This paper discusses the historical background of Judaism presented in World Religions by Oxtoby.
This book also included information on the history of the Jewish people as a culture, as well as the religion. Topics covered included: the concepts of creation, Adam and Eve, the cultural myth of the Hebrews as being God's chosen, the covenant agreements, the Divine Name as holy, the idea of a messiah as an anointed leader in the Hebrew nation, how the five books of Moses came to be called the Pentateuch or Torah, the physical history of the nation itself with its different sects, and the different writings (some included and some not included in the Bible) such as midrashes (explications of biblical text by rabbinical scholars). It also included demonstrating the dramatic shifts in the concepts of God and worship that have occurred as a result of historical events such as the destruction of the temple (twice), the Diaspora, and the result of kingship set up and then destroyed on a nation of a sometime nomadic people who primarily lived through shepherding and agriculture. For example, until 70 CE, there was usually at least one accepted temple where animal sacrifice was still carried out. It was only after Pompey's destruction of Jerusalem that there was a unilateral move from temple worship and priests to synagogue worship and rabbis.
Truly, there was really too much information in the sixty pages of this reading to coherently discuss in a short journal writing. However, there were several impressions I got from the reading that helped explain Judaism, both the culture and the religion, a bit more clearly for me. These were the concept of King David's role in their history, the intertwining of culture and religion, and the evolution of the Bible and other writings to their current form.
While reading about King David's rise to power from youngest son in a shepherding family to King of Judah, it was evident that many of t...