What religion(s) contributed to the belief of monotheism?

Question

It's for a group project. I believe (not so sure) Judaism was the first religion that is credited for monotheism, but we have to do a venn diagram for Judaism , Islam, and Christianity. My group members are saying that monotheism stems for all three of them, but I thought that Islam and Christianity adopted monotheism from Judaism. I'm little unsure of what to put down and exactly where. By the way, this project is about contributions made by those three religion to both the world and other religion. So, technically, the more accurate question would be did all three religions contribute monotheism to today's world? Any ideas?

Answer 1

For decades, scholars hypothesized whether or not Moses could have been influenced by the concept introduced by Ahkenaten of Aten ( light beyond the sun) the short-lived failed attempt to replace the many deities of Egypt with one primary deity ( yet Ahkenaten still represented himself as a form of deity or demi-god of Aten on earth). Ahkenaten was originally named Amenophis the 4th, and gave himself the new name to reflect his new religion.

He was one of the most enigmatic rulers of Egypt and a source of fascination for many (including me) because of his unusual philosophy and rule.

Aten worship appeared and disappeared in Egypt about two centuries before there is any archaeologic evidence of the Hebrews. A possible link between Moses and Ahkenaten has been speculated enough that there was a popular novel placing Moses in the court of his Pharoah, by Louis Untermeyer in 1928.

Yet, no link has actually been found and the similarities appear to stop outside the concept of "monotheism"..one deity as opposed to many.

If the story from Abraham to Moses has any validity, there was monotheism among the Hebrews ( Habiru) in Egypt, so who is to say their worship of one deity did not influence Ahkenaten?

There are many differences in the two concepts of monotheism in Aten worship and in the worship of the God of the Hebrews.

Christianity took elements of Judaism and combined them with the religious beliefs and practices of Tammuz worship and the Romanized version of Mitrhas worship that began with the Zoroastrian pantheon ( it was NOT strictly monotheistic despite what I not long ago read in a Wikipedia article!). Later, there were elements from many other pagan practices blended in. While so very much of its language is borrowed from terminology of the Jewish religion, its precepts are very different despite having an adapted form of the Jewish Bible as the first 2/3 of the Christian Bible.

More than 600 years later, the Quran came along as another form of replacement theology and like Christianity, presented itself as the "correct" and "ONLY" true way.

I have a problem calling Christianity true monotheism because for the majority of Christians, there is an entity called the Devil, they believe" rules this world" or " rules the underworld" and is responsible for either the creation of evil or has the power or ability to battle or rebel against God. ( see the whatjewsbelieve.org/ page explaining the difference in the Hebrew Bible concept of Satan and the Christian Bible concept of the Devil) This gives that entity the attribute of deity to be capable of being a threat or challenge to the Creator.

In Judaism there is no dual nature of good god versus bad god as there was in Zoroastian religion or as there is in Christianity.

Angra Mainyu and Ahura Mazda were the opposing deities of evil and good in the Zoroastrian pantheon..and Mithras,..part of a triune godhead (Mithra, Sraosha and Rashnu.)..will one day judge all humanity. Mithras was born of a virgin and will be resurrected as a Saoshyant (savior) in the end of days according to ancient Zoroastrian belief.

Tammuz was also a deity born of a virgin whose sacrifice and blood were said to be a medium of atonement.

For Christianity, the nature of God within the New Testament that borrowed those elements of Zoroastran and Tammuz worship replaces the Torah concept of God of the Jewish religion.

http://www.whatjewsbelieve.org/ explains the differences in Judaism and Christianity primarily

A good old book on the topic that may be in your public library is called " Wold Religions" by Geoffrey Parrinder.

The Barbarian Conversion by Richard Fletcher is also a good study in the spread of Christianity ..written by an award winning Oxford Scholar.

EDIT: bad tim is completely incorrect that Christianity was the first to deny the validity or reality of any other deity..this is what distinguished Judaism from all other religions! A central core concept of Torah that there is one eternal God alone.

Answer 2

Zoroastrianism, as stated above, is usually accredited with being the first monotheistic religion. But, in the case of the other three, Judaism is a close second. Christianity is derived from Judaism, and, with the trinity, it is even debatable whether it is a true monotheism. Islam came even later after both Christianity and Judaism, and was influenced by both. Judaism is the source, relative to those three.

Answer 3

Both Islam and Christianity adopted monotheism from Judaism. Before Judaism was even known as such, it was the first religion that believed in one God.

You're on the right track ;-)

Answer 4

Fact: Judaism was the first ORGANISED religion to be monotheistic.

Christianity came next; the first Christians were all Jews. Jesus of course was Jewish and died a practising Jew; Christianity developed after his death.

Islam was the third of the Abrahamic faiths.

Judaism is the main contributor as it was the first organised faith that stated there is one G-d and only one G-d.

Without Judaism, there would BE no Christianity nor Islam.

EDIT

- just to correct an earlier answer: Judaism was the first religion to deny other deities and to state that there is only one G-d. Abraham made an eternal covenant with G-d.

Also, the teachings of Jesus did NOT lead to Christianity. That religion was developed and spread mainly by people who never even met Jesus, such as Paul. The only religion which Jesus knew, taught, and preached was Judaism.

Answer 5

For all intents and purposes, Judaism is seen as the first major monotheistic religion. Abraham is a father figure to Jews, Christians, AND Muslims, because in a time when people were worshiping many gods, Abraham put his faith in the one true God.

Jesus of course was a Jew, and his teachings led to Christianity. And Muhammad was well aware of the teachings of both Judaism and Christianity when he began to preach about the one true God in Arabia some 1400 years ago.

All three of course contribute to monotheism today, but Judaism (Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and other prophets) essentially started it all off.

All the best.

Answer 6

Sorry, wrong. The 1st monotheism was actually Aten a sun god.

I believe the very first record of monotheism occurred in ancient Egypt under the Pharaoh Akhnaten in Amarna. He declared that all must worship only the Aten - the solar disk - and he ordered all other deities destroyed and no one was allowed to worship any but Aten. This was a short-lived movement, ending with Akhnaten's death.

Answer 7

Well, it is thought that the Garden of Eden was in the same area as Persia, it could be that before Judaism was called Judaism it was Zoroastrianism as most of the civilization population were outside the city walls

Answer 8

Judaism....Christianity is not exactly monotheist due their concept of trinity. Islam is the monotheist religion after Judaism.

Answer 9

the first recorded example of monotheism is the cult of aten in egypt. christianity and islam were developed directly out of judaism, which is not so much a monotheistic religion as a tribal one. christianity is the first religion to summarily deny the validity of other gods, and the first to commit wide-scale genoide on the basis of religious belief. islam, impressed by christian success at wiping out wisdom, followed the example.

Answer 10

Zoroastrianism is debated to be the actual first monotheistic religion.