Section 5 Judaism

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Section 5Judaism

• Chapter 2
• The Fertile Crescent

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Objectives

• In this section you will
• 1. Learn about the basic beliefs of Judaism.
• 2. Find out about the effect that Judaism has
  had on other religions.

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Key Terms

• covenant a binding agreement
• Moses an Israelite leader whom the Torah
  credits with leading the Israelites from Egypt
  to Canaan

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• prophet a religious teacher who is regarded as
  someone who speaks for God or for a god
• diaspora the scattering of people who have a
  common background or beliefs

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• Torah - most sacred text of Judaism
• It recorded events and laws important to the
  Israelites.
• Made up of 5 books Genesis (Very beginning of
  Judaism), Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
  Deuteronomy.
• Christians adopted these books as the first five
  books of the Old Testament.

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Beliefs in Judaism

• Early Israelites believed that God took part in
  their history.
• History and religion were closely connected.
• Each event showed the people Gods plan.
• Monotheistic belief in one god

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• God is present everywhere, knows everything, and
  has complete power.
• Through the Torah, God promised Abraham that his
  people would become kings and build nations.
• Because of the covenant or promise made by God,
  the Israelites were considered Gods chosen
  people.

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• The covenant was renewed by Moses.
• He told his followers that God would lead them to
  Canaan or the promise land and in return the
  Israelites had to obey God faithfully.
• Dead Sea Scrolls - discovered in 1947, showed an
  early history of the Israelites.

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Ten Commandments

• God delivered them through Moses.
• Some set out religious duties to God, while
  others are rules for correct behavior.
• There were other laws for crime and like
  Hammurabis code the punishment should match the
  crime.
• Religious teachers asked leaders to carry out the
  laws with justice and mercy.

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Judaism and Women

• Some laws protected women, such as the
  commandment that required a mother to be treated
  with respect.
• The man was the head of the family and owned his
  wife and children.

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• A father could choose his daughters suitors.
• Only the husband could seek divorce.
• A few women in early Israelite history won honor
  as religious leaders, such as Deborah, but later
  they were not allowed to take part in many
  religious leadership roles.

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Justice and Morality

• Prophets or religious teachers who are regarded
  as speaking for God told the Israelites how to
  live.
• They warned people not to disobey Gods law and
  if they did, it would bring disaster.

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• Prophets preached a code of ethics.
• The rich and powerful should protect the poor and
  weak.
• All people were equal before God and all had to
  follow Gods rule. Not like in other societies
  where the ruler was seen as a god.

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Reading Check

• What did the prophets tell the Israelites?
• The prophets preached a code of ethics that told
  the Israelites how God wanted them to live.

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Effects of Judaism

• After exile from Judah in 587 B.C., the Jews or
  people who follow Judaism saw the homeland
  controlled by various powers including the
  Romans.
• 135 A.D. Romans drove the Jews out of their
  homeland.
• The Jewish people scattered to different parts of
  the world.

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New Settlement

• The Romans continued the Jewish diaspora or the
  scattering of groups of people.
• Wherever the Jews settled, their heritage was
  always preserved by living in close communities.

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• They took care to obey all religious laws,
  worship at their temples, and follow their
  traditions such as Passover.
• Passover is a holiday that celebrates a time when
  they believed that their children were spared as
  death passed over them and they were lead out
  of Egypt by Moses.

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Effect on later religions

• Judaism had a great influence on two later
  religions Christianity and Islam
• Both have their beginnings in Judaism
• Both originated from the same geographical area
• Both monotheistic
• All honor Abraham, Moses, and prophets
• Share the same moral point of view as the
  Israelites

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Reading Check

• How did the Jews preserve their heritage?
• The Jews preserved their heritage by living
  together in close communities obeying their
  religious laws worshipping at their synagogues
  following traditions.

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Section 5, Assessment

• (a) Identify
• What promise did the Israelites believe God made
  to Abraham?
• They believed God promised Abraham that his
  people would become kings and build nations.

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• (b) Explain
• What did Gods covenant with Abraham require of
  the Israelites?
• God required the Israelites to obey God
  faithfully.

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• (c) Analyze Information
• Why did the Israelites believe that they were
  Gods chosen people?
• According to the Torah, based on the covenant
  made between God and Abraham and later renewed by
  Moses, the Israelites are Gods chosen people.

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• 2. (a) Recall
• What religious laws did the Israelites follow?
• They followed the religious laws set forth in the
  Torah, including the Ten Commandments.

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• 2. (b) Compare and Contrast
• How does Judaism compare and contrast with the
  beliefs of other peoples in the ancient world?
• Most ancient people believed in many gods that
  were connected to specific places or people the
  Israelites believed in one all powerful God that
  was everywhere.

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• 2. (c) Draw Inferences
• What do the laws of Judaism say about the moral
  values of the Israelites?
• These laws show that Israelites were concerned
  with honoring God above men with issues of right
  and wrong and helping the less fortunate.