The Abrahamic religions are groups that trace their spiritual lineage back to the patriarch Abraham. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are the most well known, but there are also a few smaller religions that fall under this category.
Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. The oldest of the Abrahamic religions, Jewish lineage is traced back to Abraham’s son Isaac. Their holy scripture is the Tanakh, which is comprised of three parts: Torah, Nevi’im, & Kethuvim (Law, Prophets, & Writings, respectively). Other texts include the Midrash and Talmud. Different sects include the Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Reform. While originating in Israel, the Jewish people can be found all over the world, including India, China, Iran, Ghana, Europe, & North America, among many others. Judaism is the tenth largest religion in the world.
Christians also trace themselves back to Isaac. While the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) is held as authoritative, Christians use what is called the New Testament, which is comprised of the Gospels, Epistles (letters), and the Book of Revelation. Jesus Christ is the central figure of this religion, largely believed to be the Son of God, or God incarnate (though this belief may vary by sect). There are three main groups found in Christianity: the Orthodox, Catholic, & Protestant, and there are further divisions within these main three. Christianity is currently the largest religion in the world and is therefore found virtually everywhere, even in extremely isolated nations such as North Korea.
Unlike Jews and Christians, Muslims trace their lineage back to Ishmael, the other son of Abraham. The Tanakh & the Bible/New Testament are believed to be revealed by God but also to have been altered by humans over the centuries. Thus, their holy text is the Quran, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel (or Jibreel in Arabic), and it is believed to be the literal word of God. Jesus Christ is considered a prophet in Islam, along with other Christian and Jewish figures (i.e. John the Baptist, Jonah, Lot, Noah, & Moses, to name a few). There are two main groups of Muslims, the Sunni and Shi’a; there are further divisions within these two sects. Islam is the second largest religion in the world.
Now here are some overlooked Abrahamic religions:
This religion was founded in 1844 in Persia by the Bab. The Bab based many of his teachings on his own interpretations of the Quran and other Islamic traditions. The Persian Bayan is one of the primary Bab texts and is generally believed to supersede the Quran. This religion declined in popularity and the Baha’i religion rose to greater prominence.
This religion was founded by Baha’u’llah, who was one of the earlier followers of the Bab. One of their primary texts is the Kitab-i-Iqan, or the Book of Certitude. God is believed to have manifested as different prominent religious figures throughout history, each meant for the people of that specific time and place. Abraham, Buddha, Krishna, Jesus Christ, and Moses are some of these primary incarnations. Harmony between religions, along with unity between peoples and equality between men and women, are emphasized in this religion. There are an estimated 5 to 7 million Baha’is scattered around the world, found in the United States, Iran, Israel, India, Germany, Uganda, and more.
The Druze are an ethnoreligious group found primarily in Syria, Israel, Lebanon, and Jordan. One of their primary religious texts is the Kitab Al Hikma (Epistles of Wisdom). Elements of Shi’a Islam, Gnosticism, and Neoplatonism can be found in their beliefs; reincarnation is a key Druze belief and is unique among most other Abrahamic religions. There are approximately 1 million Druze in the world today.
This ethnoreligious group is among the older of the Abrahamic traditions and is closely related to Judaism. They believe in the god of the Hebrew prophets (YHWH) and their scripture is the Torah, though there are variances to the Jewish Torah (i.e., their ten commandments slightly differ). Jewish Rabbinical texts like the Talmud and Midrash are rejected. Samaritans call themselves “Children of Israel”, but do not typically identify as Jewish. There are less than 1,000 practicing Samaritans left today.