Judeo-Christian

Judeo-Christian (also spelled Judaeo-Christian ) is a term used to describe the body of concepts and values which are thought to be held in common by Christianity and Judaism , and typically considered a fundamental basis for Western legal codes and moral values.

Judeo–Christian (sometimes written as Judaeo–Christian ) refers to a set of beliefs and ethics held in common by Judaism and Christianity . It is a common term in American cultural and poltical rhetoric. One definition appeared in a Washington Post editorial in 1991: "In our country, “Judeo-Christian values” is shorthand for a complex idea: the common culture of the American majority. The values are called Judeo-Christian because they derive from the complementary ideas of free will, the moral accountability of the individual rather than the group, the spiritual imperative of imperfect man’s struggle to do what is right and the existence of true moral law in the teachings of Christ and the Jewish prophets. Along with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, they are the political and cultural heritage of the Founding Fathers. The declaration and the Constitution define the source and the limits of state power. But they do not tell us how a moral life within this society should be led. While they have provided a durable structure for America’s success, only Judeo-Christian values, freely held by the majority, explain its continuing realization. These values are not identical with the Christian religion, although they manifest its universal insights. Americans, as the Founding Fathers hoped, uphold the Constitution, but live according to “Judeo-Christian values." editorial in The Washington Post Dec. 30, 1991, quoted in Hartmann (2005) pp 221-2

A monument at the Texas State Capitol depicting the Ten Commandments revered in Judaism and Christianity Judeo-Christian is a term used since the 1950s to encompass the common ethical standards of Christianity and Judaism, such as the Ten Commandments . It has become part of American civil religion and is often used to promote inter-religious cooperation. Efforts in recent years have been made to replace the term Judeo-Christian with " Abrahamic religions ", so as to include Islam. The term is also used by scholars to refer to the connections between the precursors of Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism in the Second Temple period . Abrahamic Religions: On the Uses and Abuses of History .

Term grouping Judaism and Christianity together This article is about the term grouping Judaism and Christianity. Judeo-Christian is a term which is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism , both religions' common use of the Bible , or due to perceived parallels or commonalities and shared values between the two religions. The term "Judæo Christian" first appears in a letter from Alexander McCaul which is dated October 17, 1821. In this case the term 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. Use of the German term Judenchristlich ("Jewish-Christian"), in a decidedly negative sense, can be found in the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche , who emphasized what he believed were neglected aspects of continuity between the Jewish and Christian world views. The concept of Judeo-Christian ethics or Judeo-Christian values in an ethical (rather than a theological or liturgical) sense was used by George Orwell in 1939, along with the phrase "the Judaeo-Christian scheme of morals." Theologian and author Arthur A. Cohen , in The Myth of the Judeo-Christian Tradition , questioned the theological validity of the Judeo-Christian concept and suggested that it was essentially an invention of American politics. The related term " Abrahamic religions " includes Bahá'ísm , Islam , Druze etc. in addition to Judaism and Christianity. George Orwell: An age like this, 1920-1940 . Abrahamic Religions: On the Uses and Abuses of History .

Term grouping Judaism and Christianity together For other uses, see Judeo-Christian (disambiguation) . The term Judeo-Christian is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism , Christianity's recognition of Jewish scripture to constitute the Old Testament of the Christian Bible , or values supposed to be shared by the two religions. The term Judæo Christian first appeared in the 19th century as a word for Jewish converts to Christianity. The term has received criticism, largely from Jewish thinkers, as relying on and perpetuating notions of supersessionism , as well as glossing over fundamental differences between Jewish and Christian thought, theology, culture and practice. In the United States , the term was widely used during the Cold War in an attempt to invoke a unified American identity opposed to communism . The use of 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 also sometimes seen as problematic. Abrahamic Religions: On the Uses and Abuses of History .