The Paradoxes Of Abrahamic Religions

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).

Evolutions of civilizations can occur because of differences in people’s religion, culture, or geographic setting of the settlement. The relationship between the world of the gods and that of men was perceived differently by the Sumerians, Egyptians, and Hebrew ancient civilizations. This is demonstrated by the way each group viewed the process of creation. They had different thoughts on the creation of their gods, the universe and of man. This essay will discuss the relationship between humans and their gods in three different ancient civilizations: Sumerian, Egyptian and Hebrew.

The world of the ancient Near East believed in a creator deity as member within a plethora of deities; that is, there was no supreme being. Within this plethora, each deity held a specific responsibility, representing such matters as order, justice, love, and truth, to name but a few. Among ANE inhabitants, according to Philip J. Nel, “a normative principle of justice was maintained as part and parcel of the created universe. The human life-world and the order of nature were seen as inextricable entwined.” It is not surprising, therefore, how ancient civilizations understood justice to be a concomitant attribute of a deity within a pantheon of deities; a pantheon where members had origins and, in most instances, were familial in nature. According to their understanding of creation, ancient civilizations held views on social and economic justice as a means that would “facilitate the service of the community to the divine world.” Nel observes that, “The principle of justice was . . . not so much regarded as a system of moral order, but rather the assumption of an existing/created autonomous design/order which should be upheld and adhered to in all sectors of society.” The Sumerians, and the Egyptians, serve as examples.

Palestine has a long history of being ruled by different empires, all of which followed different religions. Its culture has been exposed to the influence of the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Ottomans and a few others. It is in the heart of the Middle East and it houses the three major monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; Judaism being one of the oldest religions, dating as far back as 2000 BCE in Canaan. Christianity, which then took into Judaism’s steps spread more vigorously and was more recently “recognized in New Testament studies” (Yencich 120). Then many years later came Islam, which had its own peak as well. These three monotheistic religions seem to echo each other’s tales, ideals, and values. The conflict between the Arabs and the Israelis over this Holy Land has been going on for years.

Joseph M. Bolton RELS 103-02 Online Old Testament Studies Spring Semester 2011 Session E May 8, 2011 to July 2, 2011 The Old Testament TimeLine Creation & Primeval History The Creation: * God creates the Heavens and the Earth * God creates man in his image. *

Judaism is one of the oldest Abrahamic religion on the earth. Israel is the only Jewish country in the world. There are many kind Jews, but the most recognized are orthodox, Ashkenazim, Sephardic and Mizrahi. Orthodox Jews are those, who understand the holy and the laws book of Judaism and believe in the implementation of the book to the state where they live. They are also considered the legally recognized religion of Israel. Orthodox are have political and legal control over the Jewish state. Ashkenazim Jews are those who came from Europe. Most of them escape Europe and settle down in Palestine because of the racial and religious discrimination they faced. Sephardic Jews are those who belongs from Iberian Peninsula, which Spain and Portugal

The three Abrahamic religions share not just the same Supreme Being but they also share several common themes. Many people view these three religions as separate entities but are more related than most people would expect.

An examination of Israelite theology goes beyond finding similarities and differences, it should articulate the relationships which existed and clarify the cultural context. Otherwise, the mere interpretation of text may lead to interpretation with a theological significance based on our understanding.

Chapter one talks about the Greek thought and Hebrew thought and its differences. In the world, the Greek (western) and Hebrew (eastern) cultures view their surroundings, lives, and purpose in ways which would see foreign to the other. Oswalt engages Greek and Hebrew thought before examining the different definitions of myth. The Greek thought views the world through the abstract thought whereas the Hebrew thought vies the world through concrete thought. The Greek philosophers of the seventh through the third centuries believed in a “universe” instead of a “polyverse.”

God’s goodness and mercy far transcends the comprehension of the most brilliant human mind! He “who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth”(Psalm 113:6).Yet in His infinite love for us He stoops down to reveal Himself to us by a multitude of illustration, types, and shadows, so that we may learn to know him. This paper will describe what is meant by the Kingdom of God; examine the religious philosophy of the various sects of Judaism during the Second Temple period: Pharisee, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots, describe the religious philosophy and political philosophy of each sects, it will also describe how the Messianic expectation differ from the Messianic role that Jesus presented, and include an exegesis of

In ancient Syria-Palestine, the relationship between the divine beings and the humans is dynamic, in which the humans fear and respect the gods. The people of Syrian-Palestine, or Canaanites, believe in many gods such as Ilu, Baal, and Asherah. The humans are submissive and very obedient. The humans perform sacrifices to pleases their gods and win their favor and blessings. In ancient Syria-Palestine, the divine’s relation to the humans is analogous to a patron, enforcer, and protector.

Monotheistic religions, especially Judaism, Christianity, and Islam promote the belief in One God; all that exists is because of God. Through prophets and scripture, God portrays moral goodness and truth. Essentially, these three religions believe that God speaks to us, unveils God’s Being, and seeks to guide us through life. In turn, humans should embody the moral goodness and excellence that is revealed to us by God. These religions are taught based upon both scripture and reason. When reading traditional texts, the tools of reason and social sciences are required. However, dilemmas arise when there is inconsistency between reason and scripture. Some believe that is we side with reason, we betray God. Others believe that if we side with

Religion is the belief that has its own boundary and teach what to do or what not to (Jim Blynt) Isn’t religion views differently and change the people's views when they know the meaning of religions. The Judaism, which share monotheistic faiths express to devotees that the weak and poor will persevere under the leadership of Yahweh. These faiths allow anybody to provide moral and spiritual codes that shape the cultures of Judaic. Religion continues to impact almost every aspect of human civilization in both positive and negative ways.

John H. Walton’s Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible is broken up into fourteen chapters. Those fourteen chapters are each part of one of five sections. This book also contains over twenty historical images. Before the introduction, the author gives readers a full appendix of all images used in this published work. The author then gives his acknowledgements followed by a list of abbreviations.

Studying the religion of the Ancient Israelite People must be done in a careful manner. The ways in which biblical scholars frame significant ideas can have a major effect on how their point is received. Today’s ideas about the religious lives of Canaanites have been drawn on primarily from The Hebrew Bible and archaeological evidence. In their respective works, biblical scholars Benjamin Sommer and Carol Meyers choose to interpret these pieces of religious evidence is varying ways; Meyers takes a more cultural approach while Sommer’s has a theological leaning. Recognizing these different perspectives, I prefer the approach that Meyers takes because of its focus in anthropology.