For thousands or years religion has been a driving force in all civilizations. It is a source security that provides morals and ethics for people practicing that religion. During ancient Middle Eastern times there were many groups of people all of different faiths living concurrently. These varieties of beliefs are what make the Middle East such a diverse place. Religion had the greatest impact upon shaping this diverse Middle East because it affected all other aspects of the ancient cultures. One of these aspects was the origin of the Judeo-Christian tradition. During the time of ancient Middle East, religion had a great impact upon politics as well. Kings and sovereigns often took on a religious role, such as gods. This is seen in the ancient Egyptian culture. Although religion shaped the ancient culture, there was another contributor. (Opposing).
Christianity and Judaism are two of the largest religions being practiced today. In the United States alone, 85% of the citizens are Christian and 2% are Jewish. These numbers show that these two religions are practiced by millions of people, just as they have been for thousands of years. Judaism has been a prominent religion in the Middle East since King David's rule in 1000-961 B.C. The Middle East was the first place where these two religions gained followers as well as credibility. However, Christianity was not dubbed a separate religion from Judaism until around 5 B.C with Jesus" birth. Until this separation, however, the term known by scholars as Judeo-Christianity was used to describe these religions. The Middle East is the back drop for the most important and credible piece of knowledge to the Ancient world, the Bible. The famous stories are set in, Egypt, Mesopotamia and Canaan. All of these places were very large parts of Ancient Middle East. It is almost impossible to believe that the Bible was influenced by the mere setting, but without the locations in the Middle Eastern desert there would be many stories left untold.
