Judaism Notes - Introduction to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | RELI 1001, Study notes of World Religions

Download Judaism Notes - Introduction to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | RELI 1001 and more Study notes World Religions in PDF only on Docsity! Religion 1001 Cluck 01/19/2011
Religiology  Different religions often associated with different cultures. o Problems  Language misunderstanding  Different morals  War/violence  Objectivity – try to detach yourself and have bias o Hermeneutical Analysis  System for understanding religions or beliefs  Method/theory of interpretation  “Herme” – comes from Greek god Hermes, the messenger  In a relatively objective way, it’s a way of understanding others as well as yourself  *Religiology is a type of hermeneutical analysis  Religiology: A coherent systematic and relatively objective method for analyzing and understanding world views  Two major dimensions o Cognitive  Mental, analytical dimension of religion o Affective  Understanding your emotions  Religiology has categories or questions o Lenses for understanding particular aspects of world views  Can be used to analyze anyone  6 Categories/Questions  The disciplined study of networks of human spears of belief. o What that means is we can categorize our beliefs about different things.  Epistemology: Asks the question, what should be the basis for valid knowledge? o Ex: secular books, the new testament, television o Hermeneutical source  Ex: priest, doctor, etc.  Ontology o What is really real? o Theology  What is real about God? Does God/Gods exist? What are its charactaristics? o Cosmology  Characteristics of universe in general o Cosmogony  Beliefs of universe’s origin  Anthropology o What are we as human beings? o What does it mean to be a human? o What do you believe about human nature and human identity? Unit 1: Judaism 01/19/2011
Abrahamic Religion: Religion that trace its origin to Abraham
Tradition  Something that is inherited and handed down through generations.  One can practice Jewish tradition without practicing the religion. o Goes back to Judaism being an ethnic religion
Judaism  Distinctions (Some of the things that distinguish Judaism from other religions) o Religion and Culture  Also possible to practice aspects of Judaism without being religious (Ex: cultural aspect of Yiddish) o Religion and Ethnic Group  Judaism is unique because it is possible to be ethnically Jewish and be atheist.  Can be ethnically Jewish o Religion and Nation  God is the driving power behind the Jewish nation.  In terms of religiology, that would be an aspect of theology.  A nation can be a geographic country, or it can be a people that are united by a common heritage.  Feel that God is the God of everybody, not just the Jewish people in particular.  No other religion that is based on just one nation. o Religion of Law  Judaism is a religion of law  Something that is an emphasis in Judaism  613 commandments instead of traditional 10  There wasn’t a strong emphasis on God being a much higher being in Pagan beliefs, which were the neighbors of ancient Jews.  Judaism is particularly identified as a non- theological religion.  Means that Judaism is not theocentric (systematic beliefs about God), but is anthropocentric: Teachings of Judaism are centered on people, rather than an emphasis on the afterlife.  Not quite as important that everyone believes the same thing. o Religion of History  In terms of ancient thought, Gods were often associated with places.  Up until the creation of Israel in the 20th century, Jews were a people without a nation.  Christian Bible – old and new testament  Hebrew Bible – old testament  May be first written history in existence, meaning that it is the first Western style historical account. (Written in a timeline, not a poem, psalm, etc.)  Focus on sanctifying life and time. o 3 Principles of Judaism  1. Torah (Pentateuch)  Law of God revealed to Moses and the first five books of the Hebrew Bible   2. God   3. Israel  More metaphorical.  Not just talking about the geographic area of Israel, but the idea of fellow man o Orthopraxy  Judaism is considered less of an orthodoxy (focuses on what to believe), and more of an orthopraxy (focuses on defining people by what they do instead of what they believe).  Introduction to Judaism, Smith o One of the oldest and smallest religions in the world. o About 14 million Jews worldwide o The views of Ancient Judaism had a profound influence over Western Values.  Many modern names today are Jewish.  o Were the Jews an important people? o Were their lands extensive? o Did they have a great history? o KEY: Jewish culture was influential because they sought meaning in life’s areas:  God, Creation, Human Existence, History, Morality, Justice, Suffering, Messianism  Meaning in God o Covenant (Agreement) Idea  Religious contract between God and people.  Lifelong  Assumes the existence of one, all powerful God and he has chosen Israel to be his messenger to the world.  Central concept in Jewish faith.  God is the creator and the revealer. o The origin of the Jew’s search for meaning was their understanding of God  God is in control, and things are happening for a reason, so historical mistakes should be learned from.  Once an opportunity is lost, it is gone. o In Judaism, there is a sharp tension in history.  Tension between what is and what ought to be (God’s will)  Humans are responsible for deviation from God’s will.  Meaning in Morality o Establishment of Law  Exodus Period  God is very active o Ten Commandments  Division  Commandments 1-4 are ritual, 6-10 are ethical, and number 5 doesn’t fit in either category  Ethical precepts – 5 areas of life preserved  Themes  Religion  Force  Wealth  Sex  Speech  These serve as moral foundation for most of western world – including Christianity and Islam  KNOW TEN COMMANDMENTS o Commandments for Jews and Gentiles  4 Categories:  Ten Commandments  Covenant Code  Found in Exodus  Laws about slaves  Laws of Leviticus  Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth  Criminal acts and how to deal with them o Ex: One’s ox attacks another  Laws of Deuteronomy  Noachic Commandments  Ethical Laws and Equivalence  Priestly Laws – Leviticus 11  Laws of War  Levirate Marriage  A concern for Israelites was containing the family name.  Levirate – marriage customs by which a man might be obliged to marry his brother’s widow.  If a man dies without male children, then his name could die with him. In that case, his brother becomes automatically married to his widow, and their first born son is automatically named after the deceased father.  Tabernacle – temple tent where rituals and community affairs are carried out.  EC: Read and summarize Dry Bones, page 19 in coursepack. o Style: Like analytical summaries, Due day of test.
Meaning in Justice  2 Western ideals gained from the Prophets: o 1. Just societies survive better. o 2. The well-functioning of the society as a whole must be the concern and responsibility of each member of that society.  Who the prophets were: o Did no have to be educated to be a prophet. o “Prophet” from Greek word prophetes  “Pro” – for, “phetes” – to speak o Hebrew word for prophet: “navi” o o Could be male or female, rich or poor, did not have to be a priest o Hulda: one of the few female prophets o God’s choice who’s worthy to be a prophet o  Law of the Prophets o Oral Formulaic Poetry
Meaning in Suffering  Events to Learn From: o Destruction of Northern Kingdom (*722 BCE) o Destruction of 1st Temple (*586 BCE)  Moments:  Birth  Circumcision  8 days after birth – “brit”  Puberty  Bar/Bat Mitzvah  Shows that someone is an adult and is responsible for keeping the commandments.  Marriage  Woman is keeper of marriage contract  Death  Shiva: done for seven days after death where family doesn’t do anything and just mourns. o Neighbors and friends come and help the family out. o Prayer: Kaddish  Said daily for 11 months and 30 days after the death of a spouse  2. Rituals intensify happy experiences. o Celebratory acts: wine, prayer, breaking of the glass, signing of marriage contract, etc.  3 Concepts of Hallowing Life o 1. Living Piously  Main way to hallow your life  Putting into practice the attitude that the world is possessed by God.  Helping to prepare for the coming of God’s kingdom on Earth  How can one live piously?  Believing in God and seeing that everything is God’s creation  All your actions should be done in the presence of God o 2. Tradition o 3. Torah  Manual for hallowing life  Follow law to sustain holiness  Kashrut: Kosher  Sacred Space o Temple o Synagogue  Place of study o Home  Mezuzah  Special box on door with a pierce of parchment with shema on it  Holidays o Sabbath  Weekly holiday  Celebrates 7th day of creation when God rested  Sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday  Ritual: Family meal o Rosh Hashanah  Beginning of Jewish New Year  Beginning of Fall  Starts at sundown o Yom Kippur  Day of fasting and atonement  Holy and solemn day o Sukkot  Includes Autumn harvest  In biblical days, spend 8 days in tabernacle or temple  In modern times, people build small temporary shelter called a Sukkah outside the home and eat meals there o Pesach  Passover  Matzah – unleavened bread is eaten o Shavout o Hanukkah o Tisha b’Ab  Remembers the days that the first and second temples were destroyed. o Holocaust Remembrance Day
Holy Books in Judaism  Hebrew Bible – Tanakh o Torah  Conservative view – Moses wrote it  Scholars – Documentary Hypotheis  Claims that there are at least 4 different authors and a final compiler – 5 total people involved  GOD – Elohem or Yaweh  Palestinian (Jerusalem) Talmud 4th Century CE  The “fence” for the Torah  Comprised of:  Theological elements, personal morality, and social ethics  The Chosen People o Why make these covenants? o Jews chosen to suffer o Doctrine of the Chosen People  Serve and suffer God’s trials  Observe morals more demanding than others  Suffer in the stead of a wider range of humanity  Doctrine of Election  Concept of Jews being chosen people. o What led the Jews to believe they were chosen?  Once oppressed – now a free nation.  God was beyond other gods because of morality  Over 3,000 years of survival against tough odds.  Reform Judaism o God: the principle of moral conscience that unites humanity. o Torah: the unchangeable record of divine revelation given to Moses at Mt. Sinai  Alaha – all the commandments o Israel: affirm all aspects of biblical version  Stress Israel’s mission to share its moral insights with the non-Jewish nations o Above all TRADITION o Haredt: Ulltra Orthodox 01/19/2011