Judaism (Essay Sample)

Judaism
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Judaism
Introduction
Judaism is considered to be among the oldest religions that exist in the world today. It is the origin of Christianity, in fact Christianity is considered to be a branch of Judaism. It can be defined as the cultural religion of the Jews. The religion believes in the existence of one sovereign God who made a covenant with the Jew through their founding father Abraham. The Bible is the major sacred text of the religion which stipulates the religious practice, beliefs and rituals of the religion. This paper will tackle the concept of Judaism, its relationship with God, the history of the religion, the sacred text of the religion, the holy days and the religious rituals and practices.
History of Judaism
Judaism is an amorphous religion with no particular leader that heads it. It has many movements which differ from each other on the interpretation and application of the sacred texts. Judaism began some 3500 years ago in Israel. According to the sacred text of the Old Testament, Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his only son. He was ready to obey the command of God due to his loyalty. This act of willingness showed his love and devotion to God. Judaism was started by Abraham thereby becoming a great leader and the father of the Jewish people. Abraham is known as the first in the line of Judaism to worship God in the Jewish tradition. The Bible shows that Abraham made a covenant with God in which God made a promise that required nothing in return from Abraham. In this text, God told Abraham that He will make a great nation from his descendant. God promised Abraham land, redemption and blessings to his descendant.
The religion dates back to four thousand years ago. It is rooted in the ancient region of Canaan, currently Israel and Palestinian territories. Judaism emerged during the first century. The founding father of the religion is Abraham who made a covenant with God to deliver the people of Israel to the promise land. Judaism is defined by the following characters: monotheism, the belief in a special covenant with God, ethnic and territorial identity, specific laws and practices and the existence of a Messiah. The religious text of Judaism is contained in the first five book of the bible referred to as the Torah. The main figure dominating this religion is the Israelite culture defined by the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophet Moses, who received God's law at Mt. Sinai. It revolves around the religious, ethical and social stipulated in the Torah.
Judaism is associated with the Israelites. According to the Holy bible, Abraham and Sarah are the ancestors of the Israelites. Abraham and Sarah moved from Ur and Haran in Mesopotamia to Canaan. Abraham gave birth to Isaac who later gave rise to Jacob. Jacob was named Israel. Jacob resettled his large family in Egypt, where the Israelites were eventually treated as slaves. The descendants of Abraham, specifically Jacob gave rise to the twelve tribes of Israel. Moses and Joshua lead the Israelites out of captivity to the Promised Land.
The concept of Judaism
Judaism is a monotheistic religion, that is, it only beliefs and recognizes the existence of only one God. Judaism is more a religion of works rather than faith. They believe in following the word of God and His commandments. Those who follow the Jewish religion believe the commandments God gave are required to be followed even today, where Christianity believes they are to use them as a guide but they are not a requirement.
The center of worship in Judaism is the synagogues. The religious practice places more emphasis on practice than belief. It centered more on the practical approach on various aspect of the religion. Jews all over the world are united by one sovereign God who made them the holy people popularly referred to as the chosen one. The religious leaders of the Jew are referred to as the rabbi and they are responsible for conducting religious activities.They oversee ceremonies and rituals that hold a special place in Judaism.
The sacred text
The sacred text of Judaism is mainly the bible. In Judaism the Bible is referred to as Tanakh which is basically the acronym for the texts...