| JUDAISM c.1200 BCE |
| * Holy Book - Torah, Talmud * Founded by Abraham when he entered into a covenant (sacred agreement) with God, making the Hebrews Gods chosen people and becoming the first monotheistic religion. * Hebrews are considered descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who had 12 sons that formed the 12 Tribes of Israel. * The Hebrews were enslaved by the pharoahs of Egypt and eventually led out by Moses. This flight was called Exodus. * Moses led the Hebrews to the Promised Land of Canaan. During this journey, he climbed Mt. Sinai and received the 10 Commandments from God. * The Kingdom of Israel was established by King Saul in Palestine, followed by his successors King David and King Solomon. * King Solomon created a very powerful and wealthy kingdom, and built a large temple that became the center of religious life. (Solomon's Temple) * Israel was conquered by the Assyrians and the Israelites became scattered and mixed into other groups, called the Diaspora. * The Chaldeans under King Nebuchadnezzer, took over from the Assyrians, destoyed Solomon's temple and sent the entire population of Jews to Babylon. This became known as the Babylonian Captivity. This marked the end of the kingdom of the Jews. * In 332 BCE, Alexander the Great invaded Palestine, the Greeks controlled the area until about 50 BCE when the Romans took over. * The Roman Senate (made up of Jewish men) sentenced Jesus Christ to death. Since then, some people have blamed Jews for Christ's death. Jews were exiled from Jerusalem and spread across the globe. * In 1930's and 40's, Hitler brought them all together in an attempt to exterminate them. During the Holocaust about 5 million Jews were killed along with about 1 million others. * In 1948, after WWII, a Zionist movement created the nation of Israel, within the borders of the country of Palestine. (fighting still continues there today over it). JEWISH BELIEFS AND PRACTICES: * Jews believe in one god, creator of all that exists. * G-D communicates with them through prophets. (it is considered blasphemy to write the whole word.) * G-D monitors human activities, he rewards good deeds and punishes evil. * Jews do not believe in original sin. * Believe the world is inherently good and one can draw closer to G-D by performing good deeds. * No savior is needed, or available, as an intermediary. (Between humans and G-D) * Beliefs about Christ vary; most believe he was a prophet, teacher, etc. But NOT the son of God. * Jews believe they are God's chosen people. (Not meaning superior, but with more responsibility.) * The Sabbath is Saturday. * Bar Mitzvah - Boys 13 Become adults and able to fully * Bat Mitzvah - Girls 12 participate in Jewish life. * Jewish males attend synagogue regularly. * Celebrate Passover recalling their Exodus from Egyptian slavery. (also, plagues passing over them.) * Rosh Hashana - The Jewish New Year. The anniversary of creation about 5763 years ago. * Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement (Day of Fasting and Penitance) * Hannukkah - An 8 day festival, celebrated in December (it coincides with the Christmas holiday.) * Rabbi - A Jewish "Priest" * Orthodox Jews follow the religion more strictly with more restriction on daily life - i.e. kosher foods * Yarmulke - The beanie worn on the heads of Jewish men and boys. |