the great abrahamic religions: judaism christianity islam

The Great Abrahamic Religions:

Judaism

Christiani

ty ISLA

M

Why are they referred to as Abrahamic traditions?The Abraham referenced in the Hebrew

Bible (Torah) IS

The Abraham referenced in the Christian Bible AND IS

The Abraham referenced in the Quran.

Abraham was the Patriarch of each tradition.

• ONE GOD KNOWN AS:•Elohim, Adonai in ancient times

•Modern Judaism:•Eloheynu (Our God)•HaShem (The Name)

•MOSES WAS “FOUNDING” PROPHET

• APPROX DATE OF ORIGIN – 2000 BCE

• JERUSALEM IS THE HOLY CITY

•Jewish Symbol:• Ancient = Menorah•Modern = Star of David

Judaism

Largest Forms of Judaism:

•Orthodox•Oldest•Most conservative

•Reform•Liberal•Late 18th Century CE•Allows for Individual discernment regarding observance of laws and traditions

•Conservative•Newest (19th Century CE)•Founded in response to Reform movement

Judaism

The Tanakh (TNK) - known as the Hebrew Bible (aka the Old Testament by Christians)

3 groups of books:

• the Torah (aka Pentateuch): 613 Commandments NOT only 10 ( 248 Do’s and 365 Do Not’s )

• the Nevi'im: (the Kings)

• the Ketuvim, (the Writings)

JEWISH SACRED SCRIPTURES

A portion of the 4th C CECodex Sinaiticus,

containing Esther 2:3-8.

The Talmud - stories, laws, medical knowledge, debates about moral choices, etc. and comes mainly from 3 sources:

•Midrash – Critical Interpretation of TNK

•Mishnah - hundreds of chapters•includes many laws from the Hebrew Scriptures•compiled about 200 CE.

•Gemara – encyclopedic and evolving•Includes comments from hundreds of Rabbis from 200 - 500 CE•Elaborates/reflects on the Mishnah with additional historical, religious, legal, sociological, etc. material

JEWISH SACRED SCRIPTURES

•Place of worship is a Synagogue

•Day of Worship is Saturday (“the Sabbath”)

•Prescribed Charity (Tzedakah) = 10 %

Jewish Worship

The interior of the Sadoun SynagogueFez, Morocco.

•Great Moral Teacher

•NOT the Messiah

Who isJesus of Nazarethwithin Judaism?

Rituals and Behavior

•Infant Circumcision (8 days old)•Reading/studying the Torah•Observing the Law•Bar Mitzvah/Bat Mitzvah – 12 y.o.•Regularly attending Synagogue•Regularly observing the Sabbath as the day of rest

The Good Life

•Passover, or Pesach - Jews' deliverance out of slavery in Egypt circa 1300 BCE.

•Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year

• Yom Kippur is a day of fasting until sundown.

•Sukkoth (Feast of Booths) is an 8 day harvest festival; a time of thanksgiving.

•Hanukkah (Feast of Lights) is an 8 day feast of dedication.

•Purim (Feast of Lots) recalls the defeat by Queen Esther of the plan to slaughter all of the Persian Jews, circa 400 BCE.

•Shavout (Feast of Weeks) recalls God's revelation of the Torah to the Jewish people through Moses.

Main Jewish Holy Days

ONE GOD: “FATHER” “LORD” “CREATOR”•God exists as Spirit (Incorporeal)•God as a Trinity-a single entity with three personalities: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit OR

Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer

JESUS WAS “FOUNDING” PROPHET

APPROX DATE OF ORIGIN – 30 CE

JERUSALEM IS THE HOLY CITY

Symbol = CRUCIFIX, CROSS

Christianity

NO - Ancient Jewish beliefs did not include any Life after Death

YES – some modern forms of Judaism•Not immediately following death

•After the Messiah comes

•Resurrection of the Dead

LIFE AFTER DEATH?

Catholic

Eastern/Russian/Oriental Orthodox

Protestant – formed by Martin Luther (a Catholic Priest) during 16th Century CE Reformation

i.e. Puritans, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Congregational, Quakers, Episcopal, Latter Day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, and numerous others

Many forms of Christianity

CHRISTIAN SACRED

SCRIPTURES

The Bible•Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) – 39 “books”

(up to 10 additional books for Roman Catholic, Orthodox)

•New Testament - 27 “books”

* Exclusive to Latter Day Saints (aka Mormons): •The Book of Mormon – Joseph Smith•Pearl of Great Price•Doctrine and Covenants

A fragment of possibly the oldest copy of the Gospel of Markdated approx 50 CE

•Place of worship is called Church (Eklesia in Greek)

•Day of Worship is Sunday

•Prescribed charity(Tithe) = 10%

CHRISTIAN

WORSHIP

a smaller modest sanctuary

•The Son of God – the “only” Son of God, the 2nd personality in the Trinity, sinless, immortal

•The Jewish Messiah referenced in the OT

•The Final Sacrifice

•Exemplar

•God Incarnate

Who is Jesus of Nazarethto Christians?

The Sacraments

Catholic Protestant1. Baptism 1. Baptism2. Reconciliation 2. Confirmation3. Communion 3. Communion4. Confirmation5. Holy Orders6. Marriage7. Annointing of the Sick

The Good Life

Day of Judgment followed by Heaven or Hell*

Heaven = eternity with God, Jesus, saints, loved ones who passed before you

Second Coming of Christ - crucial to Resurrection of the Dead

* Hell may be thought of as a place or a state of being…depending on your Christian bent.

Life after Death

•Christmas – celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth (aka Jesus Christ)

•Easter – commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth (aka Jesus Christ)

•Pentecost – commemorates the first time the Holy Spirit was recognized via “speaking in tongues”

Who knows why “Good Friday” is called “Good Friday?”

Main Christian Holy Days

•Allah – means “God” in Arabic

•Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) •did not completely reject Judaism and Christianity, but said that he had been sent by God in order to complete and perfect those teachings…”God’s final prophet”

•Date of Origin = 622 C.E.

•Holy City is Mecca

•Symbol = Crescent and Star

ISLAM

•Sunni

•Shiite

•Sufi – mystic based Islamic sect

•The Sunni/Shiite split is based on disagreement over the successor of Muhammad (pbuh)

Forms of Islam

Quran - Muslims also call the Qur'an the "Final Testament", "The Book", "Book of God" and "The Revelation.“

•Received by Muhammad (pbuh) from Archangel Gabriel on Mountain

•“Read!” “Read!” “Recite!”

•Literal words of God

•114 Suras (chapters)•Includes several stories from Hebrew Bible

•Arabic text is ONLY divine scripture

•The written Quran was compiled and recorded several decades after the death of the Prophet (pbuh)

SACRED SCRIPTURES

Page from a Quran

'Umar-i Aqta'Iran, present-day

Afghanistan,Timurid dynasty,

circa 1400 CE

Sunnah

•Hadith – deeds and sayings of the Prophet (pbuh)

•Siras - biography of the Prophet (pbuh)

AdditionalSACRED

SCRIPTURES

Muslim mosques

Muslim Prayer Room

•Second to last Prophet and Messenger of God before Muhammad (pbuh)

•One of God’s most beloved messengers

•NOT the Son of God

•Human, NOT Divine

Who is Jesus of Nazareth

to Muslims?

1.The Shahadah – “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet.”

2.Salat (Prayer) – 5 times per day*preceded by Ablution

3.Zukot (Charity) – 2.5% for the wealthy working man10 – 20 % for farmersThe poor do not have to pay Zukot

4.Sawm – Ramadan fasting

5.Haj – pilgramage to Mecca, once in ones lifetime, if possible

The Good Life~ The 5 Pillars ~

Jihad - Most misunderstood tenet of Islam by non-Muslims

• Greater – the internal struggle toward living a holy life according to the Quran

• Lesser – “holy war”-primarily observed by fundamental radical Muslims

The Good Life~ The unofficial 6th pillar ~

Day of Judgment followed by Heaven or Hell•Various levels of both•According to greater/lesser deeds/sins

The only sin beyond repentence is “Shirk”:Worshipping anything/anyone other than Allah

Muslims believe that anyone with “one atom of faith”

will eventually reach Heaven.

Life after death

•Mawlid al-Nabi: celebration of Muhammad’s (pbuh) birthday

•Laylat Al-Isra wa Al-Miraj (Isra wa Al-Miraj): to commemorate “the night journey and ascension”- Muhammad’s (pbuh) ascension to Heaven and prayed with Abraham, Moses, and Jesus in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque

•Ramadan – holiest time of year, fasting all day for a month

•Eid Al-Adhha: ”feast of sacrifice” to commemorate Abraham’s attempt to sacrifice his son Ishmael upon God’s orders – typical time of year to make Haj

•Yom Arafat: Muslims gather in local mosques for prayer and solidarity

•Laylat Al-Baraa: “night of repentance”

Main Islamic holy days

Judaism – Dr. Baruch Goldstein’s attack at the Tomb of the Patriarchs on February 24, 1994

Christianity– Timothy McVeigh bombed the Oklahoma Federal building on April 19, 1995

Islam – Radical Muslims attack New York’s Twin Towers on September 11, 2001

Killing in the name of God in your lifetime

29 DIED

168 DIED

2986 DIED

Do unto others as you would have them do unto

you.

No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he

desires for himself.

What is hurtful to yourself do not do to your fellow

man.

The Ethic of Reciprocity is Universal“The Golden Rule”

Christianity

Islam

Judaism