3. A History of Judaism

Introduction

Judaism is the religion associated with the Jewish people and is probably the second oldest world religion after Hinduism. The Jews trace their history back 4000 years to when their nomadic forefathers settled, with fits and starts, in the land they called Israel. They had to fight for this land, and once they attained it, had to repeatedly defend it against various oppressors. The Jews have been expelled from Israel numerous times, only to return after tragic and unexpected events. According to their Holy Book (the Torah) Israel was given to the Jews as part of their agreement with their God. For some Jews, successes against oppressors were seen as blessings by God, failures were seen as punishments from God. Jewish history is full of exciting stories of battle, love, tragedy and hope and often strained relations between the Jewish people and their God. (Picture: The Sacrifice of Abraham by Rembrandt)