Comparison Table between Christianity, Islam and Judaism
The differences
and similarities between the three great monotheistic faiths: Christianity,
Islam and Judaism.
Topic
|
Christianity
|
Islam
|
Judaism
|
Origin
of the Name
|
From
the Greek:christos, 'Anointed' - referring to Jesus Christ.
|
Derived
from an Arabic word for 'submission'. Also related to the Arabic word salaam,
'peace'.
|
From
the Hebrew:Yehudim, 'Judah'.
|
Founder
|
Jesus
Christ
(c. 4 B.C. - 30 A.D.) |
Mohammed
(570 - 632 A.D.) 1 |
Abraham
(First Patriarch, born c. 1800 B.C.)
|
Divisions
|
Three
main groups: Orthodox, Protestant
and Roman
Catholic.
|
Two
main groups: Sunni and Shia (The division occured due to a dispute as to the
legitimate successor of the prophet Mohammed). There is also a
mystical/ascetic movement in Islam known as Sufi.
|
Several
divisions, including Hasidic, Conservative and Reform Judaism. Ethnic
groupings include Ashkenazi (The majority) and Sephardi Jews.
|
Followers
(2009 Estimates)2 |
2,200
Million
(2.2 Billion) |
1,500
Million
(1.5 Billion) |
14
Million
|
Nature
of God
|
One
God, who exists in three distinct persons (The Trinity): Father, Son and Holy
Spirit (Matthew 28:19).
|
One God
(Arabic: Allah), who is not a trinity. The Islamic view of God is
called strict Monotheism (Quran 112:1).
|
One God
(known in English as 'Yahweh' or 'Jehovah') - "...Hear Israel, the Lord
is our God, the Lord is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4).
|
Holy
Book(s)
|
The
Bible (from the Greek:Biblos, 'books'), given by God to man. The Bible
writers were inspired by God in their writings. Thus Christians refer to the
Bible as the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16).
|
The
Quran or Koran (Arabic: 'recitation'), revealed to the prophet Mohammed over
a period of about 20 years. The Quran is the final revelation given by Allah
to mankind.
|
The
Hebrew Tanakh, similar to the Christian Old Testament, comprised of the Torah
(Hebrew: 'Law'), Nevi'im ('Prophets') and Ketuvim ('Writings').
|
Jesus
Christ
|
The
second person of the Trinity and born of the Virgin Mary. "...true God
from true God"
(Nicene Creed) |
A
prophet, sent by Allah and born of the Virgin Mary, but not divine (Quran
5:17).
|
An
ordinary Jew, not the Messiah nor a divine person.
|
Jesus
Christ, The Mission of
|
To
reconcile Man to God, through his death as a sacrifice for the sins of all
mankind.
|
To
proclaim the Injil, or gospel. This gospel has been corrupted over
time by human additions and alterations.
|
As
Judaism rejects the idea of Jesus as Messiah, his mission is of no
relevance.
|
Jesus
Christ, The Death of
|
"...For
our sake he was crucified...he suffered death and was buried. On the third
day he rose again...he ascended into heaven..."
(Nicene Creed) |
Jesus
was not crucified (Quran 4:157), but was raised to Heaven by Allah (4:158).
|
Jesus
was crucified for his claim to be divine.
|
Holy
Spirit
|
The
third person of the Trinity, truly divine: "....with the Father and the
Son he is worshipped and glorified."
(Nicene Creed) |
Identical
with the Angel Gabriel, who appeared to the Prophet Mohammed giving him the
Quranic text.
|
Not a
distinct person, but a divine power which for example, was given to the
Prophets.
|
Other
Traditions
|
The
writings of the early church fathers and ecumenical councils, including the
Creeds.
|
The
Hadith, a collection of traditions/sayings of the Prophet Mohammed. The
Hadith functions as a supplement to the Quran, giving guidance to Muslims for
daily living.
|
The
Talmud, an oral tradition explaining and interpreting the Tanakh. It includes
the Mishnah - a code of Jewish law.
|
Examples
of Rituals
|
The
Sacraments, including Baptism and Holy Communion(Eucharist). In Orthodoxy and
Roman Catholicism, five more are added, viz: Confirmation (Chrismation),
Marriage, Penance, Holy Orders and Anointing of the sick.
Prayer is also an important part of the faith. |
Five
important rituals (known as the pillars of Islam):
1. Shahadah - A profession of faith. 2. Salat - Prayer five times daily. 3. Zakat - alms giving. 4. Sawm - Fasting during the Holy month of Ramadan. 5. Hajj - Pilgrimage to the Holy city of Mecca. |
Rituals
include the Circumcision of newly born Jewish males, Barmitzvah - a
ceremony marking the 'coming of age' of Jewish Boys and observation of the
Sabbath (Shabat). As in the other faiths, prayer is important. The
Jewish prayer book is called the siddur.
|
Sin
|
We
inherit a sinful nature through our common ancestor Adam, who rebelled
against God. Jesus Christ atoned for our sins through his death on the Cross
(Romans 5:12-17).
|
There
is no concept of original sin, nor vicarious atonement. All Humans are born
sinless, but human weakness leads to sin.
|
Judaism
rejects the doctrine of original sin. Atonement for sins commited is
made through seeking forgiveness from God in prayer and repentance. In
addition, the day of atonement (Yom Kippur) is set aside specially for
this purpose.
|
Salvation
|
By
grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).3
|
Achieved
through good works, thus personal righteousness must outweigh personal sin
(Quran 23:101-103).
|
Through
good works, prayers and the grace of God. There is no parallel to the
Christian view of substitutionary atonement.
|
Hell
|
A place
of everlasting punishment for the unrighteous (Matthew 25:46). There is no
crossover between Heaven and Hell.
|
A place
of torment and fire (Quran 25:65, 104:6-7). In Islam, Hell is known as Jahannam.
Jahannam has several levels and a person may not necessarily spend eternity
there.
|
Tradtionally,
there is the concept of Gehinnom or Gehenna - those who die in sin may suffer
temporary punishment, but certain sins merit eternal punishment.
However, Judaism's ideas of the afterlife have varied widely among different groups and in different time periods. For the most part, Judaism does not emphasize the afterlife. |
Topic
|
Christianity
|
Islam
|
Judaism
|
1 Muslims regard Mohammed more as the restorer of the true monotheistic faith, rather than the founder of a new religion.
2 Figures taken from The World Almanac and Book of Facts.
3 Salvation in Christianity is discussed in more detail on the Comparison between Orthodoxy, Protestantism & Roman Catholicism page.
source : http://christianityinview.com/xncomparison.html
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