Wikipedia's first sentence called it “not limited to the worship of an idol itself”. Today it says “prohibited”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2005
Judaism strongly prohibits any form of idolatry .1 Judaism holds that idolatry is not limited to the worship of an idol itself, but also worship involving any artistic representations of God. Judaism holds that any beliefs or practices which significantly interferes with a Jew's relationship with God may, at some point, be termed "idolatry". Examples might include: A very strong attachment to one's country; excessive nationalism could be considered a form of idolatry. A very strong desire to gain money and wealth; greed could be considered a form of idolatry. A very strong desire to gain fame or recognition; egocentrism could be considered a form of idolatry.2
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16586970.
The opening as it stood in 2010 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Judaism strongly prohibits any form of idolatry . Judaism holds that idolatry is not limited to the worship of an idol itself, but also worship involving any artistic representations of God. In addition it is forbidden to derive benefit ( hana'ah ) from anything dedicated to idolatry.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 349563115.
The opening as it stood in 2015
Judaism strongly prohibits any form of idolatry . Idolatry is Judaisms antithesis, and is prohibited. Judaism holds that idolatry is not limited to the worship of an idol itself, but also worship involving any artistic representations of God . In addition it is forbidden to derive benefit ( hana'ah ) from anything dedicated to idolatry. However, aniconism in Judaism has not prevented traditions of Jewish art at various periods.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 666889890.
The opening as it stood in 2020 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Idolatry in Judaism is prohibited. Judaism holds that idolatry is not limited to the worship of an idol itself, but also worship involving any artistic representations of God . In addition it is forbidden to derive benefit ( hana'ah ) from anything dedicated to idolatry. However, aniconism in Judaism has not prevented traditions of Jewish art at various periods.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 947746519.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Idolatry in Judaism Idolatry in Judaism is prohibited. Judaism holds that idolatry is not limited to the worship of an idol itself, but also worship involving any artistic representations of God . The prohibition is epitomized by the first two "words" of the decalogue: I am the Lord thy God , Thou shalt have no other gods before me , and Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any image in the sky, on earth or in the sea .These prohibitions are re-emphasized repeatedly by the later prophets, suggesting the ongoing appeal of Canaanite religion and syncretic assimilation to the ancient Israelites. In addition, it is forbidden to derive benefit ( hana'ah ) from anything dedicated to idolatry.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1176183632.
The opening as it stood in 2025 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Idolatry in Judaism (Hebrew: עבודה זרה) is prohibited. Judaism holds that idolatry is not limited to the worship of an idol itself, but also worship involving any artistic representations of God . The prohibition is epitomized by the first two "words" of the decalogue: I am the Lord thy God , Thou shalt have no other gods before me , and Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any image in the sky, on earth or in the sea . These prohibitions are re-emphasized repeatedly by the later prophets, suggesting the ongoing appeal of Canaanite religion and syncretic assimilation to the ancient Israelites. In addition, it is forbidden to derive benefit ( hana'ah ) from anything dedicated to idolatry.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1291958894. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “not limited to the worship of an idol itself”. Today it says “prohibited”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
not limited to the worship of an idol itself
Now
prohibited
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
