Times of Refreshing: What do "Messianic," "Hebrew Roots," and "Torah-Observant" Mean?

In order to understand the terms Messianic, Hebrew Roots, and Torah-Observant, it is helpful first to clarify the meaning of two other terms, Christian and Judaism.

Many individuals who call themselves "Christian" really have no idea what the word Christian, or the word Christ, specifically mean, other than that they are related to "Jesus Christ" in the Bible. But is "Christ" the "last name" of Jesus, just as Smith is the last name of Joe Smith?

The English Bible translations of the New Testament were made from Greek writings. The Greek word translated as Christ is Christos. It is a word that means "The Anointed One," and comes from the Greek word chrio, which means "to smear or rub with oil, that is, (by implication) to consecrate to an office or religious service."

To "anoint" some one or some thing in English means to put oil on it, either for a physical purpose like softening skin with an ointment, or for a symbolic purpose in a religious ritual. In the Old Testament, kings and priests were inaugurated into office through a ceremony that involved pouring oil on them. And the Old Testament prophecies indicated that some time in the future, a special Anointed One would come who would restore the nation of Israel to its former glory, and usher in a Kingdom on Earth that would bless the whole world.

In the Hebrew of the Old Testament, this One was called the Mashiach, a word that is usually rendered in English as Messiah. This word, too, comes from a root word, mashach, that means to rub with oil, particularly for the purpose of consecrating someone to an office or religious service.

By the time of the birth of Jesus, many in Israel were anticipating that this Messiah would be coming soon.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
"Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
(New American Standard Bible NASB)

And after Jesus began His public ministry around the age of thirty, some of His disciples soon came to the conclusion that He was this expected One.

The conclusion of the matter, then, is that the writers of the New Testament refer to Jesus consistently in Greek as Iesous Christos, translated into English as Jesus Christ, that is, Jesus the Anointed One. Among themselves at the time, His Jewish disciples would have likely referred to Him by the Hebrew phrase Yashua ha Mashiach, which also indicates Jesus the Anointed One.

The term Christian (Christianos in Greek) was thus coined to indicate "followers of" the one called the Christ.

Judaism is the common term for the religion of the Jewish people from the time of the return from exile in Babylon described in the book of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Bible, in the fifth and sixth century BC, through the first century time of Christ, up to the present time. It has a basis in the scriptures of the Old Testament, but contains vast amount of ideas, customs, teachings, traditions, theories, and speculations that are the product of the elaboration of many generations of Jewish philosophers and teachers over a period of about 2,500 years. In other words, it has not been a static system since the time of Christ. It is an ever-changing product of a process of evolution and adaptation.

This understanding is particularly significant to Christians who want to go "back to the Bible" in such matters as observance of the annual biblical Feasts and Holy Days. Many of the customs and traditions connected to these observances within modern Judaism may bear little resemblance to the customs of ancient Israel in the time of David in 1000 BC, or even the customs of the First Century AD that would have been part of the life-style of Jesus and His disciples. Therefore the idea that it would be more "biblically authentic" to adopt any specific Jewish custom for such observances is not necessarily true at all.

A certain segment of those who believe in Jesus as Savior wish to emphasize His Jewish origins, and His fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. Thus they prefer to use the term "Messiah" rather than "Christ" (even though the words mean the same thing). And because of this they refer to themselves as "Messianic" (followers of the Messiah) rather than Christian.

Those who choose this label vary widely in what they believe and teach about the Bible and about Jesus, so it is not correct to assume that the term Messianic refers to a single, homogeneous movement. But it is helpful to note that there are two main "strains" of Messianic groups, with many variations within these two strains.

For well over a century there have been organized groups of ethnic Jewish people, born into families that practice the religion of Judaism, who have come to conclude that Jesus was actually the Messiah promised by God. They have organized themselves into "synagogues" where they maintain many of the customs of their heritage, but have added on the belief in Jesus as Savior. Such Messianic Jews come in two main "flavors":

One is, for all practical purposes, a branch of Protestantism. It accepts all standard Protestant doctrines such as the Trinity, and perhaps even totally non-Jewish customs and practices such as eating pork and shellfish and observing Christmas and Easter. Although there may still be a few of the trappings of Jewish custom such as the men wearing skull caps, and families holding Passover seder meals in the home, these are indeed viewed as just cultural artifacts and not a spiritual necessity.

On the other end of the spectrum are groups that carefully maintain their Jewish identity, avoid overtly traditional Christian customs, and live a life that emphasizes the importance of scrupulously lining up with all of the words of the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. And they typically also observe the customs and traditions of Judaism that are not necessarily found in the Bible. For more details about this type of group, see the explanation of "Torah-Observant" below.

For the past few decades there have been an increasing number of non-Jewish people who believe in Jesus as Savior who are fascinated with Jewish culture, traditions, and biblical interpretation. And some have chosen to identify themselves with Jewish tradition to the point of adopting the term Messianic for themselves rather than Christian. These groups also vary across a spectrum of how much they incorporate the trappings and beliefs of traditional Judaism into their belief system and practices. Some merely add Jewish customs to their worship and fellowship gatherings, such as holding a seder meal in their homes or fellowship sites for Passover, and using Jewish-flavored music and dance in their celebrations. Others try to imitate Orthodox Jewish customs as closely as possible, including wearing traditional prayer shawls and/or another garment with special tassels on the four corners, learning to read and speak Hebrew, organizing their weekly meetings around the traditional Jewish liturgy of weekly Torah readings, and regularly studying the writings of the Jewish "sages" in the Talmud and other ancient writings. For more details on this type of group, again see the explanation of "Torah-Observant" below.

The term "Hebrew Roots" (sometimes referred to as "Jewish Roots") is a phrase that indicates that those involved take a special interest in what they believe to be the roots of Christianity in the faith of Judaism. There is a particular emphasis on the fact that Jesus was born to a Jewish family in a Jewish culture of the 1st century. And thus his audience of that time was almost entirely Jewish people steeped in Jewish tradition and practices and theology. Those who are involved with Hebrew Roots ministries therefore emphasize that it is necessary to understand the tradition, practices, and theology of the Jews of the first century in order to fully understand the teachings of Jesus. This way the reader can comprehend the context in which Jesus spoke and how his audience would have understood Him.

Once again, those who use this particular term vary widely in belief and practice, and it is a mistake to assume that all Hebrew Roots groups are part of a monolithic movement that all speak the same thing. This is decidedly untrue. Just as with Messianics, the spectrum varies from those who just emphasize studying the culture of the first century, to those who insist that true mature spirituality is only available to those who immerse themselves in actually following the customs, practices, and beliefs of what they believe to have been first century Judaism. In some cases, there seems to be an assumption that the Judaism of the 21st century is little changed from what it was 2,000 years ago, and thus the trappings of modern Judaism are taken as a model for some Hebrew Roots groups. As mentioned above, this may be an inaccurate assumption regarding many practices.

For more information and commentary on the modern Hebrew Roots movement, see the Hebrew Roots article on the Field Guide to the Wild World of Religion website, by the same author as this Times of Refreshing material.

Many groups which use the word Messianic in their group name share at least some mutual interests with Hebrew Roots groups, even if they do not directly use the Hebrew Roots term to describe themselves. And many individuals who belong to groups which consider themselves a branch of the Hebrew Roots movement also refer to themselves as Messianics. The term Torah-Observant described below is applicable to certain circles of both Hebrew Roots and Messianic groups.

The Hebrew word torah means a "teaching," "precept," or "statute." It is specifically used in Jewish culture as a term to refer to the first five books of the Bible, sometimes called the Pentateuch ("five books") or the Books of Moses. It is in those books that the covenant of God with Israel is introduced and codified, clarifying the teachings by which they were to live. Thus a Torah scroll is a scroll that contains those five books. (The Hebrew name for the entire Old Testament, including the Torah, the prophetic writings, and the other writings, is the Tanak.)

Torah is also used in a more general way among Jews to refer to the entire collection of laws and teachings contained in the writings of the Old Testament and the Jewish sages, and in the oral traditions handed down the generations.

In Messianic and Hebrew Roots circles, those groups which emphasize that they believe themselves to be bound by every nuance of the Torah, including wearing garments with tassels, refer to themselves as "Torah-Observant." Among some of the most rigid of these groups, this may even extend to such practices as avoiding any contact with women who are having their monthly period (some families even have a special room or building where the women separate themselves totally). At the fringes of Torah-observant Messianic circles, there are even those who ritually sacrifice a lamb for their Passover observance.

Individuals who merely accept that the fourth commandment of the Ten Commandments, to keep the weekly Sabbath holy, is applicable to Christians, and who observe the annual Holy Days because they believe them to have Christian significance, do not usually refer to themselves as Torah-Observant. The term is typically limited to those individuals and groups which are very scrupulous in their efforts to follow every major and minor precept in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, and believe this to be necessary to be spiritually acceptable to God. In some cases, this makes it difficult for them to accept certain portions of the New Testament that seem to indicate that not all of these practices are necessary for the spiritual life of Christians.

All of the articles on this Times of Refreshing website were written by Pam Dewey, with the support and sponsorship of Common Ground Christian Ministries. For more of Pam's inspirational and educational writings, visit The Oasis website at