3 Abrahamic Religions

• Judaism• Christianity• Islam

– All originated in Southwest Asia– All are monotheistic – All recognize Abraham as their first prophet

Judaism

Judaism

• Oldest surviving of the monotheistic religions.

• Founded approx. 3900 years ago with a covenant between Abraham and God.– God asked Abraham to move from Ur to

Canaan. In return he promised Abraham’s descendents a homeland.

http://oneyearbibleimages.com/nations_of_canaan_800.jpg

1st Diaspora

• Approx. 3800 years ago the Hebrews were forced to leave their land because of drought and famine.

• Migrated to Egypt• Eventually enslaved by the Egyptians and

forced to do hard labor.

2nd Covenant

• Approx. 450 years after God’s covenant with Abraham, God made a covenant with Moses.

• Moses led the Jews out of slavery (the exodus) back to the land of Canaan.

• At the top of mount Sinai, Moses made a covenant with God producing the 10 Commandments

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLRge3L1Ijc

2nd Diaspora

• Approx. 70 C.E. the Hebrews revolted against Roman rule.

• A brutal crackdown ensued.• Surviving Jews were forced out of Palestine

• The second temple of Solomon was

destroyed.

Beliefs

• Strictly monotheistic • God = Yahweh• Torah: Jewish law• Talmud: Collection of writings based on

the Torah and traditions…began in 400s C.E.

Beliefs II

• Shema: Profession of faith, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.”

• “There is no instinctive evil, original sin or fundamental impurity in human beings since people are made in God’s image.”

• Does not recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

• Belief in an afterlife and judgment day.

Key Festivals

• Rosh Hashanah: The beginning of the Jewish New Year

• Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement, the last 10 days of penitence which marks the opening of the New Year.

• Hanukkah: An eight day festival which commemorates the re-dedication of the temple in Jerusalem after expelling the occupying Syrians in 164 BCE

Key Festivals II

• Passover (Pesach): Week long memorial retelling the Israelites’ release from Egypt

• Bar Mitzvah: Coming of age for boys aged 13. In liberal traditions, an equivalent ceremony (Bat Mitzvah) is carried out for girls

• Shabbat (Sabbath): Day of rest, worship and fasting, from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, requiring strict observance for Orthodox Jews

Third Diaspora

• Jews throughout Europe were rounded up and placed into concentration/labor camps by Nazi occupiers.

• Approx. 5.5 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust.

Today

• Approx. 12 to 18 million Jews in the world• 1 Israel (2009)[1] 5,636,000 75.5% 43% • 2 United States (2007)[2`] 5,275,000 1.7%

40.3% • 3 France 492,000 0.9% 3.76% • 4 Canada 373,500 1.2% 2.7% • 5 United Kingdom 297,000 0.6% 2.4%

Holy City

• Jerusalem: Home of the “western wall”, the last remaining part of Solomon’s 2nd temple.

Christian symbols

Christianity

• World’s largest religion 2.1 billion• Over 38,000 different denominations of

Christianity throughout the world.• Two largest:

– Catholicism (approx. 1.1 billion)– Protestantism (approx. 650 million)

Jesus Christ

• Christianity is the religion based on the life, death and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, also known as the Christ or Messiah.

• Jesus was a Jewish teacher and prophet who lived in Palestine in the first century CE.

• He revealed himself to be the Son of God in fulfillment of Hebrew scripture.

Jesus Christ con’t

• His assertion to be the son of God created both political and religious enemies among Jews and Romans alike.

• Christ is crucified at the age of 34.• Crucifixion:

– Cruel form of death– Nailed to a cross through the wrists and ankles – Eventually die of suffocation

Beliefs

• Belief in original sin• Belief in Baptism • Belief that the Old Testament (Torah) is

holy.• Belief that Jesus Christ was the prophesized

messiah from the Old Testament.• Christians believe that there is only one

God, who is all-powerful and all-knowing.

Beliefs con’t

• Most Christians believe that God is a Trinity made up of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.

• The second person of the Trinity, God the Son, became a human being in the person of Jesus.

• Jesus was born to a human woman, Mary (whom many believe was a virgin), and was subject to pain, suffering, and sorrow like other human beings.

Beliefs con’t

• Jesus was put to death on a cross and three days later was raised from the dead (the resurrection). Forty days after this he ascended to heaven (the ascension).

• After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the Holy Spirit was sent to bring the knowledge and power of Jesus to the church.

Beliefs con’t

• Christians believe in eternal life after death, but not earthly reincarnation.

• Christians await the second coming of Christ which will bring fulfillment of the Kingdom of God and a final day of judgment.

The Apostles’ Creed

• 12 Apostles – 12 closest followers of Jesus Christ that went on to spread his

teaching after his death.Peter MatthewAndrew ThomasJames James, son of AlphaeusJohn ThaddeusPhilip SimonBartholomew Judas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLU9RP5khyQ&feature=related

Festivals/Celebrations

• Advent: The beginning of the Christian Year. Four Sundays before Christmas, Christians set aside time for reflection and preparation for recalling the coming of Christ.

• Christmas (December 25): The celebration of Jesus’ birth

Festivals/Celebrations II

• Easter: The holiest period of the Christian calendar. It begins with Good Friday, which solemnly commemorates Jesus’ crucifixion, and continues until Easter Sunday which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus.

Holy Cities

• Jerusalem: Where the early church was started.

• Bethlehem: Birth place of Jesus • Nazareth: Where Jesus lived and began

ministry.• The Vatican: Home to the pope

Early Christianity Expansion

Spread of Christianity 2009

Symbol of Islam

Islam

• Islam has several translated meanings including “peace and submission”

• Allah = God• Muslims believe that the God mentioned in

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are the same

• Originated in the Arabian Peninsula• Monotheistic

Origins of Islam

• Prophet Muhammad 570-632 CE • Approx. 610 CE the angel Gabriel orders

Muhammad to speak to his people and deliver to them the word of God.– The Arabian Peninsula was still heavily

polytheistic at the time.• Muhammad won few converts initially.

Islam

• The Koran or Qu’ran is believed to be the literal word of God that was presented to Muhammad through several conversations with Gabriel.

• Muhammad dictated these conversations to his friends who wrote them down.

• Koran = recitation • Koran is divided into 114 suras (chapters)

1st sura of the Koran

Beliefs

• 5 Pillars• Belief in a Final Judgment led by the

Islamic savior known as “al-Mahdi” who will restore the Kingdom of God

• Belief in an afterlife • Believe Moses and Jesus to be important

prophets • Muhammad final and greatest prophet

1) Shahada:

• The declaration, “I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”

2) Salat: Prayer

• General Features of Islamic Prayer• Five prayer times each day: • early morning • noon • mid-afternoon • sunset • evening

Salat Con’t

• Adhan = Islamic call to prayer led by a muezzin

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLFYMkQPakE&feature=related

3) Zakat: Giving charity

• Originally a free-will donation • Now largely compulsory • General rate: 2 1/2% of income annually. • Given only to needy Muslims, or for

religious purposes, etc.

4) Sawm: Fast

• In memory of the revelation of the Koran • During month of Ramadan, daylight hours.• Ramadan in 2009 will start on Friday, the

21st of August and will continue for 30 days until Saturday, the 19th of September.

• Those who have medical exemptions etc. should fast at another time.

5) Hajj: Pilgrimage• Every Muslim man and woman (if

physically and economically able) should try to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life-time.

Statistical breakdown

• Sunni: 90% of all Muslims• Shiite/Shi’a: 10% of all Muslims• 1.55 billion Muslims in the world.• 30 to 40 countries are Muslim majority• 20% of Muslims are Arab

World Map

The Sunni-Shiite Split-It’s All About Family-

KhadijaFirst Wife

Prophet Muhammad

Fatima

Muhammad and Khadija are credited with having several daughters, although the parentage of them is questioned by scholars; they may have been adopted by Muhammadrather than sired by him. Uthman (the 3rd Caliph) was married to one of these daughters, Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad. However, historically these daughters havebeen marginalized, most likely because they did not bear any surviving children or survivetheir father. For the purposes of this presentation, all family relations have been simplified, thus we can state that Fatima was the only surviving daughter of Muhammad.

The Sunni-Shia Split-It’s All About Family-

Abu TalibMuhammad’s Uncle

Khadija (First Wife)

Prophet Muhammad

Abu BakrFriend and Early Convert

Aisha

FatimaAliMuhammad’s Cousin

The Sunni-Shia Split-It’s All About Family-

Fatima Ali1st Imam

Hassan2nd Imam

Hussein3rd Imam Zaynab Umm Al-Kaltum

Ali Zain Al-Abideen4th Imam

All Other ImamsDescend from this

Line.

Muhammad’s Succession

• 632- Muhammad dies, leaving no confirmed successor

• Disagreement among clans on who will lead the faith- bloodline or the one most capable

• The Ummah (the Islamic community) elects Muhammad’s father-in-law Abu Bakr to lead the faith. He becomes the first Caliph - the leader of the Ummah.

The Rashidun (632-661)The Rule of the Four Righted Guided Caliphs

Name Ruled Died Known For

Abu Bakr1st Caliph

632-634elected

Natural causes, appointed his

successor

Quelled rebellion and united Arabia

Umar ibn al-Khattab2nd Caliph

634-644appointed

Stabbed in a Medina mosque by a POW

with a personal grudge.

Wars of expansion (power not religion but

religion followed) to the greater Middle East

Uthman ibn Affan3rd Caliph

644-656elected

Assassinated by those from the elite of Medina over the rise of status and power of

the Umayyad clan.

Expanded the empire to North Africa and Central

Asia- but with much political cost. Standardized

the Qu’ran.

Ali ibn Abu Talib4th Caliph/1st Imam

656-661elected

Assassinated by Kharajiites, a group of dissenters to Ali’s rule

Ruled during the first Fitnah (civil war). His place in

history is denoted more for who he was rather than what

he did.

Holy Places

• Mecca: Muhammad’s birthplace• Medina: Where Muhammad spent his time

while in exile.• Jerusalem: Dome of the Rock, place where

Abraham is believe to have attempted human sacrifice of his son and where Muhammad ascended into heaven to receive commandments from God.

Dome of the rock