Separationen mellan judendom och kristendom

Abstract

This essay aims at explaining some mechanisms behind the separation between Judaism and Christianity. It is argued that the traditional view on Paul’s relation to Judaism, which is founded on normative theology, leads to a distorted picture of the separation process. From assumptions derived from the most recent studies on Paul’s relation to Judaism it is argued that nonbJews who were attracted to the early Jesus movement had previously been in contact with Jewish groups and were encouraged to live a Jewish life of sorts. Paul, however, argued that nonbJews should remain nonbJewish and should refrain from ”idolatry” but also from expressing their relation to the God of Israel through the Torah. This left the nonbJewish adherents of the movement without a clear religious identity and eventually gave rise to a movement within the nonbJewish part of the movement aiming at creating a collegium of their own, stripped from Jews but claiming Jewish traditions, such as belief in Jesus-the-Messiah.