İnanç Dosyası 35 | Judaism 3

Spain – Santiago de Compostela, Cathedral, a detail from the Portico of Glory, showing Moses with the two tablets of the Ten Commandments.

The first four of the Ten Commandments which were the first to combine religion and morals state that there is no other God but Yahveh, that there shall be no graven image of God, who is too great to be confined in an image or likeness, and that the name of God shall not be taken in vain. (This was meant to prevent the name Yahveh from being used to make magic or cast spells, since the practice was rife at this time. For this reason, Jews traditionally use the words “The lord” or “The Name” in its place). Fourthly, the Sabbath Day, on which no work is to be done, should be observed and kept holy. On the Sabbath day, that is from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, Just as God did on the seventh day of Creation, Jews rest and remember Yahveh, and devoting the day to Him. The Sabbath is a uniting force, bringing all the Children of Israel together, as if they were in reality close, and having the sole purpose of commemorating God in unity. The fifth Commandment urges you to honor your father and mother, ensuring respect for the institution of the family and the community. The remaining Commandments are briefly as follows: Thou shalt not kill, (this may be interpreted as including the death penalty and abortion), thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness against a neighbor, and thou shalt not covet anything that belongs to a neighbor. Moses then took up his role as leader of his tribe to guide them to the Promised Land. He died before the Children of Israel enter there.

The Mosaic religious laws dealing with the treatment of the destitute, widows, orphans and slaves were really very liberal for their time.

Joshua, according to the Torah, had become Moses’ right-hand man and commander-in-chief of the Children of Israel since they had left Egypt. It was he, not Moses, who took the tribe into the Promised Land and divided up the land between them. At first they settled in the mostly unoccupied mountainous regions and fought battles among themselves and against people of neighbouring territories. Having relinquished God’s guidance now that they had arrived at their destination, they received admonishments from God through the words of his Prophets. At various times they fought against the Philistines, the Ammonites, the Midianites and the Canaanites. In time, this nomadic people gave up wandering and settled permanently, became farmers instead of shepherds and established townships. For a long time their form of government was theocracy, authority over every domain being in the hands of men of religion. However, in time they were obliged to unite against external enemies, and, in place of the seers who offered sacrifices and performed the mandatory religious offices, to appoint someone who could command an army and wield authority over the people.

The Philistines taking the Ark of the Covenant.
In the early 200s CE, a synagogue was built at Dura Europos. The most striking element of the decoration is the presence of figural paintings. The frescoes were surprising to scholars since many thought that early synagogue decoration adhered to the prohibition against figural images in the biblical second commandment. Few synagogues with such painted decoration are known, the Dura Europos example is not unprecedented. Wall paintings are characteristic of other religious buildings at Dura Europos, and their use in the synagogue could be explained as conformity to local custom. The Jewish community was liberal in its attitude toward the scriptural injunction against images.(artgallery.yale.edu/duraeuropos).
Syria – Damascus, National Museum, Dura Europos Synagogue.