Judaism began as the religion of the ancient Hebrews around 1800 BCE, originating from the call of Abraham and codified in the Torah and the covenant with God through Moses. The core texts of Judaism are the Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim which make up the Tanakh, and the religion's major divisions are Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism which have differing views on traditions and modernization. The document provides historical context on the origins and development of Judaism from Abraham to the present day.

1. Judaism:
The Beginning
of Judaism

2. “Sh’ma, Yisra’el! Adonai Eloheinu,
Adonai echad [Hear, Isra’el! Adonai our
God, Adonai is one]; and you are to love
Adonai your God with all your heart, all
your being and all your resources.”
-Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Complete Jewish Bible [CJB]
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3. Mixed Word Puzzle
3
J U I S M D A
H A M A R B A
I S E L R A
T O H A R
C O N T V E N A

4. Origin of Judaism
The Beginnings, Sacreed text,
and Major Division

5. OBJECTIVES
 EXPRESS ONE’S APPRECIATION OF
MIDDLE EASTERN RELIGIONS.
 EXAMINE THE BRIEF HISTORY,
CORE TEACHINGS, FUNDAMENTAL
BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND RELATED
ISSUES OF JUDAISM.
 JUSTIFY: THE CORE TEACHING OF
JUDAISM IS THE COVENANT OF
GOD WITH A CHOSEN PEOPLE VS.
OTHER PEOPLE WITH MANY GODS.
5

6. Activity

7. In Two choirs, recite alternately these
verses from the Book of Exodus, Chapter
20, verses 2-17, New Revised Standard
Version (NRSV). After reciting the
Commandments, close your eyes for 5
minutes and imagine a community
where everyone faithfully follows every
single commandment.
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8. 2. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the
land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3. You shall have no other gods before me.
4. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the
form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I
the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children
for iniquity of parents, to the third and fourth generation
of those who reject me, (TORAH) (COVENANT) (Students
applause) (Students Read) “It talks about the religion of the
Jews?” “In the Middle East.” (Students read)
6. But showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation
of those who love me and keep my commandments.
8

9. 7. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the
LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit
anyone who misuse his name.
8. Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.
9. Six days you shall labor and do all your work.
10.But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your
God; you shall not do any work – you, your son or
your daughter, your male or female slave, your
livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.
11.For in six days the LORD made heaven the earth,
the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh
day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and
consecrated it.
12.Honor your father and your mother, so that your
days may be long in the land that the LORD your
God is giving you.
9

10. 13.You shall not murder.
14.You shall not commit adultery.
15.You shall not steal.
16.You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17.You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that
belongs to your neighbor.
10

11. Analysis

12. ✣ What kind of community did you see when
you closed your eyes?
✣ where does this community reside?
✣ when you closed your eyes, did you see any
possible conflict that could happen?
✣ who would benefit this kind of community?
✣ why is it important that we follow these
commandments?
✣ how do you think we can achieve that kind of
community?
12

13. Abstraction

14. Judaism: the Beginning
Judaism – is the world’s oldest monotheistic
religion, dating back nearly 4,000 years.
Followers of Judaism believe in one God who
revealed himself through ancient prophets. The
history of Judaism is essential to understanding
the Jewish faith, which has a rich heritage of law,
culture and tradition.
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15. Time Line
15
3761 BCE –
Creation of
the World /
Jewish
Calendar
Begins
1813 BCE –
Beginning of
Judaism
1280 BCE –
Moses Led
the Jews on
an Exodus
from Egypt
920 BCE –
Israel Split
into Two
Kingdoms
970 BCE –
First Temple
Built
722 BCE –
The
Assyrians
Conquer
Israel
516 BCE –
Second
Temple Built
587 BCE –
First Temple
Destroyed
(aka
Solomon's
Temple)
66 CE –
Revolts
Against
Rome
329 BCE –
Alexander
the Great
Rules lsrael
70 CE –
Rabbinic
Judaism
164 BCE –
The
Maccabees
Regain
Control of
Jerusalem
246 BCE –
Septuagint—
First Known
Translation
of the
Hebrew Bible
into Greek
1700 BCE –
First
Covenant
with God

16. 3761 BCE – Creation of the World /
Jewish Calendar Begins
In Judaism, the stories of the
creation of the world are found in
the first two chapters of the Book of
Genesis in the Torah. The Jewish
calendar starts with the year 1 being
the date ascribed to the creation of
the world in the Torah, which is
equivalent to Monday, October 7,
3761 BCE
16

17. 1813 BCE – Beginning of Judaism
Abraham was born. According to the
Torah and Old Testament, God
chose Abraham to be the father of
Isaac, the founder of the Jewish
people.
17

18. 1700 BCE – First Covenant with
God
Abraham circumcised himself,
symbolizing the covenant between
God and all his descendants. God
promised to make Abraham the
father of a great nation, and to give
his descendants the land that later
becomes Israel. This is the basis
for male circumcision in the
Jewish faith.
18

19. 1280 BCE – Moses Led the Jews
on an Exodus from Egypt
The Jews were enslaved in Egypt for
hundreds of years. Moses, a Jewish
man raised as an Egyptian prince,
was appointed God's prophet.
Around this time he led his people
out of enslavement on a journey to
Canaan (Exodus). During this time,
Moses presented the Israelites with
the Ten Commandments that he
received from God on Mt. Sinai and
formed a new covenant with God.
This is the foundation for the Jewish
religion. 19

20. 970 BCE – First Temple Built
Under Kings Saul, David, and
Solomon, a united kingdom of
Israel was formed and maintained.
King Solomon of Israel built the
First Temple on Mount Moriah.
The temple is home to the Ark of
the Covenant, a holy relic that
contains the Commandments.
20

21. 920 BCE – Israel Split into Two
Kingdoms
King Solomon died and the
northern Hebrew tribes revolted,
resulting in two Kingdoms: the
kingdom of Israel in the north and
the kingdom of Judah in the south.
They remained separate for over
two hundred years.
21

22. 722 BCE – The Assyrians
Conquer Israel
The Assyrians conquered the northern
Kingdom of Israel. They forced the 10
tribes of Israel that live there to resettle in
other parts of the empire, as is Assyrian
custom. This scattering of these 10 tribes
was the beginning of the Jewish Diaspora,
or living away from Israel, which
characterizes much of Jewish history. The
10 tribes are lost to history, and they are
now known as the Ten Lost Tribes. Later,
the Babylonians forced the Judeans to
leave the southern Kingdom of Judah
22

23. 587 BCE – First Temple Destroyed
(aka Solomon's Temple)
Babylonians invaded and
destroyed the First Temple
(Solomon's) when they sacked the
city of Jerusalem. About 90% of
the Jewish population was forced
into exile.
23

24. 516 BCE – Second Temple Built
In 539 BCE, the Persian ruler
Cyrus the Great made the
reestablishment of the city of
Jerusalem and the rebuilding
of the Temple possible. When
the Jewish exiles were allowed
to return to Jerusalem by
Cyrus the Great, construction
began on the original site of
Solomon's Temple. And was
completed in 516 BCE.
24

25. 329 BCE – Alexander the Great
Rules Israel
Alexander, a Greek King, created an
empire that stretched from Egypt to
India. During his campaign against
Persia, Alexander conquered Tyre and
then Egypt via what is today Israel in
the south. Alexander was respectful of
the Jewish faith and thus spared
Jerusalem. He reached an agreement
with the Jews, that as long as they
would be his loyal vassals and pay their
taxes, they could remain autonomous.
Israel was rather peacefully absorbed
into his growing empire. 25

26. 246 BCE – Septuagint—First Known Translation
of the Hebrew Bible into Greek
The Torah (Pentateuch, Five
Books of Moses) or Hebrew
Bible, which was originally
written in Hebrew and Aramaic
was translated to Koine Greek
during this period. At this time,
Koine Greek was the dominant
language of Alexandra, Egypt,
and the Eastern Mediterranean.
There were up to 7 later
translations at different points of
which only fragments survive.
26

27. 164 BCE – The Maccabees Regain
Control of Jerusalem
The death of Alexander the Great led to a
fight for control of Jewish lands by his
successors. In 198 BCE, the Seleucids gained
control. They wished to assimilate the Jews
and saw their religion as an obstacle.
Therefore, they banned the teaching and
practice of Judaism and converted the Second
Temple of Jerusalem into a temple dedicated
to the Greek god Zeus. The brutal persecution
of the Jews by the Seleucids triggered a revolt.
The Maccabees fought successfully to regain
control of Jerusalem and purify the temple.
This event is celebrated today as Hanukkah.
27

28. 66 CE – Revolts Against Rome
Jews launched the Great Revolt
against Roman rulers in response to
years of cruelty. The revolt
culminated in a siege of Jerusalem.
In 70 CE, the Romans breached the
walls of Jerusalem, destroyed the
second Temple, and killed an
estimated one million Jews as they
reasserted authority. A second
revolt in 132 CE resulted in the Jews
being banned from Jerusalem.
28

29. 70 CE – Rabbinic Judaism
After the fall of the 2nd temple in
Jerusalem in 70 CE, Rabbinic
Judaism began to emerge as the
dominant form of Judaism.
Rabbinic Judaism has its roots in
the work of the Pharisaic rabbis
and is based on the Talmud.
Rabbinic Judaism established a
mode of worship and a life
discipline that was and is still
practiced by Jews worldwide.
29

30. Sacred Text
“The Torah Moshe [Moses] commanded us as an
inheritance for the community of Ya’akov
[Jacob/Israel]” (Deuteronomy 33:4, CJB).
30

31. Torah
The Hebrew word Torah means “instructions.”
Broadly understood, Torah is the “instruction” or
teaching of Adonai contained in the entire collection
of Hebrew Scriptures called the Tanack, as well as in
the orally transmitted interpretations laid down later
in the Talmud. More narrowly, it refers to what is also
known as the Pentateuch.
31

32. Nevi’im [Hebrew “Prophets”]
The second section of the
taNakh, is a continuous historical
narrative about the wavering
fidelity of the people of Israel to
the Covenant with Adonai,
accompanied by the messages of
God’s messengers.
32

33. Ketuvim – [Hebrew “Writings”]
It is a collection of eleven books comprising a
variety of material that were most likely
compiled by the time of the destruction of the
second temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. The
books of psalms, Proverbs, and Job consist of
poetry and pearls of worldly wisdom.
33

34. 34
TORAH NEVI’IM KETUVIM
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Former
Prophets
Later
Prophets
Psalm
Proverbs
Job
Songs of songs
Ruth
Lamentations
Qoheleth/
Ecclesiastes
Esther
Daniel
Ezra-
Nehemiah
Chronocles
Joshua
Judges
Samuel
Kings
Isaiah
Jeremaiah
Ezekiel
Twelve Prophtes

35. Major Divisions in Judaism
✣ Orthodox Judaism
✣ Conservative Judaism
✣ Reform Judaism
35

36. Orthodox Judaism
A modern but dogmatic expression of Judaism,
which believes that Torah is both its written and
oral forms – the Tanakh and the Talmud – were
received directly from God and consequently
permits no modification.
36

37. The movement was inspired by the
extremely conservative approach of
the German rabbi Samson Raphael
Hirsch (1808 – 1888), who feared the
undermining of the ancient belief in
God’s revelation and thus, resisted
unrestrained reform.
37

38. Conservative Judaism
It seeks to integrate the best of tradition with the
best of modernity, and believes that “integrating
the Jewish tradition with our own contemporary
culture is the best way to create a vibrant and
meaningful form of Judaism for ourselves and
our descendants.”
38

39. Occupying the middle ground in modern
Judaism, Conservative Judaism is a north
American movement associated with the
Jewish Theological Seminary in New York
founded in 1887, but inspired by another
German rabbi, the Jewish historian Zecharias
Frankel (1801-1975).
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40. Reform Judaism
In general, the Reform movement is Judaism is
more accommodating, and holds that Judaism
and its traditions should be updated and made
compatible with contemporary culture.
40

41. ✣ It is the first to permit the use
of vernacular language in
worship and the ordination of
women as rabbis.
✣ It permits women to become
rabbis, cantors, and synagogue
presidents, and also allows
people with homosexual
orientations to participate in
the synagogue.
41

42. Application

43. In a ½ crosswise, answer the following
questions bellow for 5 minutes
1. Briefly describe the collections of
Hebrew Scriptures known as the
Tanakh.
2. Differentiate the Talmud from the
Tanakh.
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44. Evaluation

45. 45

46. 46
A B
1. Creation of the world A. 1813 BCE
2. Beginning to Judaism B. 3761 BCE
3. First covenant with God C. 1280 BCE
4. Moshe/Moses led the Jews on an Exodus from Egypt D. 1700 BCE
5. Means “instructions” E. Ketuvim
6. Hebrew “Prophets” F. Torah
7. Hebrew “Writings” G. Nevi’im
8. A modern but dogmatic expression of Judaism. H. Conservative Judaism
9. Seeks to integrate the best of tradition with the best of
modernity.
I. Reform Judaism
10. A Judaism that is more accommodating, and holds that
Judaism and its traditions should be updated.
J. Orthodox Judaism

47. Assignment
Research what is the Creed of Judaism: The
understanding of God, Basic Doctrines,
code and Community. Write your
answer in a 1 whole sheet on paper.