Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Abrahamic Religions are the first monotheistic

religions of the world.

*They came from West Asia

*They share similarities because of one patriarch
(belief in one god, belief in heaven and hell, belief in
angels, prophets, and judgement day, etc)
*Christianity is the most popular religion followed by
Islam
OBJECTIVES
 At the end of the lesson, you should be
able to:
1. Trace the historical background of
Judaism
2. Understand the socio-political dynamics
of Judaism
3. Familiarize Jewish doctrines and practices
Motivational Activity
 Challenge yourself by arranging the jumbled words.
1. ENGSIES
2. BHRAAMA
3. CNANAA
4. TANEPUETCH
5. WEJSHI
6. SOMES
7. ISIAN
8. BWEREHS
9. COBAJ
10. UDISAMJ
Motivational Activity
 Challenge yourself by arranging the jumbled words.
1. ENGSIES - GENESIS
2. BHRAAMA - ABRAHAM
3. CNANAA - CANAAN
4. TANEPUETCH - PENTATEUCH
5. WEJSHI - JEWISH
6. SOMES - MOSES
7. ISIAN - ASIAN
8. BWEREHS - HEBREWS
9. COBAJ - JACOB
10. UDISAMJ - JUDAISM
Concept Map
Sacred
Scriptures

Beliefs Worships
and Judaism and
Doctrines Observances

Subdivision
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
 Hebrews are a group of Semites in Arabian deserts who
are the ancestors of the Jews
 Pentateuch refers to the first five books of the Hebrew
bible where the origin of the Jewish people and the
beginnings of Judaism can be traced
 The 3 notable figures of Judaism are Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob (nomadic patriarchs)
JUDAISM
 Anchored upon God's revelation to Abraham that He
is the creator and ruler of the universe, and that He
loves His creatures and demands righteousness from
them.
 God entered into a covenant with Abraham promising
him that he would become the father of a great nation.
 Abram must prove his worth to this agreement by way
of tests of faith throughout his lifetime.
 Abram/ Abraham

Sarai/Sarah Hagar

Isaac Rebecca Ishmael

(ancestor of the Arabs)

Jacob Esau
(Israel)

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar,

Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph & Benjamin

Levi’s tribe (Jochebed)

Moses
(led the exodus)
SOCIO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS
 Kingship is the concept of leadership based on the Old
Testament: an ideal form of government
 Concept of Covenant is important
 Model of tribal federations
 Practice of communal living (rabbi functions as a teacher
and interpreter of Jeeish laws and customs)
 Jews, politics, society, culture and religion are all
interconnected
SACRED SCRIPTURES
 Jewish people - refer as "people of the book" in
reference to the Hebrew bible, "Tanakh/Mikra"
 Tanakh/Mikra was established in its full canonical
form by the end of the first century CE
 The Hebrew bible is composed of 3 principal sections
(Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim
Torah
 Torah or Teaching is comoised of the first 5 books (Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)
 Torah also refers to as the Pentateuch, traditionally
believed to be written by Moses in Mt. Sinai
 It contains basic laws for Jewish self-understanding and
narrates the history, religious statues, and moral
regulations for individuals and society, ceremonial rites
and creation stories and the origin and groeth of mankind
Nevi'im
 Nevi'im or Prophets is subdivided into Earlier prophets,
Later prophets, and 12 minor prophets
 Prophets served as spokespersons who criticize the
hypocritical practices of the Jewsih rituals. They are
chosen by God to preach His message to the people.
Ketuvim
 Ketuvim or Writings contains works on poetry, temple
ritual, private prayer, philosophical explorations and
other canonical works
Torah refers to “Five Books of Moses”. However, it can also be the entire
Hebrew bible known as the Old Testament to the non-Jews but TANAKH or
written Torah for the Jews
 Tanakh vs. Talmud

Tanakh – written Torah

Talmud – oral Torah

Tanakh – whole body of Jewish laws and teachings

Talmud – authoritative collection of rabbinic interpretations of the sacred
scriptures
(It was written down around 2nd century CE as Mishnah or a restatement
of the law by a respected opinion. Additional strand of commentaries
from Babylonia and Jerusalem was known as Gemara.

Mishnah and Gemara comprised the Talmud that was completed in 5th
century CE
Beliefs and Doctrines
 Actions are more significant than beliefs
 There is one everlasting god who created the universe
in its entirety and remains the master of it
 Human beings are created equal
 God communicate through revelations and people
communicate through prayers and meditations
 A Jew is someone whose mother is a Jew
 A person may convert to Judaism but must undergo
numerous rituals
ARTICLES OF FAITH
Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam or Moses Maimonides)
- Jewish philosopher who listed the minimum
requirements of Jewish belief.
13 PRINCIPLES OF JEWISH FAITH
1. God exists.
2. God is one and unique.
3. God is incorporeal.
4. God is eternal.
5. Prayer is to be directed to God
alone and to no other.
6. The words of the prophets are
true.
7. Moses’ prophecies are true, and
Moses was the greatest of the
prophets.
8. The Written Torah and Oral
Torah were given to Moses
9. There will be no other Torah.
10. God knows the thoughts and
deeds of men.
11. God will reward the good and
punish the wicked.
12. The Messiah will come.
13. The dead will be resurrected.
The 10 Commandments
 The 10 commandments are a set of absolute laws given
to Moses by God at Mt. Sinai that shall govern the life
of every Israelite. These laws were twice mentioned in
Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21.
 Apart from the 10 commandments, there are also 613
mitzvot or laws found within the Torah as identified by
Rambam.
 Traditionally, there are 248 positive and 365 negative
commandments within the Torah.
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
 The Jewish community utilizes a lunar calendar with 12
months, each beginning at the new moon of 29 or 30
days. Every festival and Sabbath commences and
terminates at dusk or sunset rather than midnight in
adherence to the Biblical pattern.
Common worship and Observances

 Sabbath or Shabbat
– commemorates God’s completion of the creation of the
universe and his rest after the six-day toil. Sabbath
candles are lighted and kiddush (sanctification) is
recited over wine or grape juice. It ends through the
symbolic ritual of havdalah (division) done by dousing
on candles and smelling sweet spices.
Common worship and Observances

 The Days of Awe

- Tishri is the 7th month in the ecclesiastical year of the
Jewish calendar. The first 10 days of Tishri are called
the “Days of Awe” (Yamin Noraim) wherein the first 2
days comprise the New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and the
10th day as the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).
- Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the 10-day period of
penitence. All Jews must undergo self-reflection.
- Yom Kippur is the most sacred and solemn day that
brings repentance at its conclusion
Common worship and Observances

 Pilgrimage festivals/Shalosh Regalim

1. Pesach/Passover
2. Shavuot/Weeks or Pentecost
3. Sukot/Tabernacles

These festivals spiritualize human life and merge nature

and history in a divine pattern.
Common worship and Observances

1. Pesach
– 8-day festival; recreate the Exodus of the Jews
from the Egypt
2. Shavuot
- 2-day festival; commemorate the revelation of
Torah to Moses in Mt. Sinai
3. Sukkot
- 9-day festival; commemorates Israelites’ stay in
desert wilderness
Other important days

1. Hanukkah – Festival of Lights/Feast of Dedication

- commemorate the Jewish Fighters against
Seleucid Empire in 165 BCE
2. Purim – Feast of Esther
- celebrates the deliverance of the Jews
during the Persian empire
Halakha

 Translates as “the path that one walks”, these are

Jewish religious laws derived form the Written Torah
and Oral Torah including the 613 mizvot.
 It instructs the Jews what to do as they wake up in the
morning, what foods to eat, what to wear, who to
marry and how to observe Sabbath and holy days.
Synagogues

 These are Jewish temples of worship, instruction and

community fellowship that contain separate rooms
designed for specific activities such as studying and
praying.
The Temple
 Around 1003 BCE, David conquered Jerusalem and made it
his capital bringing with him the ark of covenant.
 The Hebrew bible acknowledged Solomon as the builder of
the First Temple in Jerusalem around 1000 BCE (Solomon’s
Temple)
 During the siege of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar II and the
Babylonians completely destroyed the structure in 587 BCE
 The second temple under the Persian king Darius but
substantially altered under Herod. It lasted for 420 years
until the Romans razed Jerusalem in 70 CE. All but a
portion was completely destroyed (Wailing Wall/Kotel)
The Temple
 “Ezekiel’s Temple”