By: Nick Collins, James Hughes, Yves Ishimwe, Ryan Mermelstein, and Jacob Shippel.

Judaism

GodsIn the Jewish religion, there is only one God who completed all of creation.

Although there are many names for the Jewish God, this God is a single entity. Some of these names are:1) Adonai- my lord2) Hashem- the name3) The Eternal One4) Yah (Yahweh)- Mighty God of Right Now5) Avinu- our father, our king

Basic BeliefsThe 13 basic beliefs of Judaism are:

1) God exists2) God is one and unique

3) God is incorporeal4) God is eternal5) Prayer is directed to God alone6) The words of the prophets are true7) Moses’ prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets 8) The Written Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and Oral Torah (teachings in the Talmud) were given to Moses9) There will be no other Torah10) God knows the thoughts and deed of men11) God will reward the good and punish the wicked12) The Messiah will come13) The dead will be resurrected

Practices● Yarmulke- circular cloth that Jewish men wear on their head during prayer out of respect and to be closer to God● Sabbath/Shabbat- from Friday night to Saturday night, the Sabbath is celebrated, and on the Sabbath Jewish people have a day of rest and

relaxation and some go to Temple for services● Kosher- being Kosher, some Jewish people are and some are not, means that a Jew

has accepted the complex lifestyle of many dietary restrictions providing a good, clean life

● Tallit/Tzitzit- when reading the Torah, a man or woman must wear tallit which is a long-blanket like sheet with fringes on the end called Tzitzit

Rituals/HolidaysRosh Hashanah- The Jewish new year.(The ten days in between are referred to as the days of atonement.)Yom Kippur- A day devoted to repenting ones sins from the past year through fasting.Sukkot- A harvest festival commemorating the wandering of the children amongst the

desert,and the harvest of fruit when they arrived to their destination.Shavu’ot- The commemoration of the giving of the Torah and first fruits to the

people/temple.Passover- Commemorates the Exodus after years and years of slaveryHannukah- The day celebrating a suspected day of oil lasting eight days following the

the destruction of the Second TempleTu Bishvat- a day celebrating the “New Year of the Trees”

Role of Women● Historically, women were not treated with as much respect as they

are today.● In history (as well as certain movements), women were not

permitted to read the Torah, sit with any men throughout the time of prayer at synagogue, or be clergy members (“Jewish Administration”).

● In certain modern movements, women are able to read the torah, sit with men during prayer, and be a part of the clergy.

● God has an undefined gender, but is commonly referred to as a male.

Texts/Books● The Torah (contains Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,

and Deuteronomy and received by Moses on Mt. Sanai) ● Nevi’im (Book of the prophets.) ● Talmud (Explanation of Jewish law)

Missionary/Outreach Work (until 600 CE)

● Jewish people do not actively seek converts.● Not a universalizing religion. ● The Jewish faith diffused through the people who were

continuously scattered and persecuted against.● Judaism had influence in much of Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa at the time.

Origin/Diffusion (until 600 CE)● Dates back more than 4000 years● Founded by the prophet Abraham ● Originates in Canaan (modern Israel/Palestine)● Influence found in Egypt due to enslavement circa 1300 BCE● The Jewish kingdom fell to the Neo-Assyrians and Babylonians and forced Jews to flee● Jewish culture and religion spread throughout Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa due to

Diaspora● Under Roman rule, Jews practiced freely, but revolts in Judaea led to conflict

Contact with other Religions (Until 600 CE)

● Judaism came in contact with Christianity between 45 and 55 C.E ● The Jew, Paul, spread the word about Christianity through Syria-Palestine,

Anatolia, and Greece. ● Paul was a Jew from Greece and because of his Hellenistic background, he was

able to travel through Syria-Palestine, Anatolia, and Greece. ● He gathered non-Jewish people while preaching Christianity and establishing

churches. ● Today Christianity is the largest religion with 2.3 billion people.

Judaism's Similarities/Differences with Christianity

Similarities:1)Monotheistic2)Believe in the universe, people, and the

afterlife3)Have a sacred text4)Both sacred texts called the Bible5)Believe in angels & demons6)Holy city is Jerusalem 7) Founded in Palestine8)Jesus died by crucification

Differences:1)Founder of Judaism was Moses or Abraham

while the founder of Christianity was Jesus.2)Believed the birth of Jesus was a normal birth

whereas in Christianity Jesus had a virgin birth.

3)Denied resurrection of Jesus; Christianity affirmed the resurrection of Jesus

4)Original language for Judaism is Hebrew; For Christianity it is Aramaic and Greek

5)The Bible in Judaism is the Jewish Bible, yet the Bible in Christianity is a combination of the Jewish Bible and the New Testament

Judaism's Similarities/Differences with Islam

Similarities: 1)Monotheistic2)Have a sacred text3)Have strict monotheistic beliefs4)Denied the resurrection of Jesus5)Believe in angels and demons

Differences: 1)Sacred text for Judaism is the Bible; Sacred

text for Islam is the Qur'an(Koran)2)Judaism founded in Palestine; Islam founded in

Saudi Arabia3)Believed that Jesus had a normal birth; Islamic

belief say that Jesus had a virgin birth4)Judaism's believes Jesus died by crucification;

Islamic beliefs say that he did not die but ascended to heaven

5)Judaism denies of the second coming of Jesus; Islam affirms the second coming of Jesus

Works Cited"Comparison of Islam, Judaism and Christianity." Comparison Chart: Islam, Judaism and Christianity. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept.

2014. <http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/comparison_charts/islam_judaism_christianity.htm>.

"Judaism 101." Judaism 101. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2014. <http://www.jewfaq.org/index.shtml>.

"Library." Judaism Origins, Judaism History, Judaism Beliefs. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2014. <http://www.patheos.com/Library/Judaism.html>.

PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/jews.html>.