Chapter 10: Judaism and Christianity !  Introduction!

!   Hebrews introduce monotheism into a world of polytheism in the form of a god above nature and free from compulsion and fate!

!   Hebrews took name “Judaism” in honor of Judah, a prophet, and their homeland, Judaea!

!   Christianity emerged from Judaism !

Judaism !  The Sacred Scriptures!

!   Early scriptures known collectively as TaNaKh!•  Torah = Five Books of Moses!•  Nevi’im = Books of the Prophets!•  Ketuvim = historical, poetic, and philosophic writings!•  Christians accept all of the TaNaKh as the “Old

Testament”!•  Jews and Christians long regarded these books as the

literal “word of God”!

Judaism !  The Sacred Scriptures [cont.]!

!   “Biblical Criticism” in last 200 years has placed these works into historical context!

!   Close reading suggests stylistic differences tied to different authors!

!   Josiah’s centralization of Hebrew belief resulted in the writing of Deuteronomy!

!   Other stories were woven together at a later date to create the rest of the Torah!

Judaism !  The Sacred Scriptures [cont.]!

!   Oldest existing copy of complete Torah dates to 9th-11th centuries C.E.!

!   Greek language Torah dates to 2nd-3rd century B.C.E.!

!   Torah is one of best examples of “myth-history” because it captures ideals, concepts, and beliefs of Jewish people even if not literally true !

Judaism

!  Essential Beliefs of Judaism in Early Scripture!!   A single, caring God!!   A God of history!!   A community rooted in divinely chosen

family!!   A specific “promised” geographical

homeland!!   A legal system!!   A sacred calendar !

Judaism !  The Later Books of Jewish Scripture!

!   Nevi’im and Ketuvim carry Jewish story from 1200 B.C.E. to 500 C.E.!

!   Books begin with Joshua, the return of the Jews from Egypt to Israel!

!   History suggests that return was spread out over time and that era involved extensive borrowing from other cultures !

Judaism !  The Later Books of Jewish Scripture

[cont.]!!   Rule by Judges and Kings!

•  Jews adopted loose confederacy advised by judges upon return to Canaan (Israel)!

•  Created kings (1020 B.C.E.) to deal with internal strife!

•  Kingdom split in two in reaction to extravagant reign of Solomon (950 B.C.E.) !

Judaism !  The Later Books of Jewish Scripture

[cont.]!!   Teachings of the Prophets: Morality and

Hope!•  Prophets demanded return of morality and

compassion in face of corrupt leadership!•  Placed memory of past injustice and slavery

against current events and demanded return to religious roots!

•  Presented image of an inspiring future!

Judaism !  The Evolution of the Image of God!

!   God’s early concerns about humanity resulted in a flood and in the division of people by language!

!   Responded to evil with punishment!!   YHWH accessible via prayer and dialogue!!   Challenged self-willed polytheistic gods but

provided no answer for the existence of evil in the world!

Judaism !  Patriarchy and Gender Relations!

!   Torah granted women fewer rights than men!

!   Regulation of sexuality extensive in scripture!

!   Women had few heroic roles!

Judaism !  Defeat, Exile, and Redefinition!

!   Jews exiled of northern kingdom by Assyrians (721 B.C.E.); returned sixty years later!

!   Outsiders including Alexander controlled Israel!!   Roman Empire destroyed temple in Jerusalem in

70 C.E. and dispersed people, 135 C.E.!!   This Diaspora reshaped Jewish beliefs!!   No significant numbers of Jews in Judaea until

20th century!

Judaism !  Minority/Majority Relations in the

Diaspora!!   Jews remained distinct people in new

settlements!!   Flourished in many instances but faced

discrimination in others!!   Story of Esther shows Esther in

preservation of Jewish community but also shows pressures on minorities in empires !

Christianity

!  Christianity Emerges from Judaism!!   Developed at height of Roman power!!   Jews were divided into four groups: Pharisees,

Sadducees, Zealots, and Essenes!!   Jesus’ teachings challenged Pharisees who

accepted Roman rule!!   Called for rapid religious reform and predicted

early day of judgement for the world!!   Promised a life in Heaven!

Christianity !  Christianity Emerges from Judaism [cont.]!

!   Jesus’ preaching angered Jewish and Roman leaders!

!   Followers saw him as messiah and miracle worker!!   Roman crucifixion did not stop growth of followers!!   Message of compassion, salvation, and eternal life

attracted many Romans!

Christianity !  Jesus’ Life, Teaching, and Disciples!

!   Adapting Rituals to New Purposes!•  Jesus’ prayer and preaching was writing Jewish

tradition!•  Baptism was modification of unimportant

Jewish ritual!•  “Last supper” an extension of Passover meal!

Christianity !   Jesus’ Life, Teachings, and Disciples [cont.]!

!   Overturning the Old Order!•  Assertion that “the end of the world” was at hand was

recognition that world would soon change!•  Argued that wealth was a hindrance to salvation!•  Raised commandment to “love your neighbor” above a

broad range of Jewish commands!•  Predicted violent end of world!

Christianity !  Jesus’ Life, Teachings, and Disciples

[cont.]!!   Jesus and the Jewish Establishment!

•  Was condescending and confrontational toward Jewish religious leaders!

•  Scoffed at dietary and Sabbath restrictions!•  Restricted divorce!•  Teachings reflect desire to return to earlier

beliefs in faith and spirituality, and that the future lay in Heaven, not earth !

Christianity !   Jesus’ Life, Teachings, and Disciples [cont.]!

!   Miracles and Resurrection!•  Miracles rather than teachings brought followers!•  Crucifixion and resurrection completed the miracles of

Jesus!•  Apostles, especially Paul of Tarsus (d. 67 C.E.),

transformed Christian sect into broad religion with preaching, organizational network, and instructional letters !

Christianity !  The Growth of the Early Church!

!   Peter, designated as leader of early organization, stressed Christian ethics over Jewish practices such as circumcision!

!   Broadened appeal to Gentiles!!   Made little mention of the apocalyptic side

of Christianity !

Christianity !  The Growth of the Early Church [cont.]!

!   Paul Organizes the Early Church!•  Saul converted from a critic to an apostle of

Christianity!•  Was Jewish by ethnicity, Roman by citizenship,

and Greek by culture!•  Linked Christian communities of eastern

Mediterranean with letters (Epistles)!•  Formulated concept of original sin and

redemption from it!

Christianity !  The Growth of the Early Church [cont.]!

!   The Christian Calendar!•  Created sacred calendar with special days!

– Christmas = Jesus’ Birth!–  Easter = Jesus’ Resurrection!–  Pentecost = Jesus’ Ascension [had been date of

Jewish commemoration of the receipt of the Ten Commandments]!

•  Numbered years from the presumed date of Jesus’ birth!

•  Sabbath was changed from Saturday to Sunday, from the seventh to the first day of the week!

Christianity !  The Growth of the Early Church [cont.]!

!   Gender Relations!•  Women were central to earliest church but became less

so over time despite “spiritual equality”!•  Paul recommended celibacy for all but monogamous

marriage for those who could not remain celibate!•  Made wife subordinate to husband at home!•  Commanded women to keep silent in church!•  Accepted slavery !

Christianity !  From Persecution to Triumph !

!   Adopted imperial capital (Rome) as center of the new religion!

!   Christianity started as one of a number of “mystery religions” in Rome!

!   Refusal to worship emperor seen as threat!!   Persecution extensive within empire!!   Decided on content of New Testament by

200 C.E.!

Christianity !  From Persecution to Triumph [cont.]!

!   The Conversion of Constantine!•  Constantine vision in 313 C.E. regarded as Christian

sanction of his military career!•  Immediately made Christianity legal!•  Sponsored council at Nicaea that produced Nicene

Creed!•  Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official

religion of the empire in 392 C.E. !

Christianity !  From Persecution to Triumph [cont.]!

!   How Had Christianity Succeeded?!•  Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) scorned

Christianity but revealed strengths and secrets of the spread in his critique!

–  Zeal!–  Promise of future life!– Miracles!–  Austere morals!– Created state within a state!– Created personal community within universal religion!

Christianity !  Doctrine: Definition and Dispute!

!   Augustine (354-430 C.E.) emphasized the spiritual rather than the political possibilities!

!   Connected Christian theology to Greek philosophy of Plato!

!   Emphasized meditation!!   Believed sexuality to be perilous!!   Believers should subordinate their will to the

teachings of the church !

Christianity !  Doctrine: Definition and Dispute [cont.]!

!   Battle over Dogma!•  Divisive dispute over the divinity of Jesus!•  Arius (250-336 C.E.) thought humanity of Jesus

made God more sacred than Jesus!•  Arian dispute led to open warfare and military

defeat of the Arians!•  Growth of Christianity sometimes led

missionaries to try to convert Jews by coercion!

Christianity in Wake of Empire !  The Conversion of the Barbarians!

!   Christian bishops came from ranks of senatorial governing class--continuity with the empire!

!   Extensive conversions culminated in conversion of Clovis in 496 C.E., the first barbarian to accept the religion!

!   Action got Clovis support and connections from Roman leadership!

Christianity in Wake of Empire !  Decentralized Power and Monastic Life!

!   Early church dominated by missionaries who were unmarried men and women!

!   Pope Gregory I (590-604 C.E.) encouraged monastic movement; useful in conversion and discipline!

!   Church power fragmented in West until 1000 C.E.!!   Monasteries developed missions, schools, and

other institutions of church!!   Decisive papal leadership would come later !

Christianity in Wake of Empire !  The Church Divides into East and West!

!   Church superceded empire in West but Byzantium never ceded power to the church!

!   Eastern church urban and organized; Western church rural and disconnected into local units!

!   Rome seen as an outlier of Orthodox church after Council of Chalcedon!

Christianity in Wake of Empire !  Church Divides into East and West [cont.]!

!   Split between Rome and Constantinople!•  Central issue was authority of Roman pope from the

perspective of Rome and Constantinople!•  Leo IX (elected pope in 1048 C.E.) promoted papal

power in the West--and over Constantinople!•  Result was Great Schism of 1054 C.E. onward!•  Most direct confrontation was in 1204 C.E., when

western Crusaders attacked Constantinople rather than pursue state purpose of attacking Muslims!

Christianity in Wake of Empire !  Church Divides into East and West [cont.]!

!   New Areas Adopt Orthodox Christianity!•  Orthodox monks became active later than monks in the

West!•  Caught between Roman West and Islamic East, these

missionaries moved north to Russia, which began to call itself the “Third Rome” after the fall of Constantinople!

•  East and West competed for converts in areas adjacent to the two religions!

Christianity in Wake of Empire !  Christianity in Western Europe!

!   Europe halted Muslim growth at Tours, 732 C.E.!

!   Muslim conquests cut Christianity off from the lands of its birth!

!   Christianity became primarily a religion of Europeans, often recently-converted “barbarian” warrior nobles !

Christianity in Wake of Empire !  Christianity in Western Europe [cont.]!

!   The Pope Allies with the Franks!•  Pope felt surrounded by Muslims and Byzantines as well

as by powerful Goths to the north!•  Turned to powerful Franks such as Charles Martel, who

defeated Muslim invasion of France at Tours in 732 C.E.!•  Pope gave official approval of Martel’s son, Pepin III, and

the Carolingians as royal ruling house of the Franks!

Christianity in Wake of Empire !  Christianity in Western Europe [cont.]!

!   Charlemagne Revives Idea of Empire!•  Although crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800

C.E., Charlemagne’s goal was to expand his own empire!

•  Victories made his empire coterminous with Christianity except for Great Britain!

•  Promoted education as part of Carolingian “renaissance”!

•  Charlemagne’s empire paralleled that of the East !

Christianity in Wake of Empire !  Christianity in Western Europe [cont.]!

!   The Attempt at Empire Fails!•  Carolingians maintain power until end of 9th

century!•  Invaders (Magyars, Norsemen, Arabs) are too

powerful to keep out; local administrators act on their own!

•  Church institutions and leaders give Europe its fundamental character and order (600-1100 C.E.)!

Early Christianity: What Difference Does It Make? !  First millennium of Christianity ended in

“high” Middle Ages!!  By 1000 C.E., church was most

important cultural and organizational force in Western Europe!

!  Church took on developmental and administrative roles in addition to its spiritual mission!