Judaism religion

Judaism religion

Judaism is a religion mainly adhered to by Jews. Jews believe in one God who chose them as his people to set an example of holiness and ethical practices that include truth, compassion, self-respect, and justice. Most of the groups within Judaism believe that God instructed Moses with tablets containing commandments on Mt. Sinai.

Jews have religious holidays such as Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), which is the holiest Jewish holiday. It is celebrated yearly on the tenth day of the seventh month per the instruction in the book of Leviticus 16:30 that states that day no work shall be done other than fasting and praying for forgiveness.

In the book of Exodus, Israelites were freed by God through Moses from the tyranny of the Egyptians and afterward spent 40 years crossing the desert to reach the Promised Land eventually. Jews commemorate this event described as wandering in the wilderness during the three pilgrimage festivals that include the Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

Jewish prayer tradition stems from the teachings of the Talmud Yerushalmi, which states that the Great Assembly learned of the daily prayer rituals of Abraham, his son Isaac and grandson Jacob and therefore introduced the three daily prayers in the morning, afternoon and evening.

Christianity emerged from Judaism in the 1^st century and built on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Christians celebrate Christmas by re-enacting the birth of Jesus in a stable and the visit from the three wise men. During this time, they give out presents and share in the company of family. Furthermore, Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Christ during Easter and remember the coming of the Holy Spirit to guide the apostles during the Pentecost.

Christian prayers include the Lord’s Prayer that was taught by Jesus during the Sermon of the Mountain. The cross, which represents the crucifix of Jesus Christ, is used in churches to symbolize Christ’s sacrifice. The Dove is used to mean the Holy Spirit that came to Jesus after John the Baptist baptized him on River Jordan.

Understanding the different genres of the passages of the Bible is essential because it gives us specific parameters in which to interpret the content, tone, and literary techniques to make out the meaning of that passage.

The book of Proverbs is about wisdom. This book contains sayings that advise us on how to try to live according to God’s guide to perfection. The book also illustrates the evil natures and desires. It provides reasons as to why we have to avoid them lest we suffer. The book has advice for bringing up children by the use of punishments to correct their behavior (Proverbs:23, 13-14). The Bible also explains that we avoid alcohol because it makes us lazy and unproductive.

Scriptures about law appear in the last half of Exodus and Leviticus and Deuteronomy. In these scriptures, the instructions are said to be God’s law and contain guidelines that define the appropriate relationship between God and us, us and others and us with the world.  The rules also illustrate the type of governance that should be used to control people. The laws also explain the need for such laws and spell out the punishments that should for people who break the law. The rules define how we worship God and act in a righteous so that we connect with him. There are parables that Jesus used in his teachings. He employed narrative and advice in these short stories. The parables revolved around the poor, the rich, soldiers, and the word of God. These parables also use symbolism to draw comparisons, and Christians consider the symbols used spiritually.

Reading the Bible requires us to use four senses- literal, figurative, moral, and anagogical to be able to interpret the scripture.

The literal sense of scripture refers to the words used by the authors of the Bible.  The words, which employ the use of literary styles and symbols, have to be analyzed by the use of tools such as grammatical tools, historical readings, and literature analysis. Moreover, studies such as anthropology will assist in the understanding of the past and literary context of the scriptures

The allegorical/figurative sense is the sense that we use to uncover the hidden meaning beneath the surface of the scripture. Authors of the Bible are believed to have used a veiled language in their scriptures. They used symbols and words that we’re describing a different meaning other than the literal meaning of the text. Therefore, the figurative sense is a spiritual sense that we have to use to uncover the truth beneath those veiled words to gain a more profound meaning below the literal meaning of the scriptures.

The moral sense is the spiritual sense that focuses on the moral lessons derived from the Bible. God instructed Moses with a stone tablet containing laws that the Israelites were to follow to live according to God’s wishes. The rules given to the Israelites are still relevant to us today, and we should follow the Israelites example by adhering to those laws. We also derive moral teachings from Jesus, who, by parables and sermons, illustrated the right way a Christian ought to live.

Anagogical sense explains the realities and events recorded in the Bible and their importance to the universe. It represents a focus on the future, especially life after death and the events of the end times. It also looks at our life goals and the significance of the choices we make that will decide where we will go in the afterlife, heaven, or hell.

The Catholic Church holds that God inspired the Bible. God inspired the authors of the Bible by filling them with his grace to assist him in writing the sacred books, and the authors wrote the scriptures in their natural way. The writers, who were human and subject to errors, were guided by the Holy Spirit to make the Bible infallible. Interpretation of the Bible is a human responsibility. A widely used method is the use of Bible criticism. Bible criticism refers to critical thinking that enables us to ask logical questions about specific events in the Bible, such as; how did Jonah survive inside the big fish for three days? Moreover, how did Noah’s ark accommodate all the world animals during the great flood? It is, therefore, a reasoned process of exploring the Bible in its cultural, literal, religious, and historical contexts.

The Bible, which is the word of God, extends its authority to all matters about which it speaks. The Bible contains models and principles that can apply to many different situations. The Bible contains specific instructions as well as generic instructions.  Specific instructions spell out specifications of a particular thing and place restrictions concerning the matter in question. Generic instructions place parameters on a certain thing and allow for different choices, but within the settings, it has set out.

Paul, who experienced Jesus’ resurrection, exalted him to a divine status that associates him in astonishing ways to God. These compelling religious experiences were indispensable factors in the emergence of Christ’s devotion. Those experiences were interpreted as God’s method of salvation. They were also seen as a dynamic interaction between devout, prayerful, and seeking the scriptures and continuing powerful religious experiences.

God’s covenants in the Bible are an explanation of the incredible relationship we have with Him.  God and man  made various covenants in the Bible. However, man was prone to breaking the agreement, and in consequence, his relationship with God was severed. Fortunately, God set out to repair this relationship by making new agreements, including the Noahic covenant, Abrahamic covenant, Mosaic covenant, Davidic covenant, and the New Testament.

The first agreement between God and man was the Adamic covenant. After God created Adam, the first man, He gave him authority over all creation. God also provided Adam with Eve as a companion, and together they were to populate the land. God forbade Adam and Eve from seeking out the fruit of knowledge of what is right and evil, but they were tempted to find out what good and evil was. Consequently, they were both punished with hard toil and birth labor, which is the suffering we experience today. (Genesis: 3, 14-24)

Noahic covenant was an agreement between God and Noah. Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, man’s sins had multiplied and became so great that God decided to wipe the human race. He chooses to use floods and saves only Noah and his family; the only righteous people left and instructed them to build an ark to save all animal species. As the floods subsided, Noah sacrificed a lamb, which pleased God (Genesis: 8 21). He then made Noah a promise not to send flood the whole earth again, and by doing so, he re-established God’s relationship with man.

The Abrahamic covenant was a covenant between God and Abraham shortly after God destroyed the tower of babel. God promised Abraham three things: a great name, father of a great nation, and a blessing to all (Genesis:12, 2-3). To ensure these promises were fulfilled, God instructed Abraham to cut several kinds of animals and cut them in half, after which he would pass the carcasses over the fire. God was telling Abraham that if He did not his promise, “He too may be cut in half” (McCarthy 2019)

The Mosaic covenant was made between God and Moses after the deliverance from Egypt.  On Mt. Sinai, God gave Moses two stone tablets that the Ten Commandments. By instructing Moses with the commandments, God established a new relationship with the Israelites making them His chosen people.

God and David made the Davidic covenant after David was chosen as the King of Israel. God’s favor was shown to David after King Saul fell out of favor with God because of his pride and selfishness. With the support of God by his side, David emerged victorious in his battles against the Philistines and took hold of Jerusalem. God makes a promise to David through the prophet Nathan that his son, Solomon, would build God’s Temple, and he would rule forever.

The New Covenant is an agreement between God and man after the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Christ Himself is the central theme of this covenant because He invites us to join in this new partnership with God, be free from the slavery of sin, and enjoy everlasting life (Hebrews 8: 6-13).