HISTORY 2HH3 Lecture 4: Religious Life Part I
12 Oct 2020
School
Department
Course
Professor
Armstrong • History 2HH3
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Course: History 2HH3
Instructor: Dr. Megan Armstrong
Lecture: Religious Life Part I
Lectures:
• Mediterranean as an historic site of religious engagement
• Examine the commonalities and distinctive elements in practice and belief
• Structures of authority
• Strands of change after 1500
“Religions of the Book”:
• Judaism, Christianity, Islam
• All grew out of a shared Biblical past (Old Testament)
• Shapes some of the many shared and similar characteristics of traditions over time
• Also acts as a source of differences
Shared Characteristics:
• 1. Monotheism
o Judaism was unique because it was a monotheistic religion
o First to follow one God
o Shaped everything about the tradition
o One of the most important legacies to Christianity and Islam
• 2. Soteriological Theology
o Life has a spiritual purpose
o Teachings of each tradition
o People of each faith are taught that their life has spiritual purpose
o Purpose leads them to ideally seek salvation
o Have to follow a certain code of behaviour
o End goal is to be reunited with the divine realm (God) of each faith
• 3. Ethical Code/Laws
o How to live in a Christian/Muslim/Jewish community
o Many of us rooted in early ethical codes from these traditions
• 4. Sacred and Profane
o Conception of the world divided between the sacred and profane
o Heavenly or divine kingdom where they wanted to seek union
o The world as a place that was temporary
o Human life a place to prove one’s self to seek a better life in the divine realm
Judaism:
• Oldest of the three faiths
• Dates back to ancient kingdoms
• Archeological records support history of Old Testament
o Points to emergence of a new monotheistic faith in the new region by 7th c. BCE
o Became associated with the region of Judah
• Jews believed in one God: Yahweh
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• Defining characteristics of Jewish doctrine:
o 1. Moral soteriological
Moral life is a part of the spiritual development
Have to behave in a certain way to prove devotion
o 2. Purpose of life is to earn salvation
o 3. Ethical life involved following certain divine tenants
Associated with the 10 Commandments
Conceptions of charity
o 4. Providential history
Idea that the Jewish people were God’s chosen people
Identity acquired through birth and right of conversion
Origins in a Biblical covenant made between Yahweh and Abraham
Promised a great nation if he left home to serve God and prove worthiness
Proving worthiness = facing tests by God
Could mean suffering in the name of God
Guidance for redemptive life came through the form of divine laws
• Passed down to Jews through Old Testament patriarchs
Enshrined in sophisticated textual tradition
• Torah = Hebrew equivalent of Bible
o Similar history of Old Testament
o Regarded as revealing word of Yahweh
o God’s message of salvation to followers
• Talmud
o Revered and ancient body of rabbinic opinion
o Wide range of subjects such as law and ethics
o Opinions gathered over centuries
o Enshrined as part of the interpretations of divine law
o Two parts: Mishnah and Gemara
o Dates back to 500 BCE
• Written in Hebrew and Arabic
• Several interpretations of Judaism emerged in Medieval period
• Communities shaped by geography and local culture
• 15th c. – some of the more prominent traditions are the Sephardic (Spain, Iberian), the
Ashkenazi (Eastern European), etc.
• Each developed their own traditions over time
Christianity:
• Grew out of Judaism
• Developed many different traditions by 15th c. (at least 10)
• Shared sacred texts with Judaism (Old Testament = Torah)
• New Testament was written about Christ’s life
• Christ considered the messenger of God
o Wandering Jewish preacher
o Spoke Aramaic
o Wandered Palestine spreading his distinctive interpretation of salvation
o Ideas were influenced by Jewish thought
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o Unique elements that help explain emergence of this tradition
o One of many wandering preachers in the 1st century AD
o His followers wrote down his preaching and they became part of New Testament
o To Christians, the New Testament is the most important sacred text
• Core tenants:
o Emerged between 1st and 3rd century AD
o Recognized in Roman Empire as legal tradition and then the only tradition
o Spread widely in Roman Empire
o Survived fall of the Empire because it developed strong extensive organizational
structures
• 3rd c. – core doctrine developed which included the ritual known as “breaking of bread”
o Commemorated meal Christ had with followers before execution (Last Supper)
o About sharing and sense of community
o Ritual meaning of sacrifice
• More important were baptisms
o To be a Christian convert, you must be baptized (rite of purification)
• Idea that Christ was a saviour who sacrificed himself to save humankind
o His followers must follow his message of reform to reach salvation
• All Christian traditions shared a belief in Heaven and Hell
o Those who did not follow God’s law would end up in Hell
o Purpose on earth was to live an ethical life and gain access to Heaven
• Easter = most important festive rite
o Recognized the sacrifice of Christ (crucifixion)
o Execution of Roman soldiers
o Resurrection
Christ would come back after sacrifice and rise to Heaven to sit at the
right-hand of God
o In Jerusalem, all Christian traditions sent pilgrims at Easter to worship together
Latin (Roman) Church:
• Aka Catholic
• Old name in Eastern Europe for those who came from Latin World (Western Europe)
• Core beliefs differ slightly from other Christian traditions
o Belief in the Holy Trinity (God, Father, Son)
o Idea that humans are born in sin (Original Sin)
o Incarnation of Christ (Christ took on human form to be messenger of God)
o Resurrection
o Existence of Heaven, Hell, Purgatory
o Papal Primacy (only the Catholics believe in this)
• Organization of Western Church
o Head of the Church is the Pope
Elected head of the Church
Selected from the body of Cardinals (highest church leaders below Pope)
When one Pope dies, another is elected
o College of Cardinals
Chief administrators and spiritual heads of the Church
Document Summary
Lectures: mediterranean as an historic site of religious engagement, examine the commonalities and distinctive elements in practice and belief, structures of authority, strands of change after 1500. Religions of the book : judaism, christianity, islam, all grew out of a shared biblical past (old testament, shapes some of the many shared and similar characteristics of traditions over time, also acts as a source of differences. Monotheism: judaism was unique because it was a monotheistic religion, first to follow one god, shaped everything about the tradition, one of the most important legacies to christianity and islam, 2. Ethical code/laws: how to live in a christian/muslim/jewish community, many of us rooted in early ethical codes from these traditions, 4. 2: defining characteristics of jewish doctrine, 1. Moral life is a part of the spiritual development. Have to behave in a certain way to prove devotion: 2. Purpose of life is to earn salvation: 3.
