Did Judaism ever change its beliefs?

Answer 1

According to Jewish belief and tradition, the Torah itself has never changed. Some things that have changed are:

1) Due to exile and the destruction of the Temple, there are certain things that we aren't able to do, such as sacrifices.

2) There are minor customs that have been adopted throughout history, such as the Sephardi Mimunah celebration immediately after Passover, or the Ashkenazi custom of having only one person read the Torah-scroll on each occasion.

3) From time to time, our Sages have had to put certain things in permanent form. When prophecy ceased, the Sages sealed the canon of the Hebrew Bible. They also set the wording of certain prayers (Talmud, Berakhot 33a); but before that, each person was allowed to formulate the wording of his own prayers. Later (around 1500 years ago), the Talmud was set in its permanent form.

In general, every one of the Rabbinical decrees is related directly or indirectly to the gradual descent of the generations (it's a Torah-concept that the spiritual level of the generations declines over time). For example, the fact that we no longer pronounce God's actual name.

Commentaries were written on the Tanakh (Bible); while very early generations understood its meanings unaided. The same goes for the commentaries on the Shulchan Arukh (Code of Jewish Law).

Answer 2

Yes it did. Judaism, as we know it today, evolved over a period of centuries, from the polytheistic religion that we now know the early Hebrews followed. There were several key points in the development of Judaism, and the distinctive features of Judaism vary according to time.

In spite of the biblical Exodus tradition, scholars say that the Hebrew people were actually Canaanites who migrated internally and peacefully from the rich coastal cities into the hitherto sparsely populated hinterland. As Canaanites, or former Canaanites, they inherited the gods of their forebears. Thus the first stage of Hebrew belief was polytheistic. Mark S. Smith (The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel) says that according to the available evidence, Israelite religion in its earliest form did not contrast markedly with the religions of its Levantine neighbours in either number or configuration of deities. Keel and Uehlinger (Gods, Goddesses and Images of God in Ancient Israel) describe hundreds of artefacts found in Israel and Judah throughout the entire monarchical period, showing that polytheism was ubiquitous in the region throughout the period.

Perhaps in the seventh century BCE, the official religion of Judah probably became monolatrous, although the people themselves remained polytheistic until the Babylonian Exile. Archaeological evidence shows that divine images ceased to be used during the late monarchy, suggesting that this was the period during which Judaism began to be differentiated as opposed to the use of idols. The one important exception is that figurines of a fertility goddess continue to be found in homes, right up to the time of the Exile.

Monotheistic Judaism is generally believed to have taken hold during the Babylonian Exile, although a minority opinion among scholars is that polytheism continued to some extent well beyond this time. It is during the Babylonian Exile that new concepts such as angels, Satan, heaven and, for a period, hell were introduced to Judaism.

The religion of the period that follows is generally known as Second Temple Judaism. This shared many rituals with the past and with neighbouring countries, including animal sacrifices, however child sacrifice to God had certainly ceased.

The destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 CE brought Second Temple Judaism to an end. The Pharisees evolved Judaism, to become the Rabbinic Judaism we know today. Rabbinic Judaism has been called as big a change from Second Temple Judaism as was Christianity.

Answer 3

Our tradition is that Jewish beliefs were founded by Abraham (see Isaiah 41:8) and written in the Torah of Moses and have not changed. The Thirteen Principles of Jewish belief, codified by Maimonides (intro. to Shemonah Perakim, quoted in the Siddur), are all contained in the Talmud and are based upon Bible verses and original tradition. Had Judaism changed its beliefs significantly, we would no longer be able to revere the earliest Israelite leaders.The characteristic of Judaism which is commonly identified with the Rabbis, namely the heavy emphasis on study and teaching, also dates all the way back to Abraham (Talmud, Yoma 28b).
See also:

Then how has Judaism changed?

Jewish monotheism

Evidence of the Exodus

Answer 4

The Jewish perspective is that Judaism has never changed its core or ancillary beliefs. Its practices have changed to accommodate changes in time and location, but those changes are informed by a consistent set of beliefs.

Of course, the recent development of Liberal Judaism represents a fundamental shift in Jewish observance and belief. Using modern, and non-Jewish ideas to influence the way in which Judaism should develop. The inclusion of these non-Jewish ideas has altered Liberal Judaism somewhat from more traditional forms of Judaism.