Among the most ancient religious beliefs, Judaism deserves special interest. This trend appeared long before Christianity and Islam, and was the basis for their formation. Judaism is the first monotheistic religion in which belief in one God, the creator of the whole world, is realized. A feature of the doctrine is the idea of "God-chosenness" of one people.
Prerequisites for the emergence of Judaism
It is believed that religion began to emerge around the first millennium BC. Many scholars believe that the formation of Judaism was influenced by the mythological worldviews of the cultures that preceded it. Among them, such as the Egyptian and Babylonian-Sumerian had a particular influence. It is worth noting that the foundations of the doctrine were gradually formed over several centuries, starting from the 19th century BC. Then the first ideas about the one God Yahweh appeared, and religion began to receive recognizable features.
The whole history of the origin of Judaism is connected with the history of the Jewish people. At the same time, the process took place in several stages, against the background of the migration of Semitic and Aramaic tribes to the territory of modern Israel and was reflected in the biblical stories about Abraham, Jacob and Moses. At the same time, the first who began to worship the One God is Abraham. And under Moses, the Jewish people received the basic commandments and laws that govern all aspects of life, both religious and secular, that were included in the Torah. Gradually, the original pagan cults turned into recognizable Judaism. But at the same time, traces of totemism can still be found in the Old Testament.
Temple period
In the 9th century BC, the state of Israel appears, uniting all Jewish tribes, its center was the city of Jerusalem. It was at this time that the Jerusalem Temple was erected - the main religious building, which became the spiritual center of Judaism. During this period, the centralization of power took place.
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This stage ended in 586 BC, when the temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, and the Jews, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, had to move to Babylon. Later, the temple in Jerusalem was revived, like the custom of sacrifice, but after its second destruction, which occurred in 70 BC. e., sacrifices were gradually replaced by worship services in the form of prayers. At the same time, synagogues began to become widespread - buildings in which meetings of believers were held to conduct prayers and study the Torah - the code of laws received, according to legend, by Moses from God. In the synagogue it was no longer possible to offer sacrifices, unlike the temple in Jerusalem. At the same time, in contrast to the priests, scribes also appeared - people who were engaged in the interpretation of the Torah and taught the laws collected in it to others.
Sadducees and Pharisees
The further development of Judaism led to the emergence of two types of its adherents - Sadducees and Pharisees. The first included representatives of the nobility and clergy. The latter were mainly represented by the middle class and were adherents of scribalism. At the same time, the Sadducees were more conservative - they zealously adhered to the accepted canons, sharply denying the possibility of changing them in accordance with the spirit of the times. In addition, the adherents of this movement rejected the existence of the afterlife and other mystical manifestations. The Pharisees, on the contrary, were more open to changes, but with the condition of maintaining the basis on which Judaism was based.
Talmudism and rabbinism
The further period of development of Judaism is associated with the Jewish War, which took place from 67 to 73 AD. e., during which the Jewish people were expelled from Israel. As a result, communities of Jews appeared on the territory of Asia and the Roman Empire, which differed from each other in their way of life, traditions and language. Their main task was to preserve traditions and religion, so that it would not be forgotten by descendants.
In such conditions, the Talmud was created, which was the second of the main sacred books after the Tanakh code, consisting of 2 parts. The first, the Mishnu, included a set of laws and rules according to which the life of a believer should be carried out. It touched upon all aspects of existence - from the rules of worship, to the appearance and daily routine. The second part of the book, the Gemara, consisted of commentaries on the first part, thanks to which the study of the Talmud was greatly facilitated.
At the same time, the system of worship has also radically changed, in which the main criteria were the rejection of sacrifices and the use of a synagogue as a central religious object, where prayer rituals were held, as well as public meetings. The study of the code of doctrine and worship was carried out under the guidance of rabbis - spiritual teachers who were no longer priests.
Further development
The expulsion of Jews from Israel influenced the further development of religion. Thus, the teachings of Kabbalah appeared, in which various mystical practices had a strong influence on religion. Great importance was attached to symbolism.
Further, Judaism continued to develop. In the Middle Ages, an attempt was made to adapt religion to the European way of life, therefore, along with the traditional trend, a reformist one appeared. At the moment, traditional Judaism is practiced by the inhabitants of Israel, while the Jews living in Western countries adhere to the reformist trend.