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JUDAISM
1.The religion of the Jewish or Hebrew people which may be traced
back to the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt.
a.It is closely bound up with a divine revelation, and with
the commitment of the people to obedience to God's will.
b.The connection between religion and peoplehood gives Judaism
a unique character which is not shared by its daughter reli-
gion, Christianity.
2.Over its history of 3,000 years, Judaism has changed both in theo-
logy and in practice.
a.The Jewish People have been called the "People of the Book",
which does not mean that their religion is determined liter-
ally and exclusively by the contents of the Bible, but that
the book has been the authority, guide, and inspiration of
all the many forms the religon has taken in different periods
and in different lands.
b.It has its roots in the Hebrew Bible (the Greek word for book
is Biblica) which was written over a period of nearly 1,000
years and established in its full canonical form by the end
of the First Century A.D.
3.The Hebrew Bible is divided according to Jewish Tradition into
three sections.
a.The Torah or the Pentateuch ------the first five
books:
1.Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
2.These were believed to have been written by Moses from
divine instruction on Mt. Sinai.
b.The Prophets were are subdivided into:
1.The Earlier Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings.
2.The Later Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and
twelve "minor" prophets.
c.The Writings:
* Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamenta-
tions, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and
Chonicles.
4.The Bible is a record of the Hebrews' aspiration to understand God
and his way both in relation to the natural world and humanity.
a.The name Hebrew (Ivri) is derived perhaps from the root mean-
ing "to cross", and refers to the people who came to Cannan
from the eastern side of the Euphrates.
b.It is also asociated with the name Ever, grandson of Shem ---
Shem is the root word meaning "Semite".
Common Assumptions
1.God's existence and power are taken for granted ------
the question (delemma) for the Hebrews is to understand how he acts
in the world, and what he requires of Man.
2.Genesis: the natural world is a manifestation of God's glory ------
The fate of nations and the experience of individuals reflects the
power of God in the affairs of human beings.
3.The Bible moves from a restrictive view of God as a national deity
to a more universal conception of him as a the God of all nations
which are but instruments in his own hands.
4.There are several names of God found in the scriptures:
* Ranging from Shaddai, which seems to signify storm-god, or god
of power, Elolah, Yah, and Adonai, to the more common Elohim,
and Yaweh.
* Yaweh becoming the most sacred divine name (usually translated
"Lord") which was not pronounced by the Jews.
* The name "Jehovah" is a medieval misreading and does not occur
in the Hebrew Bible.
5.Dual (Paradoxial View of God:
a.God is both a remote and transcendant being, imposing his awe
upon the universe, demanding absolute obedience under the
sanctions of severe penalties.
b.God is also a loving and compassionate father, who has a
close and personal relationship with those who believe in
Him.
c.This paradox is a reflection of the ambivalent attitude that
the Hebrews had towards a world which appeared to be both
stern and bountiful.
6.From a ritualistic point of view, the religion of the Hebrews was
centered around a sanctuary or a shrine.
a.At first is was movable, and then finally established in
Jerusalem ------first the Tabernacle and later the
Temple.
b.Animal sacrifices and offerings wre made by the priests.
c.The Priests, a special hereditary class descended from Aaron,
the first high priest and elder brother of Moses.
d.Offerings were made upon the alter daily, and special
offerings on Holy Days.
e.Offerings were made as atonements for sins or as thanksgiving
on special occasions (such as childbirth).
The Prophets
1.Institutionalized Religion can become automatic losing its spiri-
tual awareness among believers.
2.Among the Hebrews individuals arose who denounced the insincere
practice of Hebrew ritual ------these were the Prophets.
3.The prophet was a man who believed he was called by God to preach
his message.
a.The Hebrew word for prophet, navi, comes from a root meaning
"to well up, to gush forth", as if the prophet was a passive
instrument for the expression of God's Will.
b.The main purpose of their message concerned a righteous life,
whether it was the life of an individual or the life of a
nation.
4.The Bible reflects an overriding consciousness of the religious
purpose of the Hebrew People.
a.The early narratives of the Patriarchs (fathers) were to in-
still the doctrine of the close relationship that existed be-
tween God and the Hebrews.
b.This relationship was emphasized in the experience of the
Exodus which has been viewed as a necessary preliminary to
divine relevation at Sinai.
c.The main burden of the prophetic exhortation was a special
responsiblility to fulfill a divine mission.
"Ye shall be untome a kingdom of priests, a holy nation."
(Exodus XIX:6)
d.This special relationship was a covenant or agreement (brit)
between God and the Hebrews.
From Hebraism to Judaism
1.The period from the completion of biblical writing (ca. 150 B.C.)
to the compilation of the Mishnah (A.D. 200) was one of transition
in the history of Judaism.
a.A long and slow transformation took place, at the end of
which biblical Hebraism emerged as Rabbinic Judaism.
b.There are many unanswered questions about this period, but it
is clear that the religon of the Jews was not yet the
stable, codified system that it would later become.
2.Rabbinic Tradition maintains there were a number of sects during
this period (some being beyond the scope of "normative" Judaism).
a.Disputes between the Sadducees and the Pharisees:
1.The Sadducees claimed to be descended from Zadock, the
priest and belonged to the priestly, aristocratic
class.
2.The Pharisees (meaning "separated ones") were devoted
to the study and practice of the Torah.
3.These disputes concerned such questions as the resur-
rection of the body and the date of the Festival of
Pentecost.
* Shabuoth: seven weeks after Passover commemorating
the giving of the Torah to Moses.
b.The Samaritans rejected rabbinic interpretation of Scripture
and confined themselves to the literal application of the
Pentateuch ------they became more removed from
the center of Jewish tradition.
c.From the testimony of Josephus (b. A.D. 37/38) and archaelo-
gical discovery provide evidence that during this period
there existed organized Jewish Communities which shunned
urban life and constituted a more ascetic, almost monastic
society.
* Such were the Essenes and the community at Qumran (if these
two are not in fact identical).
3.The literature discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls especially
that dealing withthe "Wars of the Sons of Light against the Sons
Darkness" and the "Teacher of Righteousness", must be considered
along with the Apocrypha and other literature as Pseudepigraphic
(falsely inscribed) ------these did not become part of
the Jewish cannon of Scripture.
* These writings deal with the "end of days". (Eschatological)
a.These eschatological ideas proliferated in this period
(especially in the Hebrew Enoch) which was a reflection of
the emotion released at a period of spiritual disorientation
and political breakdown.
b.The influence of Persian and Hellenistic ideas and practices
had its impact (although the attempt, in 168 B.C., by
Antiochus Epiphanes to destroy the Jewish religion was pre-
vented by the Maccabees.
c.The Hashomonean dynasty also fell victim to oriental influ-
ence (conception of monarchy) with disasterous results on the
faith and people.
d.This was followed by the oppression of Roman Rule which re-
sulted in a proliferation of new religious movements and con-
cepts.
* Some of these were later to form the foundation of
Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah), while others would find a
home in Christianity.
The Rise of Christianity
1.Messianic speculation in religious movements is usually at its
height when anti-religious pressures are at their strongest.
2.The Jews looked forward to the coming of a Messiah (lit. "annoited
one") who would be descended from the House of David who would
bring an end to political oppression, re-establish Jewish national
sovereignty, and usher in a period of peace establishing the King-
dom of God.
3.From the Gospels: Jesus of Nazareth considered himself, and by many
Jews, to be the Jewsih Messiah.
a.From this point of view he was acting within Jewish Tradi-
tion, and there is little in his teachings that contradicts
the established Jewish ideology of his time.
b.He probably would not have thought of himself as belonging
to any other religion but Judaism.
4.Jesus's Death
a.It was encouraged by those Jews (mainly Sadducees) who saw
in his preaching a danger (threat) to the established Temple
practice ------their position of power.
b.It was supported by Roman Authorities who considered him to
be a potential national leader (rebel).
ie. because of his messianic claims.
c.His execution marked the end of his influcence for the major-
ity of Jews because his death proved he was not the Messiah.
5.Followers and Opponents of Jesus:
a.It became more than an internal Jewish struggle with the
Pauline Interpretation of the life of Jesus ------
this interpretation became the basis of the new religion of
Christianity.
b.When large numbers of Gentiles became converted ------
new elements were introduced by St. Paul: divine incarnation,
vicarious atonement (done for another), the abrogation of the
law, and the doctrine of the basically sinful nature of Man
could not be accepted by one who wanted to remain a Jew.
6.The Expansion of Chritianity had a lasting impact on Jews and
Judaism.
a.It assumed the role that Judaism had previously played in
the conversion of Gentiles.
b.In Christian (and later in Moslem) lands, Jewish proselytism
became a capital offence.
c.For centuries Jews were considered, by Christians, to be
guilty of deicide, and an accursed race (people), their very
existence and the practice of their faith was a testimony to
their blindness for not recognizing the true Messiah.
The Pharisaic Achievement
1.The Tannaim (ca. 100 B.C. - A.D. 200) ------a period in
which rabbis because of changing circumstances with spritual cre-
ativity and sensitivity were able to reshape the biblical core,
laying the foundations of Modern Judaism.
2.The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70
was the single overriding factor that led to this transformation.
* DISCUSS: the Diaspora, the Chaldeans, 586 B.C., the role of Titus
in the Jewish Revolt, and the significance of the Iudaicus Fiscus
a.The religion of the Jews had been based in matters of worship
and ritual on a sacrificial system, and the official repre-
senatives of the people before God were the priestly caste,
the cohanim.
b.The sacrificial system disappeared, since it was forbidden
according to priestly legislation to offer sacrifice in any
other place than the central sanctuary of the Temple ------
with the end of the sacrificial system, the over all domina-
tion of the priestly caste ended.
c.Jewish religious leadership became more open and democratic
depending for its worth on learning rather than birth.
d.The main place of worship for the Jews was no longer the
Temple in Jerusalem but the synagogue of the locality.
* The priestly class continued, however, in traditional
Judaism, to occupy a special place in synagogue ritual,
marriage law, and some other fields.
3.This transformation was evolutionary ------the synagogue as
an institution had been founded long before the Roman Era.
a.Jewish Scholars (of Jewish) of Law described in the tannaitic
period as scribes or rabbis flourished side by side with the
Temple Cult for many years.
b.The divinding line for practical purposes came in A.D. 70 ---
the place for sacrifice would henceforth be taken by deeds of
charity.
4.Rabbis were able to reconcile these changes with the eternal un-
changing authority given by God at Mt. Sinai.
a.Moses was given the written law (torah she-bi-khtav) ------
the Pentateuch.
b.An equally authoritative oral law was also given: (torah she-
be-alpeh) which was an interpretation of the former.
c.This oral tradition was committed to writing by Rabbi Judah
ha-Nasi in the Mishnah (lit. repetition) ca. A.D. 200.
5.Midrash, or biblical interpretaion, was origninally of two types.
a.halakhic - ie. legal.
b.aggadic - homiletic (moral, ethical, advising, urging) or
ancecdotal.
* These two types existed side by side for centuries, so that
Judaism possesses a rich anthology of biblical interpreta-
tion.
The Mishnah
1.It was a systemazation of previous attempts to summarize the mass
of custom, concept and legislation which had grown up among the
Jews.
2.The Purpose: was to formulate Jewish law for posterity, and shield
it from the destruction threatend by political upheval and persecu-
tion.
3.The Mishnah comprises six orders (sedarim) and each order is sub-
divided into a number of tractates (massekhtot) on individual sub-
jects.
4. The Six Orders
a.Zeraim (Seeds) - mainly agricultural legislation, but includ-
ing an important tractate on the litury.
b.Moed (Festivals)
c.Nashim (Women)
d.Nezikin (Dangers) - ie. civil law, but containing also a
collection of moral and theological statements.
e.Kodashim (Sacred Things) - legislation connected mainly with
the Temple.
f.Tohorot (Cleanness)
5.Besides the Mishnah there existed in this period other legal tradi-
tions, called baraitot, which were taken into account by later
rabbis when they attempted to standarized Jewish tradition.
6.The Mishnah reflects many different opinions and often does not
make a firm decision in matters where rabbinic authorities are in
conflict.
7.Because of the emergence of new traditions, it became necessary for
the Mishnah to be subjected to intensive study and commentary.
* This examination formed the basis of the two versions of the
Talmud ------the Palestinian (or Jersusalem) Talmud,
and the Babylonian Talmud.
a.Each Talmud (lit. teaching) consists of the Mishnah together
with comments on it called the Gemara (lit. "completion")
b.The Babylonian Talmud (completed ca. A.D. 500) is more com-
prehensive than the Palestinian and has served as the founda-
tion for Jewish Law and practice since that time.
c. The Talmuds contain not only law but also a great deal of
theological and ethical discussion, as well as historical and
anecdotal material
ie. Conflict between freedom and divine foreknowledge, the
question of evil, immortality and life after death, the na-
ture and destiny of man, the will of God.
Development of Law
1.After the completion of the Babylonian Talmud, Jewish Law continued
to develop in two major areas.
a.First, new legal decisions had to be made in those circum-
stances which were not covered by earlier legislation.
b.Second, the unwieldly mass of rabbinic law needed to be
arranged in a way which would enable a student to consult it
with comparative ease.
2.The first requirement was met by the growth of responsa (lit. re-
plies) literature.
a.Questions on Jewish practice were addressed to the Geonim,
as leaders of Babylonian Jewry, and to other acknowledged
rabbinic authorities.
b.The questions together with the replies have often been
preserved ------the result was a body of legal de-
cisions which were to act as a guide and a precedent for
future discussion.
3.The second problem of unmangeable size of rabbinic law was solved
by the codification of law.
a.The Mishneh Torah (Repetition of Law) was the first systema-
tic code produced by the Spainard Moses Maimonides (1135 -
1204).
* Maimonides was accused of giving his own opinions unsup-
ported by argument, of failure to quote sources, and also
of introducing philosophical matters which were not part of
the original legal system.
b.The Shulchan Arukh (Prepared Table): was written by Rabbi
Joseph Karo (1488-1575).
1.Karo was born in Toledo, but grew up in Asia Minor, and
later settled in Safed in Palestine.
2.After an exhaustive study of two earlier codes: Maimon-
ides and the Arbaah Turim of Jacob ben Asher (1270 -
1343), he published his own code.
3.It was criticized by the Ashkenazim (ie. Jews from
northern and eastern Europe) who claimed the code was
based on Sefardim practice (Mediterranen Jews), and
could not be accepted by the totality of world Jewry.
4.After the Polish rabbi Moses Isserles (1525-1572) added
his own comments to the code, which included references
to Ashkenazi ritual and practice, the code was accepted
as authoritative (and has remained so for traditional
Jews to the present day).
Karasites
1.While internal developments were taking place in the field of
halakhah (Jewish Law), disputes with Jewish sects, as well as re-
lationships with other peoples and faiths compelled rabbis to re-
think their theology, and study thier tradtions from a new point of
view.
2.The Samaritans remained an ever-diminishing group whose links with
Judaism became more tenuous.
3.A new sect emerged in 8th Century Persia, called the Karasites ----
more exactly the benei mikra - adherents to (lit. children of) the
Scripture.
a.They denied the validity of the rabbinic oral tradition, and
based its ideas and its practices solely on the written word
of Scripture, as communicated by God to Moses.
b.They refused to allow any lighting during the Sabbath; they
did not observe the post-biblical feast of Chanukkah; and
were more restrictive in their dietary laws and marriage reg-
ulations.
4.The growth of the Karasites threatened to undermine the very unity