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Judaism

“For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be His own treasure out of all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.”

Deuteronomy 14:2

Monotheistic One God, Yahweh

“But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth, and knoweth Me, that I am the LORD who exercise mercy, justice, and righteousness, in the earth.”

Jeremiah 9:23

The Hebrew God

Basic Beliefs Summarized into “Thirteen Principles of Faith”

• 1-4: One God exists; He is unified, incorporeal, and eternal

• 5: Only worship God• 6: Words of all the prophets are

true• 7-8: Moses is chief prophet; he

was given the Torah• 9: Only one, unchanging Torah• 10-11: God is omniscient, uses

knowledge to reward and punish• 12-13: Messiah will come,

resurrection of dead

Dietary restrictions No pork or shellfish

Ritual baths to achieve spiritual purity

Refrain from work and fighting on the Sabbath

Practices

Shabbat (Sabbath) Weekly observance- day of rest Friday night to Saturday night

Yom Kippur (“Day of Atonement”) Atone for sins of the past year Fasting and prayer

Rosh Hashanah (“first of the year”) Jewish New Year celebration

Pesach (Passover) Signifies Exodus from Egypt

Rituals & Holidays

Considered just as important as men, if separate

Revered with honor Seen as very smart and

understanding Discouraged from

pursuing higher education, but… Only due to fear it

would prevent them from performing duties as mother and wife

Role of Women

Major text is Torah First 5 books of Bible: Genesis,

Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

Also called books of Moses Talmud, or “oral Torah”-

interpretation of Torah and other writings

"That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn."

- Hillel the Elder 

Major Texts & Books

No missionary programs Isolated from other people

by strict practices

Missionary Work until 600 C.E.

Founded by Abraham Exodus Started in area between

Jordan River and Mediterranean, called Canaan

David/Solomon kingdom Assyrian empire takes over

Israel Diaspora

Origin & Diffusion until 600 C.E.

Primarily with Christianity Christianity developed when

Israel was oppressed by Roman rule, people sought Messiah

Christians believe in Jesus as Messiah; Jews do not Jewish authorities viewed reformist

Jesus as threat, turned over to Roman governor

Paul tried to convert Jews, many shocked by radical ideas

Contacts with Other Religions until 600 C.E.

Like Christianity and Zoroastrianism: monotheistic, good vs. evil, sin

Shares Old Testament/Hebrew Bible with Christianity, both arose in Israel, but Christians have New Testament and believe that Jesus was Messiah (Jews believe Messiah has yet to come)

Like Buddhism and Daoism: women were equals Unlike Theravada Buddhism, Daoism, and

Confucianism: concerned with God and deity aspects of religion; not primarily a philosophy

Similarities & Differences to Other Religions

Bulliet, Richard, Pamela Crossley, Daniel Headrick, Richard Hirsch, Lyman Johnson, and David Northup. The Earth and Its Peoples. 5th ed. Boston, Massachusetts: Cengage Learning, 2011. 84-90, 156. Print."Deuteronomy Chapter 14." Hebrew-English Bible. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Sep 2013. <http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0514.htm>."Hillel and the Golden Rule." Jewish Virtual Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Sep 2013. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Quote/hillel.html>.Jacobs, Louis. "Judaism." Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. Vol. 11. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. 511-520. World History In Context. Web. 15 Sept. 2013."Jeremiah Chapter 9." Hebrew-English Bible. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sep 2013. <http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1109.htm>.Rich, Tracey. Judaism 101. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Sep 2013. <http://www.jewfaq.org/index.shtml>.

Sources