Judaism

Religion of Covenant

• Implies that God will keep his end of the bargain, but Israelites need to keep theirs
• God sees them as a holy nation, a treasured possession
• Huge emphasis on group identity
• Covenant: a sacred family bond

History of the Chosen People

• After the time of the Babylonian Exile, they were called “Jews” due to the tribe of Judah being the one captured
• Belief that if they are God’s Chosen People, God knows what is going on with them and can help them
• God is loving, all powerful, all just, all merciful, providential, but the Jewish people must live up to their end of the covenant
• Classical Judaism
  • 66 CE: Jewish War to overcome the Romans
  • 70 CE: temple in Jerusalem was destroyed
  • 600 CE: Islam comes to power
  • Diaspora: dispersion; Jewish people having to live away from their ancestral homeland
• Medieval Judaism (700s-1700s CE)
  • Jewish people thrived in Spain
  • Famous teachers: Maimonides (philosopher), and Zohar (mystical)
  • Lived under Muslim rule in Spain and Africa and Christian rule in Europe
  • Under Muslim regime
  • Under Christian regime

Central Teachings

• Avoid pronouncing full name of God—too holy to say or write
  • YHWY in Hebrew (“Yahweh”)
• Shema: hear o Isreal the Lord is our God, the Lord alone
  • Recited twice daily: morning and evening
  • Huge change to polytheistic world
  • Good, moral god, which most polytheistic gods were not
  • Humans are good
  • The world, matter, is good
  • You have free will, not fate
• Torah: the first five books of the Old Testament
  • Instruction, law
  • Hebrew bible has three parts: Torah (T), Prophets (N), Writings (K)
  • Tanak: the whole Hebrew scriptures
  • Pentateuch: the Greek term for the first five books of the bible
  • Greek version; things are lost in translation
  • All three of these words are, to some extent, synonymous
  • Moses is the author according to tradition
  • Contains 613 laws, 10 Commandments are most famous
  • Every synagogue has an ark with the Torah in it
  • Prophets (one who speaks for)
  • Other writings
  • Poetry, wisdom literature, short stories, and historical accounts
• Mishnah and Talmud
  • Rabbi: a teacher of the Torah, the leader of a Jewish congregation
  • Mishnah: a collection of teachings of Rabbis for 400 years
  • Written down in 200 CE
  • Talmud: commentary on the Mishnah

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