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Monotheism WHAP/Napp “The story of Judaism, as recorded in Hebrew Scriptures, begins some 3800 years ago with one man’s vision of a single, unique God of all creation. They tell us that God and Abraham sealed a covenant stating that Abraham’s descendants would forever revere and worship that God, and God, in return, would forever watch over and protect them. From then until now Judaism has remained a relatively small, family-based religion, with branches throughout the world, but focused in part in Israel, the land that Jews believe God promised to Abraham. Our knowledge of early Jewish history comes from the scriptures known collectively as the TaNaKh: Torah (the first five books of the Bible), Nevi’im (the Books of the Prophets), and Ketuvim (additional historical, poetic, and philosophic writings). Christians have incorporated the entire TaNaKh into their Bible, referring to these scriptures collectively as the ‘Old Testament.’ Because the New Testament is written in Greek and the Old Testament in Hebrew, the TaNaKh is often referred to as the Hebrew Bible. The narratives of the five books of the Torah abound with miracles, as God intervenes continuously in the history of the Jews. The Torah begins with God’s creating the world and contracting his covenant with Abraham. Over the next several generations, the Torah continues, famine struck Israel (then called Canaan), the land God promised to Abraham. Abraham’s grandson and his family traveled to the Nile valley of Egypt in search of food. At first invited by the pharaoh to remain as permanent residents, they were later enslaved. About 1200 B.C.E., after 400 years of slavery, the Jews won their freedom and escaped from Egypt under the leadership of Moses through the miraculous intervention of God. During their journey back to Israel through the wilderness of the Sinai Desert, the contentious group of ex-slaves was forged into a small but militant nation. The Torah records a dramatic miracle at Mount Sinai in which God revealed a set of religious and civil laws [i.e. the Ten Commandments] for them to follow.” ~ The World’s History 1. The Hebrews (A) Were settled agriculturalists. (B) Were led out of Palestine by Abraham. (C) Were always monotheists. (D) Were the first Indo-Europeans to settle in southwest Asia. (E) None of the above. 2. The religious beliefs of the Israelites after Moses included (A) The worship of Mesopotamian gods. (B) Monotheism. (C) The worship of Allah. (D) The building of ziggurats. (E) None of the above. 3. A contract between the Hebrews and their God was called a (A) Mitzvah (B) Covenant (C) Yarmulke (D) Commandment 4. The Hebrews trace themselves to an ancestor named (A) Adam (B) Abraham (C) Abel (D) Noah 5. All of the following are monotheistic faiths except (A) Judaism (B) Christianity (C) Islam (D) Shinto Key Words /Questions Reflections: I. Zoroastrianism – The Rise of Monotheism A. During height of Achaemenid Persian Empire (550 – 330 BCE) B. Zarathustra (Zoroaster to the Greeks) was a Persian prophet C. Ideas received state support during the Achaemenid dynasty D. Beliefs 1. Single god, Ahura Mazda, ruled the world, the source of truth, light, and goodness 2. But Ahura Mazda was in a cosmic struggle with the forces of evil 3. Evil was embodied in the supernatural figure of Angra Mainyu 4. Ahura Mazda would eventually triumph when a final Savior would arrive and restore the world to its earlier purity and peace a) At the day of judgment, those who had joined with Ahura Mazda would be granted new resurrected bodies and eternal life in Paradise while those who sided with evil were condemned to everlasting punishment E. After the Prophet 1. Zoroastrianism was accepted within the Persian heartland and found followers in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Anatolia 2. But never a missionary religion 3. However, the arrival of Islam led to its final decline in Persia 4. A few believers fled to India where they became known as Parsis (Persians) and continued to practice their faith F. Contributions to World Religions 1. Cosmic Struggle – Conflict between good and evil 2. Idea of a last judgment and resurrected bodies 3. Belief in final defeat of evil – Arrival of a savior (Messiah) II. Judaism A. History 1. A prophet, Abraham, led his people from Mesopotamia to Palestine 2. Over time, some Hebrews moved to Egypt where they were enslaved but miraculously escaped to return to Palestine 3. By around 1000 BCE, the Hebrews established a small state a) Split into kingdom called Israel and kingdom called Judah 4. Israel was conquered by Assyria in 722 BCE a) Many inhabitants were deported to other regions 5. In 586 BCE, kingdom of Judah came under Babylonian rule and its elite class was shipped off to exile a) Exiles, now calling themselves Jews, retained their identity and later were able to return to homeland B. Beliefs 1. Divine was singular, transcendent, and personal 2. Divine demanded social justice/moral righteousness C. Influenced Christianity and Islam 1. Which of the following was NOT a Zoroastrian teaching? (A) the cosmic conflict between Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu (B) the idea that individual souls would undergo future judgment (C) ascetic renunciation of the world in favor of a future heavenly existence (D) the idea that the forces of good would ultimately prevail 2. From the mid-seventh century, Zoroastrianism lost its popularity because (A) Zoroastrians were converting to Islam. (B) It was outlawed by the Persian government. (C) More and more people turned to belief in Christianity. (D) None of these answers is correct. 3. Jewish monotheism (A) Was spread actively by Jewish missionaries throughout the Middle East. (B) Emphasized the power and abstraction of God. (C) Included worship of various lesser gods. (D) Emerged as the high point of Sumerian civilization. (D) Rejected the idea that men were ethically responsible for their behavior. 4. Which of these is not a major belief of Judaism? (A) Human beings are born with two impulses: to do good and to do evil (B) Yahweh and Jesus are two representations of God (C) Love of and meditation upon God and Torah will keep one’s heart pure (D) Life is a gift and humanity is meant to mirror God’s qualities 5. “Leave your land, your relatives, and your father’s home. Go to the land that I will show you.” Who followed this quote to begin a new religion? (A) Gilgamesh (B) Zoroaster (C) Hammurabi (D) Abraham 6. Followers of Zoroastrianism today are known as what? (A) Parsis (B) Kshatriyas (C) Rastafarians (D) Daoists 7. The Avesta (A) Is Zoroastrian scripture. (B) Is a body of liturgical texts used by the magi. (C) Contains themes found in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. (D) All of the above. 8. According to Zoroastrianism what will happen at the end of the world? (A) The struggle between good and evil will continue in a new creation (B) All traces of evil will be wiped out (C)The angles will become the guardians of humanity (D) Evil people will be sent to hell forever 9. Which of the following is NOT related to the Jewish faith? (A) a belief that a Messiah would appear and free them from oppression (B) the Torah (C) monotheism (D) the Eightfold Path (E) the Tanakh Comparative Thesis Practice: A- Identify one similarity in the tenets [beliefs] of Zoroastrianism and Judaism. ________________________________________________________________________ B- Identify one difference in the tenets [beliefs] of Zoroastrianism and Judaism. ________________________________________________________________________ C- Write a comparative thesis statement for Zoroastrianism and Judaism. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ D- Write a body paragraph with either a similarity or a difference and provide historical evidence and analysis. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ “Zoroastrians are famous for their tradition of exposure or ‘laying out the dead’. In Mumbai the Zoroastrian ‘Towers of Silence’ have been a focus of interest because it is one of the few places in the world where this tradition can still be upheld. Zoroastrians believe that as soon as the breath has left it, the body becomes impure. Death is considered to be the work of Angra Mainyu, the embodiment of all that is evil, whereas the earth and all that is beautiful is considered to be the pure work of God. Contaminating the elements (Earth, Air, Fire and Water) with decaying matter such as a corpse is considered sacrilege. Thus, instead of burying the corpse, Zoroastrians traditionally laid it out on a purpose built tower (dokhma or ‘Tower of Silence’) to be exposed to the sun and eaten by birds of prey such as vultures. In Mumbai, where more than half of India’s seventy thousand Parsis live, huge towers have been built and set within fifty-seven acres of forest gardens. In western countries where exposure is either impractical or illegal, Zoroastrians usually opt for cremation. In the future, unfortunately, this practice may have to end. With a rapid decline in the population of vultures and the changing times of India, modern Zoroastrians are having to rethink how they are to keep this ancient tradition alive.” ~ BBC How does the Zoroastrian funeral ceremony reveal its religious beliefs? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________