Jewish Culture in the Belief of Christians in Bangkok

Abstract

The objectives of this research are to study the history and background of the Protestant Christian communities in the Bangkok area and the characteristics of Jewish culture that manifest in these communities. The researcher used historical methodology as the main method. From the research, the history of Protestant Christians communities in the Bangkok area can be divided into 3 periods: the pioneering period of missionary work (1828-1878), the expansion period of the church in Bangkok area (1878-1934), and the period of the establishment of the Church of Christ in Thailand to the present (1934-present). It was discovered that the Jewish culture and Christian beliefs in the Bangkok region had a common origin. This origin is the ancient scriptures of the two religions and the religious leaders who transmit these beliefs to the Christian community, based on their analysis of ancient scripture particularly that are held in equal regard by both the Jews and the Christians, namely the Torah and the first five books of the Christian Old Testament. These texts had common origins, resulting in the interconnectedness between the two religions in practices such as the celebrations of the Pascha, the Eucharist, Pentecost (the Festival of Weeks), the Feast of the Tabernacle, and Christian camps. In the present day, the three Christian communities in the study still attach importance to the process of teaching these cultural aspects in their communities. Furthermore, the Christian New Testament mentions the benefits of the connection between the Jews and the Christians. Therefore, the Christian communities in the Bangkok area continue to maintain this connection to Judaism through the shared scriptural heritage.