Judaism was the first monotheistic religion Both Christianity and Islam have their roots in Judaism Introduction to Judaism As of 2010 there were nearly 135 million Jews worldwide wwwjewishdatabankorg ID: 775826
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document " Introduction to Judaism" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
Introduction to Judaism
Judaism was the first monotheistic religionBoth Christianity and Islam have their roots in Judaism
Slide2Introduction to Judaism
As of 2010, there were nearly 13.5 million Jews worldwide:
www.jewishdatabank.org
Israel:
5.7 million
U.S. :
5.2 million
Europe
: just under 1 million
Russia and Ukraine
: 272,000
Jews are both an ethnic group and a religion. However:
according to the Jewish faith, anyone may be considered to be a Jew if:
1. they were born to a Jewish mother
2. they are a convert to Judaism
Slide3Origins
The founder of Judaism was Abraham
Abraham was born in the Sumerian city of Ur around 1900 B.C.
God called out to Abraham, offering to make him the father of a great nation, if he would leave his home and settle in the land which God promised to him.
This promised land was called Canaan. It was located in present day Israel and Jordan
Slide4Origins
Route Abraham took to Canaan
Slide5Origins
Abraham entered into a
covenant
with God:
Abraham had to keep God’s laws. In return, God granted Abraham and his wife Sarah a son, who they named Isaac.
What was the most important of God’s laws?
That Abraham and his people worship no other gods but the one God
Slide6Origins
All of the Jewish people are descended through Abraham’s son IsaacIsaac’s grandson Joseph led the Hebrews out of Canaan to the land of Egypt.
Slide7The Exodus
The Hebrews were eventually enslaved by the EgyptiansWere led out of Egypt by Moses. This was known as the Exodus (around 1200 B.C.)Moses led his people back to the land of Canaan. They were given the Ten Commandments by God as their rule of law.
Slide8The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments are the most important and best-known Jewish laws.They require people to respect and honor God. They also tell people how they should treat each other: do not lie, steal, commit adultery, or murder
Slide9Kingdom of Israel
Under their great king David, the Hebrew people created a kingdom in Canaan, which was located in modern day Israel and Jordan (around 1000 B.C.)Established Jerusalem as the religious and political capitalThis kingdom grew wealthy and powerful under David’s son, King Solomon
Slide10Kingdom of Israel
Solomon built a magnificent temple to house the Ark of the Covenant, which is said to have contained the Ten Commandments
Slide11The Temple
This Temple was eventually destroyed and rebuilt many times. It was destroyed once and for all by the Romans in 70 A.D.
The only remaining part of the Temple is the Western or Wailing Wall
It is an important place of pilgrimage to the Jewish people
Slide12The Temple
Wailing Wall in Jerusalem
Slide13The Diaspora
The Romans forced the Jewish people out of Palestine. The Jews scattered throughout the known world. This scattering was known as the Diaspora
Slide14The Torah
The Torah is the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, and is considered their most sacred textIt provides the Jews with their early history, as well as moral and religious laws
Slide15The Prophets
A prophet is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of GodMoses, who gave the Jews the Ten Commandments, is considered their most important prophet
Slide16Key Teachings of Judaism
There is only one God
and God provides standards of right and wrong that people should follow. Judaism introduced this belief, called ethical monotheism, to the world
.
Judaism
teaches that there is such a thing as “right” and “wrong” and that people have an obligation to do what is right.
Ethical World View
. Since
the Hebrew Bible states that all people are created in the image of God, Jews believe that every individual is important and deserves to be treated with respect.
3. Honor
the Sabbath.
Judaism teaches that Jews should spend one
day
a week, the Sabbath, focusing on things other than work and
material
concerns.
This
is the origin of the idea of a weekly day of rest that is part of many religions and is widely followed in many parts of the world.
Slide17Key Teachings of Judaism
Live According to God’s Laws
Study
.
Judaism teaches that studying the Hebrew
Bible, especially the Torah, leads
to wisdom and good deeds, so Jewish culture emphasizes the importance of learning.
Dietary Laws
Slide18Sects of Judaism
Orthodox
– most traditional branch; emphasizes observance of moral and ritual obligations
Reform
– not as strict on ritual laws
Conservative
– middle ground; emphasizes the study of traditional Jewish texts
Slide19Christianity
Slide20Christianity in the Middle East
As of 2010, there were 2.18 billion Christians in the world
This religion has many denominations, or sects:
1. Roman Catholic
2. Protestant
3. Eastern Orthodox
Christianity has its roots in the beliefs and traditions of Judaism
1.
Slide21Origins
The religion of Christianity is based upon the life and teachings of a Jewish man known as Jesus of NazarethOther religions, such as Judaism and Islam, believe Jesus to be a Prophet
2
Slide22Christianity in the Middle East
Unlike other religions, such as Judaism and Islam, Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah, which means “Annointed One,” and the Son of GodJesus came down to earth in human form in order to bring God and humanity back together
2
Slide23The Christian Bible
The Christian Bible is divided into two parts: the Old Testament, which contains the witness of God originally to the Jews, and the New Testament, which is an account of those who knew or were closely associated with Jesus
3
Slide24The Holy Bible
The four Gospels written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, together with three other books, form the New Testament of the Bible, which is the basis of Christianity
Slide25The Apostle’s Creed
The Roman Emperor Constantine promoted the spread of Christianity throughout the Empire
In A.D. 325, he convened a council of bishops at Nicaea, in modern day Turkey, to come to an agreement about Church doctrine
They came up with a formal expression of Christian faith, known as
The Apostle’s Creed
Christianity would become the official religion of the Roman Empire
4
Slide26Resurrection and Ascension
Jesus was executed by the Romans because his teachings were viewed as a threat, both to the Empire as well as the Jewish EldersAccording to Christian beliefs, Jesus was resurrected from the dead and ascended to heaven5.
Slide27Resurrection and Ascension
Through his death and resurrection, Jesus forgives all sins and offers people the opportunity to gain eternal life5.
Slide28Christianity in the Middle East
After Jesus’s death, his disciples resumed his work, and spread his teachings throughout the Roman world
All Christians believe that Jesus was
resurrected
and ascended into heaven
Jesus reconciled humanity with God through this death and resurrection
5.
Slide29Christianity in the Middle East
These early Christian communities were met with suspicion by the Roman authorities
Roman authorities viewed the Christians as dangerous to the state, since they would not sacrifice to the pagan gods, nor recognize the divinity of their emperor
By the middle of the 1
st
century, Christians came under intense persecution by Rome
6.
Slide30Christian Persecution in the Roman Empire
Slide31Extent of Christianity by 5th century A.D.
Despite this persecution, Christian communities began to grow
Slide32Appeal and Spread of Christianity
Christianity appealed to many people, both rich and poor, because it offered the hope of salvation and eternal life
Jesus also preached that ALL people were EQUAL, regardless of social class or wealth
Slide33Reasons for Spread of Christianity
Jesus’s message of the universality of humankind: all people are the same, and should be treated with respect
Promise of an afterlife appealed to those whose daily existence was difficult
Slide34Appeal and Spread of Chrisianity
Christianity was able to spread for the following reasons:
Appeal of Jesus’s message
Infrastructure of the Roman Empire
Early missionary activities of the Apostles, especially Peter and Paul
The Second Jewish Diaspora
7.
Slide35Eastern Orthodox Church
The Roman Empire eventually split into two halves: East and West. The Christian Church had two main centers: Rome and Constantinople
The Eastern Empire (Byzantine) eventually refused to recognize the Pope as the head of the Christian Church. This
sectarian
split became formal in 1054 A.D.
Slide36Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church (centered in Constantinople)
Slide37Similarities of Judaism & Christianity
All religions:A way to rejoice and give thanksmoral codeGive to needyGolden rule: “do unto others”Supreme power
C and J:
Monotheism
Old Testament
Prophets
Ten Commandments
Idea Heaven
Belief in the idea of a Messiah
Jerusalem Holy
Coming of Age ceremonies
Several Denominations/movements
Sacred text
Sabbath (Sat/Sun)
Slide38Comparison of Statistics and Basics
Judaism
Christianity
adherents called
Jews
Christians
current adherents
14 million
2 billion
current size rank
12th largest
largest
major concentration
Israel, Europe, USA
Europe, North and South America, rapid growth in Africa
sacred text
Bible/Torah
Bible (Jewish Bible + New Testament)
other written authority
Talmud, Midrash, Responsa
church fathers, church councils, papal decrees (Catholic only)
clergy
rabbis
priests, ministers, pastors, bishops
house of worship
synagogue
church, chapel, cathedral
main day of worship
Saturday
Sunday
Slide39Comparison of Origins and History
Judaism
Christianity
date founded
unknown
c. 33 CE
place founded
Palestine (
def
)
Palestine
founder
Moses or Abraham
Jesus
original language(s)
Hebrew
Aramaic, Greek
early expansion
little expansion; mostly confined to Palestine
within 60 years, churches in major cities in Palestine, Turkey, Greece and Rome (
map
); entire Roman Empire by end of 4th cent.
major splits
Reform/Orthodox, 1800s CE
Catholic/Orthodox, 1054 CE; Catholic/Protestant, 1500s CE
Slide40Comparison of Religious Beliefs
JudaismChristianitytype of theism strict monotheism Trinitarian monotheism ultimate realityone God one God names of God Yahweh, Elohim Yahweh, the Holy Trinity other spiritual beings angels and demons angels and demons identity of Jesus not prophet Son of God, God incarnate, savior of the world death of Jesus death by crucifixion death by crucifixionresurrection of Jesus Not part of beliefsaffirmeddivine revelationthrough Prophets, recorded in Bible through Prophets and Jesus (as God Himself), recorded in Bible means of salvation belief in God, good deeds correct belief, faith, good deeds, sacraments (some Protestants emphasize faith alone) afterlife views vary: some heaven eternal heaven