Judiasm
Judaism was a parent of Christianity, and we probably know more
about it than any other religion, excluding our own, right off the top of our
heads. The ancestors of the Jews, called the Israelites, established a
kingdom in Canaan-the land of Milk and Honey. The Israelites first began
to see themselves in a special relationship with their God at about 1000
B.C.E. God had selected them to be a Chosen People. God had offered the
Chosen People a covenant, or special agreement. In this covenant, the
Israelites promised to worship only God, and in return God promised them
preservation throughout history and the land of Canaan. Canaan was later
called Judah, Israel, and Palestine.
Central to the understanding of the Jewish convenant is the
prosperous herdsman who heard and followed God’s call, Abraham.
Abraham answered God’s call and led his family from Ur of the Chaldees to
Canaan. Abraham mad a son, Isaac, and a grandson Jacob who also
inherited the convenant. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were called the
patriarchs, or the founders of Judiasm.
Moses, being one of the great religious leaders in history, God
revealed his name Yahweh to him. Yahweh means “to be” in Hebrew. The
events recorded in Exodus indicate that through Moses a new and deeper
understanding of God was revealed. The worship of Yahweh was unknown
before Moses. The Israelites as a whole began to realize that the God of
Moses was a very “jealous God,” who would not tolerate worship of any
other god.
As the book of Exodus opens, we find that the Israelites are slaves in
the land of Egypt. Exodus became the heart and soul of Judaism. Moses
is the key character in Exodus and one of great religious leaders in history.
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... branches. It has the full tradition of
Judaism. It calls itself the “Torah-True Judaism” because of its strict
adherence to the law of Moses. This stance seems to influence and shape
tis approach to theology. The second branch of Judaism is Reform. The
Reform branch is extremely liberal and call their houses of worship
“temples” and have begun to ordain female rabbis. They believe that the
Mosaic law should not be followed to closely. The reform Jews still only
believe in one God. The last branch of Judaism is the conservative branch
which lies in the middle of the Orthodox and the reform branches. They
retain the essentials of Judaism and hold that personal conscience must
be the final rule of life, and the always try to apply the Jewish tradition to
modern day life. Sometimes the conservative Jews are often times
professionals in the arts.
In this research paper I will discuss the ethnic groups of Africans in the Caribbean and Jews in Ethiopia. Jews in Ethiopia call themselves Beta Israel which means `house of Israel.' They are also known as the Falashas. Falasha means `stranger' or `immigrant' in the classical language of Ethiopia (the Ge'ez tongue). I will also describe the culture of the African people displaced into the Caribbean who identify themselves as the Rastafarians and the connections I have made between them and Judaism. I believe that these connections between Judaism and Rastafarianism are more than just similarities that can be found between any two Bible- following religions. I choose the Falashas as the topic for personal, religious and spiritual reasons. I was born into a Jewish household, rich in the traditions and customs of my Hebrew ancestors. I grew up however in the Caribbean, home of the unique culture known as the Rastafari. Throughout my life I have felt a deep connection between Judaism and Rastafarianism. In this paper I seek the origins and history of the connection that I feel in my heart. I believe that the Falashas are the bridge between these two cultures.
There are thousands of religions in this world, and of those, Hasidic Judaism is the most conservative. Throughout history Hasidism has not drifted from the rules and rituals of the 18th century. From the clothing, to the food, everything involved in Hasidic daily life is geared towards becoming closer to God. Around the world there are numerous Hasidic groups, and the largest population is in New York. Hasidic people live in small towns filled with members of the same group, and they all look towards their rebbe for guidance. The rebbe or the rabbi is the teacher of his followers and is responsible for inspiring his people. For Hasidic people everyday they must live by the 613 commandments of the Torah. Hasidic history, study, clothing, food, and communities prove that Hasidic Judaism is the most conservative and orthodox branch of religion for its time.
There are several branches of Judaism, but the three most common are the Orthodox, the Conservative, and the Reform parties. Regard...
One day, Abram had a vision. In the vision God tells Abram to leave his father’s house which is today’s Iraq, and travel to a place that God will show him. God said that if Abram who becomes Abraham obeyed this command, his descendants would become a great nation, and that he will bless thee,...
Mithraism is the ancient Roman mystery cult of the god Mithras. Roman worship of Mithras began sometime during the early Roman empire, perhaps during the late first century of the Common Era (hereafter CE), and flourished from the second through the fourth centuries CE. While it is fairly certain that Romans encountered worship of the deity Mithras as part of Zoroastrianism in the eastern provinces of the empire, particularly in Asia Minor (now modern Turkey), the exact origins of cult practices in the Roman cult of Mithras remain controversial (see below). The evidence for this cult is mostly archaeological, consisting of the remains of mithraic temples, dedicatory inscriptions, and iconographic representations of the god and other aspects of the cult in stone sculpture, sculpted stone relief, wall painting, and mosaic. There is very little literary evidence pertaining to the cult.
from the Hebrew word "to go" and has come to mean the "way" or "path."
The Roman Catholic Church dominated religion for many years in Europe and became an extremely powerful institution. Over the years, the Roman church became corrupt and immoral in many ways. The development of the Protestant Reformation, Lutheranism, was greatly influenced by political events in the years proceeding the 16th century. The declared aim of the original reformer, Martin Luther, was to restore the Christian faith as it had been at its formation, while salvaging what he considered valuable from the Roman Catholic tradition that had developed during the previous centuries. Luther broke the unity of the Catholic Church forever by exposing their faults and misguided notions. Lutheranism spread quickly due to the availability of the Christian Faith, as well as the close relationship between religion and the state.
Religion has existed since the dawn of civilization and over time has evolved into the religions we have today. Today the most prominent religions are monotheistic, having one omnipotent god, and despite having many differences they share basic tenets of respect and kindness. Religions, such as Judaism, give explanations for the unknown, provide hope, and bring about a sense of community.
but within individual schools of though opinions still differ. Jewish ethics is centered around ‘being godly’ however ‘godliness’ can only be expressed through interactions on a human level. The highest ideal of Judaism therefore is to protect human life. Saving human life takes priority over any other commandment. Jewish religion has a great desire to reduce or eliminate human suffering.
While the Jews were still trying to find the holy land, the brother of Moses, Aaron, established a priesthood. They build the tabernacle, a large tent, it became the center for Jewish worship. In 1077 B.C. a member of the tribe of Judah, David, became King of the Israelites. He firmly established kingship and priesthood in the nation's capital of Jerusalem. Solomon, David's son, built a large temple in Jerusalem. The messiah would come from David's line. There were three prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, each warned of punishment from god.
The spreading of belief allows the prophet to gain followers and eventually establish traditions which surround religion, whether it be holidays, ceremonies, or even the manner of death in some extreme cases. Based off the traditions established by these religions, societies soon formed and grew while strictly following the word of god, which, in modern days, has been collected into a single collective book. Three books exist between the religions. The Torah for Judaism, the Bible for Christianity, and the Qur’an for Islam. These books detail a certain creed or code through the use of anecdotes and parables, but are generally boiled down to a list which can vary in size from Christianity’s Ten Commandments to Judaism’s 613 laws, regardless of the rhetoric displayed in the enormous amount of pages written throughout the three texts. These laws are generally simplistic and followable without much thought, unless of course if one is a philosopher, in which case there is always room for questioning. However, Judaism in particular, having 613 separate laws, becomes very specific in their laws which range from what to eat when all the way up to what kind of punishment a man should receive if he has been caught committing a crime. Some of the harsher laws have been repealed or amended, but ascetic courts still exist in closed Jewish society, with some places still following Jewish law to a T (however this practice is rare outside of middle eastern communities where Judaism rules.) And since the topic of Judaism is fresh on the mind, it shall be the first detailed separately from the others.
Gnosticism, which was viewed as a threat to early Christian beliefs can be defined as the “thought and practice especially of various cults of late pre Christian and early Christian centuries distinguished by the conviction that matter is evil and that emancipation comes through gnosis (King, p.5).” Besides the dictionary’s condensed definition summarizing Gnosticism, “Gnosticism” is a much more complex belief composed of numerous myths defining humans and God and viewed as an ancient Christian heresy. Gnosticism is rather a term invented in the early modern period to aid in defining the boundaries of normative Christianity. Yet, it has been mistakenly come to be thought of as a distinctive Christian heresy or seen as a religion in its own right (King, p.1)
While churches which historically emerged directly or indirectly from the Protestant Reformation generally constitute traditional Protestantism, in common usage the term is often used to refer to any Christian church other than the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches.[4] This usage is imprecise, however, as there are non-Roman Catholic and non-Eastern Orthodox churches which predate the Reformation (notably Oriental Orthodoxy). The Anglican tradition, although historically influenced by the Protestant Reformation in what is called the English Reformation, differs from many Reformation principles and understands itself to be a middle path—a via media—between Roman Catholic and Protestant doctrines. Other groups, such as the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, reject traditional Protestantism as another deviation from Christianity, while perceiving themselves to be restorationists.
... people. It also shows the dependence of people on God. Moses was a man of courage who sought to see the face of the God. He received the laws of the lord and made sacrifices for them when they sinned. Moses acted as a mediator between Yahweh and his people (Woolfe).