A Comparison Of Judaism, Islam, & Christianity

Religion is one of the driving forces behind many of the events and attitudes that have shaped our world. Throughout the centuries, laws have been enacted; cities and countries have been created and destroyed; and wars have been fought, all to promulgate or protect one religion or another. This paper will examine aspects of the three major Western religions of the world: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Topics covered will include the origin of all three religions, the view of God held by each tradition, and conflicts. Several of the beliefs of these religions will be examined, such as judgment, and the Trinity.

Origin of Judaism
The origins of Judaism can be traced back to the stories of the Old Testament, or Tanakh. Although these stories cannot be substantiated by other historical means (there are no historical references to the Hebrews until 1230 BCE) careful examination of the Tanakh indicate that Abraham, the first patriarch of the Jews, lived between 1700-1900 BCE.
Abraham, his son Isaac and grandson Jacob are said in the Bible to form the nucleus of the new religion. These patriarchs, along with their wives Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel (the matriarchs) established their new religion in the land of Canaan.

Jacob fathered twelve sons. These men became the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel. Due to famine in Canaan, these men moved with their families to Goshen, which was located in Egypt.

The lot of the Jews in Egypt was not good. About four centuries after the relocation from Canaan to Egypt, the Israelites had become the slaves of the pharaohs, building the massive monuments that are still standing to this day.

In the book of Exodus, the new leader of the Jews, Moses, leads the people out of bondage in Egypt. The defining moment in the Jewish tradition occurs when God speaks to Moses and presents him with the Ten Commandments engraved on stone tablets. After forty years, the Jews returned to Canaan, driving out the current occupants and naming the captured city of Jerusalem as the capital. It was here, in the city of David, that the first temple was built.

Origin of Christianity
At the beginning of the Common Era, Jesus Christ was born in the city of Bethlehem. Very little is known about his childhood. Around the age of thirty, Jesus began his ministry with his baptism by John the Baptist, and the gathering of the twelve disciples. While spreading the gospel, Jesus performed many miracles and healed many of the sick and disabled.
Because of his radical beliefs, Jesus ran afoul of the Jewish leaders and the local Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate. He was crucified and resurrected, ascending to Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father.
After being called to serve by a vision of Christ, Apostle Paul (Saul) began to really spread the faith from 48 to 62 CE. Paul’s missionary journeys spread the faith throughout the entire Mediterranean Basin by 100 CE.
During the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine, Christianity became the official religion of Rome in 313 CE. This is the beginning of what would evolve officially into the Roman Catholic Church within the next few decades.

With the fall of the Roman Empire in the west, the western and eastern traditions began to drift apart, and in 1054 excommunicated each other. After western Crusaders ravaged Constantinople in 1204 CE the rift was permanent.

In Germany, a new branch of Christianity developed in 1520 CE when Martin Luther expressed doubts over the legitimacy of indulgences and papal infallibility. Excommunicated from the Catholic Church, Luther was responsible for the Protestant Reformation.

Origin of Islam
In the fortieth year of his life, Muhammad received his revelation from the angel Gabriel in 610 CE. Over the next ten years his mission faced an uphill battle just to survive. The persecution of the Muslims in Mecca under the Quray*censored*es was such that the Hijrah (migration) from Mecca to Medina became necessary in 622 CE.
Consolidating his power base in Medina, Muhammad fended off attacks by Mecca and in 630 made a triumphant return to Mecca. “In 630 CE the prophet returned triumphant to Mecca with such a large band that the Meccans did not