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Article: Judaism--in the beginning.
- Article from:
- Calliope
- Article date:
- November 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Judaism is the world's second oldest major religion, and, as with most religions practiced worldwide, its branches are diverse. In North America, the main branches are Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist. Other movements through the ages have included Rabbinic, Sephardic, and Ashkenazic or Germanic Judaism.
Judaism began in the rich and fruitful area called the Fertile Crescent. This "crescent" begins in Egypt, curves up from the Nile River, along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, past the Jordan River, and then down through the Euphrates and Tigris rivers to the Persian Gulf. It was here, between 4000 ...