Judaism/Foundational Religions Flashcards
The Foundational Religions are focused on the religions before the _________
The foundational religions are focused on the religions before the abrahamic ones.
What are the Abrahamic religions?
Judaism, Christianity and Islam
The written record began approximately ______ years ago.
5000 years ago
What were the earliest written record (according to the book)?
Mesopotamian cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs
Are the Abrahamic religions polytheistic?
No, they are the three major monotheistic relgion
Why are the Abrahamic religions a category?
Although they are all unique, they were all part of the Middle east and share some commonalities (for ex: Abraham is shared between 3 religions)
the religions of Egypt and Mesopotamia are called what? Why?
Cosmic religions because they have an emphasis on a group of gods/goddesses that were related to the powers of celestial bodies
for example: the moon, sun planets etc
Since the cosmic religions worshipped many deities they are considered to be ______
polytheistic
What is pantheons?
all the gods of a people or religion collectively.
What were the pantheons responsible for?
movements of seasons, fertility of living things, and protections from enemies.
What is the one divinity that came from the prehistoric into the ancient world?
Mother Goddess
Who was the Mother goddess?
creator of all gods being her children.
The importance of the Mother Goddess diminished during what age period? Why?
During the Middle Ancient Era because the Semites (babylonians, Assyrians and Israelites conquered Mesopotamia, and Egypt and incorporated their cultures.
After the importance of the Mother Goddess decreased, what idea conquered?
Once the Mother Goddess diminished, there was a rise of the Father God
How were the pantheons of the ancient world worshipped?
through sacrifice, offering of food in the form of animals and plants. (burning of it)
What did the ancient world sacrifices symbolize?
this was sort of a trade/interaction between humans and gods. Humans fed the gods with burnt offerings and in return received fertility, wealth, protection and power
T/F Religion of the ancient world (and it’s actions) were seen as a private activity.
false, it was seen as a civic duty and a method of expressing support to the city/nation
Mesopotamia is today’s ______.
Iraq
The _______ established the cities of Ur, Uruk and Eridu
Sumerians
Who built the earliest temples (pyramid structures)? What were they called?
the sumerians built the earliest temples knowwn as Ziggurats
Why were Ziggurats so tall (pyramid shaped)?
to be “closer to the gods”
The craftsman god is known as…
Enki
The fertility Goddess is known as…
Inanna
The god of waters was known as…
EA
What action took place in Ziggurats?
sacrifice to the gods/goddesses.
Who is Nammu?
The goddess who “has given birth to the great gods” (from mesopotamia)
How did Nammu form Enki?
She took reddish clay from the riverbeds, and her breath gave him life
What are some similarities of Mesopotamia narratives to the Abrahamic religions?
- god and goddess sitting in a garden with fruit and serpents (similar to Christianity, Judaism and Islam
- early version of flood story where a man is ordered by a god to build a boat and take his family and animals to survive. (similar to Abrahamic faith)
Who elaborated on the Sumerian flood story? what was it turned into?
The Sumerian flood story was elaborated by the Akkadians (who conquered the Sumerians) and the Akkadians (later babylonians/assyrians) created the Epic of Gilgamesh
Who was Gilgamesh’s “buddy”?
Enkidu
Who killed Enkidu?
Enlil
Gilgamesh mourned his friend and visited who?Why?
Utnapishtam, he had the secret of life (immortality)
How did Gilgamesh try to recover his deceased friend?
He was told by Utnapishtam about the immortality plant (under the ocean) but sleeps because he is so tired and a snake beats him to it.
What was the lesson of the epic of Gilgamesh?
enjoy life rather than suffer thinking about death
What is the snake a symbol of?
life and healing, the snake is “immortal”
What is the civilization (like the Mesopotamians-Sumerians) that grew around the same time (about 3000 BCE)
The Egyptians
Like the Mesopotamians, the Egyptians were close to the ______ through trade and conquest.
Israelites
T/F the Egyptians did not influence the development of the Abrahamic Religions
False, they had a strong influence on their development specifically the Israelites
What story is known as “ the most mythological influence” of Egypt on Israel?
The story of Ptah
Who is Ptah?
One of the early Egyptian creation Gods
Ptah was associated with _____ and _______.
Wisdom and language
Egyptian traditions state that _______ conceived all forms of nature and spoke out their names to bring them to physical existence. Very similar to the _______ Genesis God.
Egyptian traditions state that Ptah conceived all forms of nature and spoke out their names to bring them to physical existence. Very similar to the Hebrew Genesis God.
Two most important historical figures (from Egypt) that greatly influenced the foundations of Jewish religion are…
- Akhenaton
2. Moses
Who was Akhenaton?
The Egyptian Pharaoh that established an early form of monotheism belief and worship
According to Akhenaton, who was the ruler of world/sole creator?
The sun God Aten was thought to be the sole creator/ruler making Aten the first historical record of the monotheistic belief system
What makes ancient Egyptian belief unique (afterlife)?
They prepare for the afterlife and much of Egyptian life was thought of as a preparation for their death (judgment)
T/F The Egyptians had a glorified view of life after death
True especially when compared to the Mesopotamians
Based on Ancient Egyptian religion KA refers to the
soul
Based on Ancient Egyptian religion Anubis refers to the
God of the dead
Based on Ancient Egyptian religion Maat refers to the
goddess of truth (judges after death)
The Egyptians practiced mummification which is known as
the embalming of the dead body to preserve it intact
Why were people mummified? (religious purpose)
So that when they enter the heaven of Osiris, one’s body and soul could be rejoined through resurrection
Overall, ancient ________ were strongly influenced by ________ myth, doctrine and ritual
Overall, ancient Israelite were strongly influenced by Egyptian myth, doctrine and ritual
T/F Zoroastrianism had no impact towards the Abrahamic Religions
False
Zoroastrianism is a ______ religion because it is gradually dying out.
Zoroastrianism is a minority religion because it is gradually dying out.
Ahura Mazda is…
god of truth and light in Zoroastrianism
T/F you could convert to Zoroastrianism
False, you have to be born into it
Who was the founder of Zoroastrianism?
Zarathustra, a priest who had a revelation of the great god Ahura Mazda
Zarathrusta wrote hymns for Mazda which were called…
Gathas
In Zoroastrianism, the evil demon is known as….
Angra Manyu
Abraham is a story of _______.
sacrifice
Wisdom VS prophet religions.
In wisdom religions you are allowed to ask why questions and you will receive several different answers
In prophet religions, you are not really supposed to ask questions, its doing something simply because God says so
Judaism is among the oldest ________ religions.
monotheistic
The old testament is referred to as the ______.
tanakh
What is the acronym for tanakh?
Ta=torah
Nh=Nevi’m (prophets)
Kh=Ketuvim (writings)
Define jewish scripture. (Torah,prophets and Writings)
Torah= five books of Moses
Prophets=kings early/later prophets include Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah
Writings=poetry, short stories
Jacob was renamed _______
Israel
What does Hanukkah represent?
The victory of the Maccabees over the Antiochus
What is the Mezuzah?
a small box that is placed on the right doorpost of Jewish homes. Inside the box is a parchment scroll with verses from the Torah
In this class, will theTaNaKh will be referred to as Old Testament? why?
No because it is a Christian coinage that symbolizes “old testament” as being replaced by a new one
Who were Jacob’s sons?
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
T/F Jacob also had a daughter named Dina
True
Who was Jacob’s first and last sons?
Reuben and Benjamin
What is the Decalogue? Where was it carried?
The Decalogue is known as the 10 commandments and was carried in the Ark of Covenant
When did the first exile occur?
586 BCE
What does Mitzvot mean?
Commandments
How many Miztvots are there
613
What was another name for the TaNaKh? (from medieval times)
Ha-Miqra
The Ten Commandments were conceived by
Moses
What is a rabbi?
A person who studies the Torah and can authoritatively interpret it from the Jewish tradition (a teacher)`
The Torah is also known as ____ and ______
Chumash and Pentateuch
God creates the world in ____ days
6
Which one of Noah’s sons was supposedly a progenitor of the Semites?
Shem
Abraham was the first to be called to ________ monotheism
preach
What is the relationship of Sarah Hagar and Abraham?
Abraham is married to Sarah but isnce Sarah cannot have children, she lets him cohabit with their maid Hagar
Hagar and Abraham’s first son is called
Ishmael
Sarah and Abraham’s first child is called
Yitzhak (Isaac)
God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice who/what?Did he agree to do it?
His son Isaac, he agreed to do it but then the angels came down and told him instead to kill a lamb and he passed the test still
After passing the test, what is Abraham promised?
numerous descendants
Who buried Abraham?
His two sons (Ishmael and Isaac)
Isaac then marries and has a son named_____. His son had a vision and “wrestles”with God. Eventually his son’s new name is _____
Isaac then marries and has a son named Jacob. His son had a vision and “wrestles”with God. Eventually his son’s new name is Israel.
Why was Canaan changed to Israel (name)?
Because Israel’s (Jacob before) children inhabit the land
What happens to Israel now?
Jacob’s 12 sons (from Rachel and Leah) become the “owners” of the 12 tribes of Israel
During which event was Moses born?
When the Pharaoh enslaves the Hebrews and all baby boys are to be killed
Who took Moses in?
The Pharaoh’s Daughter
Why did Moses flee?
Because he killed and Egyptian maltreating a Hebrew
What are the Israelites promised if they served God alone?
Land
The term for The law of God is _____
theocracy
After Moses, the land of Israel was divided into what we know as the _______
twelve tribes of Israel however there was only 11 because one of the sons did not receive land (Levi)
The first king of Israel was
Saul
the second king of Israel was
David
3rd king of Israel was
Solomon
Which king wanted to build a temple to honor god?
David wanted to but couldn’t so it was passed to his son Solomon.
The first Exile was when…
Judah was invaded, the temple was destroyed and many Jewish people were exiled to Babylonia
The Beth Knesset is known as a _____.
synagogue
Who defeated the babylonians?
Cyrus the Great
To make a proceeding valid upon the formation of the temple, the amount of people was set at ___ also known as ____.
10, minyan
Who recorded the story of the exiles?
Ezra (a torah scribe) and Nehemiah (a governor)
Who rebuilt the temple?
Herod` the great
What was the new temple known as?
Herod’s temple
What commemorates the festival of Hanukkah?
defeat of Antiochus and rededication of temple
The menorah is a…
“lamp” with 7 branches that was used in the ancient temple
Who were the Zealots?
a first century Jewish group who sought to overthrow the Romans by armed means
What is kashrut?
dietary laws
What were the groups Jews had divided into?
Sadducees= preistly families, descendants from Zadok
Pharisees= spoke of two torot (written/oral torah)
Zealots=sought to get rid of foreign rule by armed means
Essenes=sought to remove themselves from urban society
Why was Jesus arrested?
They found him guilty of claiming to be the son of god
What happened after Jesus’ death?
roman violations of jewish ritual and the temple grew worse (temple was plundered)
What developed the second time the Jews had no central place of worship?
sitz im leben (rabbanic judaism)
What is the Mishnah according to rabbinic Judaism
oral law
What is Gemarah?
commentary on the Mishnah
What is Talmud?
Mishnah and Germarah together includes Palenstine and Babylonian (two talmuds)
What became the central document of rabbinic judaism
the babylonian talmud
Who was one the most famous medieval Jewish thinker?
Maimonides he was a doctor, philosopher and rabbi. He wrote a Jewish law book called Mishneh Torah and proved that Judaism and rationality were compatible
In the ___century the Zionist movement was established.
19th
What is mitzvot?
religious duties
Which holiday commemorates the 10 commandments?
Shavuot
Which holiday focuses on the events in the book of esther?
Purim
What are some of the kashrut?
no pork
no mixing of meat and milk
slaughter must remove blood from an animal
the 7 days of mourning after death are known as
shiva
the mezuzah contains the passage of
shema (god comes first)
Who was Antiochus>
selecuid ruler defeated by Maccabees
What is the documentary hypothesis
a theory (julius wellhausen) that the Bible is composed of different books written by different authors during different times
When did the holocaust take place?
1941-1945
Which forces liberated the german jews?
the British forces
