Judaism: The First Abrahamic Religion
Objective: To understand the origins, fundamental beliefs and diffusion of Judaism and Christianity.
Reading Questions
Reading Questions
- Who is the founder of Judaism?
- Who is Yahweh?
- What is the Torah?
- What is the covenant?
- What are the 10 Commandments?
- How do you get to heaven?
- How did Judaism spread?
- What is a diaspora?
- Who is the founder of Christianity?
- What was the main conflict between Jews and Romans?
- Why did the Romans crucify Jesus?
- Why was Paul of Taurus important?
- What are some continuities between Jewish beliefs and Christian beliefs?
- What are some changes between Jewish beliefs and Christian beliefs?
Origins of Judaism
The Hebrews, whose descendants became later known as the Jews, lived in the region of Canaan—present-day Israel, Lebanon, and Palestine. What historians know of the Hebrew civilization comes partly from their sacred writings, the Torah, which Christians have traditionally referred to as the Old Testament. In addition, archeologists have unearthed a great deal of information about the Hebrews. According to Hebrew scriptures, Israel was founded by Abraham who left Mesopotamia to settle there in approximately 2000 BCE. According to the Jewish sacred text, God or Yahweh revealed himself to Abraham who is known as the founder of Judaism. Today, Jews, Christians, and Muslims all trace their religious foundations to Abraham.
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Fundamental Beliefs
Like most people of that time, Jews were initially polytheistic. However they were one of the first groups to adopt monotheism, the belief in only one deity or god. Unlike the peoples of the Mediterranean, India, Greece and elsewhere—all of whom were populated the invisible realm with numerous gods and goddesses—Jews found in their God, whom they call Yahweh (pronounced YAH-way), a powerful and jealous deity, who demanded their exclusive loyalty. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”—this was the first of the Ten Commandments. The Jews came to understand their relationship to Yahweh as a contract or a covenant. In return for their sole devotion and obedience to God’s laws, Yahweh would consider the Jews his chosen people, favoring them in battle, causing them to grow in numbers, and bringing them prosperity and blessing. Unlike the bickering polytheistic gods of Mesopotamia or in Greece, who were associated with the forces of nature and behaved in quite human fashion, Yahweh was increasingly proud, supreme deity of utter holiness and purity, set far above the world of nature, which he had created. Those who follow God's commandments would be rewarded in the afterlife by going to Heaven.
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Judaism Spreads
The Jewish people faced violence from governments due to their monotheistic beliefs. During this time period, emperors justified their absolute power by claiming they were gods or the sons of gods. To make the people more obedient, governments required their subjects to participate in rituals and honor their emperor-gods. Since most people back then believed in polytheistic religions, adding the emperor to the list was not difficult. That requirement created a serious problem for the strictly monotheistic Jews, who recognized their god, Yahweh, as the one true divine god. In response, the governments attacked Jewish communities for their resistance. For example, Roman military conquered Jerusalem in 37 BCE, causing many Jews to flee their homes and migrate around Europe, in what is known as the Jewish Diaspora. A diaspora are ethnic communities that live outside of their original homeland. Jews retained their own cultural identity in these Roman cities. They would do so even after the fragmentation of the Roman empire. By 600 the Jewish homeland was taken over by Muslim empires. However, the Jewish culture would persist until gaining control of the region in 1945.
Christianity: The Second Abrahamic Religion
Origins of ChristianityJesus was born in the small Jewish town of Bethlehem to a "tekton" or carpenter. Although the year of his birth is not stated in the Gospels, most biblical scholars believe he was born around 5 or 6 BCE. The Roman Empire conquered the region and was tolerant of all religions as long as those religions recognized the divinity of the Roman Emperor. Jesus' followers considered him the Christ or savior. Thus they became called Christians. The requirement of worshiping the Roman emperor as a God became difficult for Jews and the new sect of Christians who pushed for the idea that Yahweh was the only God. The Jews of Palestine mounted several rebellions. The Romans were aware that Jesus also posed a threat to their legitimacy in the region.
Jesus was a peaceful man who taught devotion to God and love for fellow human beings. He also taught that the Kingdom of God was at hand. He attracted large crowds because of a reputation for wisdom and miraculous powers, especially the ability to heal the sick. To the Romans, his message created political problems. Jesus’ teachings created a threat to Roman rule in Palestine, especially since enthusiastic crowds routinely accompanied Jesus. Roman administrators executed Jesus by fixing him to a cross in the early 30s CE hoping that his death would mean the threat to the Roman Authority would end. |
Fundamental Beliefs
We know of Jesus only after his death. No historical document about Jesus survives from his own lifetime. Two years after his crucifixion, Paul of Taurus, a Jew and Roman citizen, claimed to have seen Jesus in full glory outside the city of Damascus. Paul and the communities to whom he preached in 40 to 60 CE were the first to call Yeshua “Jesus.” They also referred to him as “Christ”—ho Christo—Greek for the “Anointed One” or “the Messiah” and thought of Jesus as a god. Paul provided the foundation for the spread of Jesus’ ideas. He taught that Jesus was a savior-god, who had come to earth to save all humans, who were basically sinners as a result of Adam’s original sin of disobedience against God. By his death,
Jesus had atoned for the sins of all humans and made possible their reconciliation with God, and hence the salvation of their souls. By accepting Jesus as their savior, they too could be saved. Paul of Taurus is responsible for the early organization of the New Testament, which combined with an edited version of the Old Testament (the Hebrew scriptures) makes up the Holy Bible.
Paul was not one of Jesus’ disciples. Only much later did four of those men—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, write about his life, and record his sayings that would make up the New Testament. Jesus’ teachings could not have been more Jewish since they reflected the Ten Commandments. He taught that God is the father of his people—sinners who are always liable to fall away. But God is like a shepherd to Christians, seeking those who have gone astray, joyfully carrying them home on his shoulders. He assured his fellow Jews that he did not plan to undermine their Jewish traditions: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the [Jewish scriptures]; I have not come to abolish them but fulfill them.”
According to Jesus, what was important is not the strict obedience to the laws, rituals, and restrictions detailed in the Torah, but rather the transformation of the inner person: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Jesus believed God’s command was simple—to love God and one another: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Furthermore, Jesus’ teachings had a social and political edge. Jesus spoke clearly on the behalf of the poor, the sick and the oppressed, directly criticizing the hypocrisies of the powerful. His views on society reflected his lower-class background and the Jewish tradition of social criticism.
Jesus had atoned for the sins of all humans and made possible their reconciliation with God, and hence the salvation of their souls. By accepting Jesus as their savior, they too could be saved. Paul of Taurus is responsible for the early organization of the New Testament, which combined with an edited version of the Old Testament (the Hebrew scriptures) makes up the Holy Bible.
Paul was not one of Jesus’ disciples. Only much later did four of those men—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, write about his life, and record his sayings that would make up the New Testament. Jesus’ teachings could not have been more Jewish since they reflected the Ten Commandments. He taught that God is the father of his people—sinners who are always liable to fall away. But God is like a shepherd to Christians, seeking those who have gone astray, joyfully carrying them home on his shoulders. He assured his fellow Jews that he did not plan to undermine their Jewish traditions: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the [Jewish scriptures]; I have not come to abolish them but fulfill them.”
According to Jesus, what was important is not the strict obedience to the laws, rituals, and restrictions detailed in the Torah, but rather the transformation of the inner person: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Jesus believed God’s command was simple—to love God and one another: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Furthermore, Jesus’ teachings had a social and political edge. Jesus spoke clearly on the behalf of the poor, the sick and the oppressed, directly criticizing the hypocrisies of the powerful. His views on society reflected his lower-class background and the Jewish tradition of social criticism.
Christianity Spreads
Paul of Tarsus and his earliest followers were all Jews but many began trying to convert non-Jews in the Roman Empire. Paul and other missionaries established small Christian communities of both Jews and Gentiles or non Jews. This new religion appealed to the poor and those subjugated by the Roman Empire. Despite the Christian egalitarian message, women were saw some restrictions. Women were supposed to subjects to their husbands and the church declared that it was shameful for a woman to speak in church. As daughters of Eve, many women were seen as responsible for the introduction of sin and were seen as a temptation to men.
Gradually Christian beliefs spread throughout the empire. At first, Christians were persecuted by the state. But by 300 CE ten percent (10%) of all Romans identified as Christian. Christianity spread to North Africa including Axum and Egypt. There it developed into a separate and distinct type of Christianity. The first Roman emperor to stop the persecution of Christians was Constantine. He made Christianity into the state religion helping it further spread. Eventually, a small sect of Jewish people in the Middle East created and spread a new religion that would dominate Europe developing into a complex institution with significant power.
Gradually Christian beliefs spread throughout the empire. At first, Christians were persecuted by the state. But by 300 CE ten percent (10%) of all Romans identified as Christian. Christianity spread to North Africa including Axum and Egypt. There it developed into a separate and distinct type of Christianity. The first Roman emperor to stop the persecution of Christians was Constantine. He made Christianity into the state religion helping it further spread. Eventually, a small sect of Jewish people in the Middle East created and spread a new religion that would dominate Europe developing into a complex institution with significant power.