Judaism
differed from other ancient religions in the following ways: 1) It was the only
religion in which God spoke to the entire assembled nation (Exodus ch.19) of
over two million people. 2) It made a complete break from the surrounding
idolatry. Their monotheism (belief in One God) set the Jews apart because other
ancient nations did not share it. We've heard (for example) of the Greek
mythology and Roman mythology. What not everyone is aware of is that idolatry
tended to go hand in hand with cruel, licentious and excessive behavior, since
the caprices which were narrated concerning the idols were adopted as an excuse
to imitate those types of behavior. Compare that to God, who reveals His
attributes in the Torah as wise, kind, holy, and pure. God is One, so the
command to imitate His attributes (Deuteronomy 8:6) was (and is) a straightforward
matter once one is even minimally familiar with the Torah. Accordingly, Judaism
was: 3) The only ancient religion in which a large percentage of its adherents
were literate and scholars. 4) It was the only religion in which the people
were ruled by God, with no need for a king, for several centuries (see Judges
8:23 and 1 Samuel 8:4-7). 5) The concept of morality was also the work of the
Hebrews' religion, including the dignity and value of a person. It is the
responsibility of the community to support the widow, the orphan, the poor, and
the stranger passing through.
