The Jewish Faith

How did the Jewish faith differ from the beliefs of the Egyptians and Mesopotamians?

The fundamental and the most important difference between the faith of the Jewish and that of the Egyptians and Mesopotamians was that while the former were monotheistic the latter were polytheistic. The Jewish believed in a single, sovereign and supreme God, namely Jehovah, that transcended nature, while the Gods of the Egyptians and Mesopotamians was multiple in number, shape and size – they attribute human or natural characteristics to God. According to the beliefs of the Egyptians and the Mesopotamians, multiple gods created the universe out of chaos, while the Jewish God created and shaped the whole universe and govern man. There was no place of ethics and morality in the beliefs of the Egyptians and the Mesopotamians, while the Jews were committed to the rules, ethics and morality laid down by God through the book of revelation – the Old Testament and there is no place of idolatry. 

What were the main contributions of the Hebrews to the development of a western religious tradition?

The first and most important contribution of the Hebrews that they brought the religious concept of monotheism to the west, which previously practiced polytheistic religions. The second most important contribution was morality. According to the beliefs of the Hebrews, following Jehovah also meant leading a moral life that was to abstain from adultery, stealing, lying, and bullying the poor and oppressed. The third Hebrew contribution was Messianism, which suggests that the Hebrew people are given a special mission in the world by God. In a broad spiritual context, Messianism meant to bring right, fair treatment to all people. This idea is found in the book of Isaiah. Later, Christian missionary work got inspiration from this idea. The final important religious contribution is the idea that history itself has its meaning and that it progresses in a linear fashion, and not repetitive. This means the material, time-bound world where human beings work out their salvation by choosing good over evil. This belief helped shape the attitudes toward the material world found in all Western religions, and gave birth to the idea of progress that the future will be better than the past.