Judaism

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Judaism Culture and Religion
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Early monotheistic religions

• Monotheism a belief in one god.
• Polytheism a belief in more than one god.
• Judaism is the oldest monotheistic religion in
  the world, dating from around 1900 BCE.
• The Torah (Jewish Law) is the main document of
  Judaism, although there are many Jewish sacred
  writings. The Torah did not appear until around
  1250 BCE, when it was given to the Jews by
  Moses.
• When historians encounter religious doctrine or
  dogma in sources, they must be careful to remain
  objective. As historians we do not debate whether
  or not a persons god is real. Instead, we look
  at the social, political and economic
  consequences of religious beliefs.

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The Story of judaism

• Abraham is considered the father of Judaism. He
  promoted a belief in one god Yahweh at a time
  when all Middle Eastern religions were
  monotheistic. Modern scholars talk about the
  Judeo-Christian tradition a tradition of
  monotheistic cultural influence that began with
  the story of Abraham nearly 4000 years ago.
• The descendents of Abraham became known as the
  Israelites.
• The Israelites travelled the desert looking for
  the Promised Land, but were enslaved in Egypt.
  The nomadic Israelites were known as Hebrews
  from the word meaning to pass over or to
  travel, because they were travellers. A Hebrew
  prophet, Moses, appeared to lead the Israelites
  out of slavery.

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The Story of Judaism

• The Israelites reached the Promised Land and
  established an Israelite Kingdom in Canaan
  (Israel). The Israelites established an
  independent state in Canaan, but were eventually
  taken over by the Babylonians, Assyrians, and
  eventually the Romans.
• The Romans revamped Jerusalem, Roman-style. A
  strained relationship existed between the Roman
  governors and the Jewish patriarchs of the
  province.

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What have the romans ever done for us

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vExWfh6sGyso

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Jewish scripture

• The Ten Commandments, as written in the Torah,
  areWorship no other God but me.Do not make
  images to worship.Do not misuse the name of
  God.Observe the Sabbath Day (Saturday). Keep it
  Holy.Honour and respect your father and
  mother.Do not murder.Do not commit
  adultery.Do not steal.Do not accuse anyone
  falsely. Do not tell lies about other people.
  Do not envy other's possessions.

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Jewish culture in the time of jesus and the empire

• A Galilean Jew named Jesus probably existed
  between 7-2 BCE until around 30 CE, and lived in
  Galilee and Judea provinces of the Roman
  Empire.
• After the death of Jesus, a variety of Jesus
  Groups (followers of Jesus, but styling
  themselves as Christians rather than Jews) begin
  to spread out across the Mediterranean world.
• The trade and military routes of the Roman
• Empire, along with the relatively safe
• roads and ports of the provinces, resulted
• in the rapid spread of Christianity
• throughout the Empire. By the fourth
• century CE, Rome was a Christian empire.

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The Jews after Jesus

• Judaism had far fewer followers. The Jews were
  persecuted by the Romans, and Judeas Jewish
  population scattered around the Mediterranean,
  Middle East and Europe. The scattering of the
  Jews is known as the Diaspora (DIE-AS-PRAH).

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The Bar KoKHBa Revolt

• The Romans separated the province of Judea from
  Syria, and ordered the inhabitants of Jerusalem
  to pay a tax to the Temple of Jupiter in Rome.
  This made the Jews in Judea particularly unhappy.
• During the reign of the emperor Trajan (96-117
  CE), large Jewish revolts took place throughout
  the provinces of the Empire. The revolts were
  quashed, but when Hadrian became emperor in 117
  CE, he regarded the Jews in Israel as a problem
  that needed to be quickly and decisively crushed
  in order to avoid further problems.

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The BAR KOKHBA Revolt

• It is probable that Hadrian banned circumcision
  in Jerusalem prior to the revolt effectively,
  banning the practice of Jewish religion.
• The revolt began as a guerilla struggle against
  Rome in 132 CE.
• The Jewish rebels, led by Simeon bar Kosiba, took
  Jerusalem.
• Simeon bar Kosiba was given the name Bar Kokhba
  meaning Son of the Star.
• Hadrian managed to crush the revolt completely by
  136 CE, and for some time banned Jews from living
  in Jerusalem.
• The name Judea was changed to Palestina,
  after the Philistines. This was an insult to Jews
  in Judea.

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Jews in late antiquity

• Many Jews were forced to leave the Land of
  Israel as a result of the attempts to regain
  independence in the first centuries.
• Thus, Jewish communities became part of European,
  North African, and Southwest Asian societies
  during the Middle Ages.
• As a religious minority Jews were vulnerable to
  anti-Semitism.

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Replacement theology

• After the fourth century, when Christianity had
  gained a hold throughout the Empire, and
  theologians attempted to categorise the various
  beliefs and doctrines, the idea of replacement
  theology arose.
• Replacement theology is the belief that Judaism
  was an unfinished religion, and that Christianity
  is the end result therefore why would Jews
  not convert to the final, perfect religious
  product?
• This idea, combined with a growing lack of
  religious tolerance amongst Christian leaders,
  led to a belief that Jews were inferior to
  Christians.

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Jews in the middle ages

• Under medieval laws, Jews were treated as
  resident foreigners, not citizens.
• As the Christian Church became more and more
  powerful, European Jews became more and more
  marginalised.
• As currency became increasingly important, the
  role of Jews as moneylenders became more visible
  and led to them being a target for Christian
  persecution.

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Jews in the middle ages
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Persecution of jews in middle ages

• In 1204 the papacy ordered that Jews wear
  distinctive clothing to show their status.
• In the 1340s, Jews were blamed for the spread of
  the Black Death some were put to death, many
  Jewish communities were banished from England,
  France and Spain.
• Jews remained on the periphery of society for
  much of the Middle Ages. Their insular culture
  made them a regular target for racism and
  persecution.