One God, Three Faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Lecture 11 - Governing the Community

Introduction:

Leadership within the faith communities has passed from one group to another,

now emphasizing divine choice, now virtuoso skill, now charismatic gifts.

A.Learned Elites

1.From Priests to Rabbis

a. Kings first ruled the Jews beginning with David down through the

Hasmoneans. The later kings had legitimacy problems.

b. Kings were often at odds with the religious authorities on the Temple

Mount. These priests controlled the religious ritual and, in the state, the

Temple.

c. The Romans put an end to both kingship and the Temple; politically,

Jews became the subjects of others.

d. With the destruction of the Temple, the Jewish priesthood lost its func-

tion and power, so in its place arose the rabbis.

e. Rabbis were scholars of the Law in a community where Torah

assumed the role of Temple as the center and focus of Jewish life. The

rabbis became judges and arbiters, community leaders and social

guides in the scattered Jewish communities where they lived.

2.The Islamic Rabbinate: The Ulama

a. The Islamic lawyer elite consists of the Ulama who have been trained

in madrasas (law schools) by the Muslims. These madrasas have been

well financed over the years because of Muslim political dominance

and principally through the institution of “waqf.”

b. Waqf is a pious foundation whereby a Muslim deeds his property to

God—which renders it inalienable and untaxable—and stipulates that

its income go to a specified pious purpose, and chief among them has

been the construction and staffing of mosques and madrasas.

Before beginning this lecture you may want to...

Read F.E. Peters’ Judaism,Christianity and Islam: From Covenant to

Community, Volume I, Chapter 6-7.

Consider this...

1. What are the differences between the Muslim learned elites and the
   Jewish rabbis and Christianity’s priests?


2. What is Waqf?


3. Could Shi’ite Imans be considered popes in turbans?