Judaism is the Jewish religion. The Essence and Purpose of Judaism

Judaism in Israel

Formally, Judaism is not recognized as the state religion of the country, but most Israelis, when asked which religion predominates in Israel, answer: “Judaism.”

This religion left its mark on all spheres of life in the country. Almost all food establishments serve kosher food to their guests. Saturday is an official day off, when not only are most shops, cafes, and restaurants closed, but passenger transportation is also not carried out. In many regions of the country you can meet ultra-Orthodox Jews: their way of life is almost no different from that which was typical of their ancestors in 19th-century Europe.

For most researchers, the answer to the question of which faith and religion predominates in Israel is completely obvious. Of course, this is Judaism. The overwhelming number of Jewish believers are Orthodox. There are few Jewish Protestants and Reformed Jews, although they also have influence in the state and society.

Interfaith differences are quite strong in Judaism, and therefore a religious Zionist dressed in a knitted kippah in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood could get into serious trouble if local residents consider him to be insufficiently respectful of Jewish traditions. It should be noted that during military operations, all residents of the country unite, which, undoubtedly, is a merit of Judaism.

This religion preaches ten basic commandments:

• ban on the image of God;
• monotheism;
• honoring parents;
• prohibition on taking the name of God in vain;
• prohibition of theft;
• prohibition of murder;
• prohibition of adultery;
• prohibition of perjury;
• prohibition on wanting something alien;
• requirement to observe Shabbat.

To understand what religion the Jews of Israel profess, it is necessary to stipulate that according to the canons of Judaism, any person has the right to choose between good and evil, but at the same time it is he who must be responsible for his actions. It is interesting that Judaism does not pursue the goal of attracting new followers to its ranks who currently profess other religions. The procedure for accepting a non-Jew into Judaism - conversion - is extremely complex and involves compliance with special requirements: serious study of the Torah, as well as the ability to apply what is contained in it in everyday life.

Religion and faith of the republic. Jews

What is the faith in Israel? If you look at the data on those living in the country, it becomes clear that the main religion of the country is Judaism. More than half of the country's population sacredly honors Jewish traditions, attend synagogues and offer prayers to the Creator. More than 25% of those living in the state are Orthodox, who are known for their extreme religious views. The Orthodox have a majority in parliament, belonging to a party called Shas. Let us note that faith and state are inseparable from each other in Israel.

Jews sacredly honor the Ten Commandments of the Creator. One of them is Monotheism, that is, religion prohibits depicting the Lord, pronouncing his name out loud and, according to the commandments, children are taught:

• honor your parents;
• do not kill your own kind;
• don't steal;
• do not commit adultery;
• not to bear false witness;
• strictly observe Shabbat - the seventh day of the week when Jews do not work (many shops in various cities are closed).

According to the faith of the Jews, they are the people whom God himself chose. Understanding this responsibility, many citizens sacredly honor religious holidays. And these are not empty words. The concept of Judaism is the fact that man is a being free in choice between two forces that oppose each other. This is good and evil. Only a person bears full responsibility for what he has done: for his actions, as well as his thoughts. There are special schools for the Orthodox, in addition, they prefer to live in solitude, away from the main inhabitants. They create their own communities. Since faith in a state is its prestige, from a very early age in any Jewish school, children are instilled with a love of faith and family, as well as religious traditions. They teach the rules of morality and ethics. The educational system of the republic is represented by several types of secondary religious educational institutions:

• schools for children from very religious families;
• schools for children from families observing the traditions of the Jewish people;
• schools for children from Orthodox families.

Schools for children from Orthodox families have their own name - “yeshiva”. They work and teach children according to special content programs and schoolchildren are, as it were, in a special position. Children of Orthodox families do not undergo compulsory military service in the Armed Forces of the Israeli Republic and cannot work in secular institutions in the country. The government has made repeated attempts to democratize Jewish society, however, there have been no results yet.

Religious practices

The religious leaders of the Jewish community in Israel are rabbis. In Jewish law they are ordained. Often these are people with advanced degrees. The body of rabbis is the Chief Rabbinate, which preaches the laws of religion, to which Jews obey unquestioningly.

Jews pray in synagogues. According to tradition, men sit here in front of women, who are located behind them, behind a special partition or on the balcony. Rosh Hashanah (New Year) falls in September or October. Jews attend the synagogue for two days and listen to Torah readings. It is interesting that even today, believing Jews all over the world, when praying, turn their faces to Israel, and Jews who are in Israel turn to Jerusalem. Believers in Jerusalem turn their prayers to the Temple Mount.

Ancient prophecies predict that the Messiah (Mashiach) will build the Third Temple on the Temple Mount, which will ultimately become a center for the Jews and all humanity.

Definition problem [↑]

Judaism is often called the “first Abrahamic religion,” meaning that the first Jew, Abraham, is the ancestor of the “Hebrew religion”, from which Christianity later emerged, as well as the fact that Islam includes the prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) in its history. It is often said that Judaism is one of the oldest religions that has survived to this day, and certainly the most ancient of all monotheistic religions. This means that during the time of Abraham, an “idolatrous consensus” developed in the world, but Abraham and his followers held completely different views than everyone around them: they preached faith in One Single G-d, the Creator of all things.

Circumcision of a boy on the 8th day is one of the important commandments in Judaism

The term “Judaism” is adopted in Russian primarily to designate the “Jewish religion.” Commandment-keeping Russian-speaking Jews also use this word, however, implying the entire complex of Jewish tradition. The word “Judaism” has its origins in ancient Greek: in the 2nd Book of Maccabees, which was written in Greek, the word Ἰουδαϊσμός (“judaismos”) is found. After the disappearance of the 10 tribes of Israel, the name of the representative of the tribe of Judah - “Yehudi” - became synonymous with the word “Ivri” (Jew), i.e. “Judaism” is “Jewishness”, understood as an ideological movement, a direction of thought, a complex of beliefs and ideas, Lifestyle.

At the same time, in the Jewish Tradition itself, from time immemorial, similar, but more precise terms have been used to define themselves. In the Holy language, after returning from Babylonian captivity, the name יַהֲדוּת‏ (“Ya’adut”) was adopted - “Jewishness,” which means not only the religious and ideological component of Jewry, but also Jewish origin (on the maternal side).

Yiddish uses the concept ייִדישקײַט‎ (“Yiddishkeit”), meaning “Jewish way of life”, which includes “religion”, worldview, ethics, and laws and customs - with an emphasis on practical confession and implementation of this entire set of norms and performances in real life.

Other religions of the country: Christianity

When figuring out which religion predominates in Israel, one cannot fail to mention Christianity, which had a strong influence on the state. For a long time, this land was divided and conquered by crusaders and Muslims - Saracen warriors. Trade routes were established here, which contributed to the mixing of cultures, languages ​​and religions.

According to official statistics, there are few Christians in the country - 2% of the total population. Christianity in the country is represented mainly by Catholics, Orthodox and Maronites. Orthodoxy of the republic is represented by the Greek Orthodox Church, headed by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. In addition, the Romanian, Russian and American Orthodox churches have their own representations. There are very few Protestants in Israel: they are represented only by the Evangelical Episcopal Church with two thousand parishioners and the Lutheran Church (the parish numbers no more than a thousand people).

There is also an Armenian church in Jerusalem. The Armenian community today numbers about two thousand people. Throughout the country there are Christian churches belonging to various faiths, including the world-famous Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Jerusalem).

Jerusalem

Despite the fact that all the cities of the state are beautiful and interesting in their own way from the point of view of history and religion, the capital of the state is the city of Jerusalem. It does not have such skyscrapers as Tel Aviv, but the Old City is located on its territory. This is a monument to Christianity and Judaism, a holy place for millions of people on the planet. Jerusalem makes an indelible impression on tourists and travelers. In the morning, bells sound interspersed with the noise of a sonorous and modern city. But modernity (expensive hotels and restaurants, bars and cafes) is intricately combined with attractions - monuments that still remember the steps of the Creator.

Islam

We found out what religion the Jews of Israel preach, but what about other residents of the country? The overwhelming number of Arabs living in this young state profess Islam. But even among them there are people who adhere to the Christian faith.

Arabs have their own shops, schools for children, and catering establishments in Israel. Amazingly, in Jerusalem, for example, it is impossible to meet an Arab among the Jews, and vice versa. There is no language barrier between them: most Muslims have an excellent command of English and local languages. Islam in Israel is mainly represented by Sunnis. The main religious figures of the Muslim community are muezzins, who are fluent in the Koran and carry out the call to prayer in the mosque.

The structure of the republic and its inhabitants

The official languages ​​of the country are Hebrew and Arabic. According to its state structure, Israel is a unitary country, a democratic republic. Note that Israel can hardly be called a developing country. This is a state with a high standard of living among the countries of the Middle East. But not only among them, but also among many countries on the world stage. The Declaration of Independence states that Israel is a Jewish state. At the same time, the country acts as a democratic multinational state, where representatives of other nationalities also live together with Jews. Each of them has their own faith. But the largest number are Arabs, who, according to rough estimates, make up 21% of the total population. The remaining population is distributed as follows:

• Jews – 75%;
• Arabs - 21%
• other population – 4%.

Among other populations, there are Christians, Bedouins, Armenians, Samaritans, etc.

Baha'ism

Which religion is considered the youngest among the Jews of Israel? This is Baha'ism, whose history is a little over 100 years old. Like all young religions, it lays claim to world domination because it declares the greatness of its tasks and the humanity of its goals.

Baha'is are adherents of universal human values ​​and spiritual unity of all inhabitants of our planet. Baha'is have their own spiritual leader - the Bab, and even their own prophet - Baha'u'llah. For a long time after his death, the remains of the Bab could not find peace. His relics were secretly transported from place to place for 60 years by his adherents until they were finally buried in Haifa, on Mount Carmel.

In many Muslim countries, supporters of Baha'ism are considered apostates. The situation is different in Israel: which religion is closer to you, each person must decide for himself. That is why thousands of adherents of the new religion visit Haifa every year.

The Chosenness of the Jews [↑]

From the point of view of Judaism, all people are created equal, each person is unique, each person is created “in the image and likeness.” At the same time, the Jewish people were chosen by the Almighty to carry out a special task: they are a “priest people” who must bring knowledge about G-d to humanity. G‑d made an alliance with the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. This union cannot be broken.

The commandments are the obligations of the Jewish people within the framework of this “treaty of union.” The 613 commandments of the Torah (as well as numerous rulings of the sages) impose special responsibilities on Jews. Other nations, from the point of view of Judaism, are not obliged to observe all these commandments: they need to fulfill the 7 Commandments of the descendants of Noach.

According to Jewish law, tefillin and tallit are worn during morning prayer.

Judaism requires a Jew to be an example for others, to sanctify the Name of the Most High in this world. At the same time, Judaism is not actively involved in attracting proselytes from other nations—activities to introduce the Torah are carried out among secular Jews. However, any non-Jew can become part of the people of Israel through a ceremony called conversion in a rabbinical court. A proselyte is considered a Jew in all respects.

Jewish Holy Sites: Temple Mount

The height of the mountain is 774 meters above sea level. Its top is surrounded by high walls and is a rectangular square, rising above the rest of Jerusalem. This is a sacred place for representatives of Judaism. They believe that in this place the Lord placed “even ha-shtiya” - the cornerstone of the universe, the foundation stone. The Temple Mount is identified with Mount Moriah. According to legend, it was on it that God ordered Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his only son.

Jewish symbols [↑]

An authentic symbol of Judaism is the widely used image of the Menorah, the seven-branched candelabrum described in the Torah that stood in the Temple in Jerusalem. The six-pointed star, called "Magen David" ("Shield of David"), became widespread only in the 19th century, and many consider it a borrowed symbol. In the design of synagogues, images of “luchot ha-brit” (“tablets of the Union”), lions symbolizing the tribe of Judah and royal power, as well as images of the banners of the 12 tribes are actively used, since each of them illustrated the blessing that the ancestor of the tribe received from his father Yaakov.

II. Religion of Israel

We have presented only a general outline of the Hebrew religion, without touching upon an assessment of its ideological content. What is the deep meaning of this religion, where is its ideological height, thanks to which it served as a foundation for the creation of Christianity? To answer these questions, it is necessary to trace, at least in the most general terms, the history of the Jewish people, to the extent that it served as an expression of religious principles.

The entire history of the Old Testament, beginning with the most ancient patriarchs, serves as an expression of the idea that the life of the chosen people was directed towards a specific goal by a single ruler and manager, Jehovah; The history of Israel is the history of theocracy, divine power, the leadership of God, or more precisely, the history of the implementation of the highest divine goals through the medium of the chosen people. The main direction of this story was determined by the sad fact of the fall of the first people; the violation by the ancestors of God's commandment introduced disharmony into the mutual relations between God and people, because here man for the first time rejected the power of God in order to give place to his own will, his own desire. The sad consequences of this rejection of divine power were not long in coming to light in the family of the forefathers themselves: Adam’s eldest son Cain became a fratricide. After ten generations, such a moral decline, such moral savagery, is revealed in the human race that it could only be stopped by exterminating all corrupt humanity in the waters of the global flood, from which only the patriarch Noah and his family were saved, becoming the ancestor of a new generation of people.

But this did not prevent the further discovery of human sinfulness, which soon again intensified so much that God could concentrate his covenant with people only in the chosen race of the father of believers Abraham. Having concluded an alliance with him, God brought into the midst of people suppressed by the consciousness of their alienation from Jehovah the first ray of bright hope that through the descendants of Abraham, the broken union of God with the entire human race would again be restored: “all the families of the earth will be blessed because of you,” in these words for the first time the idea was expressed about the high destiny of the descendants of Abraham - to be the spiritual light of all nations and to prepare the way for the salvation of people from the hardships of sin. In his person, Abraham showed an exceptional example of complete submission to divine leadership: at the word of the Lord, he leaves his native land, breaks ties with his father’s house, moves to an unknown and alien country, and ultimately expresses his readiness to sacrifice his only son from Sarah, Isaac, to God. . The covenant of God with the descendants of Abraham with his son and grandson remains inviolable, but then fratricide almost again occurs in the family of Jacob: the enmity of the sons of Jacob against their innocent brother Joseph, treacherously sold into slavery, ultimately led to the fact that the family of Jacob was forced move to Egypt, where the people descended from him were brought to complete enslavement.

The deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery under Moses was perhaps the greatest event in the entire history of the Jewish people; through this event Jehovah comes into the closest relationship with his people; from this moment He becomes “for Israel, first of all, God, who brought him out of Egypt; this is the root of all Israel's ideas (at least in the pre-prophetic period) about the mutual relations between itself and Jehovah; deliverance for Israel was not only the support of his faith and the basis of his hopes, but also a guarantee for future well-being” (Valeton). From then on, Israel had constant confidence that Jehovah was his helper in the fight against other nations; every war with the Canaanite tribes was in his eyes a war of Jehovah himself, on whom alone the outcome of the battle depended. Perhaps in connection with this belief is the name of Jehovah with the word Sabaoth (צבות‏, Tsebaoth), i.e. Lord of hosts, although in this name one must undoubtedly see an indication of Jehovah’s dominion over the heavenly host of angels (Isa. 6: 1–3 ).

The Jewish people were brought up in suffering and severe adversity in the hostile Egyptian country, but this did not teach them filial obedience to their God. Even further events, namely, the forty-year wandering in the desert, the harsh law given at Sinai, the long-term struggle with the Canaanite tribes, in which divine help was manifested at every step, although they were a harsh school for the Jewish people, did not force them to appreciate the meaning of God's leadership in his life. The “stiff-necked” people, even on the way to the land of Canaan, repeatedly raised a murmur against Moses and Jehovah himself, even expressing a desire to return to Egypt again; at Sinai itself, he began to worship a calf cast from gold; When Aaron and his sons were elected to serve in the priestly rank at the tabernacle, open indignation was discovered among the people. Instead of keeping a distance from the neighboring Canaanite tribes, Israel entered into marriage relations with them and adopted from them the depraved and inhuman cult of Ashtoreth and Molech. But the more obvious this rejection of divine power was manifested among the Jews, the more persistently Jehovah led them to national isolation, since only in this way could the complete merging of Israel with the pagan Canaanite peoples be prevented and force it to value the truth entrusted to it. For this very purpose, the Lord constantly handed over the Jews to the power of neighboring nations, sending deliverance only when the people again turned with faith and trust to their Jehovah.

As the single unlimited ruler of the theocratic kingdom, Jehovah, according to the Mosaic legislation, concentrates in his hands royal power and the supreme right of legislation, justice, war and peace. But in 1055 BC, the Jews, carried away by the example of other nations, wished to have a king; this was a violation of theocratic principle, so the desire of the people was not pleasing to Jehovah: “I brought Israel out of Egypt, He spoke through the prophet Samuel, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you; but now you have rejected your God and said to Him, “Set a king over us” (1 Samuel 10:18-19). Yet Israel's desire was granted. Although the royal power greatly contributed to the national unification of Israel, even during the period of the kings it was necessary to constantly struggle with the attraction of Jews to communicate with foreign peoples. Thus, all the ideals of the sub-legal period focused on preserving the purity of religious truth through the national isolation of the Jews: Jehovah is the God of Israel, and Israel is the people of Jehovah - this is the basis on which Jewish history developed during this period.

But as the national unity of Israel was strengthened, the idea that Israel’s calling is of a universal character, that the religious truth that it possesses should be the property of all peoples, became more and more stronger in the minds of the best people. This thought is partly expressed in the prayer of King Solomon, which he said after the construction of the temple in Jerusalem: “If a foreigner, who is not from Your people Israel, comes from a distant land for the sake of Your name, and he comes and prays at this temple, hear from heaven , from Your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner calls upon You, so that all the nations of the earth may know Your name, so that they may fear You, like Your people Israel” (1 Kings 10:41-43). But the highest exponents of such a universal idea were the Jewish prophets, from whom prophetic writings have been preserved to this day.

On the basis of theocracy, as a single divine power, the Jews arose three ministries: priestly, royal and prophetic. The prophets apparently had no official authority; their service was not, like the royal and priestly service, hereditary; it was God’s free election of the most worthy people to proclaim his will; but still their service was perhaps the highest of all. “Prophetic power is presented in the Bible as the source of all others. We will not find anywhere in the word of God that, for example, the representative of the worldly principle in a theocracy, i.e., the king, appointed priests and prophets: on the contrary, we know that Moses, who, as the divine-human chosen one, as a mediator between Jehovah and Israel, was and was called a prophet - he dedicated Aaron and his sons; and then the prophet Samuel establishes royal power and anoints the first kings - Saul and David" (Vl. S. Solovyov).

The influence of the prophets was purely moral and turned out to be all the more irresistible because they stood out from the entire mass of the people with their holiness and complete selflessness: complete unselfishness, renunciation of all worldly attachments, impeccable moral life, readiness for all hardships, suffering and even death itself for glory. God of Israel - all this should have inspired special confidence in them on the part of their compatriots. These were, in the full sense, the lights of the people, openly speaking the truth to the king, the priest, the nobleman, and the masses, preaching in the courtyard of the temple, at the city gates, in the royal palaces, in a word - everywhere and to everyone who wanted and did not want to listen to them sermon. The Bible reports about many prophets who were not afraid to denounce even kings and for this were subjected to persecution and even death.

The preaching of the earlier prophets was also directed towards the establishment of national life; but they did not at all try to instill in their compatriots aspirations for national separatism; they pursued only one goal: to educate the people in loyalty to Jehovah and thus preserve religious truth in the human race from oblivion and distortion. The call to unity with Jehovah was the subject of constant preaching by the prophets; “The Lord is with you when you are with Him; if you seek, He will be found by you; if you forsake Him, then He will also forsake you” (2 Chron. 15:2) - this thought runs like a red thread in all prophetic speeches. – But in the later period, this protective goal in the activities of the prophets little by little acquired secondary importance; according to V.S. Solovyov, they become “builders of the future”, supporting among the people faith and hope in the coming kingdom of the living God. Their preaching is increasingly taking on the character of a prophecy about a new universal theocracy, which should embrace all nations. Although the entire environment of their activity and the starting point of their preaching are completely national in character, the theocratic ideal they proclaim represents clear features of true universalism. “Every knee shall bow to Me,” says Jehovah in prophetic words; Every tongue will swear by me. From the east of the sun to the west, my name will be great among the nations, and in every place they will offer incense to my name, a pure sacrifice; My name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts” (Isa. 45, 23, 24. Mal. 1, 11). Thus, the former principle: “Jehovah is the God of Israel, and Israel is the people of Jehovah,” receives a completely different meaning and new meaning from the later prophets: “Jehovah, the God of Israel, will be the God of all nations.”

At the same time, in the preaching of the prophets, the religion of the Jews acquires an increasingly ethical character. If in the past the covenant of God with the people was expressed primarily in external forms and ritual actions, then in prophetic preaching the sign and foundation of this covenant is recognized as internal purity, moral and spiritual closeness to Jehovah. “This is the covenant, says Jehovah, that I will make with the house of Israel: I will put My law within them, and write it on their hearts. And I will give them one heart and put a new spirit within them, and I will take the stony heart out of their breasts and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My commandments and keep My statutes” (Jeremiah 31, 33. Ezek. 11, 19-20 ). Thus, among the prophets, “the union of Jehovah with Israel received an essentially ethical justification. If Israel did not satisfy this condition, then its advantages turned into harm, and it felt doubly the terrible severity of Jehovah’s righteous demands, for Jehovah was first of all a God of righteousness, who even renounces his people if the preservation of justice required it. Valeton). This thought is expressed by Jehovah in the prophetic speeches of Amos: “Only you (the sons of Israel) have I recognized from all the tribes of the earth, therefore I will exact from you for all your iniquities. Are you not the children of Israel like the children of the Ethiopians to Me?” (Am. 3, 2, 9, 7).

The hope of a future universal kingdom is combined among the prophets with the idea of ​​the coming great descendant of David, the longed-for Messiah, whose kingdom should be an eternal kingdom. But even in the vision of this future great king, the prophets everywhere bring to the fore an ethical idea: this is not an earthly ruler reigning over the nations with the power of his earthly power, but a herald of mercy, truth and love; He will come “to heal the brokenhearted, to preach freedom to the captives and deliverance to the prisoners” (Isa. 61:1). The idea of ​​the Messiah was essential for the spiritual growth of Israel, since it directed its thought not to the past, but to a bright future, where the moral light of the great deliverer of the nations from the burden of sin and the evil, violence and untruth reigning in the world shone brightly. The idea of ​​the Messiah seemed to concentrate for Israel all its highest ideals, all its cherished dreams, all its best aspirations for a golden age, when only truth and peace would reign in the world. In the days of the Messiah, “many nations will flee to the Lord and become His people. Then many nations will go and say: Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths. And then the tribes of the earth will beat their swords into plowshares (plowshares) and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not raise sword against nation, and they will no longer learn to fight. Then the wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the ox will be together, and a little child will lead them. And the child will play in the asp’s hole, and the child will stretch out his hand into the viper’s nest” (Micah and Isaiah).

In this sermon about the future kingdom of the Messiah, in this enthusiastic call of all peoples to the coming light of moral truth, lies the greatest merit of the prophets. Here one can already feel the germ of that Christian universalism, which makes no distinction between “Jew and Greek, circumcised and uncircumcised, slave and free, man and woman.” In this regard, Judaism, as it appears in the mouths of the prophets, can indeed be considered as a preparatory stage for Christianity; when Jesus Christ appeared on earth, the best part of Judaism, brought up in prophetic ideals, really followed His preaching. But unfortunately, in the post-exilic period, as the voice of the prophets gradually fell silent, that soulless direction in religious life began to emerge among the Jews, which later led to rabbinism and Talmudism.

The brilliant period of the Jewish kingdom was very short-lived: it was limited only to the reign of the first three kings - Saul, David and Solomon. After the death of Solomon, the unified monarchy splits into two kingdoms - Judah and Israel (in 953); in the fight against external enemies and internecine hostilities, their strength gradually weakened. The kingdom of Israel lasted only about 230 years and was conquered by the Assyrians; the Israelites taken captive to Assyria apparently mixed with the native population and left no traces of their existence here. The kingdom of Judah retained its independence longer, but in 586 it too was conquered by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar; the city of Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed, and a significant part of the inhabitants were taken captive to Babylon. With the transition of Judea to the rule of the Persians, several tens of thousands of Jews returned to their homeland by order of the Persian king Cyrus; and the city of Jerusalem and the temple were restored, but subjugation to foreign dominion continued: the domination of the Babylonians and Persians was replaced by the Macedonian, then the Egyptian and finally the Syrian; after a short period of the independent state of Judea (142–63), power over Judea passed to the Romans, who, with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 after A.D., ceased forever the existence of the kingdom of Judea.

Under the influence of these historical circumstances, two trends emerged in the spiritual development of the Jews. Quite a significant part of the Jews who lived outside their fatherland joined the general cultural life of educated peoples; she established trade relations with Alexandria, Cyprus, Syrian and Asia Minor cities, and even with Europe. This is the so-called Judaism of dispersion or Hellenistic Judaism, which largely retreated from the traditions of Orthodox Jewry and sharply isolated itself from the Jews, both those who lived in Palestine and those who remained in Babylon. Constant contact with Hellenic culture led to the fact that the Jews of the Diaspora not only mastered the Greek language, but also began to become interested in Greek philosophy and partly even religion: this religion, with its aesthetic coloring, with its plasticity, with its poetic myths and solemn ceremonies, could not not to act on the feelings of the Jew, who saw in his religion the extreme simplicity of forms. Even the Palestinian Jews could not resist the charm of Hellenism: when, during the Syrian rule under Antiochus Epiphanes, persecution of Jewish law began, many of the Jews, without the slightest resistance, renounced the faith of their fathers and the law. During the very accession of Antiochus Epiphanes, “the wicked sons of Israel persuaded many, saying: Let us go and make an alliance with the nations surrounding us. Some of the people expressed a desire and went to the king, and he gave them the right to carry out pagan regulations. They built a school in Jerusalem according to pagan custom, and established uncircumcision among themselves, and departed from the holy covenant, and united with the pagans and sold themselves to do evil” (1 Macc. 1:11-15). All the more understandable was the passion for Hellenic culture and wisdom on the part of the Jews of the Diaspora, who, although they continued to adhere to the faith of their fathers, brought into it a significant share of the Greek worldview. This is how the Judeo-Hellenic trend in the field of religious and philosophical thought was born, the most prominent representative of which was the Alexandrian Jew Philo (20 BC - 45 AD). In order to unite Jewish beliefs with Greek philosophy, the Alexandrian Jews developed a special allegorical way of interpreting the sacred books of the Old Testament, thanks to which the truths of revelation came closer to the results of philosophical thought. The translation of the sacred Jewish books into Greek, known as the translation of the 70, opened access to Jewish wisdom and the pagans, who sometimes exchanged their pagan beliefs for the Mosaic Law: from here came two types of proselytes, that is, pagans who converted to Judaism: proselytes gates, who believed in the God of Israel, but did not fulfill the ritual law, and proselytes of truth, who entered the Jewish community as full members and accepted circumcision and the entire ritual law.

Palestinian Judaism took a completely different direction, remaining faithful to the traditions of its fathers. Here, quite early, a special zeal for observing all the requirements of the Mosaic Law arose. Already the disasters of the Babylonian captivity inspired the Jews with the idea that God's punishment befell them for constant violations of the decrees of the law; therefore, fidelity to the law seemed to them the only means to return the mercy of God to the oppressed people, and with it those benefits that were promised by the prophets. This is how that extreme legalistic trend arose in Judaism, which killed the spirit of the ancient Jewish religion and turned it into only one letter. Wanting to define all aspects of life with precise instructions, the Jewish scribes were not satisfied with the decrees of the Mosaic Law alone, which, when applied to real life, seemed to them incomplete and insufficient; They turned to the traditions of their fathers and the customs developed by everyday practice, which they elevated to the level of laws, as binding as the decrees of the Pentateuch or the Torah. From here arose extensive rabbinic literature, which to a large extent began to replace the ancient sacred writing for later Judaism. This includes the Mishnah, Tozefta (addition to the Mishnah), the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds, Midrashim, i.e. interpretations of the holy books, etc. Reverence for the law was brought almost to idolatry: it seemed to replace Jehovah himself for the Jew ; in rabbinical writings the idea began to be expressed that the law existed before the creation of the world, that it, with the throne of glory, constitutes the first creation of Jehovah, that when creating the world God was guided by the Torah, like an architect by a plan, etc.

Along with this legalistic trend, a proud sense of national conceit grew in Judaism. Already in Jewish writings written around the time of Jesus Christ, the idea is very often expressed that the Jewish people constitute the highest and most perfect creation of God, that for the sake of this people the world itself was created, that only they are worthy to celebrate the Sabbath and bear the seal of the covenant with God - circumcision , that only he was born of God, and not of the earth, that Jehovah loves His people because the latter represents the best part of all humanity. It is clear that this national pride forced the Jew to look at other nations with complete contempt. All pagan institutions aroused in the devout Jew a feeling of deep disgust, which grew the more, the more loyalty to the law awakened in the Jews and the more unbearable the yoke of the pagans became over them. Thus, later Judaism completely abandoned the covenants of the prophets, who called all nations to the light of revealed truth.

In their religious beliefs, later Judaism remained more or less faithful to ancient Jewish theology. But, however, a lot of superstitious and legendary things were brought here too; Thus, Jehovah, the God of Israel, began to appear as some kind of abstract being, infinitely distant from the world; on this basis a rough idea of ​​the Shekinah was formed, which is the “glory of Jehovah,” His image; this is the same Jehovah, but manifesting himself in the world. Shekinah is often depicted in a sensually corporeal form, and the dimensions of his body and individual organs are indicated; It is once said about him that at certain hours of the day he either prays, or cries about the destruction of Jerusalem, or amuses himself with Leviathan, etc.

All these modifications and layers in later Judaism drew a sharp line between it and ancient Judaism; therefore, the religion of the later Jews is known under the special name “new Judaism.”

Islam

Islam is the second largest and most important religion on the territory of the modern state of Israel.

From the 8th century to the mid-early 20th century, Islam absolutely predominated in the country.

Dome of the Rock, Public Domain

Among the Muslims of Israel, Sunnis predominate; the Shiite movement is not represented in its pure form, but in the form of its later modifications - Druze (1.7%) and Baha'is.

About 1,500 Alawites live on the border with Lebanon - followers of a religious sect close to the Ismailis (Shiites), but also including elements of Christianity.

Al-Aqsa Lead Dome, Public Domain

Muslims are the largest religious minority in Israel. Israeli Arabs, who make up 20.7% of the country's population, are predominantly Muslim (82.6%), with 8.8% Christian and 8.4% Druze.

The share of Israeli Muslims is trending upward due to the higher fertility of Arabs: 4.0 children on average for Israeli Arab women, compared to 2.7 for Jewish women in 2008.

Foundation stone of the Dome of the Rock mosque, Public Domain

In the Israeli-occupied areas of the West Bank (not included in the statistics above), Muslims outnumber the rest of the population, making up 75% of the population.

Jerusalem

For Muslims, Jerusalem is considered the third most important holy city after Mecca and Medina.

The main shrines of Islam

Jerusalem

1 Al-Aqsa

Al-Aqsa is the third holiest site in Islam after the Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina
Jerusalem.

2 Dome of the Rock

It is believed that this rock is the cornerstone of the universe, since it was from it that the Lord began the Creation of the world