The Ancient Hebrews

1800-500 BCE

The Old Kingdom

Temple of Amon, Karnak

Middle Kingdom

Hyksos 1700-1500 BCE

New Kingdom

c. 1450 BCE

King Tutankhamenc. 1330 BCE

Legacy of Ancient Judaism

Abraham, Patriarch of Western Monotheism

Where did Abram begin his journey in Genesis?

A. Ur of the Chaldeans

B. Jerusalem

C. Jericho

D. The Sinai Peninsula

Abraham’s Journey

How does Hammurabi’s code differ from the Exodus Laws of the

Hebrews?A. It does not contain the law of the talion

B. The death penalty is not in the Hebrews’ laws

C. Hammurabi did not claim divine approval for his laws

D. Hebrew laws did not have different penalties for various classes

William Blake – Sacrifice of Isaac c. 1900

The Finding of Moses

• Painting by Charles de la Fosse c. 1675

Moses Before Pharaoh

Moses, Ten

Commandments,Religious Identity

Painting by Rembrandt

1600s

David the Giant Slayeras depicted by

Donatello and

Michelangelo

David with the head of

Goliath• Oil painting by

Domenico Feti, c. 1620

The Temple of Solomon

Ancient Israel at the Height of its power in the 10th

century BCE

The Kingdoms of Israel & Judah

Prophet Jeremiah

c. 650 – 586 CE

Hellenistic Successor State: Seleucid Empire

Drunkenness of Noah – G. Bellini c. 1490

Tomb of Pope Julius II

• Marble depiction of Moses created by Michelangelo c. 1515

Overview

• Our sources for understanding the Hebrews

• From Ur to Canaan

• Ancient Judah and Israel

• The Babylonian Captivity

• The centuries before Christ

Sources for the Ancient Hebrews

• The Old Testament - especially the Pentateuch aka the Torah which literally means the law or the teachings– Some of the oldest surviving historical literature– linear concept of time– the intervention of God in human affairs– little descriptive information about geography– God acts along moral and ethical lines and expects his

chosen people to do the same

• Archeological studies

Old Testament as History

• Difficulties associated with its usage as historical source– credibility of some claims: people live for hundreds of years– miracles are outside the realm of modern experience

• parting of the Red Sea

– contradictions, especially in sequencing and dating

• One solution is to interpret the Old Testament as a myth– similar to poetry in that in conveys values and meaning– not to be taken literally: allegory & exegesis

From Ur to Canaan

• The Hebrews were originally a nomadic tribe that appear to have migrated along the fertile crescent from Sumeria to Egypt before eventually settling in the Levant near the end of the second millenium BCE

• They left Ur sometime around 1900 BC and settled in Egypt probably in the aftermath of the invasion of the Hyksos, when lower Egypt became a melting pot of cultures

• Their fortunes may have suffered with the ouster of the Hyksos and their enslavement is recounted in the Book of Exodus

The Hebrews in Egypt• The Hebrews were not uniformly monotheistic when

they arrived in Egypt; by the time they left Egypt their monotheistic tendencies were strengthening

• Exodus tells us of the difficulties that the Hebrews had in maintaining faith in a single God when they were surrounding by polytheists; the Ten Commandments amplify this concern

• It is also likely that the Hebrews witnessed firsthand the abortive attempt of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten to impose monotheism or at least henotheism in the 1300s BCE

The Book of Exodus

• Writing may have started as early as 1200BC but was not completed until c. 500BC

• Tells the story of the Hebrews living under Pharaoh and their dramatic escape

• Has inspired generations of oppressed peoples that God will eventually come to their aid and may be the inspiration for Karl Marx’s description of religion as “the opiate of the masses”

• Imparts the notion that God favors the humble rather than the proud and powerful

The Book of Exodus

• Contains the Ten Commandments c. 1250 BCE– definition of sin along the terms of a legal agreement

between God and his people– communicated directly by God– would be incorporated in numerous medieval legal codes as

the foundation of law and rules of civil society– some disagreement over number and content of

commandments– they are followed by numerous legal prosciptions, including

the law of the talion - an eye for an eye - which is also contained in the Babylonian/Sumerian Code of Hammurabi

The Conquest of Canaan

• Begins with Joshua’s fabled conquest of Jericho (c. 1200 BCE)

• They carry the Ark of the Covenant into war and are unbelievably successful ( a la Raiders of the Lost Ark)

• Occurs over approximately two centuries and includes the well known battle against the Phillistines in which David slays Goliath (c. 1000); once again the Old Testament glorifies the underdog

The Kingdoms of Israel & Judah

• Originally the single state of Israel emerges as a confederation of Hebrew tribes in the period 1200-1000 BCE but by 930 it is divided into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah

• The faithlessness of the Israelites to YHWH eventually brings the destruction of their kingdom by the Assyrians and eventually the fall of Judah to the neo-Babylonians; an impending sense of doom influence the prophecies that precedes the fall

• 597 BCE: the deportation of Jews to Babylon begins

The Age of Prophets, 900-500 BCE

• Fertile period of development of Jewish thought regarding relations with the Almighty

• Period of political decline for ancient Hebrews; the prophets blame the decline on the combined sinfulness of the rulers and the people

• The prophets often stand in opposition to the established political powers as critics of the court

• The prophets call for social justice and observance of ancient laws and customs; the foretell of the destruction of Jerusalem

• Monotheism becomes firmly established among the Hebrews

• The Hebrew Bible begins to take written form near the Age of Prophets

The Babylonian Captivity: 597-537 BCE

• Influential period in the subsequent development of Jewish culture– Jews reflect on the destruction of the Hebrew state– the completion of the Pentateuch– Jews are forbidden to hold land – taking advantage of their literacy, they assume positions as

merchants, bureaucrats, and teachers– reverence for the written word intensifies– as outsiders in Babylon the Jews long for social justice

Summary• The Hebrews gradually developed a monotheistic

vision of God between their departure from Ur and the establishment of a kingdom in Canaan

• The Old Testament recorded this spiritual journey and its composition reflects the precocious development of writing and reverence for the written word that the ancient Hebrew culture developed

• Because the Old Testament was considered the word of God, Judaism and Christianity are generally considered book religions: these sacred texts are fundamental to the religion

Summary

• Values and beliefs that the Hebrews transmitted to Western culture:– Ethical monotheism– belief that God intervenes in human affairs based on the

sinfulness or virtue of his people– God has a chosen people who establish a binding contract or

covenant with God– linear concept of time – the Ten Commandments and connection between sin & law– God is inextricably bound with the concept of justice

The Age of Prophets, 900-500 BCE

• Fertile period of development of Jewish thought regarding relations with the Almighty

• Period of political decline for ancient Hebrews; the prophets blame the decline on the combined sinfulness of the rulers and the people

• The prophets often stand in opposition to the established political powers as critics of the court

• The prophets call for social justice and observance of ancient laws and customs; the foretell of the destruction of Jerusalem

• Monotheism becomes firmly established among the Hebrews

• The Hebrew Bible begins to take written form near the Age of Prophets

The Babylonian Captivity: 597-537 BCE

• Influential period in the subsequent development of Jewish culture– Jews reflect on the destruction of the Hebrew state– the completion of the Pentateuch– Jews are forbidden to hold land – taking advantage of their literacy, they assume positions as

merchants, bureaucrats, and teachers– reverence for the written word intensifies– as outsiders in Babylon the Jews long for social justice

Civil War and Infighting

• In addition to viewing themselves as the chosen people, the ancient Jews developed a moral code that specified certain types of behavior toward Jews and other types toward non-Jews

• Internecine struggles continued to plague the Jews throughout their history– Judah & Israel 950-750 BCE– Babylonian Captivity 588-538 BCE– Maccabaean revolt c. 175 BCE– Pharisees and Saducees early 100s BCE

Civil War and Infighting

• The internecine struggles precipitated extremely violent acts, including mass hangings and crucifixions, as well as executions of family members in front of each other

• Pompey entered Jerusalem in 63 BC and Roman rule began with a plundering of the Temple

• Herod the Great, ruled from 37 BC to 4BC; he was completely complicit with the Romans and was only partly Jewish

• At Herod the Great's death in 4 BCE, a revolt erupted and many Jews died; a period of intense unrest ensued for the next few decades; apocalyptic concerns were widespread

Civil War and Infighting

• Between 66 and 70 CE, the Romans fought a war against several rival groups of Jewish revolutionaries; at the end of this period a huge exodus occurred often associated with the term diaspora

• Between 132-135 CE, a final revolt of Jews occurred; the city was again destroyed and the Jews were forbidden to re-settle there

Legacies to Christianity

• Immortality of the Soul: Because the Jews came into contact with the many other cultures that attacked and sometimes conquered them, they began to assimilate ideas on the immortality of the soul, particularly from the Egyptians and the Persian Zoroastrian religion– Daniel 12:2, written around 163 BCE refers to ideas of

heaven, hell, and purgatory, which also probably came from the Zoroastrians

• Good’s Chosen People: Like the Christians after them, the Jews claimed to be God's chosen people and their historical accounts never allow the reader to forget this central point

• God’s Persecuted People: Because th4e Chosen People often failed to live up to the High moral standards established by God, he frequently sent afflictions upon them to chastise them for their sins

Legacies to Christianity• Belief in the coming of a messiah was a widely anticipated

by many ancient Jews, who envisioned two varieties of messiah– A great human leader, descendant of David, the

anointed one would unite the tribes of Israel and usher in a golden age that would free the Jews from external domination

– A supernatural leader, the Son of Man (as envisioned in Daniel), would destroy the enemies of Israel and conduct last judgement

• Apocalyptic thought: Judea was frequently in a state of unrest from 1000 BCE to 135 CE; prophesies of impending doom and the apocalypse were fairly common and influenced Old Testament texts particularly the Book of Daniel

Legacies to Christianity• Asceticism:

– The Essenes were an ascetic community of Jews who lived in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah; they were critical of King Herod as well as the Pharisees (the rabbis who maintained the Temple)

– Jesus was directly influenced by the Essenes through his relationship with John the Baptist, who may have been a member of their community for a brief time

• Reverence for writing and biblical texts:– The Old Testament was not merely a history of the Jewish

people, it was inspired and written by God

Legacies to Christianity

• One male God: - complicated in Christianity by the concept of the Trinity

• These are only some of the more obvious aspects of the legacy of Judaism to Christianity, which adopted the voluminous Hebrew Bible as its Old Testament

Summary

• The ancient Jews suffered for centuries from external wars and internecine struggles

• They believed that these difficulties were God's way of testing and preparing them for the coming of the Messiah

• The anticipation of a messiah was widespread by the time of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth

Summary

• The ancient Jews were widely known to be an extremely religious people

• Religion permeated every aspect of their culture• They dedicated all of their victories to YHWH• Key aspect of their religion was the notion of a

chosen people; this doctrine essentially separated them from all other nations or tribes

• Weakened by internal fighting among themselves, the the Jews were defeated by their neighbors, the Assyrians and Babylonians

General Background

• The Jews tended to interpret their losses in battle in terms of Yahweh's displeasure with them for their sins

• History was centered on their culture and they were some of the earliest people to produce a history of their people or nation

• This history began to be compiled shortly after their departure from Egypt, c. 1200 BCE

• These histories have yielded what Christians call the Old Testament

Summary• The Hebrews gradually developed a monotheistic

vision of God between their departure from Ur and the establishment of a kingdom in Canaan

• The Old Testament recorded this spiritual journey and its composition reflects the precocious development of writing and reverence for the written word that the ancient Hebrew culture developed

• Because the Old Testament was considered the word of God, Judaism and Christianity are generally considered book religions: these sacred texts are fundamental to the religion

Summary

• Values and beliefs that the Hebrews transmitted to Western culture:– Ethical monotheism– belief that God intervenes in human affairs based on the

sinfulness or virtue of his people– God has a chosen people who establish a binding contract or

covenant with God– linear concept of time – the Ten Commandments and connection between sin & law– God is inextricably bound with the concept of justice