Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Class info:

Book: Religions of a Single God by Zeba A. Crook

Study for each Abrahamic Religion:

  • History

  • Theology/Stories

  • Concepts, Themes, Morals

  • Ancient Practices

  • Holidays and Modern Practices

  • Modern Interpretations and Denominations

How We Study Religion

The Academic Study of Religion Explained

All disciplines of religious studies have a tendency to emphasize reductionism and explanation

Examples of approaches toward religious studies:

  • Anthropology

  • Sociology

  • Neuroscience?

  • Psychology

Examples of religious academics:

  • Emille Durkheim

  • Max Weber

  • Sigmund Freud

  • Nancy Ammerman (Contemporary)

What is meant by the “Sociological Approach” to religion?

My definition: The study of how religion teaches, both explicitly and implicitly, its followers to interact with one another, as well as individuals of other practices.

Contrast Durkheim, Weber, and Ammerman’s applications to the sociology of religion

  • Durkheim focuses on the origin and function of religion

  • Weber

How does the psychological approach to religion differ from the sociological?

  • The psychological approach seeks to rationalize the origins of religion, to explain why humans may seek comfort in the ideas and structure of organized religion

  • The sociological approach analyzes not the cause of religion, but the effect: noting the ways society and the human experience are affected by beliefs

Reading #1: Religions of a Single God p. 23-26

Reading #2: Religions of a Single God p. 26-40

Abram the Ivri— “from the other side”

Pioneering the idea of Monotheism

Command to go to Canaan

Sodom and Gomorrah

Hagar and Yishmael

Binding of Isaac

Rebecca’s twins: Jacob and Esau

Jacob receives first born blessing

Jacob marries two sisters Leah and Rachel

Jacob wrestles with an angel and is called Israel

The Fathers of Islam and Christianity

What makes a Jew distinct

Timeline of the Old Testament

Creation

Creation of the World [4000-3000 BCE]

  • God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day

  • Creation of light, the heavens and earth, plants, animals, and humans

  • The first humans—Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve [4000-3000 BCE]

  • Considered the first humans according to the Bible

  • Created by God

  • Placed in the Garden of Eden

  • Lived in a state of innocence

  • Disobeyed God’s command and ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

  • Considered the first sin

Noah and the Flood [2400-2300 BCE]

  • A flood was sent to cleanse the Earth of its corruption and wickedness

  • God chose Noah, a righteous man to save himself and the animals

  • He took his family and two of every kind of animal

Tower of Babel [2200-2100 BCE]

  • Found in Genesis 11

  • After the flood, humanity attempted to build a tower to reach the heavens

  • God confused their languages in response to their arrogance

  • The people dispersed, often seen as the origin of diverse human cultures

Patriarchs

Abraham [2000-1800 BCE]

  • Regarded as the father of the Israelite people, a central figure in the Old Testament

  • God made a covenant with Abraham, promising to make his descendants into a great nation

  • Known for his faith, willingness to sacrifice his son, and for being a wanderer who journeyed to the land of Canaan

Isaac [1900-1700 BCE]

Jacob (Israel) [1800-1600 BCE]

Joseph [1800-1600 BCE]

Exodus and Mosaic Covenant

Moses and the Burning Bush [13th Century BCE]

  • Moses encountered a burning bush that was not consumed by the fire on Mount Sinai

  • God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and deliver them to the Promised land

  • Marks the beginning of the Exodus, a significant event in Jewish history

Exodus from Egypt [13th Century BCE]

  • A central event in the Old Testament, where Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt

  • A series of miraculous plagues occurred that convinced Pharaoh to release them

  • The journey of the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan, often referred to as the Wilderness Wanderings, is a major theme in the Old Testament

  • They are marked by the crossing of the Red Sea and the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai

The Ten Commandments [13th Century BCE]

  • God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai

  • They are a set of moral and ethical principles that form the basis of Judeo-Christian ethics

  • Include directives such as “You shall not murder,” “You shall not commit adultery,” and “You shall not covet”

  • Considered fundamental to the moral and legal framework of both Judaism and Christianity

Conquest of Canaan

Joshua [13th Century BCE]

  • After Moses’s death, Joshua took over as the leader of the Israelites

  • Known for leading the Israelites in the conquest of Canaan, the Promised Land

  • Israelites conquered Jericho and various other cities in the region

  • His story is recorded in the book of Joshua

United Kingdom

Saul [11th Century BCE]

David [10th Century BCE]

Solomon [10th Century BCE]

Divided Kingdom

Split into Northern and Southern Kingdoms [Late 10th Century BCE]

Various Kings and Prophets [10th to 7th Centuries BCE]

Babylonian Exile and Return

Fall of Northern Kingdom (Israel) to Assyria [722 BCE]

Fall of Southern Kingdom (Judah) to Babylon [586 BCE]

Babylonian Exile [586-538 BCE]

Cyrus the Great Allows Jewish Exiles to Return to Judah [538 BCE]

Rebuilding of Second Temple in Jerusalem [5th Century BCE]

Ezra and Nehemiah [5th Century BCE]

Various Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc.) [8th to 6th Centuries BCE]

Books of the Old Testament

Who Wrote the Torah?

Rosh Hashanah and use of the Shofar

The Crash Course in Jewish History

Mishna: The First Compilation of Rabbinic Law

  • Agriculture

    • Ancient Israelites were farmers—Agriculture was vital to their lives and livelihood, so it makes sense that there were many questions about it

    • First section of the laws of agriculture is about worship—nothing can be done without the permission and help of God (rain, growth, etc)

    • Other sections are about raising crops, taking the first fruits and giving them to the poor and needy

  • Holidays/Seasons

    • All occasions of Jewish celebration over the course of the year

      • Rosh Hashanah, etc

      • Shabbot (Sabbath), a model for other holidays—Hebrews were the first to introduce the idea of having a day off

        • Based on the idea of God creating the world for six days and resting for one

  • “Women”

    • Marital relations between men and women

    • Jewish civilization approaches this subject in a respectful manner

    • Judaism institutionalizes divorce early on, recognizes that not every marriage is successful

    • Formal divorce system that protects women and children

  • Damages

    • The idea of what is owed when one wrongs another

  • Sanctity

    • Sanctity of temple mount

  • Purity

    • How pure one must be to go to temple mount

Last two sections are not commonly studied, as they are no longer particularly relevant