Chapter 1: Introducing Judaism
Judaism has an ethnic, national, and religious character. All three are important in understanding Judaism today.
What is Judaism?
Classic Judaism developed after the destruction of the temple in70 CE. It was based on two covenants God made. One with Abraham promising the land of Israel. The second was with Moses which called for a life rooted in the God’s Torah. This tradition survived for the next 1500 years.
New Challenges
The Enlightment. If the sacred canopy of Christianity was pierced in the sixteenth century, perhaps one could say the sacred canopy of Judaism was pierced in the eighteenth and especially the nineteenth century. What did it now mean to be a Jew when following the Jewish law was deemed by some to be optional?
Ongoing Conflicts. Could a Jew be a loyal citizen of their country. The Rise of Racism. Race was defined biologically and some “races" had bad blood.
Zionism and Secularism. Zionism (the idea that to be safe Jews had to have their land) arose in the late 19th century. It was then, is still, controversial.
Judaism Today: A People
Judaism is not just a religion, it is a people. Orthodox law says that a person born to a Jewish mother is Jew, even if they did know the mother was Jewish. The covenant in Egypt (the covenant of faith) means that when one Jew suffers, all feel pain. The Covenant of Faith (the law give to Moses on Mt. Sinai requires religion. And without that covenant of faith, there is no global nation of Jews (according to Rabbi Sacks). "While the apostle Paul and Rabbi Sacks would disagree about many things, they would agree fully about the ‘covenant of faith.’"
Key Texts and Terms
Sacred Texts. While Jews and Christians share the OT, for Jews they view it much differently. The Torah is the most important. The Torah is both written and oral. There are various instances of the oral Torah, all of them considered authoritative and sacred texts. And there is a prayer book which contains all of the prayers for the Jews.
A Few Important Terms. Defined and in a glossary.
Jewish Denominations. In the US four distinct denominations.
- Orthodox Judaism. About 12%.
- Reform Judaism. 40%. the “mainline” Jewish denomination.
- Conservative Judaism. <30%. Somewhere between Orthodox and Reform.
- Reconstructionist Judaism.
Quotes from Phelan, John E.. Separated Siblings: An Evangelical Understanding of Jews and Judaism (p. 22). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.