To understand the connection between the Bible and modern Israel, we must consider several key points. A previous article explored Judaism, but another important aspect is how a faith that originated within Judaism evolved into a global religion that is largely separate from its Jewish roots. Grasping this transition helps clarify both the complicated history between Jews and Christians and the recent positive changes in their relationship.

The Jewish Roots of Christianity

Christianity began as a Jewish movement. Paul wrote in Romans 9:4–5 that to Israel belong

… the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God.

And in Romans 3:2 Paul says: “To them were committed the oracles of God.” They received the very words of God and faithfully passed them on from generation to generation. We have a Bible today to learn of the ways of God thanks to the Jewish people.

Everything Christians hold sacred—Scripture, covenants, worship patterns, promises, and even Jesus—comes to us through the Jewish people.

Jesus was a Jewish teacher—born to Jewish parents in a Jewish town—who ministered to the Jewish people. In Matthew 15:24, Jesus Himself said He was sent “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Early believers saw themselves not as founders of a new religion, but as Jews who believed the long‑awaited Messiah had come.

So how did Christianity end up so distinct from Judaism?

The First Major Break

A turning point came in AD 70, when Roman forces destroyed Jerusalem and the temple—ending the sacrificial system (which took place in the temple) and scattering the Jewish community. However, Jewish followers of Jesus had fled the city beforehand, heeding Jesus’ warnings about a future siege:

When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:20–24)

When they returned afterward, non-believing Jews viewed them with suspicion and even resented them for having escaped the suffering others endured. This marked the beginning of a widening social divide between Jewish believers and the broader Jewish community.

The Definitive Split

The final break occurred about 60 years later during what is known as the Bar Kokhba Revolt (AD 132–135). Roman Emperor Hadrian announced plans to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, but as a pagan city—he intended to erect a temple to Jupiter on the site where the Jewish temple was. Jews and Zealots could not stand for this, and the Zealots revolted against the Romans.

When some Jewish leaders proclaimed the rebel leader, Simon Bar Kokhba, to be the promised Messiah, Jewish Christians could not support the rebellion. They believed Jesus alone was the Messiah, and many refused to join the revolt—even at the cost of their lives.

The bloody revolt ended disastrously. Rome crushed the Jewish population, rebuilt Jerusalem as a pagan city called Aelia Capitolina, and renamed Judea Syria Palestina. In the aftermath, the split between synagogue and church was complete. Christianity spread outward, and centers developed in Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome. Judaism’s religious center re-established itself in Yavneh, and eventually, in Babylonia, where Jewish communities had lived since the Babylonian exile centuries earlier.

Christianity Becomes Gentile

As the church expanded across the Roman Empire, it became increasingly gentile. Many new believers had little understanding of Judaism—and some carried anti‑Jewish attitudes from the surrounding Greek and Roman cultures. Early church leaders began writing harshly about Judaism, eventually developing a replacement theology (known today as supersessionism), which taught that the Jewish people were rejected by God and replaced by the church. This theology fueled contempt toward Jews and laid the groundwork for discrimination.

From Theology to Persecution

By the end of the fourth century, Christianity had become the official religion of the Roman Empire. Anti‑Jewish teachings now held political power. Over time, these ideas led to laws that restricted Jewish life: bans on land ownership, forced ghettoization, expulsions, and cycles of persecution across Europe. Many scholars agree that had it not been for centuries of Christian persecution of the Jews, the Holocaust could have never happened. Though Christians did not carry out the Holocaust, centuries of Christian antisemitism created an atmosphere in which hatred of Jews was tragically normalized.

A Turning Point

A significant shift began in the sixteenth century. Scripture was being translated into everyday languages and distributed widely thanks to the advent of the printing press, allowing ordinary Christians to finally read the Bible for themselves. This launched movements that sought to return to biblical faith—the Separatists, Puritans, Pietists—and brought about the Protestant Reformation.

From these streams emerged Evangelical Christianity, rooted in Scripture and attentive to the Bible’s promises to Israel. Evangelicals saw clearly that God’s covenants with the Jewish people were eternal, that the gift of the land was part of those covenants, and that Scripture foretold a future restoration of the Jewish people to their homeland. This birthed restorationism—Christian support for Jewish return to the land of Israel—long before the modern State of Israel or the Zionist movement existed.

The Global Rise of Evangelical Christianity

Today, Evangelical Christianity is the fastest‑growing segment of global Christianity. While growth in Europe and the United States has plateaued, Evangelical movements in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are exploding—and are strongly supportive of Israel. In many countries, this support is even shaping national policies.

As Evangelical Christianity grows worldwide and will one day be the largest segment of the Christian world, a new chapter in Jewish–Christian relations is unfolding—one marked by respect, learning, and reconciliation.

A New Day for Jewish–Christian Relations

For the first time in nearly 2,000 years, Christians and Jews are learning to relate to one another as friends. Christians are rediscovering the Jewish roots of their faith, and Jews are discovering that Christians today, especially Evangelicals, are not their historical enemies but sincere allies.

We still disagree on profound theological questions, including the identity of the Messiah. Yet for the first time in many centuries, we can disagree and still be friends—building relationships grounded in mutual respect, shared values, and a commitment to work together.

Conclusion

The story of Christianity’s development is a story of shared origins, painful separation, and, remarkably, renewed friendship. From the Jewish roots of the gospel to the global growth of Bible‑based Christianity, the arc of history is bending toward healing. While we cannot take this budding relationship for granted and must continue to combat Replacement Theology—even in the Evangelical movement—we can find great encouragement over how far we have come.

As Christians rediscover Scripture and the importance of Israel in God’s plan of redemption, and the Jewish people rediscover Christian friendship, we are witnessing a new and hopeful era—one that honors the past, acknowledges its wounds, and looks forward to a future built on truth, respect, trust, and blessing.