The Abrahamic Faiths: Faiths recognized as being linked directly to Abraham.
I thoroughly enjoyed combing through my old college notes to refresh myself on Judaism and Islam, in particular. I'll do a more in depth article on Islam when I write on the Crusades, of which there were eight by western standards. My education is primarily focused on western history so, needless to say, I found it difficult to "trim the fat" in the section on Christianity. The words flowed and time past quickly but I find that, the more natural words come, the more unnatural they appear in print so I decided,Seven-thousand words later, to seek a fresh perspective. My Sister, Shanna graciously agreed to proofread my post, and wisely suggested that I post it in sections. Each post will be in the order they (the faiths) appeared in history, and I will address only the official denominations (as briefly as possible.) Enjoy!
JUDAISM 2900 B.C.-A.D.77
Origin: “Father Abraham had many sons”
Though the Bible begins with the
creation of the Earth, the religion of Judaism begins with God calling Abram to
gather his house and leave Ur. (Abram
became Abraham after his covenant with God, a sign of transformation and
commitment.) God led Abraham to the
Promised Land- an epic journey that birthed many of the Jewish traditions we
see today, such as:
·
CIRCUMCISION
God led
Abraham to circumcise his people as a sign of commitment to God and the
covenant with his people. Circumcision
was not unique to the Israelites and has served as signs of commitment and
purity in other faiths.
·
ZIONISM
God
called Abraham to Canaan where his descendants would become a mighty
Nation. Due to famine, the descendants
of Abraham (a powerful tribe) left Canaan for Egypt. The Egyptians were threatened by the power of
the Israelites and they eventually fled back to Canaan- a move known as the
Exodus. The land that Abraham acquired
in Canaan had been absorbed by other city-states. Though Moses led the Exodus, the re-conquest
of their ancestral lands fell to Joshua.
Joshua embarked on a successful campaign against the inhabitants and
retook the land. Israel remains a vital
component of Orthodox Judaism, inseparable from God’s covenant with his chosen
people.
THE MOSES EFFECT
God set
restrictions on various activities and actively guided Abraham and many in his
household, but the development of most of the specific laws found in the
Abrahamic faiths came from Moses, not Abraham.
While Abraham is important to the Jewish Covenant and the state of
Israel, Moses is the doctrinal patriarch.
The fundamental Jewish traditional laws are called the Halakhah (Laws of Moses). Moses was the adopted son of a Pharaoh; he
left his adopted family and was led by God to return his people to Canaan. The journey, like Abraham’s, was of epic
proportions and full of conflict, drama and miracles such as the Ten
Commandments and the parting of the Red (or Reed Sea, depending on
translation).
Over the next several centuries,
Judaism put less and less emphasis on interacting with God, and when the Temple
of Solomon fell (70 A.D.), so did the connection with God. Post temple/Rabbinic Judaism is the brand of
Judaism today. Christians may expect to
see Pharisees walking to synagogue, but, unfortunately, the era of the high
priests and the Holy of Holies is
long gone in Judaism.
The destruction of Biblical Judaism, was finalized around A.D. 135. The Roman Emperor Hadrian was tired of pesky rebellions, so cut his losses in Britain and built his famous wall but put his foot down in the Hebrew kingdom. It was arguably the first Genocide of the Jewish people in recorded history. Hadrian not only slaughtered the people, but burned the cities to the ground, plowed over them, and renamed them.
(*Interestingly, History remembers Hadrian as one of the Five "Good" Emperors... His despotism was probably overlooked because of his good social welfare programs, and persecution of business owners, just a theory though)
The Jews, though many escaped and returned later, were forced to refocus and practice their faith in the "diaspora." (*any land outside of Israel)
(*Interestingly, History remembers Hadrian as one of the Five "Good" Emperors... His despotism was probably overlooked because of his good social welfare programs, and persecution of business owners, just a theory though)
The Jews, though many escaped and returned later, were forced to refocus and practice their faith in the "diaspora." (*any land outside of Israel)
I'm pretty sure it looked something like this:
MODERN JUDAISM (A.D.77-Messiah)
Modern
Judaism is a non-evangelical faith based on many Laws. There are not only the Laws of God and Moses
but those of the Rabbis that came after: the Torah (Old Testament) & the Talmud (Mishnah and Gemara, oral law
and discussion). Today, like
Christianity, there are three brands of Judaism: Orthodox, Conservative, and Liberal/Reform.
Judaism varies according to practice- some follow the Halakhah
and the Aggadah (Non-legalistic
rabbinical writings) more closely than others. True Judaism, as it is understood in Israel,
is Orthodox Judaism. They are very
traditional people- I’ll not delve into to Jewish religion in this blog, as the
section on Christianity will be pushing the reader’s patience. Suffice it to say that Orthodox Jews are the
only officially recognized Jews in
Israel. They may only wed other Jews,
and they must observe the laws and traditions to the letter, including
appearance. The difference between
Conservative vs. Orthodox Judaism is similar to Christian Protestant vs.
Catholic.
Conservatives believe much the same
as the Orthodox Jews, but they believe some traditions, like dress, must change
with time. Liberal Jews make up some
seventy percent of Jews in the United States.
Their beliefs range from fairly conservative practice to Jewish
heresy. “Liberal Jews” are difficult to
spot, as they may have body piercings, tattoos, and/or other displays of
non-conformance not found in the Orthodox or Conservative movements. Most Liberal Jews are Jew in name and
heritage rather than in religious practice.
