ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS
MONOTHEISTIC
RELIGIONS
THE PATRIARCH ABRAHAM
The prophet and patriarch Abraham
played a major role in the
establishment of the three
monotheistic religions: namely,
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which
account for more than half of the
world’s total population at present.
As such, these
organized religions are
collectively known as
Abrahamic religions.
The Jewish people regard Abraham as
the ancestor of the Israelites, through
his descendants Isaac and Jacob. The
Muslims consider Abraham’s son
Ishmael as the ancestor of the Arabs.
The Christians view Abraham as
‘father in faith’ as narrated in the Bible
and the ancestor of Jesus Christ.
Notable religious personalities trace
their origin in Abraham’s sons from
different wives through their
descendants. The importance of
Abraham in these three religions lies in
the fact that the patriarch appears as
an elemental figure for a monotheistic
belief system and a paragon of
extreme devotion.
Derived from a common
source, it is but natural that the
three monotheistic religions
share some commonalities in
their basic tenets. For one,
they all worship one supreme
being.
The ancient Hebrews call their God
Elohim, Adonai, or Yahweh. Present-
day Judaism uses the names “Lord”
and “God.” For the Muslims, they call
their God as Allah. In addition,
prophets and apostles play major roles
in these religions.
Judaism has 48 prophets and seven
prophetesses. Early prophets include
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and
Joshua to name a few. In Christianity, the 12
apostles were the primary disciples of Jesus
Christ, some of whom wrote parts of the
New Testament. For the Muslims, they
believe that Muhammad is the final prophet
or the “Seal of the Prophets.”
The Geneology of Abraham
Abraham
Sarah
Hagar Keturah
Isaac Rebeccah
Ishmael
Ishmaelites Jacob Esau
Muhammad Israelites Edomites
David
Solomon
Jesus
Zimran Jokshan Medon Midian Ishbak Shurah
Islam, Judaism & Christianity
Origins of Each Faith
Date and Place founded:
Judaism – approximately 1300
B.C. in Palestine
Some say the date is unknown
Christianity – approximately 33
A.D. in Palestine
Islam – 622 A.D. in Saudi Arabia
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Founders and Early Leaders
Founders and Early Leaders
Judaism – Abraham and Moses
Christianity – Jesus
Islam - Muhammad
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Brief History on Origins
Judaism- The Hebrew leader Abraham
founded Judaism around 2000 B.C. Judaism
is the oldest of the monotheistic faiths
(religions with one God).
Christianity - Founded by Jesus Christ, who
was crucified around A.D. 30 in Jerusalem. It
was after his death when his followers came
to believe in him as the Christ, the Messiah.
Islam - Founded in Arabia by Muhammad
between A.D. 610 and A.D. 632
Spread of Each Faith
Early Expansion
Judaism – Little expansion mostly
confined to Israel
Christianity – by the end of the 4th
century Christianity spread across the
entire Roman Empire
Islam – Within 12 years, entire Arabian
peninsula; after 100 years stretched from
Spain to Southeast Asia
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Terms for Followers and Clergy
Followers Called:
Judaism – Jews
Christianity – Christians
Islam – Muslims
Clergy Called:
Judaism – rabbis
Christianity – bishop, pastor, ministers,
priest
Islam - imams 15
Where and When They Worship
House of Worship
Judaism – synagogue or temple
Christianity – church, cathedral, chapel
Islam – mosque
Day of Worship
o Judaism – Saturday
o Christianity – Sunday
o Islam - Friday
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Languages of Faiths
Original Language
Judaism – Hebrew
Christianity – Aramaic and Greek, then Latin
Islam – Arabic
Names of God
Judaism – Yahweh and Elohim
Christianity – God, the Trinity
Islam - Allah
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Sacred Texts of Each Faith
Sacred Texts
Judaism – Hebrew Bible
Christianity – Old Testament
and New Testament
Islam – Qur’an (Koran)
18
Monotheistic Beliefs
Ultimate Reality (Type of Theism)
Judaism – One God
Christianity – Trinity (God the
father, God the Son, and God the
Holy Spirit)
Islam – One God
19
Divine Revelation
How do we know about God?
Judaism – through prophets recorded in the
Hebrew Bible
Christianity – through prophets and Jesus as
recorded in the Old and New Testament
Islam – through God’s final prophet
Muhammad recorded in the Qur’an
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Identity of Jesus
Judaism – False prophet
Christianity – Son of God, the
Messiah, Savior
Islam – prophet of God
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Death of Jesus
Judaism – death by Crucifixion
Christianity – death by Crucifixion
Islam – Did not die, but ascended
into heaven (a disciple took his
place)
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Resurrection of Jesus
Judaism – Denied
Christianity – Affirmed
Islam – Denied; since he did not
die
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Means of Salvation
Judaism – Belief in one God; good
deeds
Christianity – correct belief, good
deeds; by faith accept Christ as
Savior (Protestants)
Islam – Belief in one God; good
deeds and follow Five Pillars of
Faith
24
Afterlife
Judaism – eternal heaven, or no
afterlife
Christianity – eternal heaven
Islam – eternal paradise (heaven)
Judaism - eternal hell, or no afterlife
Christianity – eternal hell
Islam – eternal hell
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Symbols
Judaism – Star of David
Christianity – cross
Islam – crescent with name of Allah in
Arabic
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View of Fellow Abrahamic Religions
Judaism – “Islam and Christianity are false
interpretations and extensions of Judaism.”
Christianity – “Judaism is a true religion, but
with incomplete revelation. Islam is a false
religion.”
Islam – “Jews and Christians are respected
as fellow believers, but with wrong beliefs and
only partial revelation.”
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Where They Can Be Found
Major Locations TODAY
Judaism – Europe, Israel, North America
Christianity – Europe, North and South
America
Islam – Africa, Middle East, and
Southeast Asia
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Current Worldwide Followers TODAY
Judaism – 14 million (ranks 12th)
Christianity – 2 billion (ranks 1st)
Islam – 1.3 billion (ranks 2nd)
In the USA
Judaism – 5.6 million
Christianity – 159 million
Islam – 1.1 million
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Judaism
JUDAISM is a religion of just one
people: the Jews.
JUDAISM was the first to teach belief
in only one God.
Two other important religions
developed from Judaism: Christianity
and Islam.
Judaism Briefly
Judaism is around 3500 years old and is
the oldest of the world's three great
monotheistic religions (religions with only
one God). It's also the smallest, with only
about 12 million followers around the world.
Its holy city is Jerusalem.
The Jewish calendar is based on 29 or 30
days therefore they have 12.13 months.
Judaism History Film Clip
Judaism beliefs
Jews believe that there is a single God who
not only created the universe, but with
whom every Jew can have an individual and
personal relationship.
They await the Messiah, who will be an
earthly king. They believe in heaven, but
that God determines where they go after life
on earth.
Give a tithe (10%). Ten Commandments is
the basic code of law.
Judaism
Jews think that God will send a
Messiah (a deliverer) to unite them
and lead them in His way.
Christians believe that Jesus was the
Messiah. The Jewish people do not
agree; they anticipate His arrival in the
future.
Judaism teaches that death is not the
end and that there is a world to come.
Jewish Philosophy
God is one and unique
God is the creator
God is transcendent
God is immanent.
God is lawgiver
God is personal
We have the obligation to worship
The Torah is God's law
God is judge
The Messiah will come.
Judaism Holy Book
The most holy Jewish book is the Torah (the
first five books of the Christian Bible).
Others include Judaism's oral tradition, the
written form of which is known as the
Talmud.
The Torah (scroll of teachings) contains the
five books revealed to Moses by God on
Mount Sinai.
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers &
Deuteronomy
Hebrew is read right to left.
Judaism
The "Torah," the first five books of the
Hebrew Bible, is the most important
Jewish scripture.
It contains the basic laws of Judaism.
Another important book is the "Talmud,"
serving primarily as a guide to the civil
and religious laws of Judaism.
Judaism Place of Worship
Jews worship in
Synagogues or
temples. Men and
women usually sit
separately.
Worship is led by a
Rabbi.
Friday evening is
time for worship.
Stamford Hill, London
Judaism
The Jewish house of worship is called a
synagogue.
Rabbis (spiritual leaders) conduct services, act
as interpreters of Jewish laws, and deliver
sermons.
Today there are over 18 million followers of
Judaism scattered throughout the world.
A large number of those people live in the Jewish
nation of Israel. Over six million live in the United
States.
Christianity briefly
Christianity is the world's biggest
religion, with about 2.2 billion followers
worldwide.
It is based on the teachings of Jesus
Christ who lived in the Holy Land
2,000 years ago.
Christianity
The early Hebrews who eventually
developed into the Jewish religion
became the foundation of Christianity.
Jesus, or the Messiah, was a Jewish
boy who disagreed with some of the
Jewish principles of his day began to
profess a new way of thinking.
This eventually led to the beginning of
the Christian religion.
Christianity
Christianity started about 2000 years
ago about the same time of Jesus.
The central point of Christian belief
is that God, the Father, entered into
human history as the Son, Jesus of
Nazareth, and arose as the Holy
Spirit.
Christian Philosophy
God is the Creator of the universe.
There is one God, Who is Three
Persons-
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Jesus is both fully man and fully
God. He was born of the Virgin Mary
Crucified, resurrected from the dead,
and ascended to the Father.
Christianity Beliefs
Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the
Son of God
God sent his Son to earth to save humanity
from the consequences of its sins
Jesus rose from the dead on the third day
after his Crucifixion (the Resurrection)
Christians believe that Jesus was the
Messiah promised in the Old Testament
Christians believe that there is only one God,
but that this one God consists of 3 "persons"
Christians believe that God made the world .
Christianity Beliefs continued
Christians believe that they can have a
personal relationship with God, and that
they are saved by faith, not works or they
are save by works and faith. Grace is the
law code.
They believe in actual heaven and hell.
They believe that the Bible is the inspired
word of God.
Their giving is a tithe or offerings.
Christian Philosophy
Sin and Evil are realities in our
existence.
The Bible is the Holy Book that records
God's revelation.
All believers are promised life
everlasting.
The leader of Christianity was Jesus,
and the followers was his 12 disciples.
Christians Holy Book
The Bible is the Christian holy book. It
is divided into the Old and New
Testaments. Parts of the writing
contained in the Old Testament are
also sacred to Jewish and Muslim
people.
Christian Place of Worship
The Christian place of
worship is called a Church,
which are built in the shape
of a cross with the altar
facing east towards the
rising sun. Services are led
by a priest, pastor or
reverend.
Day of worship is normally
Sunday but most recently
Saturday has been added. Westminster Abbey London
Islam Briefly
Islam is the second most popular religion in
the world with over a thousand million
followers. Islam began in Arabia and was
revealed to humanity by the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Those who follow Islam are called Muslims.
Muslims believe that there is only one God,
called Allah, who speaks Arabic.
The Muslim calendar has 354 days and is
based on the 12 crescent moon cycles.
Islam
ISLAM is the name given to the religion
preached by the prophet Muhammad in
the 600s A. D.
The Islamic religion started in the area
known as Palestine in the year 600AD.
It has about 850 million followers, most
of them in the region north and east of
the Mediterranean Sea.
Islam
The holy book of Islam is the
"Koran." Muslims believe its
words to be those of Allah
himself, spoken to Muhammad
by an angel.
Allah, is the Islamic God.
People who believe these
ideas are called Muslims.
Islamic Philosophy
Muslims learn that life on earth is a
period of testing and preparation for the
life to come.
Angels record good and bad deeds.
People should behave themselves and
help others, trusting in Allah's justice and
mercy for their reward.
Islam Holy Book
The Muslim scripture is the Holy Qur'an. It is
'the word of God'. Muslim beliefs and
practices are rooted in the Qur'an.
Muslims treat the Qur'an with great respect
because they believe that the Qur'an is from
Allah, and every word and every letter is
sacred.
Muslims regard the Qur'an as the unaltered
word of God.
It is read from right to left and written in
Arabic, the language of heaven.
Islam Place of Worship
The Muslim building for communal
worship is called a Mosque. The
word comes from the Arabic for
"place of prostration".
Worshippers are called to prayer 5
times a day from minarets –
towers on the mosque corners.
Jamia Mosque in Derby England
They contain only designs, no
people or animals or furniture.
Normal day of worship is Friday.
Islam
Muslims pray five times daily in their
mosques (churches).
While praying, they face the holy city of
Mecca (in Saudi-Arabia) and sometimes
kneel with faces to the ground.
All Muslims are required to make a
pilgrimage (trip to a sacred place) to
Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
Five Pillars Belief system/law code
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.
Salah: prayer
Muslims are required to pray five times a day, washing
themselves before prayer and facing in the direction of Mecca
while praying.
Zakat: giving a fixed proportion to charity
Muslims are required to give away a percentage of their
earnings to those less fortunate, regardless of their religion.
Saum: fasting during the month of Ramadan
Muslims fast for one lunar month each year, a period called
Ramadan. During this time, Muslims reflect on their
behaviour and strive to purify their thoughts.
Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca
If it is financially possible, Muslims are required to travel to
Mecca once in their lifetime.
Main Festivals Continued
Hijja:
The month of
pilgrimage during
which all Muslims,
at least once in
their life, should
try to make the
pilgrimage to
Mecca and
worship at the
Kaaba
