Creed of Judaism

1. JUDA
ISM

2. Hinduism = c. 15th-5th BCE
Zoroastrianism = c. 10th-5th BCE
Judaism = c. 9th-5th BCE
Jainism = c. 8th-2nd BCE
Confucianism = c. 6th-5th BCE
Buddhism = c. 6th-5th BCE
Taoism = c. 6th-4th BCE
Shintoism = c. 3rd-8th CE
THE WORLD’S 8 OLDEST RELIGIONS

3. Judaism Element #1: CREED Shema: Confession of
Jewish Faith
Shema (“Hear”): “Hear, O
Israel! the Lord is our God,
the Lord alone” (or “…the
Lord our God, the Lord is
one”). The Shema implies
a statement about God’s
relationship with the world
and Israel (the Jewish
people), as well as about
Israel’s obligations toward
and response to God.

4. Judaism Element #1: CREED Shema: Confession of
Jewish Faith
FULL TEXTS:
https://www.chabad.org/l
ibrary/article_cdo/aid/70
6162/jewish/Translation.
htm
and
https://www.myjewishlear
ning.com/article/the-
shema/

5. Judaism Element #1: CREED Shema: Confession of
Jewish Faith
The Shema is an
affirmation of Judaism
and a declaration of faith
in one God. The obligation
to recite the Shema is
separate from the
obligation to pray and a
Jew is obligated to say
Shema in the morning and
at night (Deut. 6:7).

6. Judaism Element #1: CREED
Shema: Confession of
Jewish Faith
1) Belief in One God:
In the Shema, God is
declared as one. No other
god but Him. The Jews
forbid to mention or speak
the word “God” or Yahweh
or Elohim as these are
absolutely divine!

7. Judaism Element #1: CREED
2) Belief in God as Creator:
The Shema underscores the relation of God to the world as
that of creator to creation. It adds the assertion that his
activity is not in the past but is ongoing and continuous.

8. Judaism Element #1: CREED
Shema: Confession of
Jewish Faith
3) Belief in God’s Presence and
Providence:
The Shema proclaims divine activity
within the realm of history and human
life where God is teacher of all humanity
who has chosen the people of Israel to
witness to his presence and his desire
for a perfected society; and that He will,
as redeemer, enable humanity to
experience that perfection.

9. Judaism Element #1: CREED
4) Belief in God’s Otherness and Nearness:
God is completely different and other but near to His
people. God is pure spirit; omniscient, omnipotent,
omnipresent (here and to eternity; no beginning, no end).

10. Judaism Element #1: CREED
Shema: Confession of
Jewish Faith
5) Belief in God’s Justice
and Compassion:
Obedience to the Torah
entails blessings;
disobedience entails
suffering and death.

11. Judaism Element #1: CREED
Shema: Confession of
Jewish Faith
5) Belief in Moses, the
Prophets and the Torah:
Moses and the prophets
were true messengers of
God. The Ten
Commandments and the
other laws are from God.

12. Judaism Element #1: CREED
Shema: Confession of
Jewish Faith
5) Belief in the Coming of
the Messiah:
Jesus is not the
promised Messiah. The
Jews until today are still
waiting for the true
Messiah (meaning:
promised savior).