Monotheistic Religions

1. The Christian Bible
   1. New Testament

      Annotations:

      • The Old Testament is the second section of the Christian Bible, it contains the four Gospels which tells Jesus's life.
      1. The Four Gospels

         Annotations:

         • The Gospels are written by Jesus's followers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Gospels are accounts of Jesus's life written in Greek some time after he died.
   2. Old Testament

      Annotations:

      • The Old Testament is the first section of the Christian Bible, it's based on the Hebrew Bible, a collection of religious writings.

Annotations:

• Christianity stems from Judaism, as the first Christians are also Jewish. Jesus was Jewish too. 

1. Roman Empire

   Annotations:

   • At first, Roman persecuted Christians, because they couldn't accept the idea of worshipping only one God. But later, Romans saw the determination of the Christians, facing death with no fear, so lots of people converted into Christianity. By 380 CE, Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire.
   1. Emperor Constantine

      Annotations:

      • Constantine is a Roman emperor who ruled from about 280 to 337 C.E. and the first Roman emperor to become a Christian. Before a battle, he had a dream that if he believed in Christ. When he was victorious in the battle, he converted into Christianity. In 313 C.E., Constantine announced the Edict of Milan in which gave Christians the freedom to practice their religion openly. 

1. Jesus of Nazareth (Christ)

   Annotations:

   • Christianity is based on the teachings of Jesus, a man who lived from about 6 B.C.E. to about 30 C.E. 
   1. Disciples (Followers)

      Annotations:

      • Jesus calls his followers disciples.
      1. Twelve Disciples

         Annotations:

         •  Jesus' main followers are called apostles. They are Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot.
   2. Birth

      Annotations:

      • He was born in about 6 B.C.E., during the reign of King Herod. Most of the information about him comes from the writings of his followers. Before Jesus' birth, an angel visited his mother, Mary, in Nazareth, and told her she would have a child and she should name the child Jesus. Later, Mary and her husband, Joseph, travelled to Bethlehem. Mary then gave birth to Jesus in the stable because there were no more rooms in the inn they were staying in. 
      1. Life

         Annotations:

         • Jesus' family moved back to Nazareth after his birth. Jesus probably practiced Judaism and learned carpentry. At age 12, he was said to have amazed rabbis of his knowledge of Judaism. At age 30, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, who identified him as the Messiah (savior). After praying in the wilderness for 40 days, he began preaching in Galilee. Jesus based his teachings on traditional Jewish beliefs. However, the Gospels claim he put emphasis on love and mercy. He gathered a small number to be his followers, or disciples. But not everyone liked Jesus' teachings, some of the people were shocked and angered.
         1. Death

            Annotations:

            • Because Jesus had a large number of followers, the Romans feared that he would lead a rebellion.  Helped by the betrayal of Judas, Jesus was crucified, a common way to punish criminals in the Roman Empire.
            1. Resurrection

               Annotations:

               • Three days after his death, Jesus was said to have resurrected (rose from the dead) so his tomb was empty. It was then when people started spreading his teachings as they now believed, more firmly than ever, that Jesus was the son of God.
   3. Messiah or Not?

      Annotations:

      • Christians believed Jesus was the Messiah, but Jews believed he was merely a prophet because he wasn't born in a time of chaos and turmoil as it was the requirement of the Jews' messiah.

Annotations:

• Around 1950 B.C.E. the Israelites (Hebrews) moved to Canaan. About 1800 BCE, many Hebrews moved to Egypt because of a famine. At first they prospered, then they were made slaves. Then Moses led the Exodus out of Egypt. David and Solomon created the kingdom of Israel and established Jerusalem as the Israelites' holy city.

1. Israelites/Hebrews

   Annotations:

   • The Israelites, originally called Hebrews, founded Judaism.

1. Torah

   Annotations:

   • The Torah contains commandments, or rules, tradition, and stories. It was a written record for the history accounts of the Jewish people which were previously passed orally. There are 5 books of Torah.
2. Hebrew Bible

   Annotations:

   • The Hebrew Bible is a collection of Jewish texts.

Annotations:

• The 4 leaders who contributed the most to Judaism are Abraham, Moses, David, and Solomon.

1. Abraham

   Annotations:

   • Abraham was the ancestors of the Hebrews. He introduced the idea of a single god to the Hebrews. At first he was named Abram and lived near Ur, near Mesopotamia.  According to the Torah (see more at the Torah node), God told Abraham to move his family to Canaan and he would be made the father of a great nation.  Around 1950 B.C.E. they moved to Canaan. 
   1. Covenant with God

      Annotations:

      • God made a covenant with Abraham, He promised to love and protect Abram's descendants. In return, Abram agreed that he and his people would always devote themselves to God. To mark their covenant, God gave Abram a new name, Abraham, which means “father of many.” And promised to make him a father of a great nation of people.God also promised the land of Canaan to Abraham's people. For Jews, Canaan became the “Promised Land.” 
2. David

   Annotations:

   • In about 1000 BCE, David defeats the giant Goliath from the Israelite's rival people, the Philistines. David becomes king of the Israelites and united the Israelites into a single nation known as Israel. He created a strong government. He was a poet and a musician. Many of the Psalms in the Writings in the Hebrew Bible are credited to David.
   1. Jerusalem

      Annotations:

      • David established Jerusalem as a holy city.
3. Moses

   Annotations:

   • Israelites were slaves in Egypt. God told Moses to tell the pharaoh to let the Israelites go. When the pharaoh refused, God sent 10 terrible plagues to Egypt. Finally the pharaoh let them go.  But soon the pharaoh changed his mind. When Moses reached the Red Sea, he parted it by raising his rod. After all the Israelites were safe on the other side, the water flooded over the Egyptians who tried to follow. The Torah calls the escape Exodus. Moses receives the Ten Commandments on Mount. Sinai. 
   1. Exodus

      Annotations:

      •  The Torah calls the escape  from Egypt Exodus.
      1. Ten Commandments

         Annotations:

         • Moses received the Ten Commandments, carved on two slabs of stones, on top of Mount Sinai.  The commandments listed the basic teachings, rules, and how Israelites should worship their God.
4. Solomon

   Annotations:

   • After David's death, his son, Solomon, became king in about 965 B.C.E. Solomon built a great temple in Jerusalem to put the Ark of the Covenant and to serve as the center of Jewish worship. Solomon also was famous for his wisdom. 
   1. First Temple of Jerusalem

      Annotations:

      • Solomon built the great First Temple of Jerusalem to house the The Ark of the Covenant.
      1. The Ark of the Covenant

         Annotations:

         • The Ark of the Covenant contains the sacred Ten Commandments.