Monotheistic Theology in Judaism and Christianity - Assignment Example

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ADHERE TO A MONOTHEISTIC THEOLOGY IN JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, AND ISLAM, OTHER THAN A BASIC BELIEF IN A UNIQUE AND SINGULAR AGENT PRE-EXISTENT AND UNCREATED DEITY: COMPARE AND CONTRAST Monotheistic theology refers to the belief of God’s existence in oneness; it refers to the belief in One God1. Also referred as monotheism, this theology is often debated to present the differences as well as similarities amid two or more religions2. To identify the existing gaps and similarities of monotheistic theology, three religions have been taken into account in this essay, i.e., Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

From a critical point of view, this study compares and contrasts the meaning of monotheistic beliefs in these three chosen religions. As often argued, the principles and religious viewpoints in Judaism, Christianity and Islam are much different to each other. Evidences of such similarities and differences can be apparently identified in the scriptures or the ‘canons’ of these religions. For instance, the Old Testament, which is considered as the canon in both Judaism and Christianity, restricts worshiping gods of other religions.

In the early legal system followed by Israelites, Yahweh was dictated as the only God. Although no absolute verdict was given in this regards in the Old Testament, Yahweh has been referred as the only ‘pre-existent deity’ who controlled other mighty powers such as that of Assyria, Babylon and Cyrus. The monotheistic theology of these two religions, based on the principles of Old Testament can therefore be interpreted as similar to an extent. However, when considering their belief on one deity or God, the description in this canon becomes controversial, where on one hand the early legal codes prohibit worshiping other Gods, but simultaneously reject their existence too.

Comprehensively, it is through these narrations and arguments that monotheistic theology in Judaism and Christianity shows belief in one God or uncreated deity3. While the monotheistic theology in Judaism has been strongly inspired by the Old Testament, principles concerning the belief of singular pre-existing deity in Christianity have been encouraged by the New Testament of Bible. Herewith, a degree of contrast can be identified in the precision of the belief related with monotheistic theology as followed in Judaism and Christianity.

Contextually, the New Testament, states very precisely, about the existence of only One God. For instance, in Mark (12:29) Jesus quoted ― “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one”4. It is in this context too that the theologies in the New Testament (Bible of Christians) and the Old Testament (Bible of Judaism) differs wherein the former states Jesus as the Son of God but not the uncreated deity himself, while the latter concludes the Son of God as a pre-existent deity as well5.

Again, when arguing the monotheistic theology in Islam, verdicts given in Quran reject the existence of other gods, commanding those as ‘false’. While in the monotheistic theology followed by Christians and Jews tend to make segregation between God and God like supernatural, Muslims believe in the segregation of ‘true and false’ wherein Allah is said to be the only ‘true’ God and others as the ‘false’ gods. As quoted by Butler in Reading Satan, Remembering the Other: “belief in one God necessarily rejects the legitimacy of more gods, casting of the gods of other peoples into a negative spectrum of “other false gods”…From this distinction between “true” and “false” in religion follow more specific distinctions such as “Jews and Gentiles, Christians and pagans, Muslims and unbelievers””6.

Conclusively, it can be asserted that the meaning of monotheistic theology in the three religions seems quite challenging to be segregated or differentiated completely from each other at the onset owing to the fact that the principles in the canons in each religion has been primarily based on monogamy, i.e. on the existence of one God. Bibliography Berlin, Adele, The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion. Oxford University Press, 2011. Butler, Jean, “Reading Satan, Remembering the Other,” Number 58, (2011): 157-187.

Coogan, Michael D., A historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures. (Oxford University Press, 2011), 409. Gentz, Willian H., The Dictionary of Bible and Religion. Abingdon Press, 1986. Greidanus, Sidney, Preaching Christ from the Old Testament: A Contemporary Hermeneutical Method. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1999.