9. Judaism (14 million adherents)
The First Temple of Judaism, the Solomon’s Temple, dated back to 832 BCE. It was an important holy temple for Jewish in Jerusalem. It was destroyed four centuries later and replaced by the Second Temple.
Abraham was the father of the Jewish people. When his descendants were enslaved in Egypt, God told Moses to lead the exodus. That was when the Torah, five books of Moses, was received. Long story short, it led them to Israel.
Israel is the ancient homeland of Judaism. Thus, the Israelis are referred to as Jewish. The term Jewish itself has dual meanings, whether it is to identify people according to their religion or to their ancestry.
However, experts believe that it is neither national, genealogical, nor religious. Jewishness is all of those in dialectical tension.
