Chapter Six:

Judaism and the Rise of Christianity

A wise teacher once said, “Whenever we study mythology, we must understand this: One man’s Mythology is another man’s religion. We must therefore consider the subject with respect.”

We presented the stories and events of Greek Mythology as if they were true; we shall deal with Judaic, Christian, and Islamic Mythology in the same way. The main purpose of this class is to study the culture and arts of Western Civilization, and the societies that produced them. This will entail comparative religious discussion, but will at no time imply the superiority of one religious belief over another.

Furthermore, while I have studied many religions, I am far from expert in this area and will welcome your input at any time, especially from those of you who may practice any of the beliefs discussed in class.

The Bible is the most important book ever written. We will discuss it as history, as a source of law and culture, as a great work of Art. Our private beliefs and faith will remain private.

My major source for information about The Bible and early Jewish history is Old Testament Life and Literature, by Gerald A. Larue. You can find the original text by clicking HERE. The website is biased, but the history is accurate and concise.

Christians call the first part of The Bible “The Old Testament.” Jewish Scholars call it “The Tanak,” in reference to its three subdivisions. For our purposes, I think we should call it “The First Covenant” because it represents the first agreement between God and Man. “The New Testament” shows Jesus changing some of the ancient laws, thereby establishing a “Second Covenant.” The Qur'an changes these laws again, and can be considered a “Third Covenant.”

(Forgive me if I use the term “God” in place of Allah, YHVH (Yahweh), Jehovah, and other sacred terms. I use it simply for convenience in discussion, and hope it does not offend.)

Your textbook (p.153) shows a difference in the First Covenant between Christian and Jew. (Actually, Catholics differ from other Christians, as well.) I see no need to go into that much detail in our discussion.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

William Blake, The Ancient of Days, 1794

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Michelangelo, The Creation of Adam, 1510

God created Eden, then told Adam and Eve they could eat anything in the garden except the fruit of the tree of knowledge, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

Michelangelo, The Fall, 1509-10

Tempted by the snake, Eve ate the fruit, then offered it to Adam. God expelled them from Eden.

Michelangelo, Expulsion 1509-10

After the expulsion, Adam and Eve gave birth to Abel, Cain, and Seth. Cain slew Abel and ran off to the land of Nod.

Cain and Abel, Titian, c 1576

Adam and Eve had a third son, Seth, who produced many children. “And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos. And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.”

Nephilim:

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.”

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. . . And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Raffaelo, Noah and his Sons Building the Ark, 1517

“And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.”

Michelangelo, The Flood, 1509-10

“And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.”

The descendants of Noah produced many tribes, one of which, called The Hebrews, were a nomadic group which thrived around 2,000 BC, after the fall of the Akkadians and before the rise of the Babylonians, eventually settling in Canaan.

The Hebrews were led by Abram (Abraham) and his nephew, Lot. Abraham established the First Covenant with God and is considered the father of the three great religions of the western world: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Lot and Abraham had an argument, so they divided up the tribes. Abraham went south, eventually to Egypt, and Lot went north, to Sodom and Gomorrah.

“Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.” But due partially to Abraham’s intervention, Angels warned Lot in time to escape, but, despite being warned, his wife looked back and was turned to a pillar of salt.

With the help of his daughters, Lot became the father of the Moabites and the Ammons.

Lucas Van Leyden, Lot and his Daughters, 1520

Abraham, in the meantime, had spoken to God a number of times, and been promised that “As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.”

At the age of one hundred, married to a woman of 90, this seemed impossible to Sarah, his wife, so she suggested he sleep with her Egyptian maid, Hagar.

Adriaen van der Werff,

“Sarah Presenting Hagar to Abraham”, 1699

Hagar soon gave birth to Ishmael. Some time later, God returned, accompanied by two angels, to repeat his promise that Abraham would father generations via Sarah. This whole story can be clearly seen in a brilliant etching by Rembrandt van Rijn, Abraham Entertaining the Angels, made in 1656. Let us examine that work:

Angels and God himself visit, to announce that Sarah will have a son within the year. Rembrandt depicts the dramatic moment in the story when the miracle is revealed through the gesture of the figure in the center, representing God.

Abraham, in the lower right, responds as a humble servant: he bows his head in acceptance. As told in Genesis, the story of Abraham is about faith. God tests him repeatedly, yet Abraham remains faithful.

Sarah, listening from behind the door does not share Abraham’s faith. She smirks, disbelieving that someone of her age could possibly have a baby. Her shadowy presence in the doorway may symbolize her lack of faith.

Highlighted in the direct center of the print, we see Ishmael, the living proof of Sarah’s lack of faith in the words of God.

Rembrandt’s work is rich in its depiction of character.

When Sarah’s child, Isaac, is finally born, Ishmael and Hagar are sent away, possibly due to jealously between the women, but also because Ishmael, as first born, is the son to legally inherit everything from his father.

Claude Lorrain, The Departure of Hagar and Ishmael, 1668

Hagar is rescued by an angel in the desert, and told that Ishmael, too, will be the father of a great race. (The Arab people. Muhammad is said to be among his descendants.)

Giovanni Lanfranco, Hagar in the Wilderness, c. 1640

But God was not finished with Abraham. “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”

Laurent de LaHire: Abraham Sacrificing Isaac 1650

“The Story of Isaac” by Leonard Cohen

The door it opened slowly,
my father he came in. I was nine years old.
And he stood so tall above me,
his blue eyes they were shining
and his voice was very cold.
He said, "I've had a vision
and you know I'm strong and holy,
I must do what I've been told."
So he started up the mountain,
I was running, he was walking,
and his axe was made of burning gold.

Well, the trees they got much smaller,
the lake a lady's mirror,
we stopped to drink some wine.
Then he threw the bottle over.
Broke a minute later
and he put his hand on mine.
Thought I saw an eagle
but it might have been a vulture,
I never could decide.
Then my father built an altar,
he looked once behind his shoulder,
he knew I would not hide

You who build these altars now
to sacrifice our children,
you must not do it anymore.
A scheme is not a vision
and you never have been tempted
by a demon or a god.
You who stand above them now,
your hatchets blunt and bloody,
you were not there before,
when I lay upon a mountain
and my father's hand was trembling
with the beauty of the word.

And if you call me brother now,
forgive me if I inquire,
"Just according to whose plan?"
When it all comes down to dust
I will kill you if I must,
I will help you if I can.
When it all comes down to dust
I will help you if I must,
I will kill you if I can.
Have mercy on our uniform,
Man of peace or man of war,
The peacock spreads his deadly fan.

Abraham can be credited with the establishment of the basic tenets of Judaism in reference to a monotheistic God (later to be refined by Moses.) Still, we must understand that Abraham did not live in a vacuum. Other influences must have affected him: We’ve already discussed Akhenaten and the widespread monotheism of Egypt. Still another influence is Zoroastrianism, which thrived in India at the same time.

Among the tenets of Zoroastrianism, is Faith, and Hope in the coming of the Saoshyant (Savior or Messiah) who will come to earth to defeat evil and further righteousness (Ashoi). Furthermore, the Saoshyant shall be born of a virgin, and his coming will bring Ristakhiz, the resurrection of the dead. The Final Judgment of all souls will commence, and all sinners punished, then forgiven, and humanity made immortal and free from hunger, thirst, poverty, old age, disease and death. The World will be made perfect once again.

When the Semitic Hyskos took over Egypt around 1500 BC, many Hebrews were encouraged to travel south and join these similar peoples. Two centuries later, the Egyptians returned and made them all slaves.

The Jews, in slavery, believed a messiah, or saviour, would come to deliver them from bondage.

As we know, Moses was placed in a reed basket and floated down the Nile until pharaoh's daughter found him.

It is highly likely that Moses resembled this Egyptian statue far more than he resembled Charlton Heston, Burt Lancaster, or any of the other white actors who portrayed him in films.

Exodus 2:11
It happened one day, when Moses was grown up, that he went to see his kinsmen. 

Exodus 2:11
While he was watching their forced labor, he also saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen.

Exodus 2:12
He looked this way and that, and saw that no one else was in sight.

Exodus 2:12
Then he killed the Egyptian.

Exodus 2:12
And hid him in the sand.

Exodus 2:13
On the following day he came back, and there were two Hebrews fighting.

Exodus 2:13
He said to the man who was in the wrong, 'What do you mean by hitting your kinsman?'

Exodus 2:14
'And who appointed you,' the man retorted, 'to be prince over us and judge? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?'

Exodus 2:14
Moses was frightened. 'Clearly that business has come to light,' he thought.

Exodus 2:15
When Pharaoh heard of the matter, he tried to have Moses put to death. 

Exodus 2:15
But Moses fled from Pharaoh.

Exodus 2:15
He went into Midianite territory and sat down beside a well.

Moses married and spent a long time as a shepherd with the Midianites. Eventually, God spoke to him in the form of a burning bush.

Moses tried to persuade Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go. God sent plagues to support him, but it wasn’t until God murdered the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, that Pharaoh gave in.

In order for the hand of God to pass over the Jews, Moses had them identify their homes with lambs’ blood painted over the doors.

And finally, about 1250 BC, the exodus took place:

After another tussle with Pharaoh, Moses led the Hebrews to the Sinai peninsula . . .

Where God gave him the ten commandments.

With the ten commandments as its basis, Moses developed a series of laws to solidify the Hebrew nation and shape Judaism into a “comprehensive system of ethical monotheism.” As we’ve already noted, much of Hebrew law is based on the “eye for an eye” principle of the Hammurabi code.

The most important piece of artwork to come out of the period was the Ark of the Covenant, which followed Egyptian designs, in which Moses placed the Ten Commandments, a bronze pot of the manna with which God fed the Hebrews, and the flowering rod which identified Aaron as Moses’ second-in command.

The Ark itself was a small box made of acacia wood, overlaid with gold. It measured 1.15 meters long, 0.7 meters wide and 0.7 meters high. It was carried by two long bars, also made of acacia wood overlaid with gold.

Upon the chest were two cherubim of beaten gold, looking towards each other, an exception to the “graven images” commandment, probably analogous to the Egyptian artistry on which the ark was styled.

At the four corners, golden rings had been cast. Through them passed two wooden bars overlaid with gold, to carry the Ark. These two bars - rods - were to remain always in the rings, after the Ark had been placed in the temple of Solomon. The rings are metaphors for the spheres linked to harmonics and the Tree of Life - Qabbalah - the tones of creation.]

The Qabbalah (Tree of Life) is especially interesting as it follows the same geometric pattern as Phi, showing that the Hebrews, too, saw the Golden Mean as a mathematical formula for life.

As we can see in the figures above, the Hebrew “Star of David” is in the form of a star tetrahedron, basically two intersecting pyramids which conform perfectly to the Golden Mean proportions.

After 40 years of wandering, the Hebrews finally made it back to Canaan, and for about 200 years fought to establish the Kingdom of Israel, which flourished around 1000 BC and lasted until 722 BC, when the Assyrians conquered Israel in the North, then 586 BC when the Babylonians destroyed Judah, the southern part of Canaan.

The Jewish kings of this time were Saul, David, and Solomon.

Saul (879 to 877 BC) is a tough warrior, but is self-centered and arrogant. Amalek is the ultimate enemy of the Jewish people; there is a commandment in the Bible to wipe them off the face of the earth, before the Amaleks do it to the Jews first.

Saul wins the war, but does not kill them all. As a result, nation of Amalek goes underground.

Today, we have no way of identifying the descendants of Amalek, but we do know that the Amalekite ideology lives on. There has been more many times in history when people have arisen bent on exterminating the Jews

David (pronounced “Dah veed” in Hebrew) served King Saul from time to time as a musician and armor bearer (1 Samuel 16:21-23). He is credited with writing the beautiful songs called Psalms in The Bible.

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

David’s first important act was to kill the giant, Goliath, when the Philistine’s attacked Israel.

David ruled for 40 years and six months. In that time, he united the various tribes of Israel into one Jewish state and expanded their boundaries. He sinned, was forgiven, suffered a civil war with his son, Absalom, but was always a dedicated and repentant man of God. Jesus was descended from the House of David.

Solomon ruled for 40 years, and in that time encouraged writing, the arts, and architecture. He finished Solomon’s Temple to house the Ark of the Covenant, had 700 wives and 300 concubines, and was known for his wisdom. Solomon’s Justice was a favorite topic of art.

Raphael. The Judgment of Solomon. c.1518-1519. Fresco.

Nikolay Gay. The Judgment of King Solomon. 1854.

Raphael. The Judgment of Solomon (ceiling panel). 1509-1511. Fresco.

Giorgione. The Judgment of Solomon. 1495-1496

Nicolas Poussin. The Judgment of Solomon. 1649

Solomon was the first to have scholars write down the oral histories and codify the law. He encouraged music, dancing, and all the arts. Most importantly, he completed the Temple.

As often happens in a Humanistic society, the freedom and art that comes with a peaceful society gave people time to think, to question God and the rules of government, and the arguing between different factions allowed Israel to be overrun by the Babylonians.

The Temple survived over 360 years before it was destroyed by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. (2 Kings 25:1-9)

The Persians permitted their return from the Babylonian exile about 538 B.C. and the Jews began to rebuild the Temple, which was completed about 15 years later. While almost certainly not as grand as the original Temple of Solomon, it survived over 450 years.

And then, in 63 B.C, Israel was occupied by the Roman army, led by Pompey.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem about 4 AD. Bethlehem was the birthplace of King David, and therefore the hometown of the David family. Jesus’ father, Joseph, had to go there for the census.

Duccio di Buoninsegna. The Massacre of the Innocents. 1308-11.

Rembrandt. St. Joseph's Dream. 1645

Caravaggio. The Rest on the Flight into Egypt. c.1595

The Bible tells us little of Jesus’ childhood, but certain of the Dead Sea Scrolls suggest that Jesus may have learned a lot of his philosophy from a Jewish sect called The Essenes.

Jesus’ teachings represent a Second Covenant, a more liberal approach to Judaism than the more conservative Hammurabi-based past. Rather than physically freeing the Jews, as Moses did, Jesus taught freedom of the soul: turn the other cheek and forgive your enemies, rather than an eye for an eye.

The Beatitudes

How do the Beatitudes differ from The Ten Commandments?

Jesus had two followers who taught His ideas after the crucifixion.

St. Peter, (Simon) a fisherman, whose brother, Andrew the Apostle who led him to Christ. Named "Peter" by Jesus to indicate that Peter would be the rock on which the Church would be built. Bishop. Miracle worker. First Pope. Martyred. Crucified head downward because he claimed he was not worthy to die in the same manner as Christ.

St. Paul, (Saul of Tarsus) the Apostle of the Gentiles, was converted from Judaism on the road to Damascus. He preached in the synagogues that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. For this he incurred the hatred of the Jews and had to flee from the city. He then went to Jerusalem to see Peter and pay his homage to the head of the Church.

St. Peter was a Jew who believed all people had to study the Jewish faith before they converted to Christianity. St. Paul, on the other hand, focused on the direct conversion of gentiles. Both were martyred during the reign of Nero.

Early Christian Art

This work from the catacombs shows Christ as a teacher, surrounded by pupils, much like Greek Philosophers.

This 4th century picture of Paul has him looking very much like a teacher, both in his stance and because of the scroll in his hand.

This carving on a sarcophagus has many Christian images, based on classical models.

Christ as a “good shepherd” was a common figure, both here and on the sarcophagus.

Other Christian art found in the Catacombs illustrate scenes from both Covenants.

The philosopher and his muse is a common theme, in this case important to the role of women in Christianity.

Why was Christianity popular among women? For the answer, just consider the most important women of each covenant:

Consider the differences between “daughters of Eve” and “Sisters of Mary.”

Eventually, after many setbacks, Christianity would become accepted by a more Humanistic Rome in 313, by order of The Emperor Constantine in the Edict of Milan.