Middle East: The Birthplace of ReligionWILF: How does the presence of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam within the same region influence the development of

the region?

Judaism• Oldest major religion• First to teach monotheism• Trace ancestry to Abraham• Descendants of Hebrews (Israelites)

• Three main sects: Orthodox, Conservative, & Reformed

L in eag e o f M on oth e ism

J esus ,Jew , execu ted b y th e R om an s

fo llowers cam e to b e ca lled C h ris tian s

K ing S olomon

K ing D avid

K ing S aul

M oses ,lead Is rae lites ou t o f E g yp t

J oseph ,son so ld in to s lavery in E g yp t

1 daught er and 12 sons

J acob ,son

a lso n am ed Is rae l

I saac ,son

S ar ah ,firs t w ife

M uhammad,d irec t d escen d an t o f Ish m ae l

fou n d er o f Is lam

K aaba,wh ere th e we ll was

f ound well, M ecca

I shmael,son

H agar ,secon d w ife

A br aham,f at her of monot heism

sh ep h erd , fou n d ed th e p eop le kn own as th e H eb rewsG od to ld h im to leave M esop otam ia an d se tt le in C an aan , th e a rea th a t la te r b ecam e Is rae l

Lineage is 4,000 years old

Beliefs/Teachings• Only one God• Based on their holy book; how to worship & how to live a moral life

• Pass on Jewish traditions to their families

• Supreme God: Yahweh

Covenant with God• Special agreement/ promise

with God• Ten Commandments from

Moses• Place of Worship- God’s Chosen

People & would live in a promised land called Canaan (Now Jerusalem, Israel)

• Assures Jews of God’s love & protection

Holy Book• Hebrew Bible, called the Torah (Old Testament)

• First 5 books crucial• Contains basic laws & describes history

• Talmud, serves as “guide”

Structure• Synagogue - house of worship

• Rabbi - spiritual leader• Does not actively try to convince others to convert to Jewish faith

• Give to the needy to create justice in the world

Holy Days/Festivals• Sabbath (Day of Rest) is Saturday

• Rosh Hashanah, New Year• Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement• Hanukkah, Feast of Lights• Bar Mitzvah/Bat Mitzvah• Passover, freedom from Egypt

Orthodox Customs• Do not eat pork or shellfish• Store meat & milk products separately

• Separate sets of utensils • Kosher, means ritually correct

• Do not work, travel, or carry money on the Sabbath

Christianity• Largest religious group• monotheistic• based on life & teachings of Jesus,

the Messiah almost 2000 years old• humanity can achieve salvation

through Jesus• 3 main sects: Roman Catholic,

Orthodox, & Protestant

Spread of Christianity• Spread orally by 12 apostles• first Christians were Jews• New Testament, written record of life & teachings of Jesus

• Started with the Birth Of Jesus in Bethlehem, Israel

Beliefs/Teachings• Only one God• God created the universe• God sent son, Jesus, to help

people fulfill their religious duties

• Holy Trinity, God has 3 parts• 2 important practices:

baptism & Holy Communion

Holy Book/Holy Days• Bible, Old & New Testament• Sabbath• Lent, preparation for Easter• Palm Sunday• Good Friday• Easter• Christmas

Islam• Fastest spreading religion• originated in Middle East

around 610 A.D.• Muhammad had a vision

calling him to be a prophet of God

• Two major sects: Sunni & Shi’i

Spread of Islam

• First spread orally• Koran, holy book• Muslims consider the Koran the words of God as spoken to Muhammad

Beliefs/Teachings• Monotheistic• Belief in series of prophets, including Moses & Jesus

• Belief in a Day of Judgment• forbids lying, stealing, adultery, & murder

• Belief in God’s mysterious will

Holy Book/Holy Days• Koran, contains history of

Muhammad’s search for God• Outlines goal: living according

to God’s guidance• Foundation for Islamic social

law• Moral behavior• Muhammad's birthday

Customs• Five Pillars: Faith, Prayer, Alms

(2.5%), Fasting, Pilgrimage• Dietary laws, do not allow pork

or alcohol• Major celebration when a child

memorizes the entire Koran• Mosque, holy place of worship• Imam, prayer leader, selected by

the followers

●all three are monotheistic●all three acknowledge Abraham as the patriarch of their faith●each has a holy book●each has a specific place of worship●each one has a different view about Jesus Christ●some of these religions share common holy sites in the region but also have their own unique holy sites

Comparison