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Judaism, in contrast with Christianity, does not have a dogma or
creed, but is based on rabbinical interpretations of theological truths.
Therefore, there is not a unified belief on incarnation — other than
stating that Jesus cannot be God incarnate. Yet, we are not ready to
accept as a fact that Judaism rejects the concept of incarnation. Here are
some facts clearly taught in Scripture and, to some extent, accepted by
Judaism.
It is obvious that the Apostles were Jewish and the New Testament
is basically a Jewish book. Therefore it is logical to ask, if the divinity
of the Messiah and the incarnation is such an anti-Jewish doctrine,
why was it not questioned or more hotly debated by the Jewish New
Testament writers?
It is also a fact that God created man in His image, and this does
not mean that humans just have intelligence, speech, and the ability
to create and love. Therefore, it is clearly understood that the God
revealed in the Torah also had some characteristics that are not purely
spiritual — thus we read in the Bible that God walked in the Garden
and talked and had some form of human understanding with Abraham.
In Exodus 33:22-23 Moses is allowed to see some physical form of the
Glory of God, to the point that He says to Moses “…I will cover you with
my hand until I have passed by, then I will remove my hand and you will
see my back; but my face must not be seen.” It was not God’s spirit that
Moses was allowed to see in part, but a physical representation of God
incarnate.
In Genesis 18 we read that Abraham interacts with three visitors,
and both Jewish rabbis and Christian interpreters agree that these
visitors, as acknowledged by Abraham, were a representation of God
Himself. Yet, we read that Abraham physically saw them, they spoke to
him, and he prepared a meal for them which they ate. All of these are
not spiritual characteristics but very human functions. Although we
agree that many times the Bible uses human language to express divine
actions, there are specific instances where God uses physical forms to
express Himself. The argument that God is spirit and therefore, as some
forms of Judaism would argue, cannot have any physical form is actually
denying God the ability to do what He wills. If God is an all-powerful
God, there is certainly nothing that He cannot do! The denying of
incarnation would imply denying God the ability and right to exercise