Jewish Antecedents of the Christian Sacraments [Paperback]

F. Gavin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 1942

Describes how non-Jewish mystery cults are the source of Christian sacramentalism and how Christianity is indebted to Judaism in other respects.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 130 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC (May 31, 1942)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0766104699
• ISBN-13: 978-0766104693
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,822,824 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a very informative book, December 7, 2010

By 

Israel Drazin (Boca Raton, Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jewish Antecedents of the Christian Sacraments (Hardcover)

Hundreds of Christian scholars have written books on how Jewish practices relate to Christianity. For instance, there are scholarly volumes by Christians showing that Jews cannot be blamed for the death of Jesus. This volume by a professor of ecclesiastical history, shows that Christian sacraments evolved from Jewish practices. This, of course, is no surprise since Judaism and Christianity are sister religions, with the origin of Christianity being Judaism. This is a concept that should prompt people of both faiths to respect one another. We are both striving for the same things. The book was first published in 1928 and republished in 1969 and again in 2007.

Dr. Gavin recognizes that Judaism has no sacraments, but they did have practices from which the Christian sacraments developed. A sacrament, in essence, is a sacred ceremony which confers something sacred upon the participant. Roman and Greek Catholics recognize seven sacraments: baptism, the Eucharist, confirmation, matrimony, penance, holy orders, and extreme unction, while most Protestant churches only recognize the first two.

Dr. Gavin discusses all seven, but focuses most of his attention on the first two. He points out that Jews used baptism, called tevila, for conversions before the time of Jesus. The tevila is very similar to baptism, which is the sacrament that accepts the person into the church. Jews still use tevila for conversions and other purposes. Dr. Gavin states that the term Eucharist is most likely a Greek version of the Hebrew berakhah, which means blessing. Eucharist means "thanksgiving," which is the purpose of the berakhah. The Eucharist refers to the "Last Supper" where Jesus spoke about bread and wine. The berakhah is, among other things, a blessing said before eating and drinking a food and drink. A berakhah is said at the onset of a Passover meal, for example, over the unleavened bread and wine. Thus, Dr. Gavin states, the Eucharist derived from the Jewish practice of the blessing at a meal and was, as all Christian practices, given additional Christian meanings.