REL 2029 : Rel2029 Exam1 AllNotes
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Re-[ligi]on
“Reconnecting” us to the “yoke” … the thing that holds two oxen together. Re vs. just
connecting. Like we’re supposed to be in a different state.
10 Waves of Religion:
1. Shamanism (magic, healers, “manipulating god”)
2. Connection to cosmos
3. Temple religion (a home for God… If you have a temple, you need priests… A priest
being an intermediary between Man and God)
4. Prophetic religion (prophets talk to God and then deliver His message… Prophets are
always asking us to change our ways… The Deity now demands moral behavior vs. just
worship)
5. Energy God
6. Purity
7. Mystery Religions (fascination with mountains… guess they are mysterious because you
can’t see what’s going on at the top)
8. God on Earth (emotional love is introduced… a new idea)
9. Scriptural religion
10. Fundamentalism (20th century)
• 1900-1700 bce Abraham
• 1280 bce Moses
• 950 bce – 586 bce 1st Temple
• 515 bce – 70 ce 2nd Temple
• 430 bce Torah
Video
• Jews, Christians, and Muslims were all called atheists by their pagan counter parts
• Early cultures looked to gods for comfort and order…
• Belief in multiple Gods: Polytheistic
• Belief in one God: Monotheistic
• The sacred reality doesn’t change, but the way we express it has
• Beginning of Polytheism… each god had a domain: war, sun, fertility, death
• Paganism was attractive because the gods were, indeed, so near
• Catholics like to check in with their saints… pray to them in hard times
• Pagan gods could be contacted directly and for a specific purpose
• The first movements towards monotheism happened 4,000 years ago. Canaanites.
o Chief god: El
o El’s son: Baal
• Abraham behaved like a pagan… didn’t bring his gods to the new location because they
were no longer relevant
• Abraham’s relationship with God was similar to the relationships of other pagans
• In the ancient world, just about every religion had sacrifice
• The people would sacrifice animals to please their gods
• Scholars see that during Abrahams time, child sacrifice was common.
• Cherished story about Abraham and his son, Isaac
• At the end of the wrestling match, the being, or god, does not give it’s name. Jacob’s
name is changed to Israel because he prevailed in wrestling against god
• God’s form changed from personal and able to be manipulated (pagan gods), to less
accessible
• After 400 years of bondage, God called on Moses to liberate Jacob’s descendants from
slavery. When Moses asked God who he was, he replied “I am who I am” = Yahweh
• Yahweh almost means (mind yourself, not me)
• The holy is rejected and needed all throughout life
• The plagues of Egypt. After God kills the first borns of the city, the Pharaoh gives in.
• Never again will any human rule as absolute, only God.
• God is still only the God of the Jews, not the Egyptians. He is fighting the gods of Israel’s
enemies
• Yes, you can be with God. But don’t think you’ll ever see God clearly.
• “You shall have no other gods before me.”
• When waiting on Moses in the mountains, the Israelites made a golden calf, the image of
an old pagan god.
• God’s nature is changing. Jealous. Vengeful. Then compassionate and gentle.
• Change: internal sacrifice vs. external sacrifice
• Abraham’s historical context was polytheism… many gods and each gods have their own
power. Very personal. Contact them directly. Able to influence them.
• That “approachability” is missed by the people of pagan ways
• The god of monotheism is the “chosen” god
• Tribal or national god. This god becomes the god of all.
• Increasing mystery
• There are all these intimate interactions between Abraham and god
• Jacob’s wrestle with god and then not knowing his name
• When you go towards absolute mystery and transcendence, people miss the approachable
god
• God of many → tribal god → approachable god
• The 10 Commandments are God’s gift of how to experience His presence on earth… His
own instructions on how to connect with Him
• Paradox of a transcendent vs. personal god
• If Yahweh, the god of the Jews, can control weather, what does that say about his power?
This is the first time you see god show himself outside nature and controls all of nature.
The pagan gods were part of nature and had “superpowers”
• God is not subject to the rules of nature, instead he sets the rules / laws of nature
Breakdown of ‘Jewish’ History
• 1900 – 1000 bce Patriarchs (pre-historical myth)
• …
• Biblical Judaism:
• 950-586 bce 1st Temple
• 586-539 bce Babylonian Exile
• 515 bce-70 ce 2nd Temple
• …
• Rabbinic Judaism:
• 70-600 ce Rabbinic Period
• 700-1500 Medieval Period
• 1700-present Modern Period
• Biblical Judaism – the part that influences Judaism and is in the Bible
• Rabbinic Judaism – in 70 ce the 2nd Temple falls…. And is never rebuilt.
o Both Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity branched off (came from) Biblical
Judaism
Biblical Themes
• History = God’s relationship with humanity
• Covenant (series of covenants)
o A covenant is two-sided. Think about it as a contract… = an enforceable promise
▪ Must have consent
▪ Capacity
▪ Consideration
o Jews understand humans as not passive… they must be active in moral
responsibility and their acts even have effects on destiny of humanity
• God promises Abraham 1) descendants and 2) land… land brings security, stability,
survival. Descendants bring a guarantee of a future. Promise of security and stability.
o In return, Abraham must only follow God. It’s why Abraham is the father of faith.
Believing and trusting without seeing. Trusting that a future promise will be
fulfilled.
• Ishmael’s birth vs. Isaac’s birth
o Isaac’s birth is miraculous… not by human effort
o Ishmael’s birth is perfectly plausible. Young woman giving birth (but Abraham
didn’t wait for God to deliver)
• The power of fertility
o Goddesses had the power of fertility…
o God demonstrates that he has power over nature… power over fertility
• Exile
o Babylonian exile
o This continued pattern of exile… and then return from exile
o Pattern: the people are lost, and then God goes out and brings them back… this
way of linking God to worldly history… his intervention
• Diaspora
o Means ‘to disperse’
o Until 1945… there had been no homeland for the Jews (Israel currently)
• Struggle (‘Israel’)
Document Summary
Reconnecting us to the yoke the thing that holds two oxen together. Like we"re supposed to be in a different state. When moses asked god who he was, he replied i am who i am = yahweh: yahweh almost means (mind yourself, not me, the holy is rejected and needed all throughout life, the plagues of egypt. After god kills the first borns of the city, the pharaoh gives in: never again will any human rule as absolute, only god, god is still only the god of the jews, not the egyptians. He is fighting the gods of israel"s enemies: yes, you can be with god. Then compassionate and gentle: change: internal sacrifice vs. external sacrifice, abraham"s historical context was polytheism many gods and each gods have their own power. Able to influence them: that approachability is missed by the people of pagan ways, the god of monotheism is the chosen god, tribal or national god.
