Jewish Messianic Movement

I would now like to talk about some events that took place after the Second Vatican Council. First of all, the Jewish Messianic movement emerged. Messianic Jews are Jews who believe in Jesus Christ. They believe in Jesus Christ in the same way that Christians do: that He is the Eternal Son of God, that God became incarnate in Christ, and that He is the Savior and Lord. But Messianic Jews also continue to believe that they are Jews, and that the Lord desires them to remain Jews—Jews who believe in Jesus.

Messianic Jews teach that all of Jesus’ disciples were Jews, and when they came to believe in Christ, there was no need for them to stop being Jews. So why should we give up our Jewish identity? — they ask.

During the first three hundred years of Church history, there was a change in the understanding of this issue. At first, the Church consisted of Jews. Then, Gentiles—non-Jews—began to convert. And when non-Jews became the dominant part of the Church (this happened around the 4th century), the Church stated that Jewish converts had to renounce their Jewish heritage and cease all Jewish practices. In other words, they were expected to assimilate into the Gentile Christian community.

Messianic Jews: Faith in Christ, Fidelity to Jewish Identity

So what is happening today? This process is now moving in the opposite direction compared to what happened during the first 300 years of Church history. This is because the Church now teaches that God has not rejected the Jewish people, and that Jews who have come to believe in Jesus do not need to stop being Jews.

Messianic Jews have taken exactly this position. They believe in Jesus Christ but continue to remain Jewish. They say: we continue to be Jews, and this is a matter of social significance—it’s not just a personal choice. They form communities or congregations—Jewish Messianic congregations. They can remain Jews, Jews who believe in Jesus, while also preserving their Jewish identity. For example, they celebrate Jewish holidays, keep the Sabbath, and observe other Jewish practices. The Messianic Jewish movement is a movement of growth for Jewish Messianic congregations.

The Jesus Movement and Messianic Growth

This process has been observed to some extent in Israel, particularly in the early years of the State of Israel’s existence. But the real growth of Messianic Jewish congregations began in the United States after 1967. This development was influenced by the so-called “Jesus Movement.” In the late 1960s, the Jesus Movement in the U.S. emerged as a countercultural phenomenon among students and young people. It was a protest movement—but a movement of people who believed in Christ. They preached Christ, although they were not affiliated with any major churches. Many young American Jews came to faith in Christ through the Jesus Movement. And people told them: “You need to become part of the Church.” But they responded: “Why should we join the Church if we are Jews? We want to form our own Messianic synagogues.” And this gave rise to a new dynamic of Jews believing in Christ.

The Charismatic Dimension of Messianic Judaism

The “Jesus Movement” was also a charismatic movement. It was associated with the experience of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit—such as speaking in tongues, prophecy, and healing—as well as various forms of worship and praise of God. Because of this, the Messianic Jewish movement became overwhelmingly charismatic. Its dynamism and growth rate are largely connected to this fact.

Since 1990, the movement began growing rapidly in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus. The largest Messianic congregation in the world is located in Kyiv, Ukraine. It has over a thousand members and was founded only in 1994. A Jewish Messianic Bible Institute was also established in Odesa.

A Global Movement: From Kyiv to Tel Aviv

There are signs that the Messianic Jewish movement is beginning to spread in Latin America, particularly in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.

In Israel, the movement was growing, and by 1990 there were around 30 Messianic congregations. Over the past 15 years, due to mass immigration from Russia and Ukraine, the number of Messianic Jewish congregations in Israel has increased to about a hundred. In the last 6–7 years alone, the number of members in these congregations has doubled. Many of the Messianic Jewish congregations in Israel consist of people who speak both Russian and Hebrew.

Jews for Jesus vs. Messianic Congregations

In the United States, there is an organization called “Jews for Jesus,” with branches in many countries around the world—including in Ukraine.

It is a mistake to think that Messianic Jews are the same as “Jews for Jesus.” Jews for Jesus is a missionary organization that emerged about 30 years ago with the goal of preaching the Gospel to Jews. It was founded by Jews who had come to faith in the Lord and began evangelizing other Jews. However, this organization did not establish new Messianic congregations or synagogues. Their methods of evangelization are generally quite aggressive, and many Messianic Jews disapprove of this. This is one of the reasons why Jews for Jesus stands in a certain opposition to other Messianic Jewish communities.

The key issue with Jews for Jesus boils down to the question: what should be done with new converts? The aim of Jews for Jesus is to bring Jews to faith in Jesus within a specific (often non-Jewish) church. In contrast, the viewpoint of the Messianic Jewish movement is that Jews who have come to believe in Christ should have a distinctively Jewish witness to Jesus—something expressed as a communal testimony through Messianic congregations.

Rediscovering Jewish Roots Within the Church

As the Messianic Jewish movement has grown, Jewish members of churches have increasingly come to recognize the importance of their Jewish heritage. Today, there are many Jews or people of Jewish descent in Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Churches. There were such people hundreds of years ago too. But in the past, churches generally did not encourage Jews to take interest in their Jewish roots or heritage. Today, this situation has changed.

Jewish Catholics and Their Witness

In the Catholic Church, there is an Association of Jewish Catholics, which was founded by a Jewish convert from South Africa. He later became a Carmelite priest, emigrated to Israel, and lived on Mount Carmel. His name is Father Elias Friedman. There is also another Jewish convert who became a Carmelite priest and emigrated to Israel from Poland. Pope John Paul II knew him personally—this is Father Daniel Rufeisen.

Interest in Jews who are part of the Catholic Church grew thanks to another prominent figure—Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger. Just three weeks ago, he was still the Archbishop of Paris (the Parisian see is now headed by another person). His parents were Polish Jews who had immigrated to France before World War II. His mother was arrested by the Nazis in Paris and died in a gas chamber at Auschwitz. His name was Aaron before baptism. He converted and was baptized at the age of fourteen, at the beginning of World War II. Today—despite having become a priest, an archbishop, and a cardinal—he always says: “I am a Jew!” He doesn’t say: “I was a Jew,” but “I am a Jew!”

In 1995, Cardinal Lustiger visited Israel, even though many rabbis protested the visit. Interestingly, after this visit—more precisely, over the last five or six years—a completely new stage began in Jean-Marie Lustiger’s public life. On several occasions, he was invited to meetings with leaders of major international Jewish organizations. This is a completely new situation, as previously he had not been invited. Thus, we can observe that certain changes are taking place.

Saint Edith Stein: A Daughter of Israel and the Church

Another important event took place in the Catholic Church that holds great significance for relations with the Jewish people: the canonization of Edith (Ida) Stein. She was a German Jewish convert born in Breslau, which was later renamed Wrocław. Ida was a well-known philosopher and phenomenologist, one of Edmund Husserl’s best students. After her conversion, she became a nun, joining the Carmelite order in Cologne and taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.

When the situation for Jews in Germany worsened, the prioress transferred her to a Carmelite monastery in the Netherlands, where all the bishops had written pastoral letters condemning the Nazis’ treatment of Jews. In retaliation, the Nazis—angered by these letters—carried out a series of arrests of all Jewish Catholics in Germany, including Ida Stein. She perished in Auschwitz at the end of 1942. She was beatified in 1997 and canonized in 1999 by Pope John Paul II.

During her canonization, the Pope described Edith Stein’s life as the path of both a daughter of Israel and a daughter of the Church. This is significant because it echoes what Messianic Jews often say: “We are Jews, but we are also part of the Church.” Edith considered herself a Jew, yet also a member of the Church. When the Pope proclaimed her one of the patron saints of Europe, a new liturgical feast was established—the feast day of Edith Stein, Patroness of Europe.

For the Association of Jewish Catholics, the canonization of Edith Stein is of enormous importance: they now have their own patron saint. In Israel, there are several Hebrew-speaking Catholic communities, and in 2003, the Pope appointed a bishop specifically for them—a Frenchman born in Algeria who had been the abbot of a Benedictine monastery in Israel.

All of these events are signs of the Holy Spirit at work among the Jewish people.

Hidden Disciples: Jewish Faith in Jesus in Israel

I have already mentioned Messianic Jews and Jewish Catholics, but there are also many Orthodox Jews who believe in Christ. Father Alexander Men, who was murdered in Moscow, was Jewish. He was an ecumenically open-minded priest who spoke out against antisemitism. It is believed that he was killed by antisemites and anti-ecumenists.

A remarkable fact: in Israel, within Jewish communities, there are secret disciples of Jesus, including some among the rabbis. This, to some extent, is connected to the return of the Jewish people to their land. Throughout history, Jews have usually been a minority living among other nations, often confined to ghettos and subjected to persecution. For the first time in many centuries, they have regained the opportunity to live on the land of their ancestors, the land of Israel—where they now form a majority. Israel is also the land of Jesus.

Scholarly Curiosity in the Land of Jesus

One of the outcomes of Israel’s fifty years of existence is a growing number of scholars who have begun to study the question: Who was Jesus? They approach this question differently than it was done in the diaspora, where interest in Jesus was often seen as a form of betrayal.

But in their own land, where they are not persecuted and where they are the majority, they have gained the freedom to explore—and an authentic interest in the most famous Jew has been awakened.

A few years ago, a Jewish scholar from Jerusalem, David Flusser, passed away. He wrote a book titled Jesus, which was published in both German and English. This book is particularly fascinating because the author conducted a meticulous study of the Old Testament and—although he did not come to believe in Jesus as the Messiah—he concluded that Jesus was a prophet. At the same time, reading the New Testament as a Jew, he noticed many things that often escape the attention of non-Jewish readers.

Jewishness of the New Testament Rediscovered

For me, as a Catholic priest, encountering the Messianic Jewish movement has been a blessing from God. It has helped me to rediscover the Jewishness of the New Testament. All those who wrote the New Testament, with the exception of the Evangelist Luke, were Jews. But Luke was also well-versed in Judaism, being a disciple of Paul.

It is a mistake to think of the Old Testament as "Jewish" and the New Testament as "Christian." The complete separation between Judaism and Christianity occurred only after the New Testament had already been written.

Christian–Jewish Dialogue Today

Today, many encounters are taking place around the world between followers of Judaism and Christianity. I am personally involved in two types of meetings with Messianic Jews. The first is gatherings between representatives of the Catholic Church and Messianic Jews—such meetings are strongly encouraged by His Holiness Pope John Paul II. The second type involves preparations for the Second Jerusalem Council. I would like to speak more about this initiative.

The Vision of a Second Jerusalem Council

The initiative for the Second Jerusalem Council was originally born as a vision given to a Messianic Jewish pastor from the United States: that a Second Jerusalem Council would take place.

The First Jerusalem Council is described in Acts chapter 15. It was an entirely Jewish gathering, attended by the Apostles and elders of Jerusalem. They came together to resolve a very important issue: must Gentiles become Jews in order to follow Christ? Their answer was: no! The Jewish Christians made a generous decision: “we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God” (Acts 15:19). At the same time, Jews would continue observing their customs as before.

The vision of the aforementioned pastor was that a Second Jerusalem Council should take place as a kind of return to the First Council. It would gather leaders of non-Jewish churches to formally invite Jewish believers to take their rightful place in the Church of Christ.

Throughout the history of Christianity, Jews who came to believe in Jesus were expected to renounce all things Jewish. At the Second Jerusalem Council, non-Jewish leaders are called to show the same mercy and generosity toward Jewish leaders as the Jewish elders showed to the Gentiles who came to faith in Jesus at the First Council.

A Committee for convening the Second Jerusalem Council was formed to bring this vision to life.

It initially included seven Messianic Jews and seven non-Jews. I was the only Catholic among the seven non-Jews from the founding of the Committee. Later, another Catholic joined us. The grace of God accompanying this mission has been simply astounding. Many doors opened for us in a truly supernatural way. Our meetings had a positive impact—especially with Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna; with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the Vatican; with Cardinal Georges Cottier (the Pope’s theologian); and with Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger. Currently, our Committee also includes an Orthodox priest from Romania, who is a very prominent figure in his country.

Ethiopia: Ancient Christianity and Jewish Continuity

There are many other signs of God's favor toward this initiative. In March of last year, we traveled to Ethiopia, guided by a prophetic word. We knew that there is a Jewish community of Black Jews in Ethiopia, known as the Falashas.

Today in Israel, there are four Jewish Messianic congregations made up of Ethiopian Jews, whose language is Amharic. We discovered that the Ethiopian Ancient Orthodox Church (a pre-Chalcedonian Coptic Church) has preserved more Jewish traditions than any other ancient Church. This may be due to its geographical isolation from the rest of the Christian world.

In the Ethiopian Ancient Orthodox Church, boys are circumcised on the eighth day. Ethiopian Christians observe all the Jewish dietary laws (kashrut). Every church contains a model of the Ark of the Covenant. Some researchers believe that the Ethiopian Church likely converted to Christianity from Judaism, rather than from paganism.

A Meeting with the Coptic Patriarch

Members of our Committee met with the patriarch of the Coptic Church. He was very open and showed great interest in our initiative. This goes beyond our understanding—it is the work of the Holy Spirit. All of these events are connected with the fulfillment of God’s plan in its fullness before the Second Coming of Christ in glory.

Hope Renewed: The Messianic Future of Christianity

One of the most important things revealed to us in our encounters with the Jewish people is the rediscovery of the Messianic elements within Christianity itself.

The Jewish people are a people of hope. They are a people who believe in the coming of the King and His Kingdom. Our churches do not yet live fervently enough in the faith of the Lord’s imminent return. We believe in it—we profess this faith in the Creed at every Sunday liturgy. But this truth is not a dynamic, living element in our faith. It is significant that this belief is highlighted in the title of one of the paragraphs of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (§673 — “The glorious return of Christ, the hope of Israel”).

Because when we return to the Jewish roots of Christianity, the Messianic hope in the coming of Christ in glory once again becomes central to our faith.

This lecture was delivered by Father Peter Hocken at the Stanisław Szulmiński SAC School of Lay Apostolate in Odesa in March 2005.

About the Author

Fr. Peter Hocken is a priest of the Catholic Church. Born in the United Kingdom, he currently resides in Austria. He has been an active participant in the Charismatic Movement since 1971, served as Executive Secretary of the Society for Pentecostal Studies (1988–1997), and is a member of the International Theological Commission for Catholic Charismatic Renewal. He also serves on the Executive Committee for the Toward Jerusalem Council II initiative (www.tjcii.org). A teacher and scholar, he is the author of more than a dozen books on the Charismatic Movement and Messianic Judaism.