Jewish Faith and Temple Services

History of the Jewish Faith Name Institution of Affiliation Date History of the Jewish Faith Judaism originates from the Hebrew word 'Yehuda' or Judah. The name Judah relates to the Yahadutm, meaning distinguishing features of the Judean ethnic groups (Cohen, 1999). It encompasses religion, philosophy, culture and the way of life of the Jews (Jacob, 2007). Judaism is an ancient religion that practiced monotheism with the Torah, also known as Tanakh as its underlying text and supplementary oral traditions represented by other texts like the Midrash and the Talmud. The Jewish consider their religion as an expression of the covenant relationship established between God and the Children of Israel. The Star of David is a symbol of the faith, which is also known as the Shield of David. The sign encompasses two equilateral triangles inscribed into one another and with one pointer facing up and the other facing down to form a six sharp pointed star. It is also the symbol of the modern flag of Israel. The history of Judaism can date back to the Bronze Age in the Middle East, back in the history of the Jews themselves. This history is well recorded in the first five books of both the Christian and Hebrew Bible. The Hebrews hail Abraham as their father, and because of his faith, God rewarded him a promise that he would be the father of nations. He also promised him that his son Isaac would come to inherit Canaan, the Land of Israel. Abraham was chosen by God to be the father of the people who would become special to God, those who would be the example of holiness to the world. Later Jacob's descendants, the descendants of Isaac's second son became enslaved in Egypt. God commanded Moses to lead them to the land of their forefathers, which was Canaan. God guided the Jewish people from through many iniquities and troubles in the wilderness. On Mount Sinai, God gave them the Torah, which is in the first five books of Moses. Later on, details of the Torah law were orally transmitted basing on what God had told Moses on Mount Sinai. As the persecution of the Jews increased, the details were recorded by Rabbi Judah HaNasi or Judah the Prince in the Mishnah, due to fears of them getting forgotten in 200CE. The Talmud became a compilation that combined both the Mishnah and the Gemara which were commentaries by rabbis over the next three centuries. Some scholars critically oppose the view that these sacred texts, including the Hebrew Bible, were divinely inspired. Most critics later suggested that during the First Temple period, the Israelites believed each nation had its gods, but theirs was superior to the other gods (Bright, 1959). In the first century CE, there were a lot of small Jewish sects including the Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, Essenes, and the Christians. After the Second Temple had got destroyed in 70 CE, they all vanished. Some Jews later on rejected the authority and divinity of the oral law recorded in the Mishnah, hence restricted themselves to the Tanakh. Over time Jews then formed distinct ethnos in different locations. During the following millennium, crusades began with operations from countries of Christian belief to capture the Holy Land. They first attacked t...