ASR100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Deakin University, Orthopraxy, Polytheism
Deakin University ASR100 Trimester Two 2017
Week Six: Judaism I - History, Beliefs and Practices
Key Features of Judaism
• Monotheistic religion – belief in one God
• The oldest of the monotheistic religions, originated in the Middle East over 3500 years ago
• intimately connected to the other two major Western religions: Christianity and Islam – same
founding figure of Abraham
• Singular relationship with a God who directly intervenes in history, and who reveals his will to
them
• Mutual relatioship oeat etee the Jeish people ad God; the hose people
• In exchange for all the good that God has done for the Jewish people, Jewish people keep
Gods las ad tr to rig holiess ito eer aspet of their lies.
• The central and most important religious document of Judaism is the Torah (which forms part
of the Tanakh)
• The most important commentarial work is called the Talmud
• Spiritual leaders are called Rabbis.
• Jews worship in Synagogues.
• Practice: emphasis on maintaining traditions and sense of history or shared memory reaching
back to the foundations of Judaism
A Note on Names
• Hebrew (the people) – nomad, one from the other side (of the river). Generally refers to
Jews of earlier Biblical times
• Hebrew (the language) – modern Hebrew is one of the two official languages of Israel.
• cf. Biblical/Ancient Hebrew – sacred language
• cf. Yiddish
• Jew – derives from Judah/Yehuda (son of Jacob). Southern Kingdom of Judah (~900BCE)
• Israel – Derives from passage in Genesis where God says to Jacob: Your name shall no longer
e Jao ut Israel [he ho restles ith God]. Jaos desedats are alled Israelites
• United Kingdom of Israel (1000-900BCE)
• Northern Kingdom of Israel
• modern state of Israel
• God – various names. JHWH or YHWH (Yahweh), Gd, Adonai
Jewish Identity and Judaism
Being Jewish is belonging to a people, identifying with and participating in an ongoing culture,
rather than holding beliefs (many secular and atheist/agnostic Jews). A person born to a
Jewish mother is considered a Jew.
• Orthopraxy vs orthodoxy
• cultural identity vs religious identity
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Deakin University ASR100 Trimester Two 2017
• ‘eall Niia “arts diesios of religio rituals, soial ad istitutioal, ethial
• Religion vs spirituality
• Judaism is a religion of tradition and practice
• Judaism is communally-oriented
• To be Jewish is to adhere to a way of life and belong to a history and a people
• That belonging is given expression in commemorations and celebrations, patterns of
worship and festival, celebration of rites of passage (see last slide for examples)
Key Historical Moments
Abraham and the Covenant (2000 BCE):
• Abraham is called by God to leave his home in Babylon
• In exchange for obedience to divine commands and worship of God as the only deity, Abraham
will become the father of a great nation, to whom the land of Canaan will be given. All Jewish
boys circumcised on the 8th day after birth as a mark of this covenant.
• Abraham has a son, Isaac. God tests his faith by commanding Abraham to sacrifice him as a
burnt offering; God sends an angel to stop the sacrifice at the last moment.
• Søren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling
• Isaa has sos: Jao ad Esau. Jao is lessed a agel ad gie the ae Israel -
the hapio of God. Callig the Jeish people the hildre of Israel sigifies deset
from Jacob. Jacob has 12 sons, who are the ancestors of the tribes of Israel
Period of Egyptian Enslavement (1600-1300BCE)
• Jaos fail effetiel all the Here tries igrate to Egpt as a result of famine (again
uderstood as part of Gods pla.
• Oer tie the Heres eoe eslaed the Egptias. The hose people are o a
lost people, far from home – a key repeating pattern in Jewish history.
Exodus under Moses (1300BC)
• The prophet Moses leads the Children of Israel out of Egypt on a 40 year trek back to the
proised lad – a lad floig ith ilk ad hoe E :.
• Moses brings the Torah (direct word of God) down from Mt Sinai; 613 commandments
(mitzvot)
• The great oeat – if the people obey God and observe the commandments, they will
become a holy and beloved nation, a kingdom of priests
• Moses dies ad the people relai Caaa the proised lad uder Joshua Moses
assistant/successor), taking it by force from rival tribes living there
United Kingdom under David and Solomon (1000-900BCE)
• Continued wars of defence of the promised land
• This short 100 year period is the only time of a Jewish state (sovereign independence of a
national and political entity) up until the emergence of modern Zionism.
• From this time Judaism is characterised by the yearning to have this state restored under an
appropriately anoited leader: the ideal of a kigdo uder God
• The First Teple is uilt i Jerusale aka “oloos Teple
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Document Summary
Week six: judaism i - history, beliefs and practices. Singular relationship with a god who directly intervenes in history, and who reveals his will to them: mutual relatio(cid:374)ship (cid:894)(cid:272)o(cid:448)e(cid:374)a(cid:374)t(cid:895) (cid:271)et(cid:449)ee(cid:374) the je(cid:449)ish people a(cid:374)d god; the (cid:862)(cid:272)hose(cid:374) people(cid:863) In exchange for all the good that god has done for the jewish people, jewish people keep. Jews worship in synagogues: practice: emphasis on maintaining traditions and sense of history or shared memory reaching back to the foundations of judaism. A note on names: hebrew (the people) nomad, (cid:863)one from the other side (of the river)(cid:863). Jews of earlier biblical times: hebrew (the language) modern hebrew is one of the two official languages of israel. cf. Jew derives from judah/yehuda (son of jacob). Israel derives from passage in genesis where god says to jacob: (cid:862)your name shall no longer (cid:271)e (cid:858)ja(cid:272)o(cid:271)(cid:859) (cid:271)ut (cid:858)israel(cid:859) [he (cid:449)ho (cid:449)restles (cid:449)ith god](cid:863).