I think the initial question has been answered here, and in the earlier threads. Ignoring the trivial (like descent from David, which is neither provable nor disprovable), there are two main reasons Jews do not accept Jesus:
(a) The definition of the messianic era under classical Judaism is sketchy, based only on the prophets, but the messiah is supposed to usher in a time of universal peace (lions lying with lambs, all that) and the revival of the dead. That hasn’t happened, therefore the messiah hasn’t come. It’s a simple kind of explanation.
(b) At Mount Sinai, God told Israel how to live a good (holy) life. He didn’t say anything about “belief” in God, let alone belief in Jesus. He did say that the covenant at Sinai and the Rules He handed down were eternal. God doesn’t lie. Therefore, anyone urging that the Rules be ignored (like, say, Paul) is wrong. Again, fairly simple.
OK? Those are the two main point.
Now, further elaboration. (Tom, jump on in at any time.) The earliest Christians were, in fact, Jews who thought Jesus had come to fulfil the messianic expectations. They expected Jesus’ return from death to be imminent, and to bring the messianic era. They didn’t bother to write down or codify their stories about Jesus, because there was no need – he would be here soon to explain everything.
As decades passed and Jesus didn’t return, his followers had an awkward choice:
- Admit that the Jews were right and that Jesus wasn’t the messiah; or
- Reformulate the whole messianic bit to anticipate a second coming.
They chose the latter, and under Paul’s guidance decided to split with Judaism altogether. ::: shrug :::
Jewish ideas of what salvation means and what the messiah means have been shaped by Christianity, as Christianity has been shaped by Judaism. Sometimes the shaping has been a negative reaction, sometimes a following. Medieval Jewish thought about the messianic era relies as much on Christian theology as on classical Judaism.
Much of what Zev and CMKeller have mentioned of Jewish views of the Messiah date from rabbinic times (say, around 100 BC to 200 AD), not from prophetic times (preceding 500 BC). Those ideas were current at the time of the early Christians, and adapted by them; as reactions to the Christian ideas were adapted into rabbinic thought.
One last bit: don’t be confused about Jews for Jesus, who are Christians trying to convert Jews. There are some so-called Messianic Jews, a very small population, that essentially tries to go back to pre-Paul and create a combined Judeo-Christian religion. However, Jews for Jesus is not one of those.
Jewish relations with Rome were rarely cordial. Jewish relations with ancient Greece (in the time of Alexander and after) were often cordial, but Rome was usually viewed as the Enemy. The rabbis of the era told stories about the wickedness of ancient Edom, which was a thinly-veiled metaphor for Rome.
I think I’ve covered everything except the Pink Stuff.
