Messianic Judaism In Its Historical Context
Messianic Judaism is not a new concept, only a more recent title for an older set of beliefs and its proponents. Since the 1960s there has been major growth in the movement of Jews who consider themselves Messianic, or believers in Yeshua (Jesus’ Hebrew name). Prior to this era, the term Hebrew Christian was a more common one for members of this religious group.
In actuality Jewish Believers or Messianic Jews have been around in some number since the actual time of Jesus. Jesus was a Jew himself, born of a Jewish mother and considered to be in the lineage of King David of Israel. The Apostles were all Jews, and these men who authored the books of the New Testament could be considered some of the first Messianic Jewish people. The more than a million reported Messianic Jews of the years after Jesus time on earth, that followed his teachings; were cut off from the mainstream Jews, and considered radical and different.
These early Messianics and those of today, retain the practices of Judaism, and celebrate the holidays in the Old testament while believing that the promised Messiah mentioned in the Old Testament actually did come, and was Jesus of Nazareth.
This is where other forms of Judaism differ, and though Messianic Judaism is a continually growing movement, even in Israel today where there are many congregations, its acceptance by other branches of Judaism has not yet come to fruition.