Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Judaism: ancient religion that developed in 2000 BC in Mesopotamia

• Hebrew Bible: written over a thousand years, in the 11th and 12th centuries BC

  • At the time, Ancient Hebrews were cattle herders in desert and polytheistic

• Abraham: cattle herder in Ur and a Hebrew patriarch

  • God told Abraham only one true god exists
  • God lead his family and people to Canaan
  • Canaan is modern day Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan
  • Hebrew population grew and organized into 12 tribes
  • People were called the Israelites

• Moses and the Exodus:

  • Exodus was around 1200 BC
  • Egyptian pharoah felt they would get powerful and enslave them
  • God asked Moses to lead them back to Canaan

• The Ten Commandments:

  • Moses and Israelites wandered for 40 years. Stopped in Mount Sinai (Egypt)
  • On the mountain, God revealed the Torah and the Ten Commandments
  • Includes laws that state how Israelites should behave.

• The Ten Commandments are:

  • You shall have no other gods before me
  • You shall not make idols
  • You shall not take the name of the lord in vain
  • Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
  • Honor your father and your mother
  • You shall not murder
  • You shall not commit adultery
  • You shall not steal
  • You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
  • You shall not covet

• Early Kingdoms of Israel:

  • King Solomon: ruled from 970 - 925 BC. Built the First Temple.
  • Solomon died in 925 BC and the Kingdom split.
  • 772 BC: Assyria conquered Israel. Forced to settle outside the Kingdom
  • 590 BC: Babylonians captured Judea, destroyed temples, and enslaved Jews.
  • Moved Jews to Babylonia, and the Babylonians held them captive.
  • 530 BC: Persian Empire defeated Babylonians.
  • Allowed Jews to return, but not all did. Started the Jewish diaspora.
  • 63 BC: Roman Empire conquered Jewish lands.
  • Forced them to stop practicing and to worship Roman gods instead.

• Beliefs and practices:

  • Monotheism, obedience to religious laws, and mitzvahs

• Important texts:

  • Hebrew Bible, Torah, and the Talmud

Christianity: ancient religion developed in 33 AD in Judea

• Origins: Roman rule of the Jews was tough as Jews awaited the Messiah
• Jesus of Nazarath: Those who believed he was the messiah are Christians.
  • His life and teachings are written in the Bible
  • Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) and the New Testament
  • Gained 12 close followers (disciples/apostles)
• Christ’s Teachings: compassion, sins can be forgiven, monotheism
• Crucification: 30 AD he was crucified by the Romans
• Spread of Christianity:
  • Paul spread the message through the Roman Empire.
  • Romans are pagans, so they saw Christianity as a threat and executed Paul.
  • Romans banned the religion and persecuted Christians.
  • In 300 AD, they became more tolerant. 313 AD the emperor Constantine converted and ended the persecution.
  • In 392 AD, Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire
• Beliefs:
  • Doctrine of the Trinity
  • Acceptance leads to eternal salvation in heaven

Islam:

• Expansion of Islam:
  • 632 AD: Muhammad dies. The first caliph, Abu Bakr, leads and unites Arabia.
  • 634 AD: Under Umar, the Muslims conquer Mesopotamia and extend to North Africa
  • The Umayyad followed. Expanded Muslim territory to make an empire
  • 749 AD: Abassid caliphate took control and moved the capital city to Baghdad
  • Golden Age: advancements in math, science, medicine, and architecture
  • When Northern Africa was conquered, they became trade partners.
  • Trade spread across more regions. Silk Road helped share beliefs
• 5 Pillars:
  • Shahadah: declaration of faith
  • Salat: five daily pillars
  • Zakat: charity
  • Ramadan: fasting during the holy month of Ramadan
  • Hajj: Sacred pilgrimage to Mecca
• Important texts:
  • Quran (word of God) and Hadith (actions and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad)