JUDAISM
Who is a Jew?
Where is identity located? * Jude: One who comes from Judea; and identity in terms of land and region. * Israel: Name given to Jacob; means one who strives with God. It is religious identity. * Hebrew: The people and the language they speak. * Most probably the word “Hebrew” comes from the word “Apiru” from Phoenician language, meaning ‘The one who rides caravans; nomadic people.

BACKGROUND IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF JUDAIC THOUGH * Preceding Judaism, we have Neat Eastern Religions which comprise the Sumarian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Egyptian religions. They seem to have influenced the development of Judaic though historically. 1. The Near Eastern Religions: Polytheistic, but try to conceive one highest god (i.e Marduk in the Babylonian religion)
Apsu(Sweet Waters)
Ti’amat(Salty Waters)
Mumy(Mist)
2. They try to conceive of heaven and hell and idea of reward and punishment. 3. We find a parallel Myth of Flood to the Hebrew Bible story of Noah. But, it is Judaism which becomes 1st monotheistic religion of mankind.
Judaism becomes the foundation of prophetic religious tradition in West, thereby we have religions such as Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Islam.
Zyandusthia- Middle Eastern God with flood myth, 7 days of rain instead of 40.

THE HEBREW BIBLE

* Judaism is often associated with the land of Israel, but Judaism is better understood when one studies the Hebrew Bible. * History of Jewish people * Their though * How they lived throughout history. * Written doen as early as 800 B.C.E but final form achieved in 400 B.C.E * Consists of: Torah(Teachings), Nevi’m( Early and Later prophets), Kethuwim (Miscellanous Writings or Everything else) * These three writings are as a short form called T-N-K( ot Tanakh or Tanaka) * The torah is the first of the Hebrew Bible. * It is