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Religions of the Middle East- Judaism
The birth of Judaism began about four thousand years ago in the land of Ur, part
of Mesopotamia. Around the year 1800 BC, a man named Abram. While tending his
flock, God revealed himself to Abraham. God, Adonai, told Abraham to follow only Him
and have his people follow him as the one and only God. In entering a convent (holy
contract) with Adonai, Abraham’s name was changed to Abraham, which means father of
all nations. Adonai instructed Abraham to move his wife Sarah, their servants, family
and folk to Canaan, the Promised Land to the Jewish people. Canaan is now known as
Israel—Palestine to the Arab world. Because of his obedience, Adonai promised
Abraham that his children would be as many as the stars in the sky. From these children
come the tribes of both Israel and Arabia.
Many years passed, yet Abraham and Sarah remained childless. Sarah gave her
servant, Hagar, to Abraham, and they had a son named Ishmael. Several years later,
Sarah and Abraham had a son named Isaac. Isaac had a son named Jacob. Jacob had 12
sons who founded the 12 tribes of Israel. Eventually they became known as the Israelites.
(Ismael’s descendants formed the 12 tribes of Arabia.)
There was a famine in Canaan and the family was forced to move to Egypt. The
Jewish people became slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years. In time an adopted Egyptian
prince, who was a rescued Jewish slave, led his people on an exodus out of Egypt. His
name was Moses. Adonai gave Moses the Ten Commandments and the Torah, the Jewish
Holy Scripture. The Torah contains the first five books of the Old Testament which
includes the birth of Judaism to the death of Moses and the laws of the Jewish people.
Today the Jewish people have their own country, it is called Israel. Jerusalem is
the holiest city, and the capital of Israel. The Jewish people worship in buildings called
synagogues and celebrate Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. There are only
about 15 million Jews in the world, which is only .23% of the world’s population.
Blue=Sky/Heaven
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Religions of the Middle East- Christianity
Two-thousand years ago, a Jewish man named Yeusha bin Youseff started
teaching in a land called Palestine. This man is believed to be a direct descendant of
Abraham. In the west, this man is known as Jesus Christ. Christ is a Greek title which
means, “Anointed One”. Christians believe that he is the Messiah and the son of God.
Jesus was born in about 4 BC in the city of Bethlehem, which is in the modern
country of Israel. His ministry began in 30 AD around the Sea of Galilee and lasted 3
years. In 33 AD he was executed by the Romans in the city of Jerusalem, which is the
holiest Christian city. It is filled with important churches and sites sacred to Christians.
Such as the Church of the Holy Sepulture and the Via de la Rosa which is the path Jesus
walked to his execution. Easter is the celebration of Jesus’ rising from the dead.
Since most of the people he taught were illiterate, Jesus taught through parables
and metaphors. He taught forgiveness, love, obedience and servitude to others. He
preached about God’s love of people and his coming kingdom. He said he was God’s son
and the savior of humanity.
Jesus’ followers were known as disciples, the 12 closest were called the Apostles.
After Jesus’ death they wrote down his teachings and their experiences in the Holy Bible.
His followers spread the Gospel (good news) to the ancient world.
Today most European and South American countries have state sponsored
churches. Christianity is the world’s most popular religion with about 2 billion followers,
or 1/3rd of the world’s populations.
Red=Blood/Forgiveness
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Religions of the Middle East- Islam
Muslims also believe they are descendants of Abraham-- as do Jews and
Christians. They trace their roots to Ishmael, Abraham’s first son and Isaacs’s older
brother. Ishmael built the Kaaba, an Islamic place of worship, which is in Mecca, the
holiest of Islamic cities.
In the early 600s AD, a merchant from the city of Mecca, in modern day Saudi
Arabia, started hearing voices. His name was Mohammad. He went to a cave to meditate
and pray. He was visited by the angel Gabriel and received a revelation from Allah, the
Arabic word for God. Mohammed took his new teachings to the people of Mecca. But
they thought it would hurt local trade and persecuted Mohammed.
In the year 622 AD, Muhammad fled Mecca to the city of Medina. This is known
as the Hajj and is first year of the Islamic calendar. Medina and Mecca fought a war
which lasted for eight years. In 630, Mecca won the war, and the two cities signed a
peace treaty. With this, Mecca became the center of Islam. Towards the end of his life,
Mohammed made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the home of Ishmael, his forefather. He
ascended to heaven on a cloud.
This was recorded in a book called the Quran, the Muslim holy book. Because
Allah gave Mohammed the His last revelation, Mohammad is known as the “Seal of the
Prophets”. The Quran was spoken directly from Allah. He called his followers to Islam,
or peace through submission to Allah. This peace is achieved through practicing the Five
Pillars of Islam.
Muslims, followers of the religion of Islam, worship in mosques. Most countries
in the Middle East are Islamic. It is the second largest religion with over one billion
believers, making 20% of the world’s people Muslim.
Green= Paradise/Garden of
Eden
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