I will argue that the understanding of the concept of God has significantly changed over time. Over this course, we have explored the evolution and stages of Judaism. I will use supporting evidence from the Biblical, Rabbinic, Maimonides, and Modern texts to show each of their overarching themes, perceived popular beliefs, and changes the concept of God has experienced. The Biblical era expresses the concept of God as a kind, loving, and the true king of all. God is seen as the sole creator of the heavens, Earth and everything on Earth. He is portrayed as aways righteous, even if we cannot understand His reasons, He must have divine insight that humans are not able to comprehend. Although during the biblical era God did things people did not understand or even like, which is a common theme throughout all of the texts I am referencing. Yet, the concept of God from the biblical verses and why He did what He did was accepted with hardly any question. During this period, God was seen as humanlike due to the specific language used in the Hebrew Bible, “Then I will take My hand away and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.” (Exodus 33:18-33:23) This is an anthropomorphic account of God, for God references Himself with distinct human body parts. God was seen as present in the world and the key piece in history. He is viewed as a universal creator, with a unique connection to Israel that others do not have. God is quoted, “…And God said, 'Let us make man in our
As we look back on history we can see that human beings have made great strides as well as suffered many setbacks in our development of fundamental doctrines and/or beliefs by which we live and view the world. These foundational beliefs have provided the framework for which all civilizations preserve, cooperate, and govern their way of life. Certainly throughout history, the spread of Christian theology and doctrine has been influential in establishing and developing a deeply rooted theistic and biblical worldview foundation; thus being the center of much debate. In light of the various views within Christian theology, we will focus specifically on doctrine that is foundational to the Christian
There is a close relationship between Christianity and Judaism both from a theological and historical perspective. The similarities between these two religious platforms emanates from the notion that Christianity arose and protested from Judaism. However, it is worth noting that Christianity is not a continuation of Judaism as some people perceive. Both Jesus and most of his disciples, who pioneered the earliest Christian churches, were Jews. Particularly, Jesus’ family practiced and followed Jewish beliefs, and He frequently referenced the Hebrew bible. On the contrary, the disciples believed that Jesus was the one and only Messiah, which is predicted in the Jewish Bible. While the creation narrative is still mysterious to many people, most individuals are still obsessed with the attempt to discover how everything came to existence. The primary purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the basic ideologies of Christianity and Judaism (Neusner, 76).
God can be a very controversial subject depending on who you are talking to in this day and time; some people believe, some believe in other Gods and then there are other groups who do not believe in anything beyond this life. God has always had to deal with those who do not believe. God has been persecuted since the beginning of time and has proven over and over that is very much who he says he is. This paper will give you a better understanding of who God is, how humanity is affected by their beliefs, who Jesus is and how he is the way to the heavenly father and creator as well as how restoration will impact our lives as well as the beliefs I hold in God and how everything he created relies on the next in some way to survive.
The Jews indeed, but also some of our own people, supposed that God should be understood as a man, that is, adorned with human members and human appearance. But the philosophers despise these stories as fabulous and formed in the likeness of poetic fictions.
A person both is and is not identical with God and in this way must be both possessed of a capacity to know Him and equally must be beholden to the laws that He lays down for behaviour and worship. The simultaneous closeness and distance is present in the idea of that people are made in the image of God. This paper will consider the breadth of the Hebrew Bible in order to show the consequences of this seeming contradiction that a person is an incomplete replication and possesses a separated, although potentially bridgeable relationship to Divine. To begin with it will argue that, while prior
Have you ever noticed that when people talk of Jews, at least in a protestant church, that the Israelite legalism, rituals, dress and hair standards are the first things to mind? The topic of Judaism may come with stereotypical opinions and “Christian Judgement” that are without merit or understanding. Judaism, by a Christian worldview, had to change after Pentecost, since the animal sacrifice to atone for sin Christ completed on the Cross. However, Judaism does not accept this truth of Christ and His work on the cross, but Judaism remains in the world. So, what was this change in Judaism and when did it take place? There have been numerous fluctuations within Judaism, only the theme constructed in this essay has its foundations around the most important facet of Judaism- the Temple. With the Temple in the forefront of this essay, we will discuss the modifications that Judaism went through, at what time, different perspectives that the destruction of the Temple had, and how the Christian sect views these vagaries. The Temple destruction of A.D. 70 converted the Jewish faith in its singular fashion, while, at the same point, the Jewish faith never had a total change by always changing throughout time.
Many connections can be made between the Jewish people and Americans. These connections date back to before common era (BCE), extending to present day. Both histories are able to be paralleled and influence their cultures differently. These influences contributed to a significant influence on the perception of God amongst their populations.
Throughout History religion has been a cornerstone of civilization and culture, shaping the lives of people and generations to come. In a world constantly pursuing knowledge, religion offers enlightenment to understand the mysteries of life. In A History of God , Karen Armstrong delves into the role of God throughout history- primarily focusing on the Abrahamic religions- she discusses the rise of the concept of God alongside times of Civilization, Division, Intolerance and Unity defining the Axil time period. Armstrong begins her journey by discussing the emergence of an elusive “god” in multiple civilization all at once. The idea of god was a representation of people’s desire to learn and grow.
In Judeo-Christian tradition God created the cosmos and he said it was good. God created everything. “Yahweh” is a form of God’s name in Hebrew which is best translated to “I am who I am”. God is this mysterious divine spirit that was created before time and lives forever. God is the “tremendom”, the holy, fearful and overwhelming mystery that people can only wonder about and try to wrap their heads around. Jews and Christians believe that human beings are created in the image of God. Everyone is created perfect and equal despite physical appearances. Humans have free will like God. In a way we are god over ourselves in the way that we govern and make decisions for ourselves. God also dwells in us and around us. God created human beings good.
Historically, a lot of awful things have happened to Jews throughout history. From the exile in Babylonia to the destruction of Jerusalem and all the way to the Holocaust. From these tragic events, questions develop on if God is with them? Has God abandoned them and let the world persecute them? Are these just test? And the biggest question is how does this affect the Covenant? These events have greatly impacted Jews from their identities as humans to their religious identities and have impacted their relationships with followers of other religions. Although, I am not a Jew and I have some knowledge of Judaism I can only somewhat answer that with the bias of how I view God. This paper will mainly be Holocaust focused because I have more thoughts
Throughout modern history, Judaism has been recognized as one of the most influential religions in Western Civilization. However, to reach the complexity and structure that Judaism has today, the Hebrews had to endure several periods and turning points in history. During the 1500 years after 1200 BCE, “numerous vast empires rose and fall around and over them (Hebrews)”, as they made their transformation into Jews (Pavlac, 45). During these phases, known as the Patriarchy Phase, the Monarchy Phase, and Exile and Diaspore, many new beliefs and practices became incorporated into the foundation of Jewish religion, such as the idea of a monotheistic religion, the introduction of prophets, and the usage of scriptures and rabbi.
Throughout this paper, the term Judeo-Christian tradition will be used to reference the Judaism and Christianity religions as no distinction can be made between the two with the sources provided.
This presentation is about the book of Genesis in the Old Testament. Its main purpose will be to educate you, the audience on hermeneutics, the literal and contextual interpretations of the creation story, as well as the history, author, date and importance of the book of Genesis.
The history of how the Bible came into existence has been explored for centuries and is an active area of study today. There are many facets to the Bible and each has its own set of unique characteristics and teachings. The Old Testament is considered a contemporary guide for daily living, even though it was composed hundreds of years ago. Where did the Old Testament come from? What are some of the influences that shaped the Old Testament? What are the significant events of the Old Testament? In order to gain a better understanding of the Old Testament and its message to Christians, special consideration is given to its historical and cultural context, and to the major milestones in its development. Personal application of the teachings offered in this section of the Bible should be the aspiration of all Christians today.
Over thousands of years, the religion of Judaism has evolved. With years of suffering, persecution, and dispersion the Jews’ religion stays constant. When researching the religion, the history is extremely strong, and the doctrine of the religion dates back thousands of years. With such a vast history, one might want to examine the change into modern society.