Judeo-Christian

The term Judeo-Christian is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to a shared history before Christianity split from Judaism, Christianity's recognition of Jewish scripture (constituting the Old Testament of the Christian Bible), or values supposed to be shared between them. The term Judæo Christian first appeared in the 19th century as a word for Jewish converts to Christianity. In the United States, the term was not common before the 1930s but became widely used during the Cold War in an attempt to invoke a unified American identity that stood opposed to communism.

The term has received criticism, largely from Jewish thinkers, as relying on supersessionism, which is not a tenet of Judaism, as well as glossing over fundamental differences between Jewish and Christian thought, theology, culture and practice. Even using the more inclusive term "Abrahamic religions" to refer to the common grouping of faiths which are attributed to Abraham—Islam, the Baháʼí Faith, Samaritanism, Druzism, and other faiths (in addition to Judaism and Christianity)—is sometimes seen as problematic.

History

The term "Judæo Christian" appears in a letter by Alexander McCaul which is dated October 17, 1821. The term in this case referred to Jewish converts to Christianity. The term was similarly used by Joseph Wolff in 1829, in reference to a type of church that would observe some Jewish traditions in order to convert Jews. 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 and wanted "to restrict the message of Jesus to Jews and who insisted on maintaining Jewish law and ritual".

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.