Judaism
An Abrahamic, monotheistic ethnic religion of the Jewish people.
Judaism is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, ethnic religion comprising the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of observing the Mosaic covenant, believed to have been established between God and the Jewish people, and it is considered one of the earliest monotheistic religions.
- field
- Religion
- known_for
- Foundational monotheistic religion; source of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and Oral Torah
- founded
- Antiquity (earliest textual references from 2nd century BCE)
- core_texts
- Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim (Tanakh); Mishnah, Talmud, Tosefta, Midrashim
- major_branches
- Orthodox Judaism (including Haredi and Modern Orthodox), Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism
Lore & Background
Judaism's foundational narrative, as recorded in the Hebrew Bible, describes a covenant established between God and Abraham, marked by circumcision. The descendants of Abraham's son Isaac, through Jacob (renamed Israel), were enslaved in Egypt until God commanded Moses to lead them out. At Mount Sinai, God bestowed commandments, laws, and teachings that define the moral and spiritual foundation of the Israelite community. These teachings, along with the Nevi'im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings), form the Written Torah, while the Oral Torah comprises the Mishnah, Talmud, Tosefta, and halakhic Midrashim.
Reader's Guide
Judaism's significance lies in its role as one of the earliest monotheistic religions and its profound influence on later Abrahamic faiths, including Christianity and Islam. Its texts, traditions, and values also shaped Western civilization through Hebraism, alongside Hellenism. The religion is founded on a diverse body of texts and interpretations, with the Torah encompassing at least seventy—and potentially infinite—facets. Major Jewish movements—Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform—differ in their approaches to Halakha (Jewish law), rabbinic authority, and the significance of the State of Israel. Orthodox Judaism holds the Torah and Halakha as divine, eternal, and unalterable, while Conservative and Reform Judaism adopt more liberal interpretations. Historically, rabbinical courts (batei din) enforced Halakha, but today practice is mostly voluntary. The term 'Judaism' itself derives from the Greek Ioudaismos, first appearing in 2 Maccabees, and originally denoted the cultural and religious identity of the Judean people.
Did You Know?
- The term 'Judaism' derives from the Latinized Greek Ioudaismos, first appearing in the 2nd century BCE book of 2 Maccabees.
- The Hebrew Bible is known as the Tanakh, an acronym for its three divisions: Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim.
- The Torah can refer to the Five Books of Moses or, more broadly, to any Jewish text that expands on them.
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