Judaism

Chapter 3

Background InformationModern Judaism

•There are about 13 - 14 million followers today.•Most of these live in Russia, U.S., and Israel.

The Early IsraelitesWho Were They?

Sometime around 1200 B.C. the Israelites moved into Canaan from Eastern Mesopotamia. Canaan lies along the Mediterranean Sea.Their religion was unique in that they only worshipped one God. This practice is calledMonotheism.

Israelite’s BackgroundLanguage and Contributions

The Israelites spoke Hebrew and copied their beliefs into what would become the Hebrew Bible. Their values and religion spread to Europe.The Israelites were herders and traders.The Israelites came from the city of Ur, led by their patriarch...

AbrahamThe Patriarch of the Three Semetic Religions

The Israelites believe that Canaan was given to them by God. He gave it to them in return for their willingness to worship only one God.His grandson was Jacob, also called Israel, who had 12 sons. These sons were the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel.

IshmaelHagar

Reuben, Levi, Gad, Issachar, Zebulun

Asher, Simeon, Naphtali, Dan, Jacob, Judah, Benjamin,

JacobIssacSarai

Abraham

MuhammadJesus

Line of AbrahamHow he became the father of three religions

IshmaelHagar

Reuben, Levi, Gad, Issachar, Zebulun

Asher, Simeon, Naphtali, Dan, Joseph, Judah, Benjamin,

JacobIssacSarai

Abraham

MuhammadJesus

Line of AbrahamHow he became the father of three religions

One of these sons was Joseph.

He was disliked by his brothers because he was their father’s favorite.

They sold him into slavery after debating to kill him

Joseph eventually became a high ranking government official in Egypt and was in a position of power when a famine hit the region.

The brothers were desperate and came to Egypt looking for help.

Joseph eventually helped his brothers even though he made it hard on them at first.

Joseph and His Brothers

Slavery

• The Israelites stayed in Egypt following the famine.

• The Egyptians became concerned with the numbers of the Israelites and eventually enslaved the Israelite population.

• This failed to reduce the growing population and there was a mass execution ordered.

• One woman was intent on saving her child. She put him in the Nile, hoping for a rescue.

MosesHow he was chosen and what he did.

The daughter of the Pharaoh found him and brought the child to the palace to live.Later in life, Moses heard a voice that he believed to be God. He believed he was being told to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and back to Canaan.Moses went to pharaoh and asked for his people to be released. Pharaoh refused and faced 10 plagues to punish the Egyptians.

The ExodusMass Departure

After the firstborn died, pharaoh allowed the Israelites to leave. This event is celebrated in Passover.He changed his mind and sent his army to bring them back.Moses led the Israelites across the divided Red Sea, once the Egyptian army followed, the sea closed up and drowned them.

The Exodus40 years in the desert

For the next 40 years, Moses led the Israelites in the desert returning to Canaan. This wandering in the Sinai desert produced the Ten Commandments.Moses went atop Mt. Sinai there he received the laws from God. This is the foundation of the Torah. This formed a covenant with God.

The Ark of the CovenantWhat was it and what did it contain?

The Ten Commandments were placed in a golden ark and carried with the Israelites as they wandered in the desert for forty years.

The Fighting JudgesWho were they?

A judge was typically a military leader, the Bible mentions several Judges.

Among them were: Barak, Gideo, Samuel, Eli, and Deborah.

Deborah was a female judge who was a very effective military advisor.

The Hebrew AlphabetAdapted from the Phoenicians

The Hebrew alphabet comes to us as a variation of the Phoenician alphabet. Which later influenced the Greek and Roman alphabets.

A King

• The Israelites demanded a king and reluctantly the prophet Samuel approved the selection of Saul.

A New King

• According to the Bible, Saul disappointed God and was replaced as king of Israel.

• This new king was a young boy named David.

David Builds an Empire

• David began capturing land and requiring conquered peoples to pay tribute.

• He wanted to expand his capital city of Jerusalem.

• His main goal was the creation of a temple to house the most important Jewish religious relics. Including the Ark of the Covenant.

Israel after David

• When David died, he was replaced with his son Solomon.

• Solomon was very wise, and continued to build the temple his father had desired. This was not popular as he imposed heavy taxes for the construction.

• He is credited with the writing of the Proverbs.

Life After Solomon

• Following Solomon’s death Israel could not agree on a new king.

• After a rebellion, the Northern 10 tribes broke away and found a new country of Israel. The capital was Samaria.

• The two remaining tribes formed a new country called Judah. The capital was Jerusalem.

The Divided Kingdom

The red line represents modern Israel.

A Divided Israel

• The Assyrians invaded Israel in 722 B.C. As was their custom they scattered the Israelites through their empire.

• The Assyrians that moved into the Israelite lands eventually adopted the local faith. They became know as Samaritans. The Jews from Judah looked down on this group.

Judah Falls

• After several invasions by neighboring groups, Judah collapsed after a Chaldean king, Nebuchadnezzar, invaded.

• He made 10,000 Jews leave Judah.• After a rebellion, the king made many Jews

leave the region and made them move to Babylon. This is known as the Babylonian Captivity.

The Return to Judah

• The Jews were allowed to return to Judah following the Persian conquest of the Assyrians.

• King Cyrus allowed the Jews that wanted to return to Jerusalem to do so.

• They returned to a ruined city and began rebuilding the city and temple.

Leaders…

• The leaders of the Jews became the temple priests & scribes.

• Under a scribe Ezra, the Jews wrote the five books of the Torah.

• The Torah & writings were added later to the Hebrew Bible.

What is in the Hebrew Bible?

• A series of books collected together.• It includes 5 books from the Torah & 34

other books.• Genesis is the first book of the Torah

The Jews & the Greeks

• In 331 B.C., Alexander the Great defeated the Persians.

• So, Judah came under his control.• The Jews were allowed to stay in Judah.• However, Alexander introduced the Greek

language & Greek ways.

Diaspora

• The Jews outside of Judah became known as Diaspora, or “scattered.”

• Many learned Greek language & Greek ways but still remained loyal to Judaism.

• One group copied the Hebrew Bible into Greek.

Maccabees

• In 168 B.C. a Greek ruler, Antiochus decided to make the Jews worship Greek gods.

• Judas Maccabees & his followers rebelled.• They formed an army known as the

Maccabees.• They drove the Greeks out of Judah.

Hanukkah

• The Maccabees restored their temple.• Each year Jew celebrate this cleansing of the

temple as Hanukkah.• Priests from Judas Maccabeus’s family became

the new rulers of Judah.• Judah took over land that

had been part of the kingdom of Israel.

The Jews & the Romans

• In 63 B.C., the Romans conquered Judah.

• The Romans renamed it Judaea.

• At first, the Romans allowed Jewish rulers to run Judaea.

King Herod

• Most famous ruler of Judaea at this times was King Herod.

• Known for his cruelty & known for his changes to the Jewish temple.

• He is best known for ruling Judaea when Jesus was born.

Jewish Revolts

• Many Jews were waiting for a messiah.• Other Jews called Zealots, wanted to fight the

Romans for their freedoms.• In A.D. 66 the Zealots drove the Romans out of

Jerusalem.• 4 years later, the Romans retook Jerusalem.

When they did they destroyed the Temple of Solomon. Today only the Western Wall remains of the temple.

The Rebellion

• Josephus chronicled the rebellion in his History of the Jewish War.

• He was a Jewish general who later sided with the Romans.

Jewish Revolts Cont.

• The Jews attempted to revolt again in A.D. 132.

• The Romans put this revolt down.• This time, the Romans forbade Jews

to live in or even visit Jerusalem.• They renamed Judaea- Palestine.

What happened next…

• For 2,000 years Jews lived outside of Palestine.• They often faced hatred & persecution.• In 1948, Palestine was divided & a new Jewish

nation called Israel was created.

Diet

• Jews are forbidden to eat certain foods.• They must be prepared in a special way called

kosher. They must also meet certain guidelines about their meats. They are forbidden to eat fish with no scales or fins, and cannot mix meat with dairy.

Common Kosher symbols