How did Judaism begin?

Answer 1

Zionism really started in 70 C.E. when Jews lost autonomy in Israel at the hands of the Romans. Since then, Jews longed for their lost homeland but it wasn't until 1882 that they started to return en masse, provoked by antisemitism in many of their host countries and encouraged by the writings of Theodore (Binyamin Ze'ev) Herzl.

Answer 2

According to the Bible, the founder of Judaism was Abraham, the father of the Hebrews. The Torah says that long ago God spoke to Abraham. He had been a shepherd in Ur, in Mesopotamia; and God told him to leave Ur and go to Canaan. God promised Canaan to Abraham and his descendants; and Abraham took his family and settled in this promised land.

Abraham gave birth to Isaac and Isaac gave birth to Jacob, and these three are the three fathers of the Jewish religion and the ancestors of the Jews. (The 4 mothers are their wives, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. Jacob had 2 wives).

In ancient times, most people believed in many gods. Abraham was the first to realize that there is only one all-powerful God who controls everything, and not separate gods that control separate things (the sun, the moon, etc.); and he was the first to worship God himself and not some idols representing gods.

Judaism only believes in one God, and also forbids the worshiping of any representation of God in a material form.

If you want to read the history of the Forefathers, Genesis is the book for you. If you want a complete account of Judaism's beliefs including all of its rules (the Mitzvot), you can find it in the first five books of the Bible (mainly from Exodus on).

Answer

Many regard the founder of Judaism to be Abraham, whom they consider to have lived around 2000 BCE. Others may regard the true founder of Judaism to be Moses, who is traditionally considered to have lived around 1400 BCE.

However, many scholars regard the stories of Abraham and Moses as creations of the first millennium BCE. They point out that the Bible also tells us that the people of Israel (the northern kingdom) were, throughout its history, polytheistic in their religious beliefs. Even in the south, in Judah, the people worshiped many gods until at least the time of King Hezekiah (729-686 BCE), who made the first real attempt, in historic times, to impose a monotheistic religion. However, Hezekiah's son allowed Judah to revert to polytheism. On this evidence, Judaism, as we know it, did not yet exist in Judah.

We now know that much of what we know as the Hebrew Bible was written by the 'Deuteronomist' source during the reign of King Josiah ( about 640-609 BCE), although of course the books written by the Deuteronomist contain a great deal of material that had been written down by authors several centuries earlier. Today, we see that earlier material, recorded by the 'Yahwist' and 'Elohist' sources, as essential to the very concept of Judaism, but much of it is also compatible with Hebrew polytheistic worship and was no doubt used in that context.

From the time of Josiah, a monotheistic religion seems to have become dominant among the Jews. The role of Josiah in finally enforcing a monotheistic religion with its own canon of literature, make his reign arguably the real starting point of Judaism as we know it.

Answer

The early history of Judaism, according to the Hebrew Scriptures:

The book of Genesis describes the events surrounding the lives of the three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Joseph, who is recognized as a fourth patriarch by Christians, is not considered one by Jews). Moses was the next major leader of the ancient Israelites. He led his people out of captivity in Egypt, and received the Mosaic Law (The Torah) from God. After four decades of wandering through the wilderness, Joshua led the tribes into the promised land, driving out the Canaanites through a series of military battles.

The original tribal organization was converted into a kingdom by Samuel; and its first king was Saul. The second king, David, established Jerusalem as the religious and political center. The third king, Solomon, built the first Temple there.

The division into the Northern kingdom of Israel and the Southern kingdom of Judah occurred shortly after the death of Solomon in 922 BCE. Israel fell to Assyria in 722 BCE; and Judah fell to the Babylonians in 587 BCE. The Temple was destroyed. Some Jews returned from captivity under the Babylonians and started to restore the Temple in 536 BCE. (Orthodox Jews date the Babylonian exile from 422 to 352 BCE). Alexander the great invaded the area in 332 BCE. From circa 300 to 63 BCE, Greek became the language of commerce, and Greek culture had a major influence on the land of Judea. In 63 BCE, the Roman Empire took control of Judea.

Judaism is best thought of as the monotheistic religion of the Jewish people, rather than the polytheistic beliefs that preceded. Andrew D. H. Mayes (The World of Ancient Israel, Sociology and the Old Testament) says that it is becoming clear that the presentation of Yahweh as the only God of Israel in the pre-monarchic period is a late construction which runs up against great historical difficulties. He says that the worship of God (Yahweh) alone was the programme of an active pressure group within Israel which came into dominance particularly in times of crisis, and the breakthrough to monotheism was achieved only in the setting of that final catastrophe when the prophetic demand for Yahweh's exclusive worship, with its threat of punishment for disobedience, was vindicated.

Others see monotheistic Judaism as a reaction by King Josiah to the political problems raised by the influx of refugees from Israel after the northern kingdom's destruction in 722 BCE.

A centrist position is that the religious reforms of King Josiah were only partly successful, but that monotheistic Judaism became more fully established during and after the Babylonian Exile, possibly under the influence of the Persians. Certainly much of what we now recognise as Jewish belief seems to have been absorbed during the Exile.

Answer

According to tradition, Abraham founded Judaism, and Moses later received the Torah from God.

Abraham (18th century BCE) came from ancestry that had been God-fearing a couple of centuries earlier but had afterwards slipped into idolatry (Joshua 24:2). Abraham was gifted with high intelligence; and, as Maimonides (1135-1204) describes, Abraham didn't blindly accept the ubiquitous idolatry. The whole populace had been duped, but the young Abraham contemplated the matter relentlessly, finally arriving at the conclusion that there is One God.

Answer 3

Herzl realized in the late 1800s that the European concept of a nation-state was dependent on the idea that all of the people in any particular nation were of the same ethnic stock and heritage. Jews were branded by this system to be "the Other" and were regarded at best as possible equals and at worse as traitors, spies, thieves, and fifth columns. He published a book advocating for a unique Jewish State for the Jewish people called Altneuland in the original German. (It is called Old-New-Country in English and Tel Aviv in Hebrew.)

His idea remained marginal until the Dreyfus Affair. At this point there were marches in Paris that said "Death to the Jews" on account of a kangaroo court against a particular guiltless Jew. The result of this event was that many more Jews were convinced that if Jews could not be part of liberal France, it was clear that the Jew could not be integrated into Europe in general. This revelation led to creation of the World Zionist Congress, which was a group of Jews who met to determine how they should try to acquire their own state. The Zionists were among the wealthier and more political Jews, but remained a minority.

After the Holocaust, the strongest proof that the Jew and the European Nation-State were irreconcilable, the overwhelming majority of Jews became Zionists.

Answer 4

Zionism started in 63 B.C.E. when the independent Hasmonean Kingdom (the last Jewish State before the State of Israel) was overthrown. Jews have sought since that day to regain independence in the lands where they still lived. The second major dated posited for Zionism's beginning is in 70 C.E. when Jews lost autonomy and presence in Israel because of Roman expulsion. Since then, Jews longed for their lost homeland but it wasn't until 1882 that the Modern Zionist Movement formed with a Nationalistic basis. This was a direct result of the Theodor Herzl's book Altneuland (Old-New Country).

Answer 5

According to tradition, Abraham founded Judaism, and Moses later received the Torah from God.
Abraham, tenth-generation descendant of Noah, of Hebrew lineage, was the son of Terah, uncle of Lot, father of Isaac, grandfather of Jacob, and ancestor of the Israelites. His story is in Genesis ch.11 (end), through ch.25. Jewish tradition states that he was the first to teach belief in One God; and it is in his merit that Jews continue to exist (Genesis 18:19, and ch.17).

Abraham (18th century BCE) came from ancestry that had been aware of God a couple of centuries earlier but had afterwards slipped into idolatry (Joshua 24:2). Nimrod, the idolatrous tyrant, had brought Abraham's father (Terah) from the Semitic ancestral seat near the conjunction of the Balikh and the Euphrates, and instated him in a position of power in his army in the royal Babylonian city of Ur, where Abraham was born. Nimrod persecuted any who would question his idolatrous cult.

The Kuzari (Rabbi Judah HaLevi, 1075-1141) states that Abraham was gifted with high intelligence; and, as Maimonides (1135-1204) describes, Abraham didn't blindly accept the ubiquitous idolatry. The whole populace had been duped, but the young Abraham contemplated the matter relentlessly, finally arriving at the conclusion that there is One God and that this should be taught to others as well. This is what is meant by his "calling out in the name of the Lord" (Genesis ch.12).

How_did_polytheism_develop

As a young man, he remonstrated with passersby in public, demonstrating to them the falsehood of their idols; and our tradition tells how he was threatened and endangered by Nimrod.
Subsequently, Terah relocated to Harran; and it is here that Abraham began to develop a circle of disciples (Rashi commentary, on Genesis 12:5).

Later, God told Abraham in prophecy to move to the Holy Land, which is where Abraham raised his family.
He continued his contemplations, eventually arriving at the attitudes and forms of behavior which God later incorporated into the Torah given to Moses.

Abraham, with God's help, singlehandedly trounced the supremacy of the evil Nimrod.

He received God's promise of inheriting the Holy Land (Genesis 13).

He strove to raise a family (Genesis ch.15, 17, and 24) which would serve God (Genesis 18:19); and God eventually blessed his efforts, granting him many children (ibid., ch.16, 21 and 25), as He had promised (Genesis ch.17).

Abraham founded the Jewish people and lived to see his work live on in the persons of Isaac and Jacob; and he taught many other disciples as well (Talmud, Yoma 28b).

He saved the population of the south of Canaan from invading foreign kings (Genesis 14); and he was feared by neighboring kings (ibid., ch.12 and 20).

Abraham gave tithes (Genesis ch.14), entered into a covenant with God (Genesis ch.15 and 17), welcomed guests into his home (Genesis ch.18) unlike the inhospitable Sodomites (Genesis ch.19), prayed for people (Genesis ch.18), rebuked others when necessary (Genesis ch.20), eulogized and buried the deceased (Genesis ch.23), and fulfilled God's will unquestioningly (Genesis ch.22).

He became renowned as a prince of God (Genesis 23:6).

All of these forms of behavior were based upon the ways of God, which Abraham comprehended through his contemplations. These, and similar personality traits, were the teachings of Abraham and his descendants (unlike idolatry, which had tended to go hand in hand with cruel, licentious and excessive behavior, since the caprices which were narrated concerning the idols were adopted as an excuse to imitate those types of behavior).

It is therefore clear why God expresses His love for Abraham (Isaiah 41:8) and calls Himself the God of Abraham (Genesis 26:24), and says that Abraham obeyed Him fully (Genesis 26:5). And this is why Abraham is credited with having begun the religion which became known as Judaism. (However, Abraham and his descendants observed their traditions voluntarily, until the Giving of the Torah to Moses 3325 years ago, when God made it obligatory.)

Moses was an Israelite, a great-great grandson of Jacob. He was born 245 years after the death of Abraham. The time when Moses was born was when the Pharaoh had ordered his people to kill all Israelite male infants because he (Pharaoh) was afraid that the Israelites would become too strong for him (Exodus ch.1-2).

Moses' mother didn't want him to die. So she made a basket for him and put him in it to float in the Nile reeds. He was found by Pharaoh's daughter, who took pity on him (Exodus ch.2) and raised him as her own son. He was forced to flee after killing a cruel Egyptian taskmaster, and went to Midian, where he wedded the daughter of Jethro.

He eventually achieved the highest level of prophecy (Deuteronomy ch.34) and was called upon by God (Exodus ch.3). He brought the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery (Exodus ch.12). He received the Torah from God (Exodus 24:12) and later recorded it in writing (Deuteronomy 31:24). He went up on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights (Deuteronomy ch.9-10) and brought down the Two Stone Tablets with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 31:18). He brought the Israelites into the covenant with God (Exodus ch.19 and ch.24), and he oversaw the building of the Tabernacle (Exodus ch.35-40). He was the humblest of men and the greatest of prophets (Numbers ch.12).

Answer 6

Traditional Perspectives

Biblical tradition says that Abraham was the first in his line to worship God. A midrash of the common era says that Abraham realised that the idols of the gods of his father had no power and so sought the real God. To some, this is the origin of Judaism.

Judaism is largely defined by the first five books of The Bible, which Moses is often credited with having written, presumably with divine guidance. Moses is also credited with leading the Israelites out of Egypt and with receiving the commandments from God. To some, this is the origin of Judaism.

Scholarly Perspectives

Biblical scholars tell us that the Torah could not have been written by Moses, but are composed from input from several sources, usually known as J, E, D and P. The sources known as J and E seem to date back to early in the first millenium BCE. D dates from before 600 BCE and P probably lived during the Babylonian exile. We use designations such as J, E, D and P because we do not know their real names.

Other scholars tell us that the Exodus did not happen in the way it is described in the Bible, but must have been created by the biblical authors, many centuries after the supposed events. If so, Judaism as we know it evolved during the middle of the first century BCE and reached recognisable form during the Babylonian exile.

Answer 7

• Link: Refuting Bible-critics

Tradition states that Abraham (18th century BCE) founded Judaism, and Moses later received the Torah from God.

Abraham, tenth-generation descendant of Noah, of Hebrew lineage, was the son of Terah, uncle of Lot, father of Isaac, grandfather of Jacob, and forefather of the Israelites. His story is in Genesis ch.11 (end), through ch.25. Jewish tradition states that he was the first to actively spread belief in One God; and it is in his merit that Jews continue to exist (Genesis 18:19, and ch.17).

• Link: Abraham's Hebrew ancestry
  

Abraham came from ancestry that had been aware of God a couple of centuries earlier but had afterwards slipped into idolatry (Joshua 24:2).

By the time of Abraham, the area where he lived was full of pagan cults; they were polytheistic, worshiping multiple deities.

• Link: How polytheism began
  

Abraham became the first to advance the idea of ethical monotheism: the worship of One God, and the appropriate ethical code of conduct.

Nimrod, the idolatrous tyrant, had brought Abraham's father (Terah) from the Semitic ancestral seat near the confluence of the Balikh and the Euphrates, and instated him in a position of power in his army in the royal Babylonian city of Ur, where Abraham was born. Nimrod persecuted any who would question his idolatrous cult.

The Kuzari (Rabbi Judah HaLevi, 1075-1141) states that Abraham was gifted with high intelligence; and, as Maimonides (1135-1204) describes, Abraham didn't blindly accept the ubiquitous idolatry. The whole populace had been duped, but the young Abraham contemplated the matter relentlessly, finally arriving at the conclusion that there is One God and that this should be taught to others as well. This is what is meant by his "calling out in the name of the Lord" (Genesis ch.12).

As a young man, he remonstrated with passersby in public, demonstrating to them the falsehood of their idols; and our tradition tells how he was threatened and endangered by Nimrod.
Subsequently, Terah relocated to Harran; and it is here that Abraham began to develop a circle of disciples (Rashi commentary, on Genesis 12:5).

Later, God told Abraham in prophecy to move to the Holy Land, which is where he raised his family.

He continued his contemplations, eventually arriving at the attitudes and forms of behavior which God later incorporated into the Torah given to Moses.

Abraham became the greatest thinker of all time. His originality, perseverance, strength of conviction, and influence, cannot be overestimated.

Abraham, with God's help, trounced the supremacy of the evil Nimrod.

He received God's promise of inheriting the Holy Land (Genesis ch.13).

He strove to raise a family (Genesis ch.15, 17, and 24) which would serve God (Genesis 18:19); and God eventually blessed his efforts, granting him numerous descendants (ibid., ch.16, 21 and 25), in keeping with His promise (Genesis ch.17).

Abraham founded the Jewish people and lived to see his work live on in the persons of Isaac and Jacob; and he taught many other disciples as well (Talmud, Yoma 28b).

He saved the population of the south of Canaan from invading foreign kings (Genesis 14); and he was feared by neighboring kings (ibid., ch.12 and 20).

Abraham gave tithes (Genesis ch.14), entered into a covenant with God (Genesis ch.15 and 17), welcomed guests into his home (Genesis ch.18) unlike the inhospitable Sodomites (Genesis ch.19), prayed for people (Genesis ch.18), rebuked others when necessary (Genesis ch.20), eulogized and buried the deceased (Genesis ch.23), and fulfilled God's will unquestioningly (Genesis ch.22).

He became renowned as a prince of God (Genesis 23:6).

The gravesite of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their wives (Genesis 49:29-32) is located in Hebron and has been known and attested to for many centuries.

• Link: Archaeology
  

All of the above practices of Abraham were based upon the ways of God, which Abraham understood through his contemplations. These, and similar personality traits, were the teachings of Abraham and his descendants (unlike idolatry, which had no moral character; with worship of the gods accompanied by things such as human sacrifice, "sacred" prostitution, and animal worship).

• Link: Pagan practices
  

It is therefore clear why God expresses His love for Abraham (Isaiah 41:8) and calls Himself the God of Abraham (Genesis 26:24), and says that Abraham obeyed Him fully (Genesis 26:5). And this is why Abraham is credited with having begun the religion which became known as Judaism. (However, Abraham and his descendants observed their traditions voluntarily, until the Giving of the Torah to Moses 3325 years ago, when God made it obligatory.)

Moses was an Israelite, a great-great grandson of Jacob. He was born 245 years after the death of Abraham. The time when Moses was born was when the Pharaoh had ordered his people to kill all Israelite male infants because he (Pharaoh) was afraid that the Israelites would become too strong for him (Exodus ch.1-2).

Moses' mother didn't want him to die. So she made a basket for him and put him in it to float in the Nile reeds. He was found by Pharaoh's daughter, who took pity on him (Exodus ch.2) and raised him as her own son.

• Link: How did Moses know he was an Israelite?
  

Moses was forced to flee after killing a cruel Egyptian taskmaster, and went to Midian, where he wedded the daughter of Jethro.

He eventually achieved the highest level of prophecy (Deuteronomy ch.34) and was called upon by God (Exodus ch.3). He brought the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery (Exodus ch.12). He received the Torah from God (Exodus 24:12) and later recorded it in writing (Deuteronomy 31:24). He went up on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights (Deuteronomy ch.9-10) and brought down the Two Stone Tablets with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 31:18). He brought the Israelites into the covenant with God (Exodus ch.19 and ch.24), and he oversaw the building of the Tabernacle (Exodus ch.35-40). He was the humblest of men and the greatest of prophets (Numbers ch.12).

See also the other Related Links.

Link: Was Abraham real

Link: Was Moses real

Answer 8

Abraham lived 3800 years ago. He was born in the city of Ur, and at that time idolatry was ubiquitous. Abraham heard the explanations of the idolaters and wasn't convinced. Even as a child, he reasoned that many gods, which the idolaters described as capricious, vindictive and quarrelsome, would not be a logical source for the universe. He figured out that One God must have made everything. Abraham persevered in his thinking and reasoning, until he eventually arrived at all of the underpinnings of what we call Judaism, and he taught others too, especially his family. This is how Judaism got underway.