FOUNDED: Nineteenth century C.E.
RELIGION AS A PERCENTAGE OF WORLD POPULATION: 0.04 percent

Overview

Since the nineteenth century the term "Orthodoxy" (Greek orth, "correct," and doxa, "belief") has been applied to the most traditional movement within Judaism. This movement sees itself, compared with other Jewish groups, as the authentic carrier of Jewish tradition since ancient times. Orthodox Jews believe that the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, also called the written law) is the word of God and, along with interpretations of the Torah known as the oral law, was divinely revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai. Because of its strict adherence to written and oral law (the latter compiled in the Talmud and codified in the Sholchan Aroch), the Orthodox community often calls itself "Torah-true Judaism."

Scholars generally partition Orthodox Judaism into two major groups: the "ultra-orthodox," or Haredi (awestruck), community and...