Judaizers facts for kids
The Judaizers were a group of early Christians. They believed that all Christians, whether they were Jewish or not, still had to follow the old Jewish laws from the Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament. They tried to make non-Jewish people who became Christians get circumcised.
The Apostle Paul strongly disagreed with the Judaizers. He wrote many of his letters, called Pauline epistles, to explain why their ideas were wrong. Most Christians today believe that many of the old laws from the Old Covenant were changed or replaced by the Law of Christ.
The word "Judaizer" comes from the Greek word Ioudaizein. This word means "to live like a Jew." It was used only once in the Greek New Testament. This happened when Paul publicly challenged Peter for making non-Jewish Christians "judaize." This event is known as the incident at Antioch.
The debate about Judaizers started very early in Christianity, during the time of the first apostles. Important meetings like the Council of Jerusalem and the incident at Antioch dealt with these issues.
What Does "Judaize" Mean?
The word "Judaize" means to live according to Jewish customs. When it was used in the Bible, it usually meant that non-Jewish people were being forced to follow Jewish traditions.
The word "Judaizer" comes from "Judaize." This word is not often used in English Bible translations. One place it appears is in the Book of Galatians (2:14) in some translations.
See also
- Protestantism and Judaism
