Unit 2: Judaism & Christianity

Shema

Heart of Judaism - "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD; and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." - from Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Monotheistic Revolution

Describes how radical the Jewish belief in one God was, and that it changed the way the world would think about so many other ideas

Revealed Theism

There is one God who is a person and has shown himself to humanity so that mankind could be in relationship with Him

Hebrews

Descendants of Eber, such as Abraham - the ancient language gets its name from this term

Israelites

A member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel - descendent of Jacob/ Israel

Jews

Members of the tribe of Judah

Israeli

A citizen of the modern state of Israel

Torah

First five books of the Bible - traditionally considered to be authored by Moses - Hebrew term for "law" or "instruction"

Pentateuch

First five books of the Bible - traditionally considered to be authored by Moses - from the Greek term for "five books"

Ketuvim

Hebrew word for the "writings" - part of the Hebrew Scriptures that contains the Psalms, Proverbs, etc.

Nevi'im

Part of the Hebrew Scriptures that contains the "Prophets" - including the major prophets like Isaiah, but also the stories of Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, etc.

Septuagint

Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures - this canon contained 73 books - translated for the many Jews who spoke Greek, such as those in Alexandria, Egypt

Jamnia

Hebrew canon of Scripture - a council of rabbis chose the books that were originally written in Hebrew - probably in the late 1st century AD

Tanakh

The Hebrew Scriptures - from the first letter of each of the major sections

Mishnah

Part of the "Oral Torah" - rabbinic commentary starting several hundred years before Christ and compiled in the 2nd century AD

Talmud

Part of the "Oral Torah" - rabbinic commentary that is thought of as the pillar of Judaic thought - compiled in the 5th century AD

Abraham

Father of faith - left his home in Ur to respond to God's call to leave to go to the Promised Land - promised to be the father of many nations, and that a worldwide blessing would come through him

Moses

God used him to free the Israelites from Egypt, gave the law to him on Mt. Sinai, and it was believed that he was the author of the Torah

David

Greatest king of Israel - he captured Jerusalem, established a dynasty, and wrote most of the Psalms

Temple Judaism

Spiritual life of Judaism which focused on rituals of sacrifice as prescribed in Leviticus and Deuteronomy - ended in 70 AD

Rabbinic Judaism

Spiritual life of Judaism which focused on Scripture and focused on the local synagogue - survived intact after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD

Kabbalah

Mystical interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures, used esoteric methods - focused on the idea that the Torah has hidden meanings - goes back to a text called the Zohar

Hasidism (Hasidic Judaism)

Sect of Orthodox Judaism which aims to put love at the heart of Jewish practice - involves joyful chanting, dancing, and respect for zaddiks - originated in Poland and is fast-growing - means "pious ones" - founded by Ba'al Shem Tov

Orthodox Judaism

Sect of Judaism which wants to remain faithful to God through a strict interpretation of the Torah - adhere to the Thirteen Principles of Moses Maimonides - 10% of American Jews

Conservative Judaism

Sect of Judaism which wants to conserve more of the Jewish tradition than Reform Judaism did - 26% of American Jews - has some Hebrew and some vernacular in their liturgy

Reform Judaism

Sect of Judaism which focuses on adapting to modern society and chooses which laws to follow for oneself - focuses more on social justice than on doctrine - 35% of American Jews

Shoah

Hebrew term most often used for the mass destruction of 6M+ Jewish lives under the Nazi regime between 1933-1945 - means "calamity"/ "catastrophe"

Zionism

Movement to return to Palestine to establish a homeland for the Jews - culminated in the founding of Israel in 1948 - today means support for Israel

Passover

Sacred feast which celebrates the freeing of the People of Israel from slavery in Egypt - culminating with the seder meal

Rosh Hashanah

Jewish New Year - celebrates the creation of the world by God - after this, people will make amends to others

Yom Kippur

"Day of Atonement" - most sacred day on the Jewish calendar, where people will atone for their sins, pray, and fast - in ancient days the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies

Bris

Circumcision ceremony which includes naming and welcomes 8 day old boys into the covenant - goes back to the time of Abraham

Bar Mitzvah

Ceremony where 13-year old boys become "sons of the covenant" and are responsible for carrying out the law

Bat Mitzvah

Ceremony where 12-year old girls become "daughters of the covenant" and are responsible for carrying out the law

Huppah

Canopy that the bride and groom stand under during wedding ceremonies - it creates a sacred space

Kaddish

Prayer of mourning which is prayed for those who have passed on so that they may be released into God's presence from the abode of the dead (Sheol)

Mezuzah

Contains a scroll of the Shema and mounted on a doorpost - a person will touch it, then kiss their hand as a sign of respect

Yarmulke

Skullcap worn by Jewish men as a sign of respect for God, especially during prayer - also called a kippah

Phylacteries

Leather cords connected to a box which contains a scroll of the Shema - worn during prayer as a physical sign to keep the Shema on one's mind and at hand - also known as tefillin

Yad

Pointer which is used to keep one's place when reading the Tanakh - shaped like a little hand

Tzitzit

Knotted cords at the corners of a tallit which are meant to remind the wearer of the significance of the commandments of God (613)

Mysticism

In Christianity, seeking an encounter with Christ through inner contemplation

Seven Storey Mountain

Autobiography of Thomas Merton, which described his conversion from a young man seeking pleasure and experience to a monk who completely ordered his life around God

Interior Castle

Teresa of Avila's book about the life of prayer in which a soul could experience God as a refuge of safety

Living Flame of Love

John of the Cross' book which described the relationship between God and the soul as a mystical marriage, and described how human beings are ordered towards God

Theosis

"God became man so that man might become God" - God giving us a share in the divine nature through His grace - the ultimate goal of Christian mysticism

Dark Night of the Senses

First part of the purgative process, where God teaches us not to seek satisfaction from worldly things

Dark Night of the Soul

Second part of the purgative process - letting go of images, concepts, and consolations that might be a substitute for God

Mental Prayer

Christian practice whereby one loves God through dialogue, meditating on God's words, and contemplation of Christ's face

Numinous

Experiences whereby a person recognizes the presence of the divine and experiences transcendence

Prayer

A deep encounter with God - raising the heart and the mind to God - may also involve the body

Monkey Mind

Buddhist term for a lack of mental concentration - Catholics can calm this through prayers which lead us into deeper prayer

Adoration

Ordering one's life around the proper praise of God - face to face with God

Petition

Putting our trust in God and expanding our hearts so that we can recognize God as our provider

Contemplation

Prayer where a person is here and now being created by God - reorganizing one's life around the divine center

Purgative

First stage of the Christian spiritual life, where a person is getting rid of hindrances to one's relationship with God - especially sins - deals with the body and the will

Illuminative

Second stage of the Christian spiritual life, where God shows Himself to us through His grace and not through our own efforts - deals with the intellect

Unitive

Final stage of the Christian spiritual life, where a person obtains communion with the God who is love - deals with the soul

Shema

Heart of Judaism - "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD; and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." - from Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Monotheistic Revolution

Describes how radical the Jewish belief in one God was, and that it changed the way the world would think about so many other ideas

Revealed Theism

There is one God who is a person and has shown himself to humanity so that mankind could be in relationship with Him

Hebrews

Descendants of Eber, such as Abraham - the ancient language gets its name from this term

Israelites

A member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel - descendent of Jacob/ Israel

Jews

Members of the tribe of Judah

Israeli

A citizen of the modern state of Israel

Torah

First five books of the Bible - traditionally considered to be authored by Moses - Hebrew term for "law" or "instruction"

Pentateuch

First five books of the Bible - traditionally considered to be authored by Moses - from the Greek term for "five books"

Ketuvim

Hebrew word for the "writings" - part of the Hebrew Scriptures that contains the Psalms, Proverbs, etc.

Nevi'im

Part of the Hebrew Scriptures that contains the "Prophets" - including the major prophets like Isaiah, but also the stories of Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, etc.

Septuagint

Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures - this canon contained 73 books - translated for the many Jews who spoke Greek, such as those in Alexandria, Egypt

Jamnia

Hebrew canon of Scripture - a council of rabbis chose the books that were originally written in Hebrew - probably in the late 1st century AD

Tanakh

The Hebrew Scriptures - from the first letter of each of the major sections

Mishnah

Part of the "Oral Torah" - rabbinic commentary starting several hundred years before Christ and compiled in the 2nd century AD

Talmud

Part of the "Oral Torah" - rabbinic commentary that is thought of as the pillar of Judaic thought - compiled in the 5th century AD

Abraham

Father of faith - left his home in Ur to respond to God's call to leave to go to the Promised Land - promised to be the father of many nations, and that a worldwide blessing would come through him

Moses

God used him to free the Israelites from Egypt, gave the law to him on Mt. Sinai, and it was believed that he was the author of the Torah

David

Greatest king of Israel - he captured Jerusalem, established a dynasty, and wrote most of the Psalms

Temple Judaism

Spiritual life of Judaism which focused on rituals of sacrifice as prescribed in Leviticus and Deuteronomy - ended in 70 AD

Rabbinic Judaism

Spiritual life of Judaism which focused on Scripture and focused on the local synagogue - survived intact after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD

Kabbalah

Mystical interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures, used esoteric methods - focused on the idea that the Torah has hidden meanings - goes back to a text called the Zohar

Hasidism (Hasidic Judaism)

Sect of Orthodox Judaism which aims to put love at the heart of Jewish practice - involves joyful chanting, dancing, and respect for zaddiks - originated in Poland and is fast-growing - means "pious ones" - founded by Ba'al Shem Tov

Orthodox Judaism

Sect of Judaism which wants to remain faithful to God through a strict interpretation of the Torah - adhere to the Thirteen Principles of Moses Maimonides - 10% of American Jews

Conservative Judaism

Sect of Judaism which wants to conserve more of the Jewish tradition than Reform Judaism did - 26% of American Jews - has some Hebrew and some vernacular in their liturgy

Reform Judaism

Sect of Judaism which focuses on adapting to modern society and chooses which laws to follow for oneself - focuses more on social justice than on doctrine - 35% of American Jews

Shoah

Term most often used for the mass destruction of 6M+ Jewish lives under the Nazi regime between 1933-1945 - means "calamity"/ "catastrophe"

Zionism

Movement to return to Palestine to establish a homeland for the Jews - culminated in the founding of Israel in 1948 - today means support for Israel

Passover

Sacred feast which celebrates the freeing of the People of Israel from slavery in Egypt - culminating with the seder meal

Rosh Hashanah

Jewish New Year - celebrates the creation of the world by God - after this, people will make amends to others

Yom Kippur

"Day of Atonement" - most sacred day on the Jewish calendar, where people will atone for their sins, pray, and fast - in ancient days the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies

Bris

Circumcision ceremony which includes naming and welcomes 8 day old boys into the covenant - goes back to the time of Abraham

Bar Mitzvah

Ceremony where 13-year old boys become "sons of the covenant" and are responsible for carrying out the law

Bat Mitzvah

Ceremony where 12-year old girls become "daughters of the covenant" and are responsible for carrying out the law

Huppah

Canopy that the bride and groom stand under during wedding ceremonies - it creates a sacred space

Kaddish

Prayer of mourning which is prayed for those who have passed on so that they may be released into God's presence from the abode of the dead (Sheol)

Mezuzah

Contains a scroll of the Shema and mounted on a doorpost - a person will touch it, then kiss their hand as a sign of respect

Yarmulke

Skullcap worn by Jewish men as a sign of respect for God, especially during prayer - also called a kippah

Phylacteries

Leather cords connected to a box which contains a scroll of the Shema - worn during prayer as a physical sign to keep the Shema on one's mind and at hand - also known as tefillin

Yad

Pointer which is used to keep one's place when reading the Tanakh - shaped like a little hand

Tzitzit

Knotted cords at the corners of a tallit which are meant to remind the wearer of the significance of the commandments of God (613)

Mysticism

In Christianity, seeking an encounter with Christ through inner contemplation