have you studied? Why shouldn't people's own self-determination be accepted? Why do you think you know more than 2000 years of Jews? It's almost like people trying to say that Barack Obama isn't "really" black even though he identifies as such.

You ask why a Jew wouldn't trust in Jesus, but the question is a red herring. The real question is, why would Jews unblinkingly accept Jesus as messiah? The Jews in Jesus' lifetime didn't. There have been other Jewish prophets, or Jews with prophet-like qualities, who were not believed to be the messiah. There's no reason why Jesus should be seen any differently by Jews, except that a group of people has elevated him. The whole "son of God" thing is not necessarily consistent with Jewish thought. It's irrational to assume that anyone who comes along and says he's the messiah actually is. Lots have people have claimed to be special religious figures. What makes Jesus any different from Mohammad? (Actually, Judaism has at least as much in common with Islam as with Christianity.) Yes, Jesus was Jewish, but that in and of itself doesn't make him a figure worthy of special attention to Jews.

The "Jews for Jesus" movement or "Messianic Judaism" was an invention of Christians who wanted to trick Jews into converting. Their presentation of the religious issues at stake are fundamentally dishonest, and it kind of sounds to me like you've bought into them. Try reading actual Jews discuss the subject.

Furthermore, the traditional Christian treatment of Jews is not just a side issue. Christians have used their belief in Jesus to oppress Jews for 2000 years! Now you expect Jews to forget about all of this and love Jesus just as much as you do? Sorry, I don't think so.

Your arguments are circular. It's really hard to prove a point with a text (the New Testament) that is not accepted by those with whom you are arguing. It might be more effective to show others Christ's love without the expectation that your logic and debating skills will somehow win them over.