Roots of Religion: Judaism – What Is It and Where Did It Come From?
We consider how best to understand the origins of the laws and customs of the Jewish people, or what we call “Judaism.” We begin by dispelling the notion that Judaism (or any other belief system apart from Christianity) can properly be called a “religion” — a category that derives originally from Christian practice and does not make sense anywhere else. We further examine the roots of the idea of “Judaism” as a concept for the Jewish way of life, concluding with a careful analysis of the meaning of the ancient Greek word “ioudaismos,” which originates in the Book of Maccabees. Finally, we trace the best possible explanation for the origins of the Jewish people in the Bronze-Age Near East, using archaeological evidence including an ancient Egyptian monument and the vandalized ruins of Canaanite temples. Ultimately, we should be able to understand Judaism and its God as the creations of a particular Middle Eastern people not entirely unlike their ancient neighbors. Special thanks to Daniel Boyarin for his help and inspiration.
Who Wrote the Bible? The Hebrew Scriptures
We dissect the origins of the Hebrew Bible (also called the Old Testament by Christians), excavating the deepest layers of the collection of holy books, including the very ancient songs and prayers that were likely passed on orally for centuries before being written down, the scholarly theories of the lost documents that were stitched together to form Genesis and Exodus, and the differing points of view of the various prophets, scribes, and propagandists whose books made their way into the Hebrew canon. Through this excavation, we discover a Bible comprising many voices, many facets, and many hidden meanings.
Myth of the Month 2: The Exodus
We examine the origins and the political and theological meanings of the myth of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. We consider the possible real historical events that might underly the exodus story, including the argument put forward in Richard Elliot Friedman’s new book, The Exodus. Finally, we trace some of the many ways that peoples around the world, from the early Christians to Rastafaris, have adopted the exodus myth and cast themselves as the new Israelites.
The Middle Ages: The Jews of Europe, from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution
We trace the winding paths by which Jews, after the diaspora, sought out social and economic niches in which they were able to survive within European Christian society. We uncover the origins of the two main Jewish groups in Europe — the Sephardic and Ashkenazi — and consider how they adapted to changing conditions, including the increasing assimilation of German Jews in the 1700s, which led on the one hand to the beginnings of Jewish reform and on the other to the appearance of Hasidism, a mystical renewal movement. Most importantly, we consider the deep and long-denied influence of the messianic fervor that swept over Europe in the 1660s surrounding the mercurial and mischievous Greek rabbi, Sabbatai Zvi.
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The Sabbatai Zevi Messianic Movement
I discuss, with Michael of “Xai, how are you?”, the life and times of Sabbatai Zvi, the purported messiah of the 1660s, and the massive messianic awakening that he sparked and that swept across the entire Jewish diaspora in 1666, drawing in men and women, wealthy and poor, clergy and laity, Sephardic and Ashkenazi, and even Jews and gentiles. We consider the development of messianic theology and kabbalah that paved the way for the Sabbatian movement, as well as the lasting imprint that it left on Judaism in the modern era.
Doorposts and Gates: How Jews Have Subdivided Themselves Through History
Michael of “Xai How Are You” and I discuss the different ways that Jews have distinguished themselves into groups and sub-groups, from the Biblical tribes to the Sephardic and Ashkenazi ethnic groups to the modern Reform, Orthodox, and Conservative movements. We lay the groundwork for an upcoming discussion of the origins and character of Chasidic Judaism.
Chasidic Judaism: What is it and where did it come from?
Jewish lay mystical and pietistic movement, which originated among Ashkenazi Jews in Eastern Europe in the 1700s…reborn as both a pillar of Orthodox Judaism and a bridge to the Reform and secular worlds, with Michael of “Xai How Are You” Podcast…
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And see more in the Roots of Religion playlist.
Things You Don’t Know
