History of Judaism
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Perspective
The history of Judaism is about a religion that worshipped one god only, Yahweh, and His covenant with the Children of Israel. It also represents the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It includes the sacred texts, practices, theological positions, and organizational structure of the faith. The Torah is part of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and the oral tradition embodied by later texts such the Talmud. Judaism is the tenth largest religion in the world.
Judaism includes a variety of religious movements, mostly stemming from Rabbinic Judaism. This holds that God revealed his laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai in both the Written and Oral Torah. But historically, this has been challenged by Sadducees and Hellenistic Judaism.
Today, the largest Jewish religious movements are Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, and Reform Judaism. Their differences exist in how they approach Jewish law, the Rabbinic tradition, and the meaning of the State of Israel. But there are restrictions and obligations whose observance is required of all Jews. Special courts still exist to enforce these requirements, but the practice of Judaism is mostly voluntary. Judaism’s religious and moral authority is vested in the sacred texts and the rabbis and scholars who interpret them.
Judaism got its start as an organized religion during the Bronze Age, and is considered one of the oldest monotheistic religions. Its sacred texts, traditions and beliefs strongly influenced later Peoples of the Book in their practice of Christianity and Islam. Moreover, the Judaic faith played a key role in the development of Western civilization through its role in early Christianity.
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Index
Ancient Judea Index | Society: Origins • People of Abraham • Women • Family • Sexuality | Culture: Literature: Texts: Hebrew Bible | Religion: Judaism • People of the Book: Genesis | Prophets: Jeremiah • Isaiah • Mosaic Code | Jerusalem | Temple of Jerusalem | Babylonian Captivity | Hellenistic Judea: Society • Culture • Religion • Power: Antiochus IV • Maccabean Dynasty | Roman Judea: Judaism in the Roman Empire: Society : Dispersion • Communities | Literature: Josephus | Religion: Beliefs • Scribes • Sects | Power: Rebellion • Later Temple | Economy | Holocaust: Anti-Semitism • SS and the Einsatzgruppen • Death Camps | Israel: Power • Arab-Israeli Conflict
Judea: Index
Society
Society: Origins
Society: People of Abraham
Society: Women
Society: Family
Society: Sexuality
Society: Marriage
Culture
Culture: Literature
Culture: Texts
Texts: Hebrew Bible
Religion
Religion: Judaism
Judaism: People of the Book
People of the Book: Genesis
Judaism: Prophets
Prophets: Jeremiah
Prophets: Isaiah
Judaism: Mosaic Code
Religion: Jerusalem
Jerusalem: Temple of Jerusalem
Power
Power: Babylonian Captivity
Power: Hellenistic Judea
Hellenistic Judea: Society
Hellenistic Judea: Culture
Hellenistic Judea: Religion
Hellenistic Judea: Power
Power: Antiochus IV
Power: Maccabeean Dynasty
Roman Judea
Roman Judea: Judaism in the Roman Empire
Judaism in the Roman Empire: Society
Society: Dispersion
Society: Communities
Culture: Literature
Literature: Josephus
Religion: Beliefs
Religion: Scribes
Religion: Sects
Power
Power: Rebellion
Religion: Temple of Jerusalem
Economy
Holocaust
Holocaust: Anti-Semitism
Holocaust: SS and the Einsatzgruppen
Holocaust: Death Camps
Israel
Israel: Power
Power: Arab-Israeli Conflict