Judaism



=__Importance__= ====Judaism was the first clearly defined monotheistic religion. It had a large impact on similar religions such as Christianity and Islam. The holy text for Christianity, the Bible, includes many of the same concepts, books, and stories that are vital to Judaism as well. Christianity and Islam both believe they have the same God as Judaism, but with different prophets.====

__Origins and Early History__
====Judaism began in Mesopotamia, part of Iraq today, around 3,800 years ago. Abraham, the founding patriarch of the tribes of Israel, made a pact with their one God, also known as Yahweh and Elohim. Later on, a prophet Moses is given the ten commandments, also known as the Decalogue, from God after freeing the Jews from slavery in Egypt in an event called the Exodus, or escape.====

====Judaism became more organized under kings such as Saul, David, and Solomon. Solomon constructed the First Temple in Jerusalem in 10th century B.C.E. Inside a room there called the Holy of Holies, the Ark of the Covenant was kept, which contained the original Ten Commandments. This caused the Temple and the city of Jerusalem to become two of the most holy Jewish sites.====



====In 586 B.C.E., the Temple was destroyed and the Jews were forced into exile. Later, in 515 B.C.E., they returned and rebuilt the Temple, the Second Temple. The Temple was once again destroyed and the Jews were attacked in 175 B.C.E. until they revolted in 164 B.C.E., a revolt celebrated as Hanukkah. In 63 B.C.E., the Jews were taken over by the Roman Empire and forced to pay high taxes. In 66 C.E., a Jewish group called the Zealots launched a revolt which ended in 70 C.E. with Roman troops taking the city and destroying the temple once again. A second revolt happened in 132 C.E. and all Jews were banned from Jerusalem.====

7. Moses was the greatest prophet and that his words are true.
====8. The words of the Written Torah, or the first five books of the Tanakh, are true and were given to Moses by God. Also, the words of the Oral Torah, which includes the Talmud, or traditions that interpret and explain the scriptures, are accepted as true.====

__The Spread of Judaism__
====The Jewish people have spread across the world, taking their religion with them, in a pattern described as diaspora, the Greek term meaning dispersion. Jews do not put an emphasis on conversion like so many other similar religions such as Christianity and Islam. Because of this, Judaism has a relatively small amount of followers roughly about 20 million followers worldwide but still they have huge significant influence religion and culture.====



__Jewish Architecture__
====Building synagogues is a way of expressing artistic interest and concern. The synagogue is a multi-purpose building and can serve as an area for religious and social functions. Prayer sanctuaries within the synagogue must face towards Jerusalem.==== ====According to the Hebrew bible the first temple ever built was around 960 BCE by King David and his son Solomon in Jerusalem. But before long, the kingdom fell and was divided into two, and in the 6th century BCE the Babylonians exiled the Jews and destroyed the Temple of Solomon.====



Baker, Chip. "On the net." // Calliope // Nov.-Dec. 2008: 43. // Gale Student Resources In Context //. Web. 9 Feb. 2012.

"Bible." //World Religions Reference Library //. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, et al. Vol. 5: Primary Sources. Detroit: UXL, 2007. 203-212. //Gale Student Resources In Context //. Web. 9 Feb. 2012.

"Judaism." //World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras //. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 9 Feb. 2012.

"Judaism." // World Religions Reference Library //. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, et al. Vol. 2: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2007. 345-370. // Gale Student Resources In Context //. Web. 9 Feb. 2012.

Mendes-Flohr, Paul. "Judaism." //Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices//. Ed. Thomas Riggs. Vol. 1: Religions and Denominations. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 423-453. //Gale Student Resources In Context//. Web. 9 Feb. 2012.

Snyder, Holly. "Jewish Diaspora." //New Dictionary of the History of Ideas//. Ed. Maryanne Cline Horowitz. Vol. 2. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005. 583-585. //Gale Student Resources In Context//. Web. 9 Feb. 2012.

"Tanakh (Hebrew Bible)." //World Religions Reference Library//. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, et al. Vol. 5: Primary Sources. Detroit: UXL, 2007. 5-12. //Gale Student Resources In Context//. Web. 9 Feb. 2012.

For pictures, link is embedded- click on the picture to open the website in a new window.

An Nguyen, Alexzandria Wagner