Third Year Revision – Section C

By now third years, your revision notes should be well under way. I hope you have made lots of detailed notes on Sections A and B in your revision copy. It is not too late to start now, so good luck with your work.

Section C: Major World Religions

Please study chapters 10 and 11 (Islam and Judaism). Make detailed notes under the following headings according to each chapter. Pay attention to key terms and definitions.

Islam:

  • Cultural context – the time and the place in which Islam began and how people lived (know map)
  • Importance of Mecca and Kaaba
  • Polytheism
  • Founding of Islam:
  • The story of Mohammed and how Islam began
  • Ramadan
  • Angel Gabriel
  • When and why muslims fled Mecca
  • Hijra, Medina, Kaaba
  • Sources of evidence:
  • Qur’an
  • The Sunnah
  • Beliefs:
  • Each of the five pillars in detail
  • Practices and rituals:
  • Birth and death
  • Festivals, (When, why and how they are celebrated)
  • Eid al Adha
  • Eid al Fitr
  • Place of worship: Mosque
  • Description of mosque
  • Islamic symbols
  • Development and expansion;
  • Persecution of first followers
  • After Mohammed died – new caliph(s)
  • Where muslims travelled to
  • Schism
  • Muslims in Ireland
  • Tradition, faith and practice of Islam today
  • Lifestyle – food and clothes (haram and halal; hijab, burqua, thobe)
  • Community structure
  • Interfaith dialogue
  • Compare Islam and Christianity (smilarities and differences)

Judaism:

  • Cultural context – world in which Judaism began
  • Founders of Judaism
  • Story of Abram – covenant, promised land, patriarch, Abraham
  • Story of Moses – Jews, slavery, Egypt, God – Moses, Moses – Pharoah, ten plagues – last plague, Exodus, ten commandments
  • Jews/Israelites reach the Promised Land
  • Judges, Kings, split in kingdom, prophets, exile (development of Judaism)
  • Role of prophets
  • First destruction of temple (Babylonians/exile)
  • Home, new temple, Torah, scribes, rabbis
  • Roman invasion- second destruction of temple
  • Scattering of Jews
  • Sources of evidence (know each in detail):
  • Torah (Pentateuch)
  • Nevi’im (Prophets)
  • Ketuvim (Holy Writings)
  • All three called Tenakh
  • From oral to written tradition
  • Jewish beliefs:
  • Monotheism, Identity, Covenant – rites and rituals
  • Practices and ritual events:
  • Birth (Covenant of Circumcision)
  • Adulthood (Bar Mitzvah/Bat Mitzvah)
  • Marriage – Kiddushin, huppah, ‘Mazal tov’
  • Death –  prayer of mourning: Kaddish; three stages – shiva, sheloshim, yahrzeit
  • Festivals and special times (when, why, how):
  • Passover
  • Hanukkah
  • Yom Kippur
  • Prayer and practice: weekend, family home and in synagogue
  • Shabbat (Jewish Sabbath) – at home
  • In synagogue – Shema
  • Tallit
  • Kippah
  • Tefillin
  • Kosher food
  • Place of worship – synagogue – other purposes, ark, Ner Tamid, tablets, bimah
  • Western Wall (Wailing Wall)
  • Jewish symbols: menorah, Star of David, Mezuzah
  • Persecution and expansion of Jews
  • Troubled history:
  • Diaspora
  • 1290 expelled from England
  • 1880’s forced to leave Russia
  • Early 20th century moved to Palestine
  • 1933-1945: Holocaust
  • Schism
  • Orthodox vs Reform Jews
  • Hasidism
  • Jews in the world today
  • Jews in Ireland
  • Tradition, faith and practice of Judaism today:
  • Community structure and leadership, education
  • Compare Christianity and Judaism (similarities and differences)
  • Interfaith dialogue

Take two to three days to complete this section of the course. Work as hard as you can – it will all pay off in the end. I will post some revision headings on Section D on Friday.

Best of luck to you all!