The origins of Judaism
Examining Monotheism within the origins of Judaism
Judaism today is considered as one of the oldest monotheistic religions today. The religion dates back four thousand years ago, rooted in the ancient region of Canaan which is present day Israel and Palestine. Judaism traces its custom to the covenant God made with Abraham and his lineage, that God would make them a sacred people and give them a holy land. The primary figures of Israelite culture include the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, who received God's law at Mount Sinai. Biblical tradition says that Abraham was the first in his line to worship a one God. It was said that Abraham realized that the idols of the gods of his father had no power and so sought the real God. Judaism however is also sometimes regarded as starting with Moses because God gave him the Ten Commandments, and because he is often credited with writing the first 5 books of the Bible the Pentateuch or Torah which largely define Judaism. Since monotheism is the belief of one god or Supreme Being, we want to examine if monotheism really originated with Moses or did its origin come in the time of the prophets?
Monotheism is the doctrine that there is but one god, and that means the worship of one god and one god alone, and the denial of all other gods. In Donald Kagan’s ‘Problems in Ancient History: Volume One The Ancient Near East and Greece” he discusses that among critical scholars today there is none who claims real monotheism for anyone earlier than Moses; however scholar William F. Albright states in his article in the American Scholar “Archaeology Confronts Biblical Criticism” that the only time in history of the ancient Near East when we find monotheism in the leading cultural centers, Egypt and Babylonia is about the fourteenth century B.C. It’s also then that we find the closest approach to monotheism in Syria and Asia Minor. Kagan however challenges this by stating that there was no evidence that Syria and Asia
Judaism today is considered as one of the oldest monotheistic religions today. The religion dates back four thousand years ago, rooted in the ancient region of Canaan which is present day Israel and Palestine. Judaism traces its custom to the covenant God made with Abraham and his lineage, that God would make them a sacred people and give them a holy land. The primary figures of Israelite culture include the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, who received God's law at Mount Sinai. Biblical tradition says that Abraham was the first in his line to worship a one God. It was said that Abraham realized that the idols of the gods of his father had no power and so sought the real God. Judaism however is also sometimes regarded as starting with Moses because God gave him the Ten Commandments, and because he is often credited with writing the first 5 books of the Bible the Pentateuch or Torah which largely define Judaism. Since monotheism is the belief of one god or Supreme Being, we want to examine if monotheism really originated with Moses or did its origin come in the time of the prophets?
Monotheism is the doctrine that there is but one god, and that means the worship of one god and one god alone, and the denial of all other gods. In Donald Kagan’s ‘Problems in Ancient History: Volume One The Ancient Near East and Greece” he discusses that among critical scholars today there is none who claims real monotheism for anyone earlier than Moses; however scholar William F. Albright states in his article in the American Scholar “Archaeology Confronts Biblical Criticism” that the only time in history of the ancient Near East when we find monotheism in the leading cultural centers, Egypt and Babylonia is about the fourteenth century B.C. It’s also then that we find the closest approach to monotheism in Syria and Asia Minor. Kagan however challenges this by stating that there was no evidence that Syria and Asia