¶ … Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Judaism

Hebrew history, as told by the Hebrews, begins in Mesopotamia, in the cities of Ur in the south and Haran in the north. With Abraham, the story of the Hebrews begins, and it is clearly stated that Hebrew origins lay outside Canaan. The command to leave his ancestral home and journey to Canaan was accompanied by a promise (Gen. 12:2) The exact location of the nation-to-be is not specified but was, of course, known to those hearing or reading the account, Abraham journeyed to Canaan, Egypt, the Negeb, Hebron, Gezer, Beer-sheba and back to Hebron where he and his wife Sarah died.

The journey itself was more than a pilgrimage, for it represented the starting point of a continuing adventure in nationhood. Nor are the travelers without vicissitudes, but throughout famine, earthquake, fire and war, god protected them.

The close relationship between the Hebrews and the people of the desert and steppes was acknowledged in the story of Ishmael, the nomadic first son of Abraham; but it is through Isaac, the second son about whom so very little is recorded, that the Hebrews trace their own family line. Both Isaac and his son Jacob retained a separateness from the people among whom they dwelled, The story of Jacob, who became Israel, and his twin brother Esau, who became Edom, was colored with contention, deception and harsh misunderstanding

Joseph, the son of Jacob, was sold into slavery by envious brothers and rose to high office in Egypt. When his father and brothers migrated to Egypt to flee famine, they were regally received and encouraged to settle there.

After what appeared to be an extensive period, the Hebrews increased in numbers and a pharaoh who was unsympathetic to the Joseph traditions inherited the throne and persecuted the Hebrews, pressing them into virtual enslavement. Moses, a refugee from Egyptian justice, became associated with the Kenite people. On the slopes of Mount Sinai in a dramatic encounter with God, he was commissioned to act as deliverer of the Hebrews.

Between this period, that is, the origins in Mesopotamia and the creation of the new nation in Egypt,...

This area was the special area of Hebrew history, for it was this land that the god promised to his chosen people.
Christianity

Jesus Christ ruling figure of Christianity was born in Bethlehem, to a peasant family between eight BC and four AD. We know very little about Jesus' life, the first record of his life was written some forty years after his death.

For many: a rescuer, a healer, a prophet, and a teacher, whose life and teachings formed the basis of Christianity. Christians regard Jesus as the incarnate Son of God, and as having been divinely conceived by Mary the wife of Joseph - a carpenter from Nazareth

Two of the Gospels, Matthew and Luke, give information about Jesus' birth and childhood (Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-38). An angel visited Mary and told her that she will bear a child who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. There was an very old belief that a new star will appear in the sky when a new leader is born. Three wise men saw the star in the east and came to Bethlehem to pay tribute and worship Jesus.

The proclamation that a new king was born was upsetting for King Herod. He ordered all children under two years old in the Bethlehem area to be killed. Joseph was instructed in a dream to take Jesus and Mary and flee to Egypt.

At the age of about thirty Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist, according to the Jewish practice, in preparation for the Kingdom to come. After that, he withdrew to the mountains of the Judean desert for 40 days where he was tempted three times by the devil.

Jesus' public ministry began after the jailing of John the Baptist and lasted for about one year. He moved to Capernaum and made it his headquarters of ministry. His followers were greater than before in number, He promised forgiveness and eternal life in heaven to the most sinful, provided their repentance was sincere. This induced the hatred of the Jewish Pharisees, who feared that his teachings might lead to disregard for the authority of the Torah. Despite the Jewish Authorities opposition, Jesus' popularity increased. He was devoted…