What does it mean to have a canon in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - Essay Example

What Does It Mean To Have A “Canon” In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam? Table of Contents Introduction 3 Thesis ment 3 Discussion 3 Canon in Judaism 3Canon in Christianity 4Canon in Islam 4Conclusion 4References 5Introduction“Canon” is simply noted as the books or scriptures of different religions. These books or scriptures are considered to be the verdicts of beliefs and principles of any religion. It is based on these beliefs and principles that devotees and atheists are differentiated as the followers and non-believers.

While a shallow view to the meaning of “canon” may reveal it as a differentiator of religions, but a critical assessment of the same defines it as a reflection of the similarities existing between different religions and different perspectives. It is in this context that in all the religions, canons are considered to be monotheistic, containing messages directing towards the supreme power, the Almighty God and put stress on the moral responsibilities of human beings to emphasize its consequences on the Judgment Day.

As canons are considered to be the depiction of different ideologies and principles of different religions, it is likely that the approaches detailed in the canons of Judaism, Christianity and Islam will also possess certain variances1. Thesis StatementIn this thesis, the meaning of canons in three different religions will be discussed. Correspondingly, the ideologies, principles and the beliefs of the three religions will be taken into account. DiscussionCanon in JudaismCanon, in Judaism, reflects the scripture of Torah of Moses, detailing on the period before the birth of the Christ.

The Jewish canon stresses on the belief that Moses was the one who got enlightened by the commandments of God, as depicted in the Jewish Bible. Jewish canon procures 10 books, which is however less than the Canon of Septuagint Greek. To be noted in this regards, in the canon of Judaism, 24 books give similar information to that presented in the 39 books of the Old Testaments of Christianity2. The Jewish canon is divided in three sections of Torah, Prophets and Writings. As similar to any other culture, canon in Judaism also holds considerable significance to its followers.

As often noted, it is considered as the “Book of Beginnings” in Judaism, which apparently portrays its theological meaning in the religion3. Canon in ChristianityArgumentatively, the orientation of canon in Christianity is much complex and multidimensional as compared to other religions. At the onset, it is divided into two sections, i.e. the Old Testament canon and the New Testament canon4. It is in this context that the inclusion of various books of Old Testament canon in other religions, such as in Samaritanism and Judaism, has led to many disputes among the believers.

However, the New Testament is considered to hold a significant difference in noting the beliefs of Christianity as differing from that of the other religions5. Irrespective of such differences, it is noteworthy that the canon in Christianity includes both the testaments with almost equal significance. Canon in IslamCanon, in Islam gives a descriptive view of Islamic traditions and scriptures, as encrypted in the Holy Book, Quran. The canon had two conceptions, which are defined in Quran and Sunnah.

The Quran is a sacred book describes about the revelations of Prophet Muhammad from the Supreme Power through many literary works. It depicts about the system of believing and abiding the restrictions of Islamic religion, whereas Sunnah depicts the principles laid by Prophet Muhammad. Hence, Sunnah can be asserted as the prophet practice for theoretical developments of Islam. In the similar context, Quran depicts the religious beliefs, general ruling systems and moral virtues with regards to the various aspects of human behavior6.

ConclusionIn the above-conducted study, a considerable degree of similarities were observed in the canons of Judaism and Christianity, which have often been argued to be the base of contradictions among the followers of these two religions. However, canon in Islam has its unique meaning, which is similar to that of a historic teaching on the preaching of the Prophets, while the canons in Judaism and Christianity renders much emphasis to the rise of these two religions, giving a brief historic account of the same.

It is the prophets of different religions who structured different canons of religions but because all these arguments give a message related to the Almighty God, the canons have more similarities as compared to the number of dissimilarities persisting among those. ReferencesBokedal, Tomas. The Formation and Significance of the Christian Biblical Canon: A Study in Text, Ritual and Interpretation. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2013.Peters, F. E. The Voice, The Word, The Books. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2007.

Reed, Annette Yoshiko. Fallen Angels and the History of Judaism and Christianity: The Reception of Enochic Literature. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Harrelson, Walter, 2003. The New Interpreters Study Bible (NRSV with the Apocrypha), hardcover. Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press.Wheeler, Brannon, 1996. Applying the Canon in Islam: The Authorization and Maintenance of Interpretive Reasoning in Hanafi Scholarship. New York: SUNY Press.