22+ Difference Between Jews And Gentiles (Explained)

Culture and Civilization are essential parts of human societies but unfortunately, both the terms sound like synonyms and are used interchangeably many times. Culture and Civilization are similar yet different.

Culture refers to people’s religions, traditions, art, practices, etc., in human society. Civilization, on the other hand, refers to the advancement of human society and Culture in terms of technology and urbanization.

It is essential to use both words correctly as there are various differences between the two terms, which we will find out in this article. 

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Key Differences –

Culture –

1. Culture refers to our behavior, thinking, religious practices, way of living, morals, ethics, etc.
2. It simply denotes our way of existing in our society. 
3. It can go on existing without the presence of Civilization. 
4. There are generally no advancements in Culture. 
5. A person can be highly cultured and uncivilized. 

Civilization –

1. Civilization refers to our technological, urban, and political advancements.  
2. It simply denotes advancements that exist in our society. 
3. It generally can not exist without the presence of Culture. 
4. Civilization is all about advancements in our society. 
5. A person can be highly civilized and lack cultural values. 

Comparison between Jews And Gentiles

Parameter	Jews	Gentiles
Meaning	People who follow Judaism are known as Jews.	People who are not Jews are known as Gentiles.
Religion	Jewish people follow Judaism.	Gentiles people generally follow Christianity.
Worship	They mainly worship Yahweh.	They mainly follow Jehovah.
God	They believe in only one God.	They believe in Holy Trinity, which means believing in three forms of God, i.e., God the father, God the son, and God the holy spirit.
Type	Since they believe in only one God, there are referred to as Monotheist.	Since they believe in Holy Trinity, they are referred to as Polytheist.
Worshipping place	They worship in Synagogues.	Typically, they worship in Churches.
Head	A Rabbi is the spiritual head or leader of the Jewish people.	A Pope is the spiritual head or leader of Gentiles.
Language	They mainly speak Hebrew and Aramaic languages.	They mainly spoke the Greek language.
Joining ceremony	Joining Judaism, does not require of any joining ceremony. Being born to a Jewish mother and father is sufficient.	Joining Christianity, generally requires a ceremony of Baptism.
Holy Book	The Hebrew Bible is the holy book of the Jewish people.	The Bible is the holy book of Gentiles.
Demographics	They are largely found in Israel and the United States of America.	They can be found almost in every part of the world.

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Major Differences Between Jews And Gentiles

Who exactly are Jews?

Jews are known as the descendants of patriarchal Israel. Jews believe they were chosen by God himself to worship him, and the reason is that Gentiles did not know God and how to worship him.

Since they did not know how to worship him, Gentiles broke God’s laws. Seeing Gentiles do such things, Jews believed God himself chose them. 

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Features of Jewish people –

1. Jews are the followers of Judaism. 
2. They believe in one God. 
3. They worship Yahweh. 
4. Since Jewish people believe in one God, they are known as Monotheistic people.
5. Jews mainly speak Hebrew and Aramaic languages. 
6. Most Jewish people live in Israel and the United States of America. 
7. In order to be part of Judaism, there is no need for any joining ceremony for newborn babies. 
8. A Rabbi is the spiritual leader of the Jewish people.

Who exactly are Gentiles?

Gentiles, the descendants of Abraham, were simply the people who were not Jews. Years ago, Gentiles simply meant non – Israeli people. In today’s world, Gentiles are simply considered Christians.

The practices and rules of Gentiles are way lesser orthodox than that of Jews. Just like Christians, Gentiles also follow Christianity and can be found in almost every part of the world. 

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Features of Gentiles

1. Gentiles are followers of Christianity. 
2. They believe in Holy Trinity, which means God in three different forms, i.e., God the father, God the Son, and God the holy spirit. 
3. They worship Jehovah. 
4. Since Gentiles believe in Holy Trinity, they are also known as Polytheistic people. 
5. Gentiles mainly spoke the Greek language. 
6. Gentiles can be seen everywhere in the world. 
7. In order to be a part of Christianity, a newborn baby or an adult has to undergo Baptism. 
8. A pope is the head of the Church. 

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Contrast Between Jews And Gentiles

Origin Of The Word

• Jews – The word Jews originated from a word in the Hebrew Bible, “Yehudi,” which means “from the kingdom of Judah.”

• Gentiles – The word Gentiles originated from the Latin word “gentilis,” meaning “of a family/ nation, of the same clan,” which originated from another Latin word “gens, gent,” which means “family, race,” which originated from another Latin word “gignere” which means “beget.” 

Meaning

• Jews – Jews are the people who follow Judaism. 

• Gentiles – Gentiles are the people who are not Jews. Mainly, the identity “Gentile” is not used to tell someone who they are; rather, it is used to tell “who they are not.” This word originated only to label people who are not Jewish. 

Descendants Of

• Jews – Jews are the descendants of the patriarchs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

• Gentiles – Gentiles are the descendants of Abraham. 

Religion

• Jews – Jews follow Judaism. 

• Gentiles – Gentiles follow Christianity. 

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An Overview: Judaism vs. Christianity –

Judaism –

1. Judaism is an Abrahamic Religion. 
2. Judaism believes that there is only one God that has never existed on Earth. 
3. There are around 13 million Jews present all over the world.
4. People who follow Judaism are known as Jews.  
5. Judaism is a Monotheist religion. 
6. Its official language is Hebrew. 
7. Hebrew Bible is the holy book of Judaism. 

Christianity –

1. Christianity is also an Abrahamic religion that revolves around the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. 
2. Christianity believes in three forms of God, i.e., God the father, God the son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. This concept is also known as Holy Trinity. 
3. There are more than 2 billion Christians all over the world. 
4. Christianity is a Polytheist religion. 
5. People who follow Christianity are known as Christians. 
6. Latin, Greek, and Hebrew are the official languages of Christianity. 
7. The Bible is the holy book of Christianity. 

Worship

• Jews – Jews worship Yahweh. 

• Gentiles – Gentile worship Jehovah. 

God

• Jews – Jews believe that there is only God. 

• Gentiles – Gentiles believe in the Holy Trinity, which means there are three forms of God, i.e., God the father, God the son, and God the holy spirit. 

Type

• Jews – Since Jewish people believe that there is only one God, there is Monotheist. 

• Gentiles – Since Gentiles believe in Holy Trinity, there are Polytheist. 

Language

• Jews – Hebrew, and Aramaic languages are spoken by Jews. 

• Gentiles – the Greek language was spoken by Gentiles. 

Joining Ceremony

• Jews – In order to join Judaism, a person just needs to be born into a Jewish family. There is no need to have a joining ceremony. 

• Gentiles – In order to join Christianity, a person usually has to have a ceremony of Baptism. 

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What is Baptism?

When a person wants to join Christianity, they have to stay underwater for a few seconds. In the case of babies, few water droplets are put on their heads. This ceremony of joining Christianity is known as Baptism. 

Worshipping Place

• Jews – Synagogues are the worshipping places of Jews. 

• Gentiles – Gentiles usually worship in Churches since they follow Christianity. 

Head

• Jews – A Rabbi is the spiritual leader/ head of the Jewish people. 

• Gentiles – A pope is the head of Churches/ Christians. 

Holy Book

• Jews – The holy book of the Jewish people is Hebrew Bible. 

• Gentiles – The holy book of Gentiles is The Bible. 

Demographics

• Jews – Israel and the United States of America have a large range of Jewish people. 

• Gentiles – Since Gentiles can be anyone who is not Jewish, or to be precise if they follow Christianity, Gentiles can be found in almost every part of the world. 

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Conclusion

Jews and Gentiles are two kinds of people who are often confused with one another. These people are similar yet different. Jews is a term that is used to denote a particular group of people who follow Judaism.

Jews are largely found in Israel and the USA. On the other hand, Gentiles is a term used to denote people who are simply not Jewish. Gentiles mainly follow Christianity and can be found everywhere in the world. 

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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