Download Judeo-Christian

Judaism & Christian Tradition
Prologue Section 2
Essential Questions
► How
did Judeo-Christian traditions support the
central idea of democracy?
►
MAIN IDEA- (Cultural
Interaction) Judaism and
Christianity taught
individual worth, ethical
values, and the need to
fight injustice.
►
WHY IT MATTERS
NOW- These Ideas
continue to be important
to democracy today.
SETTING THE STAGE
► Judaism,
Christianity and Islam
Shaped Democratic Traditions
1.
2.
3.
4.
Monotheistic: belief in one God
Small Corner of South West Asia
Worth of Individuals
Responsibility of individuals to the community
* Led to ideas about value of individual and challenging
authority (During the Renaissance and Reformation)
Hebrews or Jews
► Monotheistic-
(One God) Who was All-,
Knowing, All Powerful, and Eternal.
► Hebrews► Most
Felt Moral Life is Gods Wish.
other groups around Hebrews were
Polytheistic- Performed rituals and
sacrifices. In Honor of Their Many Gods.
Judaism
► Torah:
 1800 BC.
 Hebrew bible (Old Testament)
 Made of 5 books
►
►
►
Man is created in God’s Image –
Individuals have value, and are unique
Made from god
(Divine Spark = Dignity that can not be taken)
(Greeks and Romans had Dignity due to ability to
reason)
Jewish Law
► Man
has moral
freedom
► Reason: Capacity for
logical, rational and
analytical thought
► Use reason to choose
between right and
wrong
 Each Person
Responsible for
decisions they make
Jewish Code of Law
►
Like the Greeks, Romans, and others Jews
had a written code of law.
Ten Commandments
► Jewish
Law
 1300-1200 BC
 Written code of Law
given to Moses
►Focused
on morality and
ethics, NOT on politics
►Social
and religious
behavior that even the
rulers were subject to
► 1-4
 Morality: mans relationship with god.
► 5-10
 Ethics: mans relationship with fellow man.
Emergence of Prophets
► 8th
Cent B.C. Jewish religious thought
expands : Due to Prophets
► Leaders
and teachers- who were believed
by the Jews to be direct messengers from
God
► Protested war, oppression, and Greed
► Strengthened Jews social conscience
Roman Expansion
► Around
63 B.C. Rome took control of Judea
the homeland of the Jews
Christianity
► Jesus
Christ
 Began Teaching around
the age of 30
 Many ideas from Jewish
tradition ( monotheism,
and 10 commandments)
► Born
around 4B.C.
 Jew and a Roman subject
 Taught about God’s
relationship to the
individual
The Teachings of Christianity
New Testament
►

Encompasses teachings of
Jesus and his disciples
Love for:
►
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

God
neighbors
family
enemies
and yourself
Christians refer to the Torah
as the “Old Testament”.
► A.D.
29- Jesus Traveled to Jerusalem
► Called
by many “the King of the Jews”
► Roman
threat
Governor felt he was a political
► Governor
had Jesus arrested and put to
death by crucifixion
Spread of Christianity
► The
Apostle Paul
 Preached in cities around
the E. Mediterranean
 Disciple of Christ
 Christianity should welcome
all converts (Universal
Religion)
 All human beings are equal
►central
to democracy
Rome Spreads Judeo-Christian Ideas
► Initially
hostile to Jews and Christians
► Spread
Ideas two ways: Indirect and Direct
Rome Spreads Judeo-Christian Ideas
Cont.
►
Indirect- Many Jews were exiled to other parts of the world
(Shared their Beliefs)
►
Direct- Made Christianity the official religion of the empire (
Was becoming wide spread)
Islam
► Followers
called
Muslims
► Dignity of all Human
Beings
► Brotherhood of people
► Belief in community
(Must help those in
need)
► Rulers had to obey
laws like their subjects
► Tolerance of all groups
Five Pillars of Islam
► Faith
► Prayer
► Fasting
► Charity
► Pilgrimage
to Mecca
Legacy of Monotheistic Religions
► Duty
of the individual and community to
combat oppression.
► The worth of the individual.
► Equality of people before God.
The Reformation
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
►
►
►
►
►
What are some beliefs of
Judaism (Jewish Law)?
Why do Jews believe that
people are responsible for their
own choices?
What is the key differences
between Christian and Jewish
beliefs?
What does the religion of Islam
emphasize?
How did all three religions shape
democratic ideas?
► One
thing that all
three religions
emphasized was
individualism (the
belief in the inherent
dignity and worth of
each person)
► With one partner
answer the questions
on the left.