8.127.10. If Jesus was Jewish, how can the Church condemn Judaism as a false religion?
This question often arises from a misunderstanding of what “Judaism” means and how it changed after the coming of Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus was born of the Jewish people, in fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But the religion Jesus practiced — the true religion of the Old Testament, centered on the coming of the Messiah — is not the same as the Judaism practiced today, which explicitly rejects Jesus Christ.
Old Testament Judaism: The True Preparation for Christ
God established the Old Covenant with the Jewish people as a temporary dispensation pointing forward to the coming of the Messiah. The sacrifices, laws, rituals, and the priesthood of the Old Testament all prefigured the perfect sacrifice of Christ.
“The law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.”
“Behold the Lamb of God… that taketh away the sin of the world.”
Christ did not abolish the law, but fulfilled it perfectly (Matthew 5:17). Once that fulfillment occurred, the Old Covenant was superseded — not because it was evil, but because it had accomplished its divine purpose.
“In that he saith a new covenant, he hath made the former old.”
Modern Judaism: A Rejection of the Messiah
When the Jewish people rejected Jesus as the Messiah, they severed themselves from the promises of the Old Covenant. What emerged after the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. was Rabbinic Judaism, a new system constructed by the Pharisees and their successors, based not on divine revelation but on man-made traditions codified in the Talmud.
This post-Christian Judaism is a new religion, and no longer salvific:
“Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father.”
“If you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sin.”
Jesus Himself told the unbelieving Jews of His time:
“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do.”
This is not an ethnic judgment — many Jews converted and became saints (e.g., St. Paul). But the religion of those who reject Christ is no longer the true faith.
Church Teaching on Judaism After Christ
The Catholic Church has always taught that the Old Covenant was fulfilled and replaced by the New Covenant in Christ.
“The law of the Gospel… completes, surpasses, and replaces the Old Law.”
“The Jewish religion… was terminated by the coming of the promised Redeemer.”
So Why Was Jesus “Jewish”?
Jesus was born into the line of David, in fulfillment of prophecy. He kept the law of Moses perfectly. But He is also the founder of a new and eternal covenant, and He declared:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by Me.”
His Jewishness fulfilled the promises of the Old Testament — it does not imply approval of modern Judaism.
To insist that “Jesus was Jewish, therefore Judaism is true” is like saying “Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s palace, so Egyptian paganism must be valid.” What matters is not race or culture, but truth.
| Category | Traditional Catholic View | Post-Vatican II View | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Testament Judaism | True religion before Christ, divinely revealed | True religion, still partially valid | Old Covenant was fulfilled and replaced |
| Post-Christ Judaism | False religion that rejects Christ | Still considered salvific and respected | Contradicts New Testament and Magisterium |
| Jesus’ Identity | Born under the law to fulfill it (Gal. 4:4) | Jewish identity used to validate modern Judaism | Jesus is the Messiah, not a modern Jew |
| Salvation | Only through Christ and His Church | Judaism may lead to salvation | Denied by Scripture and Council of Florence |
| Evangelization | Jews must convert to be saved | Dialogue replaces conversion | Opposes Christ’s command (Matt. 28:19) |
Summary:
To say “Jesus was Jewish” is true in terms of ethnicity and historical fulfillment, but misleading when used to suggest that Judaism after Christ remains a valid religion. In reality, Jesus came to fulfill and surpass the Old Law by instituting a New and Eternal Covenant through His Passion, death, and Resurrection.
Old Testament Judaism, faithfully practiced before the coming of Christ, was indeed the true religion revealed by God. But it was never meant to be permanent. It was a preparation for the Messiah, and once He came, the law became obsolete. This is the clear teaching of Scripture and the Magisterium.
The Judaism practiced today is not the religion of Moses and the prophets. It is rabbinical Judaism, a post-Christian invention that explicitly rejects Jesus of Nazareth. As such, it has no claim to divine favor or salvific power.
Jesus was born a Jew, but He is the Son of God who founded a new Church, the Catholic Church, which is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant. His Jewish birth doesn’t sanctify modern Judaism any more than His crucifixion by Roman authorities sanctifies pagan Rome.
Unfortunately, post-Vatican II theology has blurred these distinctions. The shift toward interreligious dialogue and “recognizing the goodness” in other faiths has obscured the need for conversion and salvation through Christ alone. This has led to great confusion among Catholics who are told they should “respect” Judaism as if it were still part of God’s salvific plan.
But the Church has always taught that outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation (extra ecclesiam nulla salus). That includes the rejection of Christ by the Jews.
Sedevacantists uphold the true Catholic doctrine: Christ is the only way to the Father, and Judaism, by rejecting Him, stands opposed to the truth. The most loving and faithful thing we can do is to call Jews, as well as all non-Catholics, to conversion and union with Christ’s one true Church.