One focus of Unit one is on the development
and expansion of the world’s three major
monotheistic religions.
• What is monotheism?
• The belief in just one God
• So . . . What do you think
polytheism is (remember
your stem words!)
Hale Bopp Comet over the Pyramids
of Giza
• The belief in many gods—
as in all of the ancient
civilizations such as Egypt
and Sumer
Georgia Performance Standard
SS7G8c
• Compare and contrast the prominent religions in
Southwest Asia (Middle East): Judaism, Islam,
and Christianity.
Jerusalem: a holy city to all three religions
SS7G8c: Compare and contrast the prominent
religions in Southwest Asia (Middle East):
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
• Judaism is the oldest
monotheistic religion, and its
foundation lies in the original
covenant made between
Abraham and God, circa 1900
BCE, when Abraham was
called to leave his home in Ur
and travel to Cannan (later
known as Palestine and
Israel).
•
Abraham is regarded as the
father of the Jewish people.
Abraham is the
father of the
Israelites. It is with
Abraham that God
makes his
covenant and
promise. This is a
stained glass
window at St.
Anne’s Belfast
Cathedral in
Northern Ireland.
SS7G8c: Compare and contrast the prominent
religions in Southwest Asia (Middle East):
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
The Torah scrolls that are read in a
synagogue are unpointed text, with
no vowels or musical notes, so the
ability to read a passage from a scroll
is a valuable skill, and usually
requires a lot of practice.
•
Jews believe God made a
covenant with Abraham that his
descendants would be God’s
chosen people. In return they
would have to keep God’s laws.
•
God gave the Jewish people the
10 Commandants and other
rules to live by (contained in the
Torah, the first five books of the
Bible), marking the beginning of
Judaism as a structured
religion.
•
What is the Torah known as?
•
The main religious text of the
Jewish religion.
SS7G8c: Compare and contrast the prominent
religions in Southwest Asia (Middle East):
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
• Abraham’s descendants
multiplied as the twelve
tribes of Israel and entered
Egypt, where they were
eventually enslaved.
• Moses led the Jews out
from captivity in Egypt.
• Jewish civilization after the
exodus prospered in the
kingdoms of Israel and
Judah, originally headed by
powerful kings like Saul,
David and Solomon, who
built the first great temple in
Jerusalem.
What it may have been like fishing
with Moses. 
SS7G8c: Compare and contrast the prominent
religions in Southwest Asia (Middle East):
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
•
In 586 BCE, the Babylonians
overran Jerusalem (the holy city of
the Jews), taking many captives
into exile and destroying the
temple.
•
The Babylonians were from the
region known as Mesopotamia
which literally means the land
between two rivers. Can you name
the two rivers in modern day Iraq
where Mesopotamia was located?
•
Do the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
sound familiar?
•
A second temple was built when the
Jews returned about 538 BCE, to be
destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.
•
The single wall that remains of the
temple, called the Western Wall, is
to this day the most sacred place of
the Jews.
Jews gather at the Western Wall, all
that remains of the great temple at
Jerusalem
Telling Time . . .
•
•
•
•
•
By the way, what does BCE stand for and what did it replace?
Before Common Era, which is the now politically correct term taking the
place of BC (before Christ)
What does CE stand for?
You guessed it—Common Era which takes the place of AD.
Did you know that AD is the acronym for the Latin term anno domini, which
means in the year of our Lord in English?
Telling Time . . .
• So, with that in mind, how
many years passed between
500 BCE and 100 BCE?
• 400!
• Ok, how about from 100 CE to
500 CE?
• 400!
• Hmmm. . . Ok, how about from
100 BCE to 500 CE?
• Did you guess 600?
• You’re right!
• If you have any problems, think
of the timeline of history as a
number line where BCE years
are negatives, and CE years
are the positive numbers.
SS7G8c: Compare and contrast the prominent
religions in Southwest Asia (Middle East):
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
• Some of the Jews exiled to
Babylon migrated along trade
routes further eastwards into
central Asia, even reaching
India and China.
• Under the Romans, Jews
spread across the Roman
Empire, and settled in many
parts of Europe.
• Does anyone know what these
exiles of the Jews from their
holy land were called?
• The Diaspora
The Romans destroyed the Jewish
Temple in 70 A.D., beginning the
second diaspora.
Jewish beliefs cont.
• The Torah consists of the five
books revealed to Moses, also
called the Pentateuch, and is
the most important part of the
Hebrew Bible.
• It tells the story of creation, the
covenant with Abraham and
the Exodus from Egypt. It also
contains the details of the laws
given to Moses, the Ten
Commandments
• The name for a Jewish place
of worship is a synagogue.
• The Hebrew word for God is
Yahweh.
The magnificent Great
Synagogue of Budapest,
Hungary.
Has anyone heard of these
Jewish Holidays?
At the age of 13, a Jewish boy
reads the Torah for the first
time and promises to keep
God's commandments
•
Rosh Hashanah: The beginning of the
Jewish New Year
•
Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement,
the last 10 days of penitence which
marks the opening of the New Year.
•
Hanukkah: An eight day festival which
commemorates the re-dedication of
the temple in Jerusalem after expelling
the occupying Syrians in 164 BCE
•
Passover (Pesach): Week long
memorial retelling the Israelites’
release from Egypt
•
Bar Mitzvah: Coming of age for boys
aged 13. In liberal traditions, an
equivalent ceremony (Bat Mitzvah) is
carried out for girls
•
Shabbat (Sabbath): Day of rest,
worship and fasting, from sunset
Friday to sunset Saturday
SS7G8c: Compare and contrast the prominent
religions in Southwest Asia (Middle East):
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
• Christianity takes its name
from the Greek word ‘Christ’,
meaning Anointed One, whom
Christians believe was Jesus,
the son of God.
• Jesus was born in Bethlehem,
near Jerusalem (both
considered holy cities by
Christians) and grew up as a
Jewish boy.
• At about the age of 30 he
began three years of traveling
and teaching. He taught a new
way of drawing upon the
Jewish tradition.
SS7G8c: Compare and contrast the prominent
religions in Southwest Asia (Middle East):
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
•
Jesus was a Jewish teacher
and prophet who lived in
Palestine in the first century
CE.
•
He revealed himself to be the
Son of God in fulfillment of
Hebrew scripture, and taught
that the Kingdom of God was
coming, bringing with it
forgiveness and new life for all
who believed.
•
His claim to be the Messiah
created opposition from
religious and Roman
authorities and he was
imprisoned and crucified
(executed on a cross). His
followers believe that after his
death, Jesus was resurrected
before being taken up to
heaven.
The yellow areas show the spread of Christianity
from 200 CE to 400 CE.
Christianity continued . . .
•
After his crucifixion Jesus appeared
to his disciples and told them to go
out into the world and spread the
word of God.
•
By around 60 AD Christianity had
spread west and north to many parts
of the Roman Empire.
•
When the pagan Roman empire
conquered Jerusalem in 70 CE,
Christianity attracted many Roman
converts.
•
Although being a Christian under
Roman rule was illegal, churches
were slowly established throughout
the Roman empire, including Europe
and Africa.
Artist rendition of Jesus
appearing to the 12 disciples.
Christianity continued . . .
•
Christians were a persecuted
minority in the Roman empire and
many were executed for their faith.
•
A pivotal event in the early church
was the conversion of the Roman
Emperor Constantine in 312 CE,
who gave State approval to
Christianity and gave it significant
political and financial support.
•
In 300 AD Armenia became the
first officially Christian country. At
the same time Christianity also
spread east through the Persian
Empire as far as China.
Statue of Roman Emperor Constantine from
York in the United Kingdom
Have you heard of these
Christian holidays and festivals?
•
Advent: The beginning of the Christian Year.
Four Sundays before Christmas, Christians
set aside time for reflection and preparation
for recalling the coming of Christ.
•
Christmas (December 25): The celebration
of Jesus’ birth
•
Lent: The 40 days of preparation and
penance which begins on Ash Wednesday
and concludes at sundown on Holy (Easter)
Saturday.
•
Easter: The holiest period of the Christian
calendar. It begins with Good Friday, which
solemnly commemorates Jesus’ crucifixion,
and continues until Easter Sunday which
celebrates the resurrection of Jesus.
•
The holy book of Christianity is the Bible
and the place of worship for Christians is a
church.
SS7G8c: Compare and contrast the prominent
religions in Southwest Asia (Middle East):
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
• Islam means submission to
Allah (God). Islam was
revealed to the Prophet
Muhammad (the founder of
Islam) who lived from 570 CE
to 632 CE in Mecca (a holy city
for Islam along with Jerusalem)
in modern-day Saudi Arabia.
• Muhammad was called to
prophethood when God
dictated the Qur'an to him
through the archangel Gabriel.
Location of the holy city of Mecca in
Saudi Arabia
• Although he gained a small
following in his tribe,
Muhammad was initially
persecuted for his beliefs.
Islam continued . . .
•
In 622 CE he fled to what is now known as Medina, where the first Muslim
political community was formed. The Muslim calendar dates from this
journey, known as the Hijrah.
•
Enlisting the help of nomadic Arab clans, Muhammad returned to Mecca,
stripping the city of all signs of pagan belief.
•
He was generous to those he defeated, however, and many converted to
Islam. Two years later, in front of the Ka'ba in Mecca, he declared Islam the
religion of the people.
The Ka’aba at the Grand
Mosque in Saudi Arabia
Islam continued . . .
• Muhammad continued
receiving messages from God
throughout the later part of his
life. He memorized these
messages and passed them
on to his followers. After his
death they were collected and
written down in the Qur’an
(Koran).
The Qur’an, holy text of Islam.
Notice the geometric design on the
cover. That is a trademark of Islamic
art.
• The sayings and deeds of
Muhammad were recorded in
the Hadith. These two books
are the source of guidance for
all Muslims.
Islam continued . . .
• Muhammad took political
and spiritual control.
• He led his followers into
battle 80 times in 10
years and eventually took
control of Mecca two
years before his death.
• Mecca was established
as the center of worship
of Allah.
SS7G8d: Explain the reason for the
division between Sunni and Shia
Muslims.
• Caliph: Means “successor,” the title given to those who took over
leadership of the Umma (the Muslim community) after the death of
Muhammad. The practice of the caliphs is called the Caliphate.
• Sunni Islam: The followers of Sunni Islam make up the vast
majority of Muslims, some 80 to 85 percent. Sunnis believe that
Mohammed did not appoint a successor, and therefore one had to
be appointed by the Muslims themselves. This led to the
establishment of the Caliphate, a series of men who took over
Mohammad's worldly power, but who made no claim to be
Mohammad's spiritual successor.
• Shia Islam: The Shiites believed that Mohammed had designated
Ali as his successor and spiritual heir. There are two important
aspects here. First, the idea that Mohammad's heir should be from
Mohammad's family. Second, that unlike the Sunnis, the successor
should be a religious and political leader.
The Spread of Islam
• Muslim troops conquered all of Arabia;
north into Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and Iran;
and westward into Egypt and North
Africa.
• By 643, Muslims had conquered Egypt
and the Persian Empire.
Empire in Damascus (Syria): The
Umayyad Caliphate, 661-750
• After Ali’s death, the
Umayyad dynasty
established itself in
Damascus.
• They were a political and
military power who
expanded the Islamic
empire.
• After the Umayyad dynasty
fell in Damascus in 750, a
different line of the
Umayyad dynasty
continued in Spain until
1492.
Umayyad Empire in Cordoba,
Spain; 755-1492
Inside the Great Mosque in Cordoba, Spain
•
In 755 when the Umayyad Dynasty
was ousted by the Abbasid dynasty
(who made Baghdad the capital), the
last Umayyad prince fled to Spain to
take control there.
•
He wanted to show the world the
greatness of his caliphate.
•
He recruited scholars by offering
overwhelming gifts. Scholars, poets,
philosophers, historians, and
musicians soon made the trek to
Cordoba.
•
An infrastructure of libraries, hospitals,
research institutions, and centers of
Islamic study became commonplace.
The Islamic intellectual tradition and
educational system made Spain a
world leader in this regard for the next
400 years.
The Abbasid Caliphate in
Baghdad, 750-1258
•
In 750AD, Abo al Abbas was
established in Baghdad as the first
caliph of the Abbasid dynasty, which
became an important commercial,
cultural, and famous center of learning
in the Middle Ages.
•
It was regarded in the tenth century,
the intellectual center of the world.
•
As capital of the caliphate, Baghdad
was also to become the cultural
capital of the Islamic world. Baghdad
became a center of power in the
world, where Arab and Persian
cultures mingled to produce a blaze of
philosophical, scientific, and literary
glory.
Abbasid Palace in Baghdad
The Abbasid Caliphate in
Baghdad, 750-1258
• During this time, Islamic art flourished, and
the Sharia (Islamic law was developed).
• Also, Arab control over Islam was broken.
All Muslims were seen as equal—Arabs
and non-Arabs.
The Crusades
•
From the 11th century on, armies
of Christian soldiers (spurred on
by the Pope) led Crusades to
liberate the holy land from the
Muslims.
•
Indiscriminate massive killings and
death resulted, mostly by the
Christians, with nothing really
changing. As of 1250, Muslims
still controlled Palestine.
•
The impression left on the
Muslims was that of ruthless
barbarism, a view that still
influences Muslim understanding
of the West today.
Painting: Last Stand of the Knights Templar
Islam continued . . .
• In Spain, Islamic civilization lasted until 1492
when the Christian monarchs regained power.
• After the collapse of the Empire, Islam remained
the dominant religion in most Middle Eastern
countries and significant pockets throughout
North Africa and Asia.
The Five Pillars of Islam
The practice of religious faith is also built on the
five pillars of Islam:
Shahadah (declaration of faith): "I bear witness that there is no god, but God;
I bear witness that Muhammad is the prophet of God." By reciting this, one
enters Islamic faith.
Salaah (prayer): Muslims are required to pray five times a day and facing in
the direction of Mecca while praying.
Zakat (charity): Muslims are required to give away a percentage of their
earnings to those less fortunate, regardless of their religion.
Saum (fasting): Muslims fast for one lunar month each year, a period called
Ramadan. During this time, Muslims reflect on their behavior and strive to
purify their thoughts.
Hajj (pilgrimage): If it is financially possible, Muslims are required to travel to
Mecca once in their lifetime.
Understanding Political Cartoons
In this political cartoon, why is
this man’s question silly?
Hey, Jack!
Which way's Mecca?
Have you heard of any of these
Islamic holidays or festivals?
• Ramadan: Celebrates the gift
of the Qur'an. During the
month of Ramadan, Muslims
must fast between sunrise and
sunset.
• Dhu Al-Hijja: The month of
pilgrimage during which all
Muslims, at least once in their
life, should try to make the
pilgrimage to Mecca.
• The first day of Muharram:
The Islamic New Year begins
on the day Muhammad left
Mecca to travel to Medina.
What century was that?

Judaism was started circa 1900 BCE. Christianity gets its start with the
birth of Jesus somewhere between 4 BCE and 8 BCE thanks to some poor
accounting by the monk Dionysius in 525 CE. Islam starts up circa 610 CE
when the angel Gabriel appears before Muhammad.

In what century did Judaism begin? Remember, how many years in a
century?

About the 20th century BCE.

Then what century did Christianity begin?

Technically, during the first century BCE, but it is commonly accepted as the
first century CE.

How about Islam?

That’s right! 7th century CE.
Information and pictures courtesy of
the following sources:
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