Why didn't Judaism spread but Christianity and Islam did spread?

Answer 1

Judaism did not spread like Christianity and Islam because it did not want to.

It was not adopted by cultures that were expansionist or far-reaching at the time. The Romans were immensely influential and allowed Christianity to flourish; and the Arabs were a hugely successful, expansionist tribe.

Answer:

Unlike the Jews, Christians and Muslims either used force or economic means.

Christianity spread by force during the Roman Empire.

Islam spread during (and before) the Turkish Empire, the warriors of whom converted to Islam; as well as through conquest, and by the influence of the Arabic merchants.

Answer:

Judaism doesn't believe in actively seeking converts.

Answer 2

It is not well known, but Judaism did spread quite widely from its origins in Judah, a tiny enclave to the west of the Dead Sea. It was probably during the reign of King Josiah in the seventh century BCE that a form of monotheistic Judaism was impressed on the Samaritans in what had formerly been the northern kingdom of Israel. Under the Maccabees in the second century BCE, the Idumeans and Galileans were forcibly converted to Judaism. Judaism also spread by diaspora to Babylon and Egypt.

The Romans allowed Judaism to flourish. Whether by simply welcoming gentiles who chose to convert or by active proselytising, Jews had achieved a substantial presence throughout the eastern Mediterranean region and Rome by the late first century.

After the two Roman-Jewish Wars of 66 to 136 CE and Jewish uprisings in Egypt, Cyrenaica and Cyprus, it became unfashionable and possibly dangerous to convert to Judaism. Also, competition from Christianity seems to have brought large-scale conversions to Judaism to an end. The establishment of Christianity as the religion of state in the fourth century meant that the inflow of converts effectively ceased. In 407 CE it became a criminal offence to convert to Judaism.

Apart from the Maccabean period, the Jews never had a military power base from which to spread the religion by force, and was less successful in winning large numbers of converts against the emerging Christian religion.

Answer 3

Judaism doesn't believe in actively seeking converts. And despite what some people think or insinuate, the DNA tests speak for themselves:

In 2000, the analysis of a report by Nicholas Wade "provided genetic witness that Jewish communities have, to a remarkable extent, retained their biological identity separate from their host populations, showing relatively little intermarriage or conversion into Judaism over the centuries. The results accord with Jewish history and tradition and refute theories which would allege that Jewish communities consist mostly of converts."

When some upstart bandied the idea of active proselytizing, I posted this response:

"Stupid idea!! We need to consolidate our own communities and to mitigate the spiritual Holocaust perpetrated by Reform Judaism, not push our religion on anyone else. It is a Torah-law that we ACCEPT sincere converts, not LOOK for them. Get a life!" Unquote.

So in what ways did Judaism spread?

Judaism itself:

As the Jewish communities spread and moved. This phenomenon was set in motion by the various expulsions and persecutions, which drove Jewish populations to settle in new places.

Jewish influence:
As non-Jews came in contact with Jews, there was a degree of influence upon them. Many of these people adopted Christianity.

As the new religion of Christianity spread, it taught those beliefs which it had adopted directly from Jewish sources, such as the prohibition of infanticide and human sacrifice.

See also the Related Links.

Link: The diaspora

Link: The influence of Hebrew traditions on the Western world