Early History of Judaism
It has been argued that Judaism can be seen not only as a single
religion, but as a group of similar religions. It has also been
pointed-out that through all the trials and tribulations that Judaism
has suffered through, that there have been common themes that have
proven omni-pervasive. Any institution with roots as ancient and
varied as the religion of the Jews is bound to have a few variations,
especially when most of its history takes place in the political and
theological hot spot of the Middle East.
In this discussion, many facets of Judaism will be examined,
primarily in the three temporal subdivisions labeled the Tribal /
Pre-Monarchy Period, the Divided Monarchy, and the Hasmonean /
Maccabean and Roman Era. Among all the time periods where the religion
has been split, these three seem to be the most representative of the
forces responsible.
As for a common thread seen throughout all Judiasms, the area of
focus here is the place associated with the religion : Jerusalem. This
topic will be covered in detail first, and then the multiple Judaism
arguments will be presented. In this way, it is possible to keep a
common focus in mind when reading about all the other situations in
which the religion has found itself. A brief conclusion follows the
discussion.
A Place to Call Home No other religion has ever been so attached
to its birthplace as Judaism. Perhaps this is because Jews have been ...