 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Arabic. (September 2023)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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| Total population | |
|---|---|
| ~185,000 (1.9% of the Israeli population) (2022 estimate) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Israel | |
| Languages | |
| Arabic,English,Hebrew,Modern Aramaic |
Christianity (Hebrew:נצרות,romanized: Natsrút;Arabic:المسيحية,romanized: al-Masīḥiyya;Imperial Aramaic:ܢܘܨܪܝܐ ܕܐܪܥܐ ܕܝܣܪܐܝܠ) is the third largest religion inIsrael, afterJudaism andIslam. At the end of 2022, Christians made up 1.9% of the Israeli population, numbering approximately 185,000. 75.8% of the Christians in Israel areArab Christians. Christians make up 6.9% of theArab-Israeli population.[1]
Ten Christian churches are formally recognized underIsrael's confessional system, for the self-regulation and state recognition of status issues, such asmarriage and divorce: theArmenian Apostolic Church, theArmenian Catholic Church, theChaldean Catholic Church, theEpiscopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, theGreek Orthodox Church, theLatin Catholic Church, theMelkite Greek Catholic Church, theSyriac Catholic Church, theSyriac Maronite Church, and theSyriac Orthodox Church.[2] However, the practice of religion is free, with no restrictions on the practice of other denominations. Approximately 300Christianshave convertedfrom Islam according to one 2014 estimate, and most of them are part of theCatholic Church.[3] About 20,000Israelis practiceMessianic Judaism, usually considered asyncretistform of Christianity.[4][5]
Arab Christians are mostly adherents of theMelkite Greek Catholic Church (60% of Arab Christians in Israel).[6] Some 40% of all Israeli Christians are affiliated with the Melkite Greek Church, and some 30% with theGreek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.[6] Smaller numbers are split between theLatin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, with 13% of Christians, as well as an unknown number ofRussian Orthodox Christians, about 13,000Maronites and other Syriac Christians, 3,000 to 5,000 adherents ofArmenian churches, a community of around 1,000Coptic Christians, and small branches ofProtestants.
Christians in Israel are historically connected with neighbouringLebanese,Syrian, andJordanian Christians. A number of Arab Christians in Israel identify asPalestinian Christians, reflecting shared heritage and ties with Christian communities in theWest Bank,Gaza Strip, andEast Jerusalem. They also maintain connections withPalestinian diaspora and refugee communities, many of whom trace their origins to similar towns and villages in historic Palestine.[7][8] The cities and communities where most Christians in Israel reside areHaifa,Nazareth,Shefa-Amr,Jish,Mi'ilya,Fassuta andKafr Yasif.[9] The Christian communities in Israel run numerousschools, colleges, hospitals, clinics, orphanages, homes for the elderly,dormitories, family and youth centers,hotels, and guesthouses.[10] The Christian community in Israel is one of the few growing Christian populations in the Middle East.[11][12] Israeli Arab Christians generally havehigher educational achievements and enjoy higher incomes than their Druze and Muslim counterparts.[10][13][14][15] Although Arab Christians in Israel often report higher educational attainment and household income compared with other Arab groups, they also face social and economic challenges including employment discrimination, harassment of Christian institutions, significantly lower fertility rates, and concern about emigration among younger members.[16][17][18][19]
Early Christianity is generally reckoned byChurch historians to begin with theministry of Jesus (c. 27–30) and end with theFirst Council of Nicaea (325). It is typically divided into two periods: theApostolic Age (c. 30–100, when the first apostles were still alive) and theAnte-Nicene Period (c. 100–325).[20] Driven by a universalist logic, Christianity has been, from its beginnings, a missionary faith with global aspirations.[21][22] It first spread through theJewish diaspora[23][24] along the trade and travel routes followed by merchants, soldiers, and migrating tribes.[25][26][27] It achievedcritical mass in the years between 150 and 250 when it moved from fewer than 50,000 adherents to over a million. This provided enough adopters for its growth rate to beself-sustaining.[26][27]
Christianity originated in1st-centuryJudea from a sect ofapocalypticJewish Christians within the realm ofSecond Temple Judaism.[28][29][30][31][32] The basic tenets of the Jewish religion during this era wereethical monotheism and theTorah, or theMosaic Law.[33] In this period, theSecond Temple ofJerusalem was still central to Judaism, butsynagogues were also established as institutions forprayer and the reading of Jewish sacred texts.[34] TheHebrew Bible developed during theSecond Temple Period, as the Jews decided which religious texts were of divine origin; theMasoretic Text, compiled by theJewish scribes and scholars of theEarly Middle Ages, comprises theHebrew andAramaic 24 books that they considered authoritative.[35]
TheHellenized Greek-speakingJews of Alexandria produced a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible called "theSeptuagint", that included books later identified as theApocrypha, while theSamaritans produced their own edition of the Torah, theSamaritan Pentateuch; according to the Dutch–Israeli biblical scholar and linguistEmanuel Tov, professor of Bible Studies at theHebrew University of Jerusalem, both of these ancient editions of the Hebrew Bible differ significantly from the medieval Masoretic Text.[35] Currently, all the main non-Protestant (Roman Catholic,Eastern Orthodox, andOriental Orthodox)Christian denominations accept as canonical theDeuterocanonical books, which were excluded from the modernHebrew Bible and theProtestant Bible.[36] The Septuagint was influential on early Christianity as it was theHellenistic Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible primarily used by the1st-centuryChristian authors.[34]
Thereligious,social, andpolitical climate of 1st-centuryRoman Judea and its neighbouringprovinces was extremely diverse and constantly characterized by socio-political turmoil,[28][37][38] with numerous Judaic movements that were both religious and political.[39] The ancientRoman–Jewish historianFlavius Josephus described the four most prominent sects within Second Temple Judaism:Pharisees,Sadducees,Essenes, and an unnamed "fourth philosophy",[40] which modern historians recognize to be theZealots andSicarii.[41] The 1st century BC and 1st century AD had numerous charismatic religious leaders contributing to what would become theMishnah ofRabbinic Judaism, including the Jewish sagesYohanan ben Zakkai andHanina ben Dosa.Jewish messianism, and the Jewish Messiah concept, has itsroots in theapocalyptic literature produced between the 2nd century BC and the 1st century BC,[42] promising a future "anointed" leader (messiah or king) from theDavidic line to resurrect theIsraelite Kingdom of God, in place of the foreign rulers of the time.[28]
The main sources of information regardingJesus' life andteachings are the fourcanonical gospels, and to a lesser extent theActs of the Apostles and thePauline epistles. According to the Gospels, Jesus is theSon of God, who wascrucifiedc. AD 30–33 inJerusalem.[28] His followers believed that he wasraised from the dead and exalted by God, heralding the comingKingdom of God.[28]
The Apostolic Age is named after theApostles and their missionary activities. It holds special significance in Christian tradition as the age of the direct apostles of Jesus. Aprimary source for the Apostolic Age is theActs of the Apostles, butits historical accuracy has been debated and its coverage is partial, focusing especially from Acts 15[43] onwards on the ministry ofPaul, and ending around 62 AD with Paul preaching inRome underhouse arrest.
The earliest followers ofJesus were a sect ofapocalypticJewish Christians within the realm ofSecond Temple Judaism.[28][44][45][46][47] The early Christian groups were strictly Jewish, such as theEbionites,[44] and the early Christian community inJerusalem, led byJames the Just, brother of Jesus.[48] According to Acts 9,[49] they described themselves as "disciples of the Lord" and [followers] "of the Way", and according to Acts 11,[50] a settled community of disciples atAntioch were the first to be called "Christians". Some of the early Christian communities attractedGod-fearers, i.e. Greco-Roman sympathizers which made an allegiance to Judaism but refused to convert and therefore retained their Gentile (non-Jewish) status, who already visited Jewish synagogues.[51][52] The inclusion of Gentiles posed a problem, as they could not fully observe theHalakha. Saul of Tarsus, commonly known asPaul the Apostle, persecuted the early Jewish Christians, thenconverted and started his mission among the Gentiles.[51] The main concern ofPaul's letters is the inclusion of Gentiles into God'sNew Covenant, sending the message thatfaith in Christ is sufficient forsalvation.[51][53][54] Because of this inclusion of Gentiles, early Christianity changed its character and graduallygrew apart from Judaism during the first two centuries of the Christian Era.[51] The fourth-century church fathers Eusebius and Epiphanius of Salamis cite a tradition that before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 the Jerusalem Christians had been warned toflee to Pella in the region of the Decapolis across the Jordan River.[55]
In contrast to other groups of Christians in the Near East such as the largelyAssyrianNestorians, the vast majority of Christians in Judea (later renamedSyria Palaestina) were under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the emperors of the Roman Empire and laterEastern Roman Empire, as well as theEcumenical Patriarchate after theCouncil of Chalcedon in 451 AD (which would be part of theEastern Orthodox Church after theGreat Schism), and were known by otherSyrian Christians asMelkites (followers of the king).[57]Helena, mother of Constantine I was responsible for the beautification or construction of theChurch of the Nativity inBethlehem, and theChurch of Eleona on theMount of Olives; sites of Christ's birth and ascension, respectively.[58] The Melkites, during the late Roman period and under the Byzantine Empire wereHellenized, and abandonedWestern Aramaic languages in favor ofGreek. By the 7th century,Jerusalem and the Byzantine province ofSyria Palaestina had become major centers of Greek and Christian culture in the Orient.[57]
Due to theArab Muslim invasions of the Middle East (7th–11th centuries), Christians living in the region underwent a gradual process ofArabization in which they abandonedAramaic andGreek in favor ofArabic.[59][57] The Melkites began abandoning Greek forArabic, a process which made them the most Arabicized Christians in the Levant.[57] Most ArabGhassanids remained Christian and joinedMelkite andSyriac communities within what is nowJordan,Israel,Palestine,Syria, andLebanon.[60]
The 11th-century Melkitebishop of GazaSulayman al-Ghazzi holds a unique place in the history of Arab Christian literature as author of the firstdiwan of Christian religious poetry in Arabic. His poems give insights into the life ofPalestinian Christians and thereligious persecution they suffered under the rule ofFatimid caliphal-Hakim (r. 996–1021).[61]
During theEarly Middle Ages, theHoly Land was the scene ofseveral military conflicts between Christians and Muslims. In 1081, following the Byzantines' confrontation with theSeljuk Turks and the fear of Turkish expansion inAsia Minor, theByzantine Emperor sought aid fromWestern Christendom. The emperorAlexios I Komnenos askedPope Urban II for help; the latter proposed a holy war, theFirst Crusade in 1096. The call for a crusade gained momentum, promisingindulgences for sins. Despite conflicts with the Byzantine leadership, theycaptured Antioch (1098) and eventuallyJerusalem (1099). The conquests were marked by brutality and savagery against Muslims and Jews.
TheSecond Crusade (1147–1148) followed a generation later and aimed to recover lost territories. It faced internal strife and external betrayals, and resulted in failure. TheThird Crusade (1189–1193) was in response to Saladin's recapture of Jerusalem. Notable European leaders likeRichard the Lion-heart fought in the Crusader, however they failed to recapture Jerusalem.[62] TheFourth Crusade (1201–1204), initiated byPope Innocent III, it faced financial and organizational challenges. Deviating from their intended path, the Crusaders sackedZara andConstantinople, causing lasting damage to the Byzantine Empire. The Crusaders' actions accelerated the decline of the Byzantine Christians in the Eastern Mediterranean.[62]
Since they are considered "People of the Book" in theIslamic religion, Christians under Muslim rule were subjected to the status ofdhimmi (along withJews,Samaritans,Gnostics,Mandeans, andZoroastrians), which was inferior to the status of Muslims.[63][64][65] Christians and other religious minorities thus facedreligious discrimination andpersecution in that they were banned fromproselytising (for Christians, it was forbidden toevangelize or spread Christianity) in the muslim lands, they were banned from bearing arms, undertaking elite professions, and were obligated to dress differently in order to distinguish themselves from Arabs.[64] Under theIslamic law (sharīʿa),[63] Non-Muslims were obligated to pay thejizya (usually much less than wealth tax ofzakat and the exemption of some people, like women and children etc.) andkharaj taxes like muslims[64][65] together with periodicransom levied upon Christian communities by Muslim rulers in order to fund the wars happening, all of which contributed a significant proportion of income to the muslim states[64]under the ottoman rule sometimes chirstians would send their children to join the janissary corp in return for tax exemption, if a dhimmi joined the army they don't have to pay tax
Under theOttoman Empire, Christians and Jews were treated asdhimmi, i.e. Non-Muslim subjects.[63] They were granted the freedom to practice their religion under certain conditions, and were given a level of communal autonomy as outlined in theMillet system.[63][66] Religious communities falling under thedhimmi category were required to pay thejizya andkharaj taxes to the islamic state[64][66] Furthermore,dhimmi were bound by specific rules that didn't apply to Muslim citizens, including the prohibition from attempting to convert Muslims to their religious faith.[63][66]
The territory of present-day Israel came under control of theUnited Kingdom following thedefeat and collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of theFirst World War. The British established an administration in the region calledMandatory Palestine. Following theBalfour Declaration (1917) and the visit of theZionist Commission to Mandatory Palestine (1918), local Christians participated in forming groups whichopposed Zionism, called "Muslim-Christian Associations".[citation needed]
During the1948 Palestine war,[67]Palestinian Christians they were directly affected by the war and the creation of thestate of Israel with what is called the "nakba" or disaster for thePalestinians. Generally, mostChristians were expelled like Muslims from the territory that is now Israel, especially in the main cities andWest Jerusalem, but some were allowed to remain in their homes, especially in the lower, central andUpper Galilee, because theGalilee region was conquered at the end of the war, the area was less strategic,Israel needed Arab human resources in the Galilee, and the international pressure that was visible at that time there. Four Christian villages were depopulated, razed, and had their residents expelled, such asAl-Bassa,Iqrit,Al-Mansura andKafr Bir'im.[68] Massacres of Christians were conducted at the villages ofEilabun andAl-Bassa.Nazareth, at that time a town with a Christian majority,[69] was spared devastation after agreeing to halt resistance and surrender, and because Israel did not want to visibly provoke an outcry in theChristian world.[70]
According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since thereunification of Jerusalem after theSix-Day War (1967), the Christian as well as Jewish and Islamic holy sites were opened for multinational pilgrims by the Israeli authorities for the first time since 1948, when theKingdom of Jordan took over the eastern half of the city.[71]
The Christian population in Israel has increased with the immigration of manymixed families from theformer Soviet Union (1989 to late 1990s), and through the influx of approximately 7,000Christian Maronitesfrom Lebanon in 2000. Recently, a further increase in Christianity came with arrival of many foreign workers and asylum seekers, some of Christian background (for instancefrom the Philippines,Eritrea,Ethiopia, andSouth Sudan). As a result, numerous churches have opened inTel Aviv.[72] As of 2013[update], theGovernment - Christians Forum was formed in Jerusalem byMordechai Zaken, head of the Minorities Affairs Desk at theMinistry of Public Security, to address the concerns of Christians as a minority group. Since many of these Christians are Catholic, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem created a vicariate to serve their particular needs, and has lobbied on their behalf. Speaking toAid to the Church in Need, Sister Gabriele Penka, administrator of the vicariate summed up the complexity of their situation. "Israel tells them that they have to work and show a payslip to obtain a visa, but at the same time, Israel will not officially declare that they have the right to work. They are told they need a payslip, but it is almost impossible to get one with no documents. We went to all the ministries related to this, and no one was able to give us a straight answer about what the legal status of these people is."[73]
A 2021 survey by CBS found that 84% of Christians were satisfied with life in Israel. The survey also found Arab Christian women were the most educated demographic in Israel.[15] Concern was expressed by the patriarchs, however, over extremist groups in Israeli society.[15] In 2023, the Latin Patriarch—the head of the Latin Church in the Holy Land—alleged that a shift towardfar-right politics under the premiership ofBenjamin Netanyahu led to greater attacks on Christians.[74] The President of Israel,Isaac Herzog, and the Israeli chief of police condemned the violence against Christians.[75] The Israeli police chief stated the police conducted operations to "eradicate" the phenomena.[75] However, Christians have said they do not necessarily feel protected by authorities[74][76][77] and a study by the Jerusalem-based Rossing Center, published in 2025, found that attacks had increased.[78]
In March 2023, Knesset legislatorsMoshe Gafni andYaakov Asher submitted a bill that would have banned theproselytizing of Christianity in Israel.[79][80][81] Due to an uproar fromEvangelical Christians inAmerica, who generallysupport Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that the bill would not move forward.[82]
The issue of taxation remains a complex and controversial topic in Israel. Occasionally municipal authorities send churches bills for unpaid taxes and threaten legal action, while Churches continue to claim that they should be exempt. Attempts to solve the issue politically remain stalled.
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Six of theparticular churches of theCatholic Church have jurisdiction within Israel: theMelkite Greek Catholic Church (the largest Catholic church in Israel),[6][83] theLatin Church (the dominant Catholic church worldwide), theArmenian Catholic Church, theChaldean Catholic Church, theSyriac Catholic Church and theMaronite Church. According to 2020 estimates, Catholics make up more than half of all Christians in Israel.[84] The majority are of Arab descent, while there is a small community ofHebrew Catholics.[85]
Around 30% of Christians in Israel are adherents of theEastern Orthodox Church,[6] mostly to theGreek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which has jurisdiction over all Israel and Palestine. Eastern Orthodox Christians in Israel and Palestine have many churches, monasteries, seminaries, and other religious institutions all over the land, particularly in Jerusalem. Israel also has many followers of theRussian Orthodox Church, mainly throughinterfaith marriages and immigration from the formerSoviet Union (1989–1990s).
Oriental Orthodoxy in Israel is represented mainly by adherents of theArmenian Apostolic Church, represented by theArmenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and adherents of theSyriac Orthodox Church.[86]
Since thefoundation of the State of Israel in 1948, there has been a smallProtestant community, composed of bothArab Christians, who changed their religious affiliation to Protestant teachings, and European and American residents moving to the area, and divided inseveral denominations. According to 2020 estimates, Protestants make up less than one in ten of Christians in Israel.[84]
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TheEpiscopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East is aprovince of theAnglican Communion,[87] whoseBishop of Jerusalem has its seat in theSt. George's Cathedral of Jerusalem. Other prominent Episcopal churches in the Holy Land include theChrist Church in Jerusalem (built in 1849, it is inside theJaffa Gate of the contested Old City of Jerusalem) and theChrist Church inNazareth (built in 1871); they were both built during theOttoman rule of the Holy Land.[88] The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East counts 35,000 members, scattered all over the region while the Diocese of Jerusalem counts 7,000 members and 29 congregations.[89]
TheAssociation of Baptist Churches in Israel, established in 1965,[90] is part of theBaptist World Alliance, the home mission for Baptist churches in Israel and the "largest network of evangelical churches in the country", counting 18 churches, 1000 baptized members and a community of 3000 people.[91] The Baptist Village (Kfar HaBaptistim), north ofPetah Tikva, was established in 1955 as a farming community with "a boarding school for orphans ... now used mainly for conferences and camps."[92]
TheEvangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land is aLutherandenomination, part of theLutheran World Federation, that has congregations also inJordan andState of Palestine. First recognized as an autonomous religious community byKingHussein of Jordan in 1959,[93] the church currently has 2,500 members[94] and six congregations.[95] The cathedral church is theLutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem, where the Bishop has its seat and that is the only congregation in Israel.
TheMessianic Jewish movement, usually considered asyncretistform of Christianity, emerged in theUnited States in the 1960s.[4][5] The number of Messianic Jews in Israel is estimated at around 20,000.[96][97] In 2006, there were at least twelve Messianic congregations in Jerusalem.[98] On 23 February 2007, IsraeliChannel 2 released a news documentary about the growing number of Messianic Jews in Israel.[99]
Messianic Jewsare not consideredbona-fide Jews under Israel'sLaw of Return.[100] (See also:Rufeisen v. Minister of the Interior). The Law of Return stipulates that aJew is someone with aJewish mother or someone who hasconverted to Judaism and is not a member of another religion.[101] TheIsraeli Chief Rabbinate requires documents proving the Jewishness of one's mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother when applying formarriage.[102] The BritishOffice of the Chief Rabbi (OCR) has underlined the basic principle that a child is not recognised by the OCR and other bodies as Jewish unless their mother is Jewish, or they underwent a conversion recognized by the body.[103]
Jehovah's Witnesses have been present for decades in Israel. By 1999 it was estimated there were about 850 Jehovah's Witnesses in Israel.[104] In 2020, there were 1,957 active members, organised in 31congregations, while 3,653 people attended the annual celebration ofLord's Evening Meal.[105] Israeli JW congregants have faced some religious persecution in the past century: for instance, in March 1997, a mob of over 250ultra-orthodox Jews attacked one of their meeting halls.[104]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is present in Israel with 338 members and three congregations.[106][107] Israeli LDS congregants hold theirSabbath services on Saturday.[108] In 1989 theBrigham Young University, sponsored by the LDS Church, established the satellite campusBYU Jerusalem Center onMount of Olives inEast Jerusalem.[109]
Hebrew-speakers call ChristiansNotzri (also romanizedNotsri), which meansNazarene (originated from Nazareth).[110] The word is cognate to the ArabicNasrani.
TheIsraeli Declaration of Independence, issued in 1948, describes the country as aJewish state but extends religious freedoms to its inhabitants by stating that the State of Israel will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions.[111][112]
Someultra-Orthodox Jews have been reported to have a decades-old practice of cursing and spitting on Christian clergymen inJerusalem,[113][114] and there have been cases where churches and cemeteries were defaced byprice taggers.[115][116][117][118] When the doors of theLatrunTrappist monastery were set aflame and the phrase "Jesus was a monkey" was painted on its walls in September 2012, theVatican reacted with a rare official complaint against the Israeli government's inaction.[119] In June 2015, an auxiliary building[120] of theChurch of the Multiplication was significantly damaged by an arson attack and its walls defaced by Hebrew graffiti, bearing the words "the false gods will be eliminated" (quoted from theAleinu prayer).[121][122] This attack was labelled as "terrorism" by Israeli officials.[122] In June and July 2023, Jewish extremists repeatedly stormed a Catholic church and monastery in Haifa, leading to protests by the local Christians and clashes at the site between them and the extremists.[123][124][125] From 2018 to 2023, a total of 157 attacks on Christian sanctities in Israel by extremist Jews were documented.[126] Both before and during theGaza war, Israeli settlers conducted violent attacks andarson inTaybeh, the last remaining majority Christian village in theWest Bank.[127][128]
Gabriel Naddaf argues that Israel is the only country in which Christian communities have been able to thrive in the Middle East.[129] However, there has also been criticism byPalestinian Christians of this claim, with such statements being called a "manipulation" of the facts.[130] Members of the Palestinian Christian community claim that such statements attempt to hide the discrimination that Arab Christians face within Israel due to alleged discrimination against Arabs as well as the effect of the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza on the Christian population in these areas.[131]
Recently, there has been a steady undercurrent of Arab Christians who seek deeper integration into Israeli society. Under the leadership of Greek Orthodox priestGabriel Naddaf,United Allies is a political party that advocates Christian enlistment in theIsrael Defense Forces and a more distinct societal separation of Christians from Muslims.[132] This separation is partly based on the purported fact that Christians in Israel are not technically Arabs, seeing as they were present in the holy land long before the Arab conquest, hallmarked by theSiege of Jerusalem. This distinction is in the process of being formalized into law, as theLikud government is currently drafting legislation to grant this request.[133]
This new attitude is founded largely by the perception by some that only in Israel the Christian population is growing due to natural increase and no state persecution, seeing the entire Middle East, except Lebanon, as where Christianity is and has been rapidly on the decline. In addition, increasing numbers of Christian leaders and community members are pointing to Muslim violence as a threat to their way of life in Arab majority cities and towns.[134]Sons of the New Testament as a party and a national movement has been met with wide admiration from the Jews of Israel, harshly negative scorn from the Muslim Arabs, and mixed reactions from the Christians themselves. Because of Israel's parliamentary system where each party must attain at least 2% of the popular vote, Sons of the New Testament must be supported by non-Christians to enter theKnesset. In its strongest performance since it began contesting elections in 2019, the party's received a total of 677 votes, or 0.01% of the vote, in the2020 Israeli legislative election. In the2022 Israeli legislative election, the party received 234 votes.
In 2008,Shlomo Riskin, thechief rabbi ofEfrat, established theCenter for Jewish–Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC), the first Orthodox Jewish institution to dialogue with the Christian world on a religious and theological basis. The center, currently located inJerusalem, engages in Hebraic Bible Study for Christians, from both the local community and from abroad, has organized numerous interfaith praise initiatives, such asDay to Praise, and has established many fund-raising initiatives such asBlessing Bethlehem which aim to aid thepersecuted Christian community ofBethlehem, in part, and the largerpersecuted Christian population of the Middle East region and throughout the world.[citation needed]
A 2012 survey indicated that Christians in Israel were prosperous and well-educated, but some feared that Muslim intimidation would provoke an exodus to the West.[135] The Christian communities in Nazareth tend to be wealthier and better educated compared to other Arabs elsewhere in Israel, and Christians in Nazareth occupy the majority of the top positions in the town: three hospitals and bank managers, judges and school principals and faculties.[136] The socio-economic gap between the Christians' wealth and Muslims' poverty led sometimes to sectarian crises.[137]
Recently there has been an increase of anti-Christian incidents in the Nazareth area, inspired by the rise of jihadist forces in the Middle East. Many Christians have complained of being targeted by Muslims, whom they believe are trying to either drive them out of cities that have traditionally had large Christian populations, or to "persuade" them to convert.[135] In 1999, for example, radical Muslims in Nazareth rioted as they attempted to wrest land from a major Christian shrine to build a mosque.[135] In one incident during 2014, a flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was installed in front of a church in Nazareth.[138]
There has also been increasing incitement and violence by the Muslims against Christians who voice their support for the Israel Defense Forces. In a recent case, the son of Gabriel Naddaf, a prominent Eastern Orthodox priest who is regarded as being pro-Israel, was severely beaten. Naddaf has experienced considerable hostility from Muslims in recent years.[139][140]
A 2015 study estimated that some 300 Christians were from a Muslim background in Israel.[141]
A 2016 study[142] byPew research points to the convergence of political views of both Muslims and Christians over issues like– Israel cannot be a Jewish state and a democracy at the same time (Christians: 72%; Muslims: 63%), US being too supportive of Israel (Christians: 86%; Muslims: 75%), Israeli government not making enough efforts to make peace with Palestine (Christians: 80%; Muslims: 72%).
Israel has a population of 182,000 Christians. As of 2021, it was the only growing Christian community in the Middle East.[11][12] In 2019, 77.5% of Christians in Israel were Arab Christians, representing 7.2% of the totalArab population in the country.[143]
Christian schools in Israel are among the best schools in the country, and while those schools represent only 4% of the Arab schooling sector, about 34% ofArab university students come from Christian schools,[145] and about 87% of theIsraeli Arabs in thehigh tech sector have been educated in Christian schools.[146][147]
In 2012, theIsrael Central Bureau of Statistics noted that when taking into account the data recorded over the years, Arab Christians fared the best in terms of education in comparison to any other group receiving an education in Israel.[148] In 2016 Arab Christians had the highest rates of success atmatriculation examinations, namely 73.9%, both in comparison to Muslim andDruze Israelis (41% and 51.9% respectively), and to the students from the different branches of theHebrew (majorityJewish) education system considered as one group (55.1%).[149][150]
According to various reports, Arab Christians are one of the most educated groups in Israel.[15][151][152][153] According to data from theIsrael Central Bureau of Statistics (2023), Arab Christians in Israel have one of the highest levels of educational attainment among all religious communities.[15] Specifically, 55% of Arab Christians have completedcollege degree orpostgraduate education.[154] According to data from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (2019), Arab Christian students were less likely than their Arab Muslim counterparts to pursue fields such asteacher training,business, or paramedical studies. However, a higher proportion of Arab Christian students chose to study fields such aslaw,medicine,computer sciences,mathematics,engineering andarchitecture.[155] In 2023, the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics revealed that Arab Christian women were the most highly educated demographic in Israel.[15]
According to a 2016 study by thePew Research Center, 33% of Jews (based on a sample of 3,020) have a college degree (ranging from 13% forHaredi to 45% forHiloni), compared to 18% for Christians (based on a sample of 375).[156][157]
The percentage of Arab Christian women who attend institutions of higher education is also higher than that of other groups.[158] The rate of students studying in the field ofmedicine was higher among Christian Arab students than that of all other sectors.[159] In 2013, Arab Christian students were also the vanguard in terms of eligibility forhigher education,[148] as the Christian Arab students had the highest rates of receivingPsychometric Entrance Test scores which make them eligible for acceptance into universities, data from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics show that 61% of Arab Christians were eligible for university studies, compared to 50% of Jewish, 45% of Druze, and 35% of Muslim students.[160]
In terms of their socio-economic situation, Arab Christians are more similar to the Jewish population than to the Muslim Arab population.[161] They have the lowest incidence of poverty and the lowest percentage of unemployment which is 4.9% compared to 6.5% among Jewish men and women.[162] They have also the highestmedian household income amongArab citizens of Israel and second highest median household income among the Israeli ethno-religious groups.[163] Arab Christians also have a high presentation inscience and in thewhite collar professions.[164] In Israel, Arab Christians are portrayed as a hard-working andupper-middle-class educatedethno-religious minority. According to study the majority of Christians in Israel (68.2 per cent) are employed in the service sector, i.e. banks, insurance companies, schools, tourism, hospitals etc.[10]
| Hadash | 35% | |||
| Balad | 14% | |||
| Israeli Labor Party | 9% | |||
| Meretz | 6% | |||
| Ra'am | 4% | |||
| Kadima | 2% | |||
| Yesh Atid | 2% | |||
| Yisrael Beytenu | 1% | |||
| No party | 26% | |||
In 2019, approximately 70.2% of Arab Christians resided in theNorthern District, 13.3% in theHaifa District, 9.5% in theJerusalem District, 3.4% in theCentral District, 2.7% in theTel Aviv District and 0.5% in theSouthern District.[166] Approximately 23.5% of Non-Arab Christians resided in theTel Aviv District, 19.4% in theHaifa District, 17.5% in theCentral District, 14.4% in theNorthern District, 14.3% in theSouthern District and 9.8% in theJerusalem District.[167]
Nazareth has the largest Christian Arab population, followed byHaifa.[166] The majority of Haifa's Arab minority is Christian.[168] The Christian Arab communities in Nazareth and Haifa tend to be wealthier and better educated compared to Arabs elsewhere in Israel.[169][137] Arab Christians also live in a number of other localities in theGalilee; such asAbu Snan,Arraba,Bi'ina,Deir Hanna,I'billin,Jadeidi-Makr,Kafr Kanna,Muqeible,Ras al-Ein,Reineh,Sakhnin,Shefa-Amr,Tur'an andYafa an-Naseriyye.[170]
Localities such asEilabun,Jish,Kafr Yasif andRameh are predominantly Christian,[9] and nearly all residents ofFassuta andMi'ilya areMelkiteChristians.[171] Some Druze villages, such asDaliyat al-Karmel,[172]Ein Qiniyye,Hurfeish,Isfiya,Kisra-Sumei,Maghar,Majdal Shams andPeki'in, have small Christian Arab populations.[173] Mixed cities such asAcre,Jerusalem,Lod,Ma'alot-Tarshiha,Nof HaGalil,Ramla andTel Aviv-Jaffa have significant Christian Arab populations.[173]
| Northern District | Haifa District | Jerusalem District | Tel Aviv | Central District | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | Christian population | % of total pop. | Data from: | City | Christian population | % of total pop. | Data from: | City | Christian population | % of total pop. | Data from: | City | Christian population | % of total pop. | Data from: | City | Christian population | % of total pop. | Data from: |
| Nazareth | 21,900 | 28.6% | 2018 | Haifa | 20,000:(of them 16.100 Arab Chr.) | 7.1% | 2018 | Jerusalem | 16,000:(of them 12.700 Arab Chr.) | 1.8% | 2018 | Tel Aviv | 7,000:(majority of them non-Arab Chr.) | 1% | 2018 | Ramla | 3,500 | 4.7% | 2019[176] |
| Shefa-'Amr | 10,300 | 25.1% | 2018 | Isfiya | 1,700 | 13.7% | 2019[177] | Lod | 800 | 1.0% | 2019[178] | ||||||||
| Nof HaGalil | 7,500 | 18.1% | 2019[179] | Daliyat al-Karmel | 17 | 0.1% | 2017[172] | ||||||||||||
| I'billin | 5,600 | 42.8% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Kafr Yasif | 5,200 | 52.2% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Maghar | 4,700 | 21.0% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Acre | 4,235 | 8.5% | 2019[180] | ||||||||||||||||
| Eilabun | 4,000 | 70.8% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Rameh | 3,800 | 50.0% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Yafa an-Naseriyye | 3,500 | 18.5% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Mi'ilya | 3,200 | 97.4% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Fassuta | 3,100 | 99.8% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Reineh | 2,900 | 15.4% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Kafr Kanna | 2,200 | 10.1% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Abu Snan | 2,100 | 15.4% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Ma'alot-Tarshiha | 2,100 | 10.1% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Jish | 1,900 | 63.5% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Tur'an | 1,600 | 11.4% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Sakhnin | 1,600 | 5.2% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Jadeidi-Makr | 1,520 | 7.2% | 2019[181] | ||||||||||||||||
| Peki'in | 1,222 | 20.8% | 2019[182] | ||||||||||||||||
| Deir Hanna | 1,000 | 10.0% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Bi'ina | 600 | 7.4% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Kisra-Sumei | 317 | 3.6% | 2019[181] | ||||||||||||||||
| Arraba | 310 | 1.2% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Muqeible | 220 | 10.0% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Hurfeish | 200 | 3.2% | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Yarka | 17 | 0.1% | 2019[183] | ||||||||||||||||
| Majdal Shams | 11 | 0.1% | 2019[184] | ||||||||||||||||
| Ein Qiniyye | 10 | 0.5% | 2019[185] | ||||||||||||||||
Christians in Israel are generally more religious than Israeli Jews and Druze. Over half (57%) say religion is very important in their lives.[186] About one third (34%) pray daily and 38% report that theyattend church at least once a week.[186] Israeli Christians also are more likely than Jews and Druze to participate in weekly worship services.[186] Nearly all (94%) Israeli Christians believe inGod, of whom 79% say they are absolutely certain.[186]
According to aPew Research Center survey conducted in 2015, 60% of Christians in Israelfast duringLent,[187] Most (81%) also said that they haveicons of saints or other holy figures in their home. Of them, 83% claimed that their icons were anointed withholy oil.[187] The survey also found that the majority of Israeli Christians (89%) say theBible is the word of God, of whom 65% believe that the Bible should be takenliterally.[187] 33% of Christians believe that Jesus will return during their lifetime, which was similar to the number of Muslims who held that belief (33%).[187]
The majority of Christians are not comfortable with their child marrying outside of the faith.[187]
Christians in Israel are more likely than Jews, Muslims, and Druze to say they are proud of their identity.[188] About 89% say they have a strong sense of belonging to the Christian community.[188] Two thirds believe that they have a special responsibility to help fellow members of their religious group who are in need around the world.[188]
The nature of Christian identity varies among Christians as well. Christians in Israel are about evenly divided among those who say their identity is mainly a matter of religion (31%),[188] those who say being Christian is mainly aboutancestry and/orculture (34%) and those who say their identity is characterized by a combination ofreligion andancestry/culture (34%).[188]
In September 2014, Minister of the InteriorGideon Sa'ar instructed thePIBA to recognizeArameans as an ethnicity separate fromIsraeli Arabs.[189][190] Under the Ministry of the Interior's guidance, people born into Christian families or clans who have either Aramaic or Maronite cultural heritage within their family are eligible to register as Arameans. About 200 Christian families were thought to be eligible prior to this decision.[191] According to an August 9, 2013Israel Hayom article, at that time an estimated 10,500 persons were eligible to receive Aramean ethnic status according to the new regulation, including 10,000Maronites (which included 2,000 formerSLA members) and 500Syriac Catholics.[192]
The first person to receive the "Aramean" ethnic status in Israel was 2 year old Yaakov Halul inJish on October 20, 2014.[193]
Another milestone in recognizing the Aramean minority as a distinct culture in Israel was made by the Israeli Supreme Court in 2019, which ruled that the Aramean minority could choose Jewish or Arab education, rather than making children with Aramean identity to be automatically designated to Arabic-language schools.[194]
The recognition of theAramean ethnicity led to mixed reactions among Israeli minorities, the Christian community, and among the general Arab Israeli population. While some celebrated the success of their long legal struggle to be recognized as a non-Arab ethnic minority, other members of the Arab community in Israel denounced it as an attempt to divide Arab Christians.[195] Representatives of theGreek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem officially denounced the move.[195]
Many in Israeli academia advocate the recognition of the Aramean identity and have called on the government of Israel to promote the awareness regarding this issue on the basis of the international principle of ethnic self-determination as espoused byWilson's 14 points.[196] One of the staunchest supporters of the recognition of the Aramean identity is Gabriel Naddaf, who is one of the leaders of the Christians in Israel. He advocated on behalf of his Aramean followers and thanked the Interior Ministry's decision as a "historic move".[197]
![Geographical distribution of the Arabic-speaking Christian population of Israel by statistical area.[198]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aIsraeli_Arab-speaking_Christians.jpg)
![Geographical distribution of the Non-Arabic-speaking Christian population of Israel by statistical area.[198]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aIsraeli_Non-Arab_Christians.jpg)
![Geographical distribution of the main ethno-cultural communities Haifa and Northern districts[198]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGeographycal_distribution_of_the_main_ethno-cultural_communities_Haifa_and_Northern_districts.jpg)
TheJews have cause to worry becauseEvangelicals are active on both fronts,promoting support for the State of Israel, andevangelizing the Jews at the same time. While theIsraeli government eagerly accepts public support of Evangelicals and courts the leaders of theNew Christian Right, many Jews bitterly condemn Christian proselytism and try their best to restrict the activities of missionaries in Israel. "Jews for Jesus" and other Christian Jewish groups in Israel have become especially effective in evangelizing, often with the support of foreign Evangelicals. It is not surprising that Jewish leaders, both in theUnited States andIsrael, react strongly to "Jews for Jesus" and the whole"Messianic Jewish" movement, whose concern is to promote awareness among the Jews as to God's real plans for humanity andthe need to accept Jesus as a Savior. In this respect,Gershom Gorenberg lamented the fact that "people who see Israel through the lens ofEndtimes prophecy are questionable allies, whose support should be elicited only in the last resort. In the long run, their apocalyptic agenda has no room for Israel as a normal country."
Christians have, on average, higher educational achievements, marry at an older age, have fewer children, and enjoy larger income... Druze and Muslims share many cultural patterns, and they have a similar socioeconomic standing, but while Druze males have to serve in the military, Muslim men (as well as Christian) do not.
The ante-Nicene age ... is the natural transition from the Apostolic age to the Nicene age.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)In the mid-7th century the population of Palestine was predominantly Christian, mostly Palestinian Aramaic-speaking Christian peasants who continued to speak the language of Jesus under Islam.
Late Antiquity - Bowersock/Brown/Grabar.
Internationally, according to the1947 United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution 181, the UN accepted a plan for thepartition of Palestine into two states: one Jewish, one Palestinian, each with its own designated territory. Despite the eventual outcomes of the1948 war and theestablishment of a single State of Israel, separation into two states remained the internationally agreed-upon vision in the well-known two-state solution to theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict, which requires separation to maintain a viablePalestinian state. Internally, Israel identifies itself as a sovereign state within the1949 green line in which theWB and theGS were not included. Following the1967 occupation, Israel chose to refrain from annexation of the OPT and to control the area and its population as a nonsovereign territory that is referred to as "administered" (according to the mainstream official Israeli position) or "occupied" (according to other official positions and Israeli and international legal institutions). Theinternational law of occupation requires the OPT to remain a separate political and legal unit and views annexation as unlawful, regardless of the envisioned political solution to the conflict, which is why we call this the separation paradigm (and not the two-state paradigm). The formal separation is not only territorial but also legal and organizational, and it has been maintained by the military government of the OPT, including the military management of courts and prisons, enabling Israel to argue that it is abstaining from annexation and is therefore abiding by international law.
... most of those living in Christian localities in the Galilee were able to stay put in this part of the homeland – although there are exceptional cases, such asIqrit andKafr Bir'im, whose inhabitants were forced to evacuate their villages and were not allowed to return home.
Printed sources
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