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THE THREE MAJOR
RELIGIONS OF THE
MIDDLE EAST:
Judaism,
Christianity,
Islamic
THE DEFINITION OF JUDAISM
Judaism-The first recorded
monotheistic faith.
It is the foundation of many other
religions, including Christianity
and Islam.
Yahweh-God
THE HISTORY OF JUDAISM
The Hebrews from the Old
Testament or "Children of
Israel"
They were enslaved by the
Egyptians.
THE HISTORY OF JUDAISM
Abraham-The father of the Hebrews
entered into a covenant with Yahweh
that his people would be the chosen
ones of God and that one of his
descendants would be the Messiah,
who would come and rescue the
Jewish people from sin.
HISTORY…
During the Roman Empire the
Jews became a part of Roman
society. There religious practices
became protected against
persecutions with angered some
of the common people of Rome.
HISTORY…
Unlike Roman subjects, the Jews could
become citizens of any state without
having to give up their beliefs, they were
exempt from military service, the Jews
were not forced to give up their Sabbath
day, because it would have gone against
what they believed in, and they used
their own coinage instead of the Roman
Emperor.
HISTORY
These privileges contributed to
widespread anti-Jewish (antiSemitism) feelings among nonJews who resented the freedom
allowed the Jewish people by the
Roman Empire.
THE HOLY BOOK
The Jewish Bible- Hebrew Bible
consists of the first five books of the
Old Testament this is known as the
Torah.
The five books are named Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy.
HOLY BUILDING
Synagogue-the house of worship and
communal center of a Jewish
congregation.
The Rabbi- Is the leader of the
congregation
Jewish celebrations are held at the
Synagogue
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
Orthodox- Believes that the Torah (both written
and oral) was literally given by God to Moses,
word for word
Non-Orthodox- (more liberal) tend to believe
that the Torah (Jewish law) may have been
Divinely inspired, but were translated by
humans influenced by their own time and
place.
JEWISH CELEBRATIONS
Judaism honors and
celebrates the major stages of
life with rituals, Bar (boys) and
Bat Mitzvahs(girls), weddings,
and funeral rites.
JEWISH CELEBRATIONS
Passover (April 5 th )-Passover, or Pesach
in Hebrew, is one of the three major
pilgrimage festivals of ancient Israel.
Hanukkah-A Jewish Christmas
Rosh Hashanah (September 15-17)-the
celebration of the new Jewish calendar
year.
CHRISTIANITY
The new
religion
DEFINITION OF CHRISTIANIT Y
Christianity is a monotheistic
religion that traces its origins to
Jesus of Nazareth.
Christians believe that Jesus is the
Son of God and the Lord and sole
Savior of all humanity.
HISTORY CON…
Jesus (c. 4 BC – c. AD 30) is the central
figure in Christianity, known as Jesus of
Nazareth. When Jesus began his
teachings and to the masses he
preached the love of one good to all
people. He preached to the poor, weak,
and the simple. His message was
universal; it accepted all people of all
kind.
HISTORY CON…
Jesus spoke of his father in heaven;
he referred to himself as the
Messiah whom God had sent to
redeem humanity from sin.
Most Jews believe that he was a
Prophet not the Messiah that was
promised by Yahweh.
HOLY BOOK
The Bible is the primary sacred scripture
of both the Jewish and Christian
religions.
The Jewish community only believes in
the Old Testament books while the
Christians believe in the Old Testament
and the New Testament
HOLY BUILDING
Church-a building for public and
especially Christian worship.
Religious ceremonies and
Celebrations such as Weddings
and Funerals are held at the
Church.
CHRISTIAN CELEBRATIONS
Easter-(Between March 21 and April
25) Jesus' resurrection from the
dead.
Christmas-(December 25)-Birth of
Jesus.
Advent-A time of preparation- 4
weeks before Christmas.
CHRISTIAN CELEBRATIONS
Lent- Forty days of preparation before Easter.
A time for penance (sin), fasting, giving, and
religious study.
Ash Wednesday-The first day of Lent. Ashes
placed on forehead as sign of mourning and
penance.
Palm or Passion Sunday - The Sunday before
Easter. Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Good Friday- The Friday before Easter A time
for fasting and reflecting on the Crucifixion of
Jesus.
ISLAMIC
The last of
the
Abrahamic
Religions
DEFINITIONS OF ISLAM
Islam It originated in the Middle
East around 630 AD.
Allah is traditionally used by
Muslims as the Arabic name of
God.
Islam is a monotheistic religion.
ISLAMIC HISTORY
Muhammad- Is revered by Muslims as
the prophet of Islam. According to his
traditional Muslim biographies he was
born circa 570 in Mecca and died June 8,
632 in Medina.
Muslims consider Muhammad the last
prophet of the Abrahamic religions.
ISLAMIC HISTORY
Muslims believe that God
revealed the Qur'an to
Muhammad.
Muhammad is considered to be
the final prophet, sent to preach
the same message as Moses and
Jesus.
HOLY BOOK
The Qur'an- is the Islamic holy book
of Allah. Muslims believe that the
Qur'an is the literal word of God,
revealed to the Prophet Muhammad
over a period of 22 years.
They believe parts of the first five
books of the Bible but rejects the
rest.
HOLY BUILDING
A mosque- is a
place where Muslims
meet to worship God
(Allah).
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
 The Five pillars of Islam
are five basic duties of
Muslims:
 The Testimony that
there is none worthy of
worship except God and
that Mohammed is his
messenger.
 Establishing of the five
daily Prayers
 The Giving of charity or
Alms
Fasting from dawn
to dusk in the month
of Ramadhaan
The Pilgrimage to
Mecca which is
compulsory once in
a lifetime for one
who has the ability
to do it.
ISLAMIC CELEBRATIONS
Ramadan- The ninth month
of the Islamic calendar and
is known as the month of
fasting. The moral code of
Islam is followed very
strictly.
BASIC DIFFERENCES
Judaism- Do not believe that Jesus
of Nazareth was the Messiah
promised from the Old Testament.
Christianity- Believes in the Holy
Trinity and that Jesus was the
Messiah.
Islam- Believes that Allah is one
being and that Jesus was a Prophet
but was not Crucified.
MUSLIM EXTREMISTS
They believe word-for-word from the
Koran (literal). They do not like the
Western Ideals, such as:
Women do not voice they opinions in
politics. Women do not have a place in
society.
Democracy and Capitalism is not a way
of life.
Eye for an Eye.
SHIA AND SUNNI
Belong to the Muslim faith, but they
broke off into their own groups after
Muhammad’s death.
The Shia Muslims believe that the
leaders of the Muslim nation should be
blood related to Muhammad.
The Sunni believe that Muslim leaders
should be elected by the people. MOST
Muslims in the world belong to the Sunni
group.
DISCUSSION (WRITE Q&A AND
ADD TO YOUR OUTLINE)
Which religious group do MOST terrorist
belong to? Why do you think they want to
terrorize western nations?
How do you think the two types of Muslim
groups have gotten along throughout the
years? Can you think of any events that have
put one group against another?
What conflicts do you think have arisen from
the religious differences in the Middle East?
What impact do these conflicts have on the
world?