The Jewish Roots of Christianity

By Ken Litchfield
God’s First Covenant With Adam and Eve
God’s Second Covenant With Noah
• The Flood
• Wicked taken
away
• Rainbow
• New Testament
1 Peter 3:20-1
God’s Third Covenant with Abram
• God speaks to
man for the first
time
• Leave land of Ur
• Name change to
Abraham
• Sarah and Hagar
• Sin-
Circumcision
God’s Third Covenant with Abraham
• Isaac born to Sarah
• Melcizadek-bread and
wine
• Jesus-bread and wine
• God leads to the
promised land
• Faith is a Process
• Jesus, James and Paul
say Abraham is the
Father of Faith
God’s Fourth Covenant with Moses
• The Passover in the Book
of Exodus
• Kill and EAT spotless lamb
to survive the passing
over of the Angel of
Death.
• Blood on the door posts
and lintel saves them.
• Red Sea baptizes into
Moses.
• Ten Commandments
• Ark with Cherubim statues
• Word of God, Manna and
Rod of Arron
The Ark of the Covenant
The Portable Temple From the Book of Leviticus
• Bronze Altar
• Bronze Laver
• Tabernacle
Tent with the
Holy Place
• Holy of Holies
The Tabernacle Tent of Leviticus
The Priestly Robes of Leviticus
Reconciling Sin in the book of Leviticus

If you Sin bring a guilt offering to priest

 Book of Numbers

Korah’s Rebellion against the Priesthood

Chaste marriage
Malachi Chapter 1

Worldwide Sacrifice
The Sixth Covenant with David
• God’s promise to David
• Ark of the Covenant
• David sins with
Bathsheba
• Solomon will build
Temple
• Jesus reigns on the
Throne of David in
Heaven.
Solomon
• First son to sit on the
Throne of David.
• 700 wives
• 300 Concubines.
• Made his Mother the
Queen.
• Jesus sits on throne of
David in Heaven.
• Mary as the Queen in
Heaven.
• First Kings chapter 2
Temple of Solomon
Isaiah 22:22
• Isaiah tells King Hezekiah that
Eliakim, Shebna’s successor, in
the office of Royal Treasurer,
will prove to be faithful.
• He points out Eliakim’s
authority through the power of
the keys.
• And I will place on his
shoulders the key to the House
of David. What he opens no
one can shut, and what he
shuts no one can open.
Ezekiel Ch. 9 Destruction of the Temple in 587BC

Jews sealed before Destruction with Hebrew Tav X

Greek Tau t Early Christians used +
The Hebrew Letter Tav Evolves over
Time
Ezekiel 36:25-26
Regeneration of the
People
Verse 25 I will sprinkle clean
water over you to make you
clean; from all your impurities
and from all your idols I will
cleanse you.
26 I will give you a new heart,
and a new spirit
This prefigures the cleansing
of baptism without emersion
in water.
160 BC Maccabean Revolt
• The Jewish
people retake the
Temple.
• Prayers are
offered for the
dead in the
Temple.
• Tradition of
offering prayers
for sins of our
dead.
 160 BC Maccabean Revolt

One days worth of Holy Oil burns for 7 days.

This inspires the Festival of Lights now called Hanukah.
Israel becomes the Hasmonean Kingdom
Second Temple Judaism
The Great Sanhedrin
Synagogue at Capernaum
132BC Greek Septuagint
• Hebrew Sacred writings
translated into Koine
Greek for the Library of
Alexandria
• Old Testament used by
the Early Christians
• 80% of quotes in New
Testament are from
Septuagint
• Includes Tobit, Judith,
Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch,
1st and 2nd Maccabees
(Deuterocanon)
Diaspora Jews
General Overview of Synagogue Worship
• Begins with Call to Prayer
• Followed by prayers and
petitions
• Readings from the Torah
• Readings from Prophets
and histories
• Sermon encouraging
imitation
• Psalms to praise God
• Prayers asking for God’s
blessing
• Ends with Aaronic Blessing
 Dead Sea Scrolls

• Found at Qumran near the North West corner of the

Dead Sea in Israel.
• Jewish monastic community
• Writings include: Tobit, Sirach and Baruch in Hebrew.
• Community Rule is similar to many early Christian
practices.
• Likely a Jewish sect known as the Essenes.
 Jewish Culture at the Time of Christ
• Jews looking for new Messiah to lead on a new Exodus
• Women covered under Old Covenant by the circumcision
of their father or husband
• Men and women are part of the New Covenant through
Baptism
• Passover like meal on Friday in homes in preparation for
worship on the Sabbath.
• Used a moon cycle calendar where 1 month=29-30days
• Day begins at sundown, followed by 12 hrs. of night
followed by 12 hrs. of day as described in Genesis
• The Zealots are Jewish by heritage.
• Looking for new Warrior Messiah
 Jewish Roots Further Resources
From Synagogue to Church: Public Services and Offices
in the Earliest Christian Communities
by James Tunstead Burtchaell
The Crucified Rabbi: Judaism and the Origins of
Catholic Christianity (Origins of Catholic Christianity
Trilogy) by Taylor Marshall
Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XIV
See Also:
YouTube video playlists by Ken Litchfield
Questions?
Email Ken at: kenlitchfield61@gmail.com