Thank you for visiting. This article is one part of a series explaining the “original texts” of the world’s mythologies and religions, and is an index page gathering the original texts of “Judaism.”
Judaism, though its number of believers — about 15 million worldwide — is not large, has immeasurable significance. This is because the world’s largest religion, Christianity, and the world’s second, Islam, were both born with this Judaism as their womb, as “sibling religions (the Abrahamic religions).” The source of the monotheism that believes in the one God lies in this Judaism.
Judaism’s original texts, like Christianity’s Bible and Islam’s Qur’an, are of the “scripture type,” in which a clear scripture is established. In this series, I explain those original texts in detail and at length, divided into 6 articles, contrasting them with Christianity and Islam as well.
The comprehensive index of the world’s mythology and religion original texts, including others besides Judaism, can be seen on the following page.
The Whole Picture of Judaism’s Original Texts — Two Torahs
Judaism’s original texts are made up of two great pillars — the “Written Torah” and the “Oral Torah.” Torah means “teaching, law,” and is the central concept of Judaism.
One is the written scripture “the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible).” This is nearly the same content as the Christian “Old Testament,” but the arrangement and counting of the books differ, and it is not called the “Old Testament” in the first place. The details are explained in Article 1.
The other is the “Talmud,” a compendium of interpretation and law inherited orally. This is the original text that most characterizes Judaism, existing in neither Christianity nor Islam. In Judaism, these two are held to be “two Torahs,” both given by God to Moses.
| Original text | Character | Content |
|---|---|---|
| The Tanakh (Written Torah) | A scripture written in letters | 24 books. Law, Prophets, Writings. Nearly the same content as the Christian Old Testament |
| The Talmud (Oral Torah) | A compendium of oral interpretation and law | The Mishnah and the Gemara. Judaism’s own guide to life and law |
World Mythology for Beginners (illustrated)View on Amazon →
The Origins of Religion: Why We Needed a ‘God’View on Amazon →
Judaism Among the Three Great Monotheisms
Indispensable for understanding Judaism is its relationship with Christianity and Islam. These three are all “Abrahamic religions,” looking up to the prophet Abraham as the father of faith, and believe in the same one God.
The oldest is Judaism, and from it Christianity was born in the 1st century and Islam in the 7th century. The three religions, while sharing much — the one God, Abraham, Moses — part decisively in their view of the “savior (Messiah)” and the like.
For example, Judaism holds that the savior has not yet come, and is still awaited. Christianity, on the other hand, believes that Jesus was that savior, and Islam holds Muhammad to be the last and greatest prophet. Contrasting them around this difference makes the relationship of the three religions clear. I compare them at length in Article 5 of this series.
Introducing Each Article
Now let me introduce what each of the 6 articles in this series explains.
Article 1: The Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible)
In the first installment, I explain Judaism’s written scripture, “the Tanakh.”
I cover in detail its three-part structure of Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvim (the origin of the word TaNaKh), the counting of 24 books, and how it differs from the Christian “Old Testament” (arrangement, canon, and the reason it is not called the “Old Testament”).
Article 2: The Torah and the Covenant
In the second installment, I explain “the Torah (the Five Books of Moses),” which forms the core of the Tanakh, and the idea of the “covenant,” the foundation of Judaism.
I cover the creation, the covenant with Abraham, the Exodus and the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, and the “idea of the chosen people” and the “613 commandments (mitzvot).”
Article 3: The Talmud (the Oral Law)
In the third installment, I explain the original text that most characterizes Judaism, “the Talmud.”
I cover in detail the idea of the Oral Torah, the “Mishnah” compiled by Judah ha-Nasi, its commentary the “Gemara,” the two Talmuds, and the establishment of Rabbinic Judaism.
Article 4: Judaism’s Faith and Practice
In the fourth installment, I explain the faith and daily life of Jews.
I cover Maimonides’ “13 Principles,” the confession of faith “Shema,” the Sabbath “Shabbat,” the dietary rules “kosher,” circumcision, festivals like Passover and the Day of Atonement, and the synagogue and the rabbi.
Article 5: A Comparison of the Three Great Monotheisms
In the fifth installment (the final one), I explain a comparison of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and the branches within Judaism.
I organize the common points and differences of the three religions (the savior, scripture, the idea of salvation) in a contrast table, and further cover the branches such as Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform, and the mysticism “Kabbalah.”
To Learn More
Here are some related books. Reading them alongside this series lets you savor this world even more deeply.
A Complete History of Philosophy and ReligionView on Amazon →
An Illustrated Introduction to the World’s 5 Great MythologiesView on Amazon →
Conclusion
In this article, I introduced the whole picture of Judaism’s original texts and the content the 6 articles in the series cover. How was it?
Judaism’s original texts are made up of two pillars — the written “Tanakh (Written Torah)” and the orally inherited “Talmud (Oral Torah).” The Talmud in particular is an original text unique to Judaism, found in neither Christianity nor Islam.
And above all, Judaism is the “mother monotheism” that gave birth to Christianity and Islam. Knowing this original text leads to knowing the source of all three of the world’s great religions.
I also explain the original texts of other mythologies and religions. For the full list, please see the Summary of the World’s Mythology and Religion Original Texts.
For the strength of the gods and heroes, please also refer to this ranking article.
I hope you’ll read the next article too.
📚 Series: The Original Texts of Judaism (1/6)
