Ch. 17- History and culture of the Middle East- Monotheistic Religions

1. Ancient Religions: The Holy Land
Ch. 17: Middle East History & Culture

2. • https://app.discoveryeducation.com/learn/videos
• Overview of 3 major religions
• https://app.discoveryeducation.com/learn/videos

3. Terms
• Atheist Someone who does not believe in a
God
• Agnostic  name given to a person who does
not know if God exists
• Monotheistic  belief in one God
• Polytheistic  believing in multiple Gods

4. 3 Monotheistic Religions
- Judaism- 2000 BCE
- Islam- 600 AD
- Christianity- 30 AD

5. Birthplace of Monotheistic Religions
• The Middle East is the birthplace of Monotheism or the
believe in one god.
• Three of the world’s leading monotheistic religions were
formed here.
• Judaism
• Christianity
• Islam

6. JUDAISM: Quick Facts
• Began more than 4,000 years ago circa 2,000
BCE
• The “Mother” religion to Christianity and Islam
• Jews originates from Judean, member of the
tribe Judah
• Jews only follow the Old Testament
• Jews do not believe Jesus was the son of God
• Jerusalem (capital of Israel) is their modern and
ancient homeland

7. ABRAHAM
Father of Judaism/Christianity/Islam
-Born in Ur (Iraq) and son of an idol merchant,
but he questioned the faith of his father and
sought the truth.
-Believed that the entire universe was the work
of a single Creator, and he began to teach this
belief to others.
-The one believed to be the single Creator, God,
wanted Abraham to leave his home and his
family. Then, God would make him a great
nation and bless him.

8. God’s Covenant with Abraham
• Covenant: An agreement
• If Abraham and his descendants keep God’s
commandments, Abraham would have many
descendants throughout the nations.
• He was willing to sacrifice his first son to God.
God decided he did not have to and sent him
a ram instead. Due to his respect for God’s
wishes, the covenant was sealed.

9. Abraham was subjected to ten tests of faith to
prove his worthiness for this covenant. Leaving
his home was one of these trials.
Abraham adopted a nomadic lifestyle, traveling
through what is now the land of Israel for many
years. G-d promised this land to Abraham's
descendants.
But Abraham was concerned because he had no

10. -Abraham's wife, Sarah, knew that she was past
child-bearing years, so she offered her
maidservant, Hagar, as a wife to Abraham.
-According to tradition, Hagar was a daughter of
Pharaoh, given to Abraham during his travels in
Egypt. She bore Abraham a son, Ishmael, who,
according to both Muslim and Jewish tradition, is
the ancestor of the Arabs.
- When Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90, God
promised Abraham a son by Sarah. Sarah bore
Abraham a son, Isaac. He was the ancestor of the
Jewish people. Thus, the conflict between Arabs
and Jews can be seen as a form of sibling rivalry!

12. ORIGINS
• Centuries passed: the Israelites, the descendants of
Jacob, Isaac’s son, became slaves in Egypt.
• Suffered under the hand of later Pharaohs.
• G-d brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt under
the leadership of Moses.
• Canaan (The Promised Land): commonly known as the
land of Israel

13. Canaan and Modern Day Israel

14. 10th
Plague
• G-d strikes 10 plagues on Egypt in anger of the
Israelites enslavement
• All firstborn children of Egypt are killed at the
stroke of midnight
• The spirit of the Lord knew to “pass over” the
homes of the Israelites (as their doors were
marked with blood) thus saving their children
• When the pharaoh’s son was killed, he finally
told Moses to take his people and leave Egypt

15. Moses & the Exodus
- G-d inflicted 10 plagues- out of anger for
enslaving the Israelites
- Moses led the exodus from Egypt into
the Sinai Desert where Moses received
the 10 commandments
- Wandered for 40 years
- Moses dies seeing Canaan
- Joshua leads them into
Canaan

16. Promised Land

17. Jewish Law
• Based on the Ten
Commandments
• 1-4: duty to G-d
• 5-10: conduct
toward others

18. Kingdom of Israel
- Israelite tribes led by
biblical judges
- Around 1020 BCE, Saul
the first King and
formed Kingdom of
Israel but constant
conflict
- 1000 BCE: David
united Israelites and
named Jerusalem as
capital
- 961 BCE: Solomon
improved Jerusalem
and tried to increase
Israel’s influence

19. Division and Conquest
- 930 BCE: Rehoboam:
Solomon’s son
- Unrest, high taxes, and
forced labor
- Kingdom split!

20. - Israel in
the
North
- Judah in
the
South

21. - 722 BCE Israel fell to Assyria
- 586 BCE Judah fell to Babylon

22. Babylonian Captivity
- Many of the Jews taken to exile in Babylon.
- Persians conquered Babylon.
- King Cyrus permitted the Jews to return to
their homelands and many returned to
Judah.
- Jew replaced Israelites (after the remaining
tribe called Judah)

23. Diaspora
- Judea ruled by Greeks, Egyptians, Syrians
and Romans.
- 134 CE: Romans attacked and Jews were
killed, enslaved and dispersed to
surrounding countries in Europe and
North Africa.

24. Vocabulary
• Torah: First five books of Hebrew bible, basic
teachings of Judaism
• Synagogue: Jewish house of worship and
center of Jewish community
• Rabbi: religious teacher and leader,
authorized to make decisions on Jewish law

25. SynagoguesSynagogues
Orignally a place where 10 men can go and
worship and study
Most Jewish rituals take place in synagogues
The Congregation Schara Tzedeck is the
largest synagogue in Vancouver it is located on
Oak street in downtown Vancouver
The Rabbi is the one who is in charge of the
synagogue and teaches Judaism

27. Jewish sacred Places
• Jerusalem- King Solomon built the First
Temple- destroyed by Babylonians in 586 BC
• Second Temple- built after Jews returned to
their homeland.
• Western Wall- Only remaining piece of the
Second Temple (destroyed by Romans in 70
AD)

28. Jewish sacred places
• https://app.discoveryeducation.com/learn/videos

30. Take A Look at Jews Praying at
the Western Wall
• http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/
Western_Wall.html
• Webcam of the Western Wall

31. Vocabulary cont’d.: Holidays
• Sabbath: Day of rest and spiritual enrichment
(Friday night to Saturday night)
• Rosh Hashanah: Jewish new year; the
beginning of September- celebrates the
creation of the world
– God is thought to judge everyone during 10 days
between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
• Yom Kippur: day of atonement; most important
holiday; marks the end of the 10-day penitence
period

32. Hanukkah
• http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/hanukka
• 8-day celebration commemorating the
dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem
where the Jews rose up against Greek-Syrian
oppressors in a revolt (after the first temple
was destroyed by Babylonians)

33. Bar and Bat Mitzvah
• Means “son” or “daughter of the
commandments”
• Coming of age ceremony
• Study the Torah, recite prayers
• Officially allowed to be “called up” (aliyah) to
read from the Torah and can conduct prayers
• May lead communal prayers

35. Kippahs (Yamakas or skullcaps)
• Men must have their head covered at all times
(traditionally)
- Represents that G-d is always watching over
them, “above them”
- Covered at all times during prayer
- Sign of respect

36. Symbols
Mezuzah- piece of parchment inside
decorative case placed outside door of
Jewish home, inscribed with prayers from
Torah
-Some Jewish law requires all homes hav
one
-To fulfill the mitzvah (commandment),
reward is long life for oneself and children
-Function to protect house from Evil

37. The Star of David is the universal
symbol of Judaism
Thought to represent shape of King
David’s shield or connection between
three entites- Torah, the Holy One, and
Israel
The Star of David appears on
synagogues, the state flag of Israel, and
Jewish ritaul objects
The star is made of two triangles
Appeared early as the 960’s BC
Appeared outside synagogues to
Star of DavidStar of David

38. Popular in Zionist movement
During the Holocaust all Jewish
people had to wear the Star of
David on their arm to show that
they were Jewish
The Hebrew term for the Star
of David is Magen David

39. Basic Beliefs
• God chose them to set an example of
ethical behavior for rest of the world
• Rules/laws laid out in Torah (1st
five books
of the Christians Old Testament in the
Bible)
• Observe the Sabbath (holy day)
• Obey the 10 Commandments

40. CHRISTIANITY
Jerusalem: Around 33 CE

41. The Basics• Founded in the Middle East by Jesus Christ, a
Jewish man
• Jerusalem- also sacred place for Christians-
location of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection
• When lands were under Muslim control,
Christians launched The Crusades (Holy wars)
to save the lands and regain them under
Christian control (eventually returned to
control of Muslims until WWI)
• Spread to become the world’s largest religion

42. JESUS OF NAZARETH
• According to the Gospels (believed to be an
accurate and authoritative representation of the life
of Jesus)
• The awaited Messiah: a leader or savior of a group
• Born in Bethlehem in Judea: small town near
Jerusalem
• Around 30, became a preacher
• Refused to view Emperor as God
• 33 CE-Crucified on a cross under Pontius Pilate:
governor of Judea

44. JESUS’ TEACHINGS
• Rooted in Jewish tradition of monotheism
• Upheld 10 commandments
• Forgiving God
• Humble, merciful, unselfish: eternal life
• Used parables, short stories

45. THE RESURRECTION (REBIRTH)
• Matthew’s Gospel: 3 days after crucifixion, some
friends of Jesus went to visit his tomb.
• Jesus had risen from the dead.
• He met with his disciples for forty days
• He instructed them to “spread Christianity by
making disciples in all nations.”

46. Crucifixion
• Many Jewish leaders hated Jesus (because he
condemned their sins) and people denounced
him as the Messiah
• Took him to Pontius Pilate, a Roman
governor, to have him convicted
• Despite little evidence against his wrongdoing,
he was sentenced to death by crucifixion
• Crucifixion occurred outside Jerusalem in a
place called Golgotha (“Place of the Skull”)
• Story is re-told in New Testament Gospels

47. THE RESURRECTION (REBIRTH)
• Matthew’s Gospel: 3 days after crucifixion, some
friends of Jesus went to visit his tomb.
• Jesus had risen from the dead.
• He met with his disciples for forty days
• He instructed them to “spread Christianity by
making disciples in all nations.”

48. BEGINNINGS
•Peter (or Simon Peter) (one of Jesus’ 12
Apostles) opened the church of Jesus Christ on
the earth and preached salvation through
baptism and repentance.
•Said to have founded the first official Catholic
Church in Rome

50. • Jewish Christianity: the Twelve Apostles
dispersed from Jerusalem and spread
Christianity beyond the Roman Empire
• Early Christianity gradually grew apart from
Judaism during the first two centuries and
established itself as a predominantly gentile
religion in the Roman Empire.

51. SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY
• Thousands became martyrs: suffer or die for
beliefs
• 313 CE-Roman Emperor Constantine
converted to Christianity
• 395 CE-Official religion of Roman Empire
• 1900: Christianity had spread onto every
continent.

52. RITES OF PASSAGE
• BAPTISM: John the Baptist, an induction into
Christian society, use water as a symbol of
spiritual purification and cleansing, often
given a name which is called christening.

53. • DEATH: (funeral) Passage to eternal life:
people are judged according to how they lived
their lives, heaven, hell, or purgatory awaits.

54. SYMBOLS
• LATIN CROSS: Represents the crucifixion
and resurrection of Jesus. Principal
symbol in Christianity

55. • ICTHUS: Greek word for fish.
• Early Christians, fearful of persecution,
identified themselves to one another with
this secret symbol.

56. • LINKED CIRCLES: Three linked circles stand for
the unity of God.
• DOVE OF PEACE: Symbolizes God’s spirit at
the Baptism of Jesus.

57. • LAMB OF GOD: John the Baptist’s description
of Jesus and recalls the Passover lamb and the
resurrection of Jesus.

58. • ALPHA AND OMEGA: The first and last letters
of the Greek alphabet. Represent the
beginning and end, meaning that God is all.

59. Basic Beliefs
• Accept Jesus as Messiah
• Accept and follow the 10 Commandments as
ethic rules to live by
• Utilize the Bible, especially the New
Testament for teachings (written by the
disciples, or followers of Christ)

60. ISLAM
“Submission to God”
Formed 622 CE

61. The Basics
• Based on teachings of its founder,
Muhammed
• Lived in city of Mecca
• Followers known as Muslims
• Belief in one god, do not believe in rebirth
• God known as Allah
• Believe that the Torah, like the Bible, is the
word of God the Qur’an (or Koran) written in
Arabic

62. A video of Islam.
• http://www.5min.com/Video/What-Is-Islam-8278

63. Abraham’s Genealogy
ABRAHAM SARAHHAGAR
Isaac
EsauJacob
12 Tribes of
Israel
Ishmael
12 Arabian
Tribes

64. The Prophetic
TraditionAdam
Noah
Abraham
Moses
Jesus
Muhammad

65. The Mosque
 The Muslim place of prayer/worship.

66. The Dome of the Rock
Mosque in Jerusalem
Mount Moriah Rock
where Muhammad ascended into heaven.

67. SUNNIS AND SHIITES
• Sunni: (90%) Democratic election of caliph
(religious and political head of Islam), more
accepting of Western democracy
• Shiite: (10%) Succession of caliph based on
blood relationship to Muhammad (Mostly in
Iran and Iraq)

68. Main Beliefs of Islam
5 Pillars of Islam
22

69. 1. Faith:
Belief in one God and that
Muhammad is His prophet.
23

70. 1. The Shahada
1
 The testimony.
 The declaration of faith:
There is no god worthy ofThere is no god worthy of
worship except God, andworship except God, and
Muhammad is HisMuhammad is His
Messenger [or Prophet].Messenger [or Prophet].

71. SHAHADA
SHAHADA: A brief prayer proclaiming the oneness of
God and faith in Islam
The Shahada states: “There is no God but Allah,
and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”
• The Shahada written in Arabic (written from right to
left)

72. 2. Prayer (Salat):
5 times a day: facing Mecca
24

73. 2. The Salat
2
 The mandatory prayers
performed 5 times a day:
* dawn
* noon
* late afternoon
* sunset
* before going to bed
 Wash before praying.
 Face Mecca and use a prayer rug.

74. 2. The Salat
2
 The call to prayer by the
muezzin in the minaret.
 Pray in the mosque on Friday.

75. 3. Alms (Zakat)
Giving money to the poor is
REQUIRED, not optional
25

76. 3. The Zakat
3
 Almsgiving (charitable
donations).
 Muslims believe that all things
belong to God.
 Zakat means both “purification”
and “growth.”
 About 2.5% of your income.

77. 4. Fasting (Sawm)
During the month of Ramadan, Muslims cannot
eat or drink anything during the daylight hours.
Month of inner reflection, devotion to God, and
self-control
9th
month of Islamic calendar when the Quran
was revealed
26

78. 4. The Sawm
4
 Fasting during the holy month
of Ramadan.
 Considered a method of self-
purification.
 No eating or drinking from
sunrise to sunset during
Ramadan.

79. 5. Pilgrimage (Hajj)
Once in their lives – IF they
can afford it, Muslims make a
pilgrimage to Mecca
27

80. 5. The Hajj
5
 The pilgrimage to Mecca.
 Must be done at least once in a
Muslim’s lifetime.
 2-3 million Muslims make the
pilgrimage
every
year.

81. RamadanRamadan
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ikpzGhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ikpzG
• 99thth
month of Islamic calendarmonth of Islamic calendar
• Fast during daylight hoursFast during daylight hours
• Commemorates Qur’an being revealedCommemorates Qur’an being revealed
to Muhammadto Muhammad
• Includes giving up something, fasting,Includes giving up something, fasting,
prayer, reading the Qur’anprayer, reading the Qur’an
• Ends with Eid ul Fitr- feastingEnds with Eid ul Fitr- feasting
• Similar to Jewish Yom KippurSimilar to Jewish Yom Kippur
(atonement) and Christian Lenten(atonement) and Christian Lenten

82. The Crescent and the Star
• Principal symbol in Islam
• Symbolic of solace and understanding offered by
Islam
• As the waxing moon increases in light, the star
provides direction (Islam guides the faithful towards
Allah)
• Color of Islam: green

83. 28

84. ABRAHAM AND THE KA’BAH
• Abraham and Hagar (servant)= Ishmael
• Abraham and Ishmael built the Ka’Bah (Holy House)
• City of Mecca: Near the Zamzam Well
• God told Abraham to have worshipers make a
pilgrimage to Ka’Bah

85. THE KA’BAH
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m03pCXxpKo
• Oval stone in the Ka’bah: worshipers kiss it for
forgiveness

86. OVAL BLACK STONE
• Stone fell from Heaven to show Adam and Eve where
to build an altar, which became the first temple on
Earth. Muslims believe that the stone was originally
pure and dazzling white, but has since turned black
because of the sins of the people. Adam's altar and
the stone were said to have been lost during Noah's
Flood and forgotten. Abraham was said to have later
found the Black Stone at the original site of Adam's
altar when the angel Gabriel revealed it to him.
Abraham ordered his son Ishmael — who is an
ancestor of Muhammad — to build a new temple,
the Kaaba, in which to embed the Stone.

87. PROPHET MUHAMMAD
• Believed by Muslims to be the last in a long
line of prophets that includes Moses and
Jesus.

88. MUHAMMAD
• Born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 570 CE into
the most powerful tribe
• Polytheism: gods were thought to protect
trade routes intersecting in Mecca
• At 25, after working as a merchant, was hired
by Khadija, a wealthy widow. They eventually
married.
• Contact with various cultures and religions
• Gap between rich and poor widened;
Muhammad questioned his life

89. • 40: visions and voices
• The Archangel Gabriel instructed him to recite
"in the name of your lord.”
• First of many revelations that became the
basis of the Quran, the holy book of Islam.
• Existence of a single God
• Monotheistic message angered many of the
Meccan merchants.
• Muhammad was ostracized in Mecca.

90. MEDINA, SAUDI ARABIA
• 622 C.E.: headed to Medina where promised
freedom to practice their religion
• Move from Mecca to Medina: hijra (the flight)
• Built a community around the faith/ returned to
Mecca and took over the city

91. ASCENSION
• While the Prophet was sleeping, the
Archangel Gabriel led him on a journey
• Muhammad traveled from the Ka'ba in Mecca
to a Mosque in Jerusalem.
• There he prayed with other prophets such as
Moses, Abraham, and Jesus, and ascended to
the skies
• Led by Gabriel through Paradise and Hell, and
finally came face to face with God.
• He then returned to earth to continue
spreading the message of Islam.

92. DEATH
• Died 632 CE without a son, leaving the
question of the next successor.
• Led to the division of the Sunni and the Shiite

93. The Crescent and the Star
• Principal symbol in Islam
• Symbolic of solace and understanding offered by
Islam
• As the waxing moon increases in light, the star
provides direction (Islam guides the faithful towards
Allah)
• Color of Islam: green

94. Pilgrimage (Hajj)
Once in their lives – IF they
can afford it, Muslims make a
pilgrimage to Mecca
27

95. 28

96. Vocabulary:
MOSQUE: a Muslim
place of worship
29

97. Mosque: Cairo, Egypt

98. Inside the Mosque

99. Blue Mosque: Istanbul Turkey

100. Interior of the Blue Mosque

101. Indonesian mosque

102. Mosque in Arizona

103. Vocabulary:
QURAN (or KORAN):
Muslim holy book
44

104. The Quran

105. Husain and Hamza Abdullah
http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/2

106. Basic Beliefs
• Believe in one god (Allah)
• Do not believe in rebirth
• Muslims learn teachings of Allah and the
Koran

107. Other Islamic Religious
Practices
 Up to four wives allowed at once.
 No alcohol or pork.
 No gambling.
 Sharia  body of Islamic law to
regulate daily living.
 Three holiest cities in Islam:
* Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem.

108. Essential Question:
Why was Islam
able to spread so
quickly and convert
so many to the
new religion?

109. The Spread of Islam
 Easy to learn and practice.
 No priesthood.
 Teaches equality.
 Non-Muslims, who were “Peoples of
the Book,” were allowed religious
freedom, but paid additional taxes.
 Easily “portable”  nomads & trade
routes.
 Jihad (“Holy War”) against pagans
and other non-believers (“infidels”).

110. Muslims in the
World
Today

111. Countries with the
Largest Muslim
Population
1. Indonesia 183,000,000 6. Iran 62,000,000
2. Pakistan 134,000,000 7. Egypt 59,000,000
3. India 121,000,000 8. Nigeria 53,000,000
4. Bangladesh 114,000,000 9. Algeria 31,000,000
5. Turkey 66,000,000 10. Morocco 29,000,000
* Arabs make up only 20% of the total
Muslim population of the world.

112. VocabularyVocabulary
• JihadJihad- in Arabic translates to “struggling”- in Arabic translates to “struggling”
or “surviving”or “surviving”
– Can be considered a “holy war”- a struggleCan be considered a “holy war”- a struggle
against non-believersagainst non-believers
– Working to inform people of Islamic faithWorking to inform people of Islamic faith
– Term has been misused over the years toTerm has been misused over the years to
justify acts of violence against thejustify acts of violence against the
established Islamic orderestablished Islamic order
– Some say this misuses the true meaning ofSome say this misuses the true meaning of
JihadJihad
– Crusades were justified (struggle againstCrusades were justified (struggle against
Christians)Christians)

114. Muslims in America

115. Muslim Culture in
NYC
The Islamic Center, New York City

122. On the back of your paper, or on a notebookOn the back of your paper, or on a notebook
paper, copy this chart:paper, copy this chart:
Judaism Christianity Islam
Polytheism or
Monotheism
Holy Book
Places of Worship
Places of Origin
Founder
Basic beliefs