Abrahamic Religions

The Abrahamic religions, collectively known as Abrahamism, comprise a group of faith communities of Semitic origin that trace their spiritual lineage to the ancient Israelites and their worship of the God of Abraham. These religions are fundamentally monotheistic, deriving their designation from the patriarch Abraham, a pivotal figure in the Old Testament acknowledged by Jews, Christians, Muslims, and others.

The dissemination of Abrahamic religion on a global scale was significantly influenced by Christianity’s adoption as the state religion of the Roman Empire in the 4th century and the expansion of Islam under the Islamic Empires from the 7th century onward. In contemporary comparative religion, the Abrahamic traditions constitute one of the principal divisions, alongside Indian, Iranian, and East Asian religions. Chronologically, the major Abrahamic religions are Judaism, established in the 7th century BCE and serving as the foundation for the subsequent traditions; Christianity, emerging in the 1st century CE; and Islam, founded in the 7th century CE.

Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are the most populous Abrahamic religions. Other religions within this category, though with fewer adherents, include faiths descended from Yazdânism (such as the Yezidi and Yarsani traditions), Samaritanism, the Druze faith, Bábism, the Bahá’í Faith, and Rastafari.