Coined by Dr. Roger Schmidt:

_____ is seeking and responding to that which humans experience as ultimate or holy

when people reduce something to one or more of its characteristics

ex. stereotyping: violence is not a part of any religion but is done in the name of all religions

A german political/economic philosopher

-believes that religion is the sigh of the oppressed

-religion is an opiate of the masses and is used to drug people. 

Referred to as the grandfather of psychology:

-religion is an illusion which is a disease of the mind

-religion is practiced by people at a childlike state instead of accepting responsibility 

Emile Durkhieim

A French Sociologist:

-religion is a collection of a community's thoughts and values 

-religion is reflective of a society

-God created by the human's image

-all commandments are created by what society wants 

ultimate reality is impersonal

ex. Daoism, Buddhism 

religious system with devotion to only one god

ex. Christianity, Islam, Judaism 

a belief in a supreme being that does not have an ongoing relationship with humanity or the universe

-the founding fathers were deistic

-watchmaker makes the clock, the watchmaker doesn't have to be around to make the watch run after it is completed 

philosophy that says humanity is at the utmost value

secular humanism: categorically rejects the existence of a god in a human world

theistic humanism: makes room for a god in a human world. states that humanity isgreat because of God. 

the process by which a writing or collection of writings becomes a scripture

-fixed/closed cannonization: no books can be added and none can be taken away

open cannonization: books can be added or taken away  

comes from the greek word biblos (little books)

-been around since 400 CE

 -old test. written in hebrew

-new test. written in greek 

-Law 1st 5 books (torah/books of moses)

-Prophetic Literature (known as Nevi'im) and are works of the prophets

-writings (known as ketuvim) these are history works, poetry/songs, and wisdom/proverbs 

-The Law (1st 5 books)

-History books

-poetry/wisdom

-prophets 

-27 books

-4 gospels

*Matthew, Mark, and Luke are synoptic

*John

*known as the life of Jesus

-1 act (history of church)

-2 Letters/Epistles (sermons & themes- how to be christian)

-1 book of Revelations (appocalypticism)  

form of eschatology characterized by two things:

1. God choosing against a sinful world

2. a battle between good and evil

1. Septuagint (translated into Greek) 70 scholars, same exact word 4 word translation

2. Vulgate (1st trans. of old and new tes. into another language- Latin)

3. Luther's German Bible (1st trans. beside latin)

4. King James Version (1st english)

 5. Revised Standard Verson (contemperorary- missing passages that weren't found in 1st editions)

6. New International Version (reaction to RSV)

7. Jerusalem Bible (catholic transl into english)

8. New Revised Standard Version (most scholarly accurate)  

1. Word of God

2. Word of Man

3. Word of Man and God 

Wrttien in different stylistic ways and in a different order

*this causes a theory that they are possibly written by different authors 

Documentary Hypothosis

created by Julius Wellhausten 

4 authors:

1. J-writer (yahweh): focuses on southern region

*most likely to write gen. 2 with E writer

2. E-writer (elohist): focuses on northern region

*most likely to write gen. 2 with J-writer

3. D-writer (Deuteronomist) written as the sermon of moses

4. P-writer (priestly)

*most likely last to touch books, editor of sorts, concerned with rituals & law of rituals

*most likely writer of gen. 1 bc of how organized and ritualisitic it is 

Orthodoxy: correct or right doctrine or belief

orthopraxy: right/correct practice

*Judaism leans more towards orthopraxy than or orthodoxy 

the central term in Judaism

*a sacred agreement between god and humanity in which god initiates and humans follow through with it 

humanity's total response to God

*everytime you go through with a covenant, you show your faith in god and what he says 

immanence: something that is cloe

transcendence: god is beyond us and hard to understand 

rise of multiple prophets in Judaism

*READ Period of Prophetic Religion page 4. 

based about a location such as a temple or shrine.

stayed in place and people came to them.

used the law to answer questions  

-temples and shrines destroyed so no more cultic prophets

-walked around in groups and shouted out prophecies during the babylonian exile  

-some people are so depressed, keep going further S. until they reach Etheopia.

-they never hear they can return home so they are still there to this day

HOWEVER, they believe that:

-they are part of the court of shiva & they got lost on the way back home after speaking with solomon

-they also believe they possess the arc of the covenant  

1. the idea of synagogues

2. A greater emphasis of personal salvation/responsibility (instead of its "our fault" it is now "my" fault that I broke the covenant)

3. Bolder emphasis on monotheism (no more offerings to other gods)

4. Greater conncern on the salvation of all people

5. See themselves as God's suffering servants (need to suffer to atone for the sin of other people in the world)

6. Concept of the Messiah is developed

7. Kingdom of God (God will restore his perfect rule) 

1. Temperance

2. Wisdom

3. Courage

4. Justice 

there is a large hierarchy of Gods

good gods are constantly battling the bad gods

this idea trickles down to judaism by the idea and belief of angels and demons 

-rural peasant class

-hold onto zoroastrian ideas more so

-more open minded to add more scriptures

-urban/cosmopolitan class

-did not want any more books to be cannonized than the 1st 5 books

-controlled the temple

-more open to greek ideas 

holiday that celebrates the maccabean revolt

people needed 8 days to re-consecrate the temple, but only had enough oil for 1 day.

the oil lasted for the entire 8 days :)  

1. Sadducees: wealthier class- control temple

2. Pharissees: peasant class- Zoroastrian beliefs

3. Essenes: withdrew from society because it was corrupt

*live in desert, share everything, celibate, won't return unless messiah brings them back, know about them from dead sea scrolls

4. Zealots: revolutionaries

5. Jewish Christians: believe they have found the Messiah (Jesus) 

crated by Johanon Ben Zakkai

gathers smart people for this counsel

meets for 28 years

break away from jewish traditions 

1. Synogogue- worship god with a tmple by meeting in local areas

2. rabbis- meaning teacher/master

3. Prayer and Penance- this shifts away from ancient judaism... instead of sacrificing animals, can now pray for forgiveness 

1. Idea of Lillith: God makes adam and lillith. they are equal and fight a lot. lillith gets kicked out and god makes eve. lillith is believed to terrorize the children of adam and eve

2. from a discussion of love by socrates: man and woman used to be 1 body with 1 head and 4 legs & arms. God decided to split the two bodies and make adam and eve 

a commentary on the oral law

a combination of the mischna and the gernara 

a movement by Auan Ben David

started in Iraq as a reaction to the talmud

talmuds laws believed too much and too strict

reject celebration of hannukah

want to live freey and wait for the messiah to return to them

the movement is short lived and doesn't last long 

applys old greek philosophy to judaism

created 13 points about judaism (closest thing to a creed)  

same with christianity, judaism, and islam

... this is a desire to experience unity and harmony with god 

ex. kabbalah: signifies recieved tradition 

another movement started by Ba'al Shem Tov

adapts judaism for the poor & peasant class

god can be worshipped in any aspect of daily life

all days are holy; not just the sabbath

*some jews in this branch in NY think that their messiah was a rabbi that has already died; they are waiting for his return  

separation of church and state

can be of any faith you like

rise of nationalism  

1. reform movement: no more dietary concernse or learning hebrew, give up on return of messiah, spreads to US and Europe

2.  Orthodox movement: exact opposite of reform movement. stay close to tradition, this is official religion of Israel

3. Conservative movement: middle ground b/w reform & orthodox. change is good, but should be gradual 

author... writes book about how people will always dislike the jews so they need their own homeland...

"Die Juden Staat" 

1. size of the massacre

2. the racist character: adolf hitler

3. the systematic nature of attacks: death camps, gas chambers, etc.