Monotheistic Religion

Annotations:

• A monotheistic religion believes only in one god.

1. Judaism

   Annotations:

   • Judaism is a religion that believes in only one god, which makes this religion a monotheistic religion. The people who believes in Judaism is called Jews or Jewish people. The god that the Jews believe in is God.
   1. Moses

      Annotations:

      • Moses was known as the greatest leader of the Hebrews. God’s people were known as the Israelites, which were the descendants of Abraham, according to the Torah, also known as the Hebrew Bible. The Israelites’ population was increasing and their power became greater. The Egyptian pharaoh then, thought that the Israelites’ power was a threat so he sold the Israelites into slavery. According to the Torah, God told Moses, “I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” This quote was quoted from the Torah. Moses did as he was told and went to the pharaoh and told him to free the Israelites. Each time the pharaoh refused, God punished Egypt with terrible plaques. Finally, the pharaoh agrees, but soon changes his mind and sent his army to go after the Israelites. When they were at the edge of the Sea of Reeds, Moses raised his staff and the Sea of Reeds parted. The Israelites crossed the sea safely, however, the Egyptians did not. After 40 years of traveling from their freedom from Egypt, throughout that 40 years, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were the laws and teachings of the Judaism, which also became the foundation of Judaism. According to the Torah, Moses climbed Mount Sinai, which means “Mountain of God”, and came down with two tablets, which had the Ten Commandments carved on them.
   2. Abraham

      Annotations:

      • Abraham is known as the father of the Jews. Abraham showed respect and faith in God, and God named him Abraham, which has the meaning of “father of many”. Abraham’s original name was Abram. In Ur, Mesopotamia, while most people believe in multiple gods, Abraham introduced a belief that believes in only one god, which is God. When Abraham was 75 years old, God said to Abraham, "Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” Abraham was told to go to the country that God will show Abraham with his family. The land God showed Abraham was Canaan. Canaan was known as the “Promise Land” later on. According to the Torah, God and Abraham made a promise, when Abraham was 99 years old. God promised to love and protect Abraham’s descendants, and in return, Abraham and his people would serve God, dedicate themselves to God and live in a way that God would be pleased. Also, God promised 100 years old Abraham and 90 years old Sarah that they would have a son. The son was named Isaac.
   3. David

      Annotations:

      • King David’s well-known for his faith and courage. King David united the Israelites within a kingdom, known as Israel. As said in the Hebrew Bible, the Israelites were promised by the Philistines, that if the an Israelite could defeat the most fierce warrior of the Philistines, the Philistines would become Israelites’ slaves. Despite that King David, at that time, he was not an adult yet, he went and defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone. King David’s faith and courage allowed him to become king of the Israelites, it was his reward. God said, in the Hebrew Bible, “I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.” As mentioned, King David united the Israelites within a kingdom, which was Israel. He made the central government strong. Israel was given its army, officials and courts by King David. Jerusalem became Israel’s capital city, chosen by King David. David also had the Ark of the Covenant, Israelites’ most cherished object. Inside the Ark of the Covenant was the Ten Commandments. The Ark of the Covenant was placed in Jerusalem. Jerusalem became a holy city with the Ark of the Covenant was placed there.
   4. Solomon

      Annotations:

      • King Solomon was King David’s son. King Solomon began to be king approximately in 965 BCE. King Solomon was remembered for his wisdom. The Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes and The Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew bible are ascribed to Solomon. Solomon built the First Temple in Jerusalem to be the house of the Ark of the Covenant. The First Temple in Jerusalem also is being the center of the Jewish worship. King Solomon made deals with kingdoms near the kingdom of Israel, expanded industries and enlarged the overseas trades, and that concluded to strengthening the kingdom of Israel.
   5. The Torah

      Annotations:

      • The Torah is Judaism’s most cherished text. The Torah includes the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, which are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah has written documents and the teachings of the Jews. Also, the Torah has lots of commandments that teaches righteous and religious behaviors. Traditions and stories in ancient times of the Jewish people were passed down for generations. After years, the traditions and stories were recorded down.
2. Christianity

   Annotations:

   • Christianity is a similar religion to Judaism. Christianity is also a monotheistic religion. The followers of Christianity are called Christians. Christians also believe in God like the Jewish people. The difference between Christians and Jews is that Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Jews don’t believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Also anyone can become a Christian, but to be a Jew you have to be born a Jew. The Jews believe that they are the descendants of Abraham, so you must be a descendant of Abraham to be a Jew.
   1. Jesus

      Annotations:

      • In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, there are four Gospels that were written years after Jesus’s death. Gospels are the teachings and the life of Jesus. The four Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. According to the Gospel of Luke, an angel came to Mary and told her that she would have a son and she shall name him Jesus. The Roman emperor, Augustus, commanded a census of the people in the Roman Empire. Every man was to return to the town where he was born in, and they were to be counted. Joseph, Mary’s husband, went to Bethlehem from Nazareth. Bethlehem was in the region of Judea. Mary went along with her husband. When they went to Bethlehem, all the inns were full, so they had to stay in a barn, where Jesus was born, in 6 BCE. Jesus was born Jewish. When Jesus was born, he was born in the time when King Herod was in reign, from 37 BCE to 4 BCE. The family of Jesus went back to Nazareth after Jesus was born, and is possible that he grew up in Nazareth and learned carpentry, since his father was a carpenter. Jesus surprised the rabbis, in the great Temple of Jerusalem, with his intelligence and understanding of the Jewish law.
      1. Disciples

         Annotations:

         • Jesus started to preach in Galilee, after praying in the wilds for 40 days. People got together and listen to Jesus preach. The number of people who wen to hear Jesus preach increased. Jesus soon gained what he called disciples.
      2. Parables

         Annotations:

         • Parables are one of the favorite styles that Jesus likes to teach. An example of a parable told by Jesus, according to the Hebrew Bible, was the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The parable was talking about how a man got robbed and attacked by robbers. Two local people went by the man who got robbed and attacked, but did not do anything about it. A good Samaritan, who was a stranger to the man helped the man until he got better. The moral lesson in this parable is to treat others the way you would want to be treated.
      3. Resurrection

         Annotations:

         • The governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, a Roman, decided to kill Jesus on the cross. A normal form of a person being executed was by that person being nailed or tied to a cross, until the person had died. Few of Jesus’s faithful followers took Jesus’s dead body, after Jesus’s death, and buried Jesus in a tomb. The Resurrection of Jesus happened three days later. Jesus’s Resurrection convinced the disciples of Jesus that he was the Son of God. Jesus later left his disciples and followers to join God, his father.
      4. The Teachings of Jesus

         Annotations:

         • The teachings of Jesus were accorded to the traditional beliefs of the Jews. The Gospels says that Jesus highlighted on love and mercy.
   2. Judea

      Annotations:

      • Christianity originated in Judea. Judea was under the rule of the Romans in 63 BCE. Jews rebelled to the Roman control, for a number of times. Jesus was born in the area of Judea, in 6 BCE. King Herod was in reign, from 37 BCE to 4 BCE. Even though King Herod was not born a Jew, he did practiced the Jewish religion. King Herod was important to the Jews because he rebuilt the Temple of Jerusalem. King Herod was distrusted by many Jews because the Jews thought King Herod was just a puppet, used by the Romans. Unfortunately, King Herod died in 4 BCE and the kingdom was split into thirds for King Herod’s three sons. The protest of the Jews happened again. Rome, then, replaced Herod’s three sons with a military governor, to reclaim control.
   3. Constantine

      Annotations:

      • Constantine, a Roman emperor, reigned from 280 CE to 337 CE. He had a dream that if he fought under the cross, he would win victory of a battle. So he fought under the cross, and won. The Edict of Milan was announced in 313 CE by Constantine. It gave Christians the right to practice their religion in public. The future emperors accepted the Christian religion. Emperor Theodosius I forbidden all of the pagan sacrifices. And at the time 380 CE, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.     
   4. Messiah

      Annotations:

      • When Jesus was at the age of 30, John the Baptist, a teacher, recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Christians believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but the Jews did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
   5. Missionary

      Annotations:

      • As Christianity spread, Christians were noticed by the Romans in the 60 CE. At the beginning, the Romans did not fear the Christians because they thought that one God of the Christians can’t be compared to the many gods of the Romans. Christians would not worship the Roman gods and also would not believe that the emperor was a god. The number of Christians grew larger and it is forming a threat to the Romans. After some time, Christianity was illegal. Some emperors put Christians to death in many ways. Some of the Christians were crucified, burned to death, brought into the arenas and were eaten by wild animals in front of crowds of people. The death of some Christians included Paul. Paul was a missionary. A missionary, in this case, was someone who attempts to convert other people who was not a Christian to believe in Christianity.
      1. Paul

         Annotations:

         • Paul was a missionary. He did not believe in Christianity before, but something happened. He saw a very bright light and the voice of Jesus that changed Paul. That was a vision that changed Paul’s entire life. He became a missionary and help convert people who aren’t Christians become a Christian.
   6. Passover

      Annotations:

      • Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Passover. Passover is an annual Jewish festival, celebrating the rescue of the Jewish people from Egypt by God. Jesus clarified that he would be killed and destroyed by his enemies. One of the Jesus’s disciples, Judas, chose to betray Jesus. After the Last Supper, Jesus went to the garden to pray. Judas told where Jesus was and he was captured by Jesus’s enemies and the disciples escaped. Jesus gained large number of followers in Jerusalem and the Romans were afraid that Jesus would lead a revolt.
   7. The Christian Bible

      Annotations:

      • The Christian Bible is like the Torah of the Jews. The Christian Bible is the cherished text of the Christians. The Christian Bible contains collections of stories, including the Gospels.