Compare Christianity, Islam and Judaism
Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are three of the most influential world religions in history. While Judaism isn't as large as Christianity and Islam, its impact on the world has still been as profound. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are sometimes called "Abrahamic religions" because they trace their history to the ancient figure of Abraham, first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.
What do Christianity, Islam, and Judaism believe about God, the universe, people, and the afterlife, and how do those convictions compare with each other? The charts below are intended to start answering those questions. As a brief guide of the similarities and differences of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, the following chart compares the statistics, origins, history and religious beliefs of these three great monotheistic faiths.
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| Christianity | Islam | Judaism | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adherents Called | Christians | Muslims | Jews |
| Name Means | followers of Christ (Greek christos, Messiah) | Arabic, "submission" | of the Kingdom of Judah |
| Date Founded | c. 30 CE | 622 CE | c. 1800 BCE (Abraham); 6th cent. BCE (Pentateuch); or 70 CE (destruction of Second Temple) see When Was Judaism Founded? |
| Place Founded | Southern Levant (modern-day Israel, Palestine, and Jordan) | Arabian Peninsula | Southern Levant (modern-day Israel, Palestine, and Jordan) see Where Was Judaism Founded? |
| Original Languages | Aramaic and Greek | Arabic | Hebrew |
| Founders & Early Leaders | Jesus, Peter, Paul | Muhammad | Abraham, Moses |
| Expansion | within 60 years, churches in major cities in Palestine, Turkey, Greece and Rome; entire Roman Empire by end of 4th cent. | within 12 years, entire Arabian peninsula; within 100 years, Muslim world stretched from the Atlantic to China | little expansion; mostly confined to Palestine area throughout history |
| Schisms | Catholic-Orthodox (1054); Catholic-Protestant (1500s) | Shia-Sunni (c. 650 CE) | Reform-Orthodox (1800s CE) |
| Branches | Roman Catholic; Eastern Orthodox; Protestant see Christian Denominations | Sunni, Shi'a, Sufism see Islamic Sects and Schools | Orthodox, Reform, Conservative see Jewish Sects and Movements |
| Main Locations | Europe, North and South America, Africa | Middle East, North Africa, Southeast Asia | Israel, Eastern Europe, USA |
| Adherents | 2.2 billion see Christianity Adherents | 1.6 billion | 14 million see Adherents of Judaism |
| Adherents in USA | 159 million | 3.3 million | 5.6 million |
| Adherents in Canada | 21 million | 500,000 | 350,000 |
| Adherents in UK | 51 million | 320,000 | |
| Texts | Bible (Hebrew Bible + New Testament) see Christian Texts | Qur'an (sacred text); Hadith (tradition) see Islamic sacred texts | Hebrew Bible (Tanakh); Talmud see Jewish sacred texts |
| Christianity | Islam | Judaism | |
| Hebrew Bible | canonical; called "the Old Testament" | noncanonical and corrupted but useful as a inspired text | canonical |
| Apocrypha | canonical (Catholic) or useful but noncanonical (Protestant) | noncanonical | noncanonical but useful |
| New Testament | canonical | noncanonical and corrupted but useful as a inspired text | noncanonical |
| Creeds | Apostle's Creed, Nicene Creed | Six Articles of Faith | 13 Articles of Faith |
| Religious Law | canon law (Catholicism) | Sharia | Halakhah |
| Religious Authority | Bible; some also look to church fathers, church councils, ecumenical creeds; papal decrees and canon law for Catholics | Qur'an, Hadith | Bible, Talmud, halakhah |
| Scripture | views vary: most believe inspired by God; some believe literal Word of God, inerrant in original languages see Christian Doctrines of Scripture | inspired, literal word of God; inerrant in original language | views vary |
| Prophets | Biblical prophets were true prophets of God | Biblical prophets were true prophets; Muhammad is the final and greatest see Islamic Beliefs About Prophets | Biblical prophets were true prophets of God |
| God & Spirits | One God, who is a Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit; angels; demons; saints see God & Spiritual Beings in Christianity | One God (Allah in Arabic); the same God revealed (imperfectly) in the Jewish and Christian Bibles | One God: Yahweh (YHVH) see God in Judaism |
| Spiritual Beings | angels and demons | angels, demons, jinn | angels and demons |
| Revered Humans | saints, church fathers | prophets; imams (especially in Shia Islam) | prophets |
| Messiah | Jesus Christ is the Messiah awaited by the Jews | Sunni: the Madhi (Messiah) will come in the future; identity is known only to Allah; Shi'a: was born in 869, is now the Hidden Imam | the Messiah will come in the future see Jewish Beliefs about the Messiah |
| Jesus | Son of God, God incarnate, Word of God, Messiah, savior of the world see Christian beliefs about Jesus | true prophet of God, whose message has been corrupted see Islamic beliefs about Jesus | false prophet |
| Birth of Jesus | virgin birth | virgin birth | normal birth |
| Death of Jesus | real physical death plus spiritual suffering | Jesus did not die, but ascended bodily into heaven (a disciple died in his place) | normal death |
| Christianity | Islam | Judaism | |
| Resurrection of Jesus | affirmed | did not die; ascended into heaven during crucifixion | denied |
| Second Coming of Jesus | affirmed | affirmed | denied |
| Revelation | through Prophets and Jesus (as God Himself), recorded in Bible | through Muhammad, recorded in Qur'an | prophets, recorded in Hebrew Bible |
| Human Nature | Created good but all inherit "original sin" from Adam, causing a tendency to evil see Christian Beliefs about Human Nature | born with equal ability to do good or evil see Islamic Beliefs About Human Nature | two equal impulses, one good and one bad see Jewish views of human nature |
| Salvation | correct belief, faith, good deeds, sacraments (Protestants emphasize faith alone) see Christian Beliefs about Salvation | correct belief, good deeds, Five Pillars see Salvation in Islam | belief in God, good deeds |
| Predestination | affirmed by most denominations | affirmed | |
| Afterlife | Resurrection of body and soul; eternal heaven or hell (most denominations); temporary purgatory (Catholicism) see Christianity on the Afterlife | eternal Paradise or eternal Hell see Islamic Beliefs About the Afterlife | Not emphasized; views vary: no afterlife, shadowy existence, World to Come (similar to heaven), Gehenna (similar to hell), reincarnation see The Afterlife in Judaism |
| View of Christianity | true religion | respected as fellow "People of the Book" but have wrong beliefs and only partial, corrupted revelation | false interpretation and expansion of Judaism |
| View of Islam | respected as a fellow monotheistic religion, but Muhammad is not seen as a true prophet | false interpretation and expansion of Judaism | |
| View of Judaism | true religion but with incomplete revelation | respected as fellow "People of the Book" but have wrong beliefs and only partial, corrupted revelation | true religion |
| House of Worship | church, chapel, cathedral, basilica, meeting hall | mosque | synagogue, temple, schul |
| Day of Worship | Sunday | Friday | Saturday |
| Clergy | priest, bishop, archbishop, patriarch, pope, pastor, minister, preacher, deacon | imams | rabbis |
| Practices | Prayer, Bible study, baptism, Eucharist (Communion), church on Sundays, numerous holidays. see Christian Practices | Five Pillars: Faith, Prayer, Alms, Pilgrimage, Fasting. Mosque services on Fridays. Ablutions before prayer. No alcohol or pork. Holidays related to the pilgrimage and fast of Ramadan. see Muslim rituals and practices | Circumcision at birth, bar/bat mitzvah at adulthood, observing Sabbath, wearing tallit and tefilin, prayer services see Jewish Rituals and Practices |
| head covered during prayer | generally no | yes | generally yes (especially men) |
| Christianity | Islam | Judaism | |
| Major Holidays | Lent, Holy Week, Easter | Eid-al-Fitr, Eid-al-Adha, month of Ramadan | Yom Kippur, Days of Awe, Passover |
| Other Holidays | Christmas, saints days | Mawlid, Ashura | Chanukah, Purim |
| Symbols | Cross, dove, anchor, fish, alpha/omega, chi rho see Christian Symbols | Star and crescent; name of Allah in Arabic; color green; mosque silhouette. see Islamic symbols | Star of David, chai, hamsa, tree see Symbols in Judaism |
For sources, please see linked articles.
Article Info
| Title | Compare Christianity, Islam and Judaism |
|---|---|
| Published | March 17, 2004 |
| Last Updated | April 10, 2017 |
| URL | www.religionfacts.com/ |
| Short URL | rlft.co/1858 |
| MLA Citation | “Compare Christianity, Islam and Judaism.” ReligionFacts.com. 10 Apr. 2017. Web. Accessed 31 Mar. 2020. <www.religionfacts.com/ |