Judaism
Is Judaism composed of many 'small religions' or one underlying
religion?
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 exiled and restricted
from this place for most of their history. Jerusalem is not only home
to Judaism, but to the Muslim and Christian religions as well.
Historically this has made it quite a busy place for the various groups.
Jerusalem is where the temple of the...
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