"Christians and Jews." The motivation for writing this column with such a peculiar title stems from three strong feelings of discomfort within myself. One is the discomfort I feel toward the phrase "rule of law," which a certain country's former prime minister gleefully repeated over and over. Another is the discomfort I felt regarding the "mysterious coexistence of religion and science" that I experienced in Israel. And the third is my discomfort with the fact that while people who believe in Judaism are called "Jews," people who believe in Christianity are not called "Christians." Today, I will write about this third discomfort.

■Why are they not called "Christians"?

Why is it that people who believe in Judaism are called "Jews," while people who believe in Christianity are not called "Christians"? This is sometimes explained as follows: Judaism is a religion believed by the Jewish people, while Christianity is a universal faith that transcends ethnicity. But is this really true? Certainly, if we examine the Tanakh (what Christians call the Old Testament), the Jewish people are defined as an ethnic group descended from Jacob, who was Abraham's descendant. There is no room for doubt about this. In this regard, there is no question that Judaism's origins lie in being an ethnic religion.

However, when we shift our perspective to modern times, it becomes clear that such a definition of Jews = Jewish people decisively lacks explanatory power. As Christian globalism converted (forcibly converted) indigenous beliefs (nature worship and ancestor worship) around the world and dyed them Christian, it was impossible for only the Jewish people to maintain their bloodline purely. In modern Israel's Law of Return, the basic definition of a Jew is someone who meets either of the following criteria: "having a Jewish mother" or "being a believer in Judaism."

For example, Ivanka, Donald Trump's daughter, converted to Judaism and became Jewish. Conversely, many people who happen to be called Jewish because they were born to Jewish mothers no longer hold any ethnic religious beliefs whatsoever. From this perspective, at least in modern society, it is appropriate to understand people who believe in Judaism as Jews. Therefore, this column operates on that definition.

So, when we organize Judaism, Jewish believers, and Jews in this way, how should we understand Christianity and Christians? As defined earlier, Jews are people who believe in Judaism, and they are people who sometimes prioritize the covenant with God (God's law = the Law) over laws established by humans and nations. Christianity, which began as a sect of Judaism, abandoned the Law based on the biblical interpretations of Paul and others, and devoted itself to the words and actions of Jesus of Nazareth. They too are people who sometimes prioritize the words of Jesus (the Gospel) they believe in, or the biblical interpretations of kings (dictators) and churches who claim to be God's representatives, over laws established by humans and nations.

For example, is it appropriate to call people like devout Christian evangelicals living in America "Americans"? They sometimes consider the original text of the Bible more important than the U.S. Constitution. Since the Bible teaches "be fruitful and multiply," abortion and contraception are against God's teachings regardless of any reasons. Also, since it is God who judges life and death, it is sacrilegious for mere humans to establish a death penalty system. For them, God's law takes precedence over the U.S. Constitution. Or they believe that any constitution that contradicts God's law should be correctly amended as soon as possible. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to call such people "Christians" rather than "Americans"?

This column has as its main theme the conflict between "God's law" and "human law." Therefore, to discuss this theme more clearly, I will call people who prioritize the Law of the Tanakh over national laws, treaties with other countries, or promises with the international community "Jews," and call those who do not "Israelis." Similarly, I will call people who prioritize Christian teachings over national laws, treaties with other countries, or the international community "Christians."

Thinking you are talking with Americans, British people, or Japanese people, when you are actually talking with Christians. Or thinking you are talking with Israelis, when you are actually talking with Jews. Such misunderstandings sometimes create serious obstacles to mutual understanding. This brings about conflicts that are sometimes far more serious than Japanese people, who have little connection to monotheistic religions, might imagine. This is clearly evident in the confusion of recent international situations.

Recently in Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, a devout Christian Calvinist believer, assumed the position of Prime Minister. Will he handle national politics as the Japanese person Shigeru Ishiba, or as the Christian Shigeru Ishiba? As the Middle East is in extreme turmoil, Japan will probably be forced to make major decisions within a few years. If he is Prime Minister at that time, those decisions must be for Japan's national interest. This needs to be watched carefully.

■The Suffering of Ancient Israel, Tossed About by Giant Polytheistic Nations

Now we enter the main section. So why were these people called "Jews" (people who believe in Judaism) born in the first place? The decisively important factor seems to be Israel's geopolitical positioning. Ancient Israel, located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, was at the midpoint between two of humanity's oldest ancient civilizations. One was the Mesopotamian civilization originating from Sumer, said to be humanity's oldest civilization that arose in the Tigris-Euphrates basin (present-day Iran and Iraq). The other was the Egyptian civilization that arose in the Nile basin of Egypt, slightly later than Sumer. Between these two civilization spheres, extensive exchanges and sometimes conflicts in culture, religion, and trade continued over long periods. This was conducted through Mediterranean sea routes and overland routes. Ancient Israel, located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, was at the junction of these sea and land routes. Ancient Israel was positioned at the junction of two great civilizations and was therefore destined to be tossed about by the struggles between successive hegemonic nations.

At one time, they became slaves in Egypt. (This column takes the position that the enslavement of a Jewish tribal group in Egypt was, in part, historical fact.) However, after escaping from Egypt and reclaiming the land of Israel, they reached a golden age during the times of Solomon and David. But when the country split and divided into north and south, they were then subjugated by various nations of the Mesopotamian civilization sphere. They were defeated by Assyria and became Assyrian captives, and were defeated by Babylonia and became Babylonian captives.

■Jewish Suffering and Messianic Faith

Abraham's God is the God of creation. The sun god of polytheistic Egypt and the mountain gods of Mesopotamia should be nothing more than servants of Abraham's God. Ancient Israel was the territory that this absolute God gave to the Jews in exchange for observing the Law. However, no matter how faithfully they observed the Law, ancient Israel continued to be oppressed by the surrounding giant polytheistic nations (who should have bowed down to Abraham's God), and Jewish suffering and diaspora never ceased.

We are properly adhering to "rule of law" (observing the Law), so why does God make unstable the territorial rights to Israel that He Himself defined? Is there really value in observing the Law? Has the covenant between Israel and God already been broken? As Jewish faith began to waver, a new element was added. Messianic (savior) faith.

If one observes the Law and lives righteously, someday a Messiah will surely appear and a time will come when all people will be liberated from suffering. Such faith spread widely. This Messianic faith was widely incorporated into Jewish religious faith, particularly triggered directly by the Babylonian captivity. And many "self-proclaimed saviors" or "false Messiahs" who were elevated by others appeared and then disappeared.

■The Appearance of Jesus of Nazareth and the Birth of Christians

And approximately 2000 years ago, a figure appeared in Galilee who caused a stir as "perhaps this time the real Messiah." This was Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus criticized the legal scholars who had become corrupt officials and preached the importance of love, justice, and the nobility of poverty. However, love, justice, and the ideology of poverty were not "inventions" of Jesus of Nazareth. Saints or philosophers who advocated valuing such principles already existed in abundance in the surrounding polytheistic nations. Plato thought deeply about love (Eros) and justice, and Aristotle spoke much about friendship.

The greatest reason the people of Galilee believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the savior (Christ) was because Jesus was said to have performed numerous miracles. Jesus turned water into wine, walked on the surface of the Sea of Galilee, and turned stones into bread. Furthermore, he opened the eyes of blind patients and even brought the dead back to life. One who could perform such miracles could not help but be the savior. Thus, the faction that believed in Jesus as Christ (savior) gained momentum within Jewish society.

Jesus is said to have been crucified by Rome, the sovereign nation that feared provincial chaos and instability. However, people who believed that Jesus was a manifestation of God maintained and sublimated their faith. Eventually, the faith that believed Jesus of Nazareth was Christ (the savior), "Christianity," was born and would leap forward across the continent. Christians approached continental evangelism with extremely strong faith and clear missionary strategies. They expanded their influence in Europe. And finally, they even rose to become the state religion of the Roman Empire that had once crucified Jesus.

Meanwhile, Jews who were defeated in the Jewish War against Rome and dispersed from the land of ancient Israel encountered Christians in various parts of the world over the next 2000 years and suffered severe persecution. This was because Jews believed that the Messiah had not yet come to this world, and therefore Jesus of Nazareth was not Christ. Christians coexisted with, opposed, persecuted, and expelled Jews in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, South America, and North America. Finally, a fanatical leader was born in Western Germany who promoted a cult religion called "Positive Christianity" that extracted and concentrated anti-Semitic essence from Christianity. He attempted the "extermination of Jews." Christians in surrounding countries turned a blind eye to this.

This column mainly examines the history of each of the two Jewish ethnic lineages that dispersed to Europe: the Ashkenazi and the Sephardic. The Ashkenazi dispersed to the center of sovereign Rome and contributed to the strictening of the Law and the development of the Talmud—they are "the people of land and Talmud." The Sephardic dispersed to the Iberian Peninsula and contributed to the peninsular nations through trade and commerce—they are "the people of sea and trade." Each Jewish people developed different characteristics while eventually converging.

Photo: Sea of Galilee. The New Testament tells that Jesus walked on the surface of this lake. Photographed in 2019