Rel 170 - Exam 1 Questions

Major Modern Divisions

• Judaism:

  • Orthodox: Adheres strictly to traditional Jewish laws and practices.

  • Conservative: Balances traditional Jewish law with modernity; maintains many traditional practices but is more open to change.

  • Reform: Emphasizes individual autonomy in interpreting Jewish laws; more liberal in practices.

• Christianity:

  • Catholic: Centralized authority under the Pope; follows traditions and sacraments.

  • Protestant: Diverse denominations emphasizing faith alone and scripture; includes Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, etc.

  • Orthodox: Comprises national churches (e.g., Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox) with a focus on maintaining ancient traditions and liturgy.

• Islam:

  • Sunni: Largest branch; follows the four main schools of Islamic jurisprudence.

  • Shia: Believes in the leadership of Ali and his descendants; has its own legal schools and practices.

Length of Time for Sacred Texts

• Judaism:

  • Oral Period: Traditions and laws were orally transmitted from around 1200 BCE.

  • Canonization: Tanakh canonized by the 2nd century CE.

• Christianity:

  • Oral Period: Teachings and stories of Jesus circulated orally from c. 30-60 CE.

  • Canonization: New Testament canonized by the 4th century CE.

• Islam:

  • Oral Period: Qur'anic revelations were recited orally from 610-632 CE.

  • Canonization: The Qur'an compiled into its final written form shortly after Muhammad's death.

Year 1 Counting

• Judaism: Anno Mundi (AM) - Year of the World, starting from the creation of the world.

  • Importance: Reflects a focus on creation and the covenant with God.

• Christianity: Anno Domini (AD) - Year of Our Lord, starting from the birth of Jesus.

  • Importance: Emphasizes the significance of Jesus as the central figure of the faith.

• Islam: Anno Hijra (AH) - Year of the Hijra, starting from Muhammad’s migration to Medina.

  • Importance: Highlights the beginning of the Islamic community and the establishment of Islam as a social and political entity.

• Anno Mundi (AM): Year 1 is counted from the creation of the world, traditionally dated to 3761 BCE.

Christianity:

• Anno Domini (AD): Year 1 starts from the birth of Jesus Christ, traditionally dated to c. 1 CE.

Islam:

• Anno Hijra (AH): Year 1 begins from Muhammad’s migration to Medina, traditionally dated to 622 CE.

Relative Size

• Judaism:

  • Globally: About 15 million adherents.

  • U.S.: Approximately 7 million adherents.

• Christianity:

  • Globally: Over 2.3 billion adherents.

  • U.S.: Approximately 70% of the population identifies as Christian.

• Islam:

  • Globally: About 1.8 billion adherents.

  • U.S.: Approximately 1-2 million adherents.

Weekly Day of Worship

• Judaism:

  • Day: Saturday (Shabbat).

  • Reason: Observes the Sabbath as a day of rest and spiritual enrichment, following the commandment to rest on the seventh day of creation.

• Christianity:

  • Day: Sunday.

  • Reason: Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which is believed to have occurred on a Sunday.

• Islam:

  • Day: Friday.

  • Reason: Jumu'ah (Friday prayer) is a significant weekly congregation and sermon for Muslims, emphasizing community worship and reflection.

Arrangement of Sacred Texts

• Judaism:

  • Tanakh: Divided into three sections - Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvim, arranged in a specific order.

• Christianity:

  • Bible: Old Testament (including the Jewish scriptures) and New Testament (Gospels, Acts, Letters, Apocalypse).

• Islam:

  • Qur'an: Divided into 114 Suras (chapters) of varying lengths, organized roughly from longest to shortest, with no chronological order.

Differences Between Jewish Bible and Christian Old Testament

• Jewish Bible:

  • Structure: Divided into Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvim.

  • Books: Includes books like Chronicles and excludes some Deuterocanonical books.

• Christian Old Testament:

  • Structure: Varies by denomination but generally includes the same books as the Jewish Bible with additional books (Deuterocanonical) in the Catholic and Orthodox versions.

Water Rituals and Prayer Frequency

• Judaism:

  • Water Rituals: Mikvah for purification and conversion.

  • Prayer Frequency: Three times daily - Shacharit (morning), Minchah (afternoon), and Maariv (evening).

• Christianity:

  • Water Rituals: Baptism for initiation into the faith.

  • Prayer Frequency: Varies widely; no specific required frequency.

• Islam:

  • Water Rituals: Wudu (ablution) before prayers and Ghusl (full-body purification) for major rituals.

  • Prayer Frequency: Five times daily - Fajr (dawn), Dhuhr (midday), Asr (afternoon), Maghrib (sunset), Isha (night).