The Hebrews

The People

• The Hebrews– Abraham was father of the Hebrew people– Monotheists

• The Israelites– Moses received the Ten Commandments, creating a

covenant between God and his “Chosen People”– God gave them “The Promised Land” (Israel) and

they were the Israelites• The Jews

– The land close to Jerusalem came to be called Judah

The Land

• In ancient times, Israel had many names– Canaan– Kingdom of Israel– Israel– Judah– Judea– Palestine

Map Activity

• This activity will help you understand the locations and movements of the Hebrew people

• Map– As I discuss the overview of the land and

people you will label the map and take notes

The Lands continued• Mesopotamia

– Ur • Hebrews were not an ethnic group until they left.

• Egypt– Hebrew “nation” forms

• Palestine/Israel/Canaan/Shechem – Hebrew god promised this land to them.– Desirable; geography determined the course of

Hebrew history.– Land bridge between Mesopotamia and Egypt

Hebrews

• First monotheistic religion• Abraham was the father of all Hebrew People• Different from other civilizations we have and

will discuss– Mesopotamia

– Egypt

– Greece

– Rome

– India

– China

Abraham’s GeneaologyAbraham’s Geneaology

ABRAHAMABRAHAM SARAHSARAHHAGARHAGAR

IsaacIsaac

EsauEsauJacobJacob

12 Tribes of Israel

12 Tribes of Israel

Ishmael

Ishmael

12 Arabian Tribes

12 Arabian Tribes

The Age of the Patriarchs1950 BCE – 1500 BCE

• No record in history until 1224-1211 BCE– New Kingdom, Egypt– Listed as a conquered people “now living in

Canaan”

• All Hebrew history is from Genesis • Pre-Egyptian Hebrews: Age of the Patriarchs

– impossible to date• Best guess of historians:1950 – 1500 BCE.

– Written about a thousand years after it happened – Not recorded in other histories.

• Around the same time as the Egyptian Middle Kingdom

Age of the Patriarchs: Important Figures

YAHWEH• Representation of God’s name. 4 consonants – no

vowels in Hebrew: YHVH, JHVH, or YHWH in English.Abraham • Selected with his descendants by Yahweh to be his

people.• Visited by Yahweh & told to move his family.

– Migration - 1950 BCE– Mesopotamia was collapsing into chaos by this time –

Akkadians had fallen.

• Yahweh says Shechem (Palestine) will be given to the Abraham & his descendents. – Why the Hebrews? Special purpose that only they can fulfill

for Elohim (God).– Covenant based on obedience to God

The Original Hebrews• Nomadic tribe• Society organized around kinship

– Relationship with god is also a kinship relationship: •Anybody who isn't a descendant of Abraham

cannot be in the covenant with God.

• Hebrew tribes move to Egypt for a better life.– Probably one of the foreign groups who

overwhelmed Egypt at the end of the Middle Kingdom.

• Before this they were wandering – they did not occupy modern day Israel until later.

More on the Age of Patriarchs

Religion of the early Hebrews• NOT the Yahweh cult (Judaism)

– introduced by Moses not Abraham

• Religious practices described in Genesis indicate a belief in animistic forces/polytheism– Highly controversial.

• End of the Age of Patriarchs: several tribes claim a common ancestor and a common identity.

• Name of tribes unknown– "Hebrew".

• Maybe from the Egyptian word, "apiru," or "foreigner." • “Habiru” = landless foreigner

Egypt & the Wanderings: 1500-1250 BCE

• Almost no accounts of the Hebrews in Egypt • Several Egyptian records of foreign groups during

the New Kingdom– expelling strong groups.– The Hebrews never appear – even with the

drama of Exodus• Hebrew records only of events leading to the

migration– Centuries of missing history

• Migration out of Egypt ~1250 BCE: New Kingdom– the most important event in Hebrew history. – Gave the Hebrews an identity, a nation, a

founder, and a name (“Children of Israel” – first in Exodus)

Moses and the Yahweh Cult• Hebrews should have disappeared from history• Moses

– made the Hebrews important, united them into a distinct people, gave them a religion and a theology

• Historical questions about Moses & Exodus– One person or many (Hebrew, Egyptian, Midianite?) Egyptian

name? Spent a lot of time with the Midianites ; did he learn the Yahweh cult from them?

– Who participated in the migration?• Focus is on the Hebrews; Exodus claims that a "diverse

group of peoples" left Egypt with Moses. Who were they?

• Crossing the Red Sea controversy.– One Migration or several? What kind of resistance was faced?

What was the battle at the Sea of Reeds like?– 2 Accounts in Exodus: 1. Yahweh parts the sea; the Egyptians

get stuck in the mud. 2. Yahweh parts the sea; the Egyptians drown. Which is right?

Traditional Exodus Route

Introduction to Yahweh and Yahweh cult

• Mount Sinai (Arabian Peninsula).• Midianites

– Nomadic, tribal group who lived there – Worshipped a nature god in Mt. Sinai– Moses is introduced to Yahweh; After Moses

returns from Mt. Sinai a Midinite says he knew Yahweh was the most powerful god all along.

The Monarchy1050 – 920 BCE

• After 200 yrs. In Canaan Hebrews unite & form a single state under a King. – Bible stories say this was seen as an act

of disobedience against Yahweh– Would lead to great suffering.

• Still faced constant threat of invasion and oppression

• Judaism was not yet a stable religion.

King Saul• King – following Egyptian and

Mesopotamian model.– Still tribal people; slow transition to monarchy.

• Saul– Chosen by popularity among the people.

• Tall, good looking

– Ineffectual leader– Mostly a military leader (not like other kings)

• No accounts of acting like a king – other than military

– Not rich– Only king for 2 years due to disobedience to

Yahweh.

• Yahweh picks a new king.

• Saul’s kingdom in

pink

David• Starts as young, handsome, popular teenager in

Saul’s court.– Chosen by Yahweh before Saul is even King.– Saul tried to kill him several times.

• Character changes as king (from hero in Saul’s court to villain)

• The Good: Big accomplishments. (40 years as king).– Defeats the Philistines– Hebrew kingdom into a Hebrew empire. – Unites the tribes of Israel under an absolute monarchy. – Non-military affairs: building, legislation, judiciaries, etc. – Built up Jerusalem to look more like the capitals of other kings:

rich, large, beautiful

• The Bad– Hebrews found themselves under heavy taxes and forced labor.– Killed a man to marry his wife.

Solomon• Last king,• best of all the kings of Israel?• The Good

– He built up the capital in Jerusalem (temple of Jerusalem)– imported products: gold, copper, and cedar, - unavailable in

Israel. • The Bad

– Taxed his people heavily. – Gave twenty towns to foreign powers for imported goods– Paid Phoenicia in slave labor: every three months, 30,000

Hebrews performed slave labor for the King • Portrayed as a good king in the bible

– from accounts of Hebrews living under they did not agree.– They became very unhappy.

• When he died (around 926 to 922 BCE) the 10 northern tribes revolted. – 10 of 12 tribes Established their own kingdom. – Empire of David and Solomon was gone

• Two kingdoms emerged & lost all the territory within 100 years.

The 2 Kingdoms920 -597 BCE

• North – Israel– Israelites capital in Samaria

• South - Judah.– Judeans capital in Jerusalem.

• Separate states for 200+ years• Many bad kings• Empire continues to diminish as lands

claim independence. – Within 100 years Israel and Judah are tiny

states - no bigger than Connecticut.– Controlled by Mesopotamian kingdoms and

Egypt– Important for military and commercial use.

The Conquest of Israel• 722 BCE: Assyrians conquered Israel.

– forced migration: 10 tribes; upper class/powerful• Disappear permanently; 10 lost tribes of Israel • scattered in small populations all over the Middle East. • Drop their Hebrew names, identity, and religion to fit in.

– Sent Assyrians to move into the conquered territory.• Some later adopt Yahweh religion

• Babylonians later did the same thing when they conquered Judah – but all to one location.– Jews set up a separate community retained their

religion and identity.

The Conquest of Judah• 701 BCE: Assyrians • 625 BCE: Babylonians • Judah tries to extend territory as area is in chaos – loses.

– Judah attacked by Egypt• 605 BCE: Babylonians defeated the Egyptians• 601 BCE: Babylonians defeated BY the Egyptians

– The king of Judah defected to the Egyptians. • 597 BCE: Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, sent

troops to punish Judah – King gave Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar

• Nebuchadnezzar deported 10,000 Jews to his capital in Babylon– Ordinary people were allowed to stay in Judah.

• New King of Judah defects from the Babylonians.– 586 BCE: Jerusalem re-conquered by Nebuchadnezzar– New smaller deportation.

• The Hebrew kingdom was ended.

Exile in Babylon597 – 538 BCE

• During the exile 2 groups: the Jew in Babylon and the Jews who remain in Judah.

• We know almost nothing of the Jews in Judah after 586. – Famine, infinite despair. – Some people were better off: land of rich

redistributed to the poor. (Rich in Babylon)

• Rivalries between the two groups of Jews. – Wealthy and professional Jews in Babylon

regarded themselves as the true Jewish people.

• Jewish communities in Babylon– Some adopted the Babylonian religion,

but most remained united in worship of Yahweh.

• Period of great despair– Felt Yahweh had turned away from them.– Blamed Exile on their own impurity.

• Theology of salvation appears. – Israelites would be gathered together,

society and religion purified, unified kingdom re-established

– The Torah was probably written in its finalized form in this period. (Central holy text of the Jews).

After the Exile538-332 BCE

• Cyrus of Persia conquered the Middle East – wanted to conquer the world for religious

reasons.– Conquest was strategic before Cyrus

• Middle of the 7th century BCE: prophet, Zarathustra (aka: Zoroaster), appeared among Persians– preached a new religion,

Zoroastrianism

• Zoroastrianism: Gods took sides.– Cyrus said Yahweh was on the Good side– Cyrus ordered the temple rebuilt. – Ordered that the Jews in Babylon return to

Jerusalem.• not unique to Jews• Not all Jews chose to return.

• Judah became a Theological State– Jews were sent home only to worship!

• Society Changed– solely concerned with religious matters– foreign religions not tolerated – Non-Jews were persecuted– only Yahweh was worshipped. – Persians and Greeks respected this – Romans eventually try to introduce new Gods and

greatly offend the Jews.

• Jews included Persian elements in their religion– Most elements were popular not official beliefs– Some persist in Christianity.

• Persian Beliefs:– dualistic universe (good vs. evil)

• Hebrew belief: the universe was dominated only by Yahweh. History was the result of Yahweh and Human will – not good and evil.

– dualistic afterlife. (heaven and hell)• Hebrews belief: soul after death went to a house of

dust called "Sheol," for a brief time then faded from existence.

• Focus on present life.• In popular religion (which becomes Christianity), the

Hebrews adopted this view of the afterlife. • explains suffering in this life: Exile & justice at one's

death

Greeks and Jews 332-63 BCE• Alexander the Great defeats Persia

– Judah became part of Macedonia, a Greek state.• After his death empire divided among three

generals. – Hebrew state caught in the middle of power

struggles– Between 319 and 302 BCE, Jerusalem changed

hands seven times.• Jews bitterly resented the Greeks.

– More foreign than any group they had ever seen. – The gods of the Greeks seemed wildly offensive. – Jewish society was very opposed to exposure of

the body•Greeks wrestled nude and dressed very lightly

• Jews also lived in Mesopotamia, Egypt, & other parts of the Middle East– Jews outside of Judah still thrived. – Hellenistic (Greek) world, Jews formed unified and

solid communities• Torah was translated into Greek in Ptolemaic Egypt

because it was the law code of the Jews.– Anti-Egyptian elements softened or removed.– This translation made Judaism into a “World Religion”:

Made the Hebrew scriptures available to Mediterranean world & early Christians.

The Diaspora (dispersion, scattering)

• Jewish state ends in 70 C.E– Romans began to drive Jews from the home

• Really began before the Romans– Forced Migrations under Assyrians &

Babylonians

• In 63 BCE, Judea became a protectorate of Rome. – Judea was allowed a king– Roman Governor's was to regulate trade and

maximize tax revenue.

• Romans were a nightmare for the Jews. – They heavily taxed the Jews, called their emperors

Gods, etc.• 70 CE: the Judeans revolted

– 73 CE, last of the revolutionaries stuck in fort called Masada•Romans had waged war for two years•1000 men, women, and children inside were

beginning to starve.•Jewish revolutionaries killed themselves

– The Romans then destroyed Jerusalem, annexed Judea as a Roman province

• Systematically drove the Jews from Palestine– After 73 CE, Hebrew history would only be the

history of the Diaspora as the Jews and their world view spread over Africa, Asia, and Europe.

– The Roman Israel was the land Jesus was born into.