Judaism

by Atkinson, Kenneth

• ISBN13: 9780791078600
• ISBN10: 0791078604
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-02-01
• Publisher: Chelsea House Pub

Summary

Judaism is one of the world's oldest religions. It began in the Middle East when a man named Abraham was commanded by God to leave his home and migrate to a new country. Today's Jewish people consider themselves the spiritual descendants of Abraham, who was the first person to worship the one God instead of the many gods common in ancient religions. For thousands of years, the Jewish community has survived many persecutions. Even after they lost their country and their Temple in Jerusalem, the Jewish people managed to meet the challenges of both the ancient and modern world. Judaism is a faith of continuity, one that maintains its identity by telling its history. One interesting characteristics of Judaism is its inclusion of other peoples: Both Christians and Muslims base their faith in the same Scriptures and God that Jews worship. This connection makes the Jewish story very unique. This book by Kenneth Atkinson, a professor of religion and respected writer of scholarly works on biblical literature, tells that story. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vi
Preface	xi
1 Introduction	2	(8)
2 Foundations	10	(26)
3 The Jewish Scriptures	36	(12)
4 Worldview	48	(10)
5 House of Worship: A Visit to a Jewish Synagogue	58	(12)
6 Growing up Jewish	70	(12)
7 Cultural Expressions	82	(8)
8 Holidays	90	(10)
9 Memories	100	(12)
10 Judaism in the World Today	112	(10)
Chronology and Timeline	122	(3)
Bibliography	125
Further Reading	121	(8)
Index	129

Excerpts

As one of the world's most ancient religions, Judaism serves as a foundation for the belief systems of two other major faiths: Christianity and Islam. Although the Jews have faced a long history of persecution, they have managed to survive and to maintain their religion with many of its original practices intact.