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Chapter 3.4: The Origins of JudaismReading Quiz
1.
Who was Abraham? (Time Period,
Location, Key Achievements)
Around 2000 BCE in Ur…according to the
Torah, Abraham was commanded by God to
move his people and their flocks to
Canaan…known as the Father of
Judaism…covenant with their omnipresent
God
2.
Summarize the plight of the
Hebrews, as recorded in the Torah.
Hebrews moved to Canaan with
Abraham…migrated to Egypt because of
drought and famine…enslaved…Hebrews
fled Egypt in the “exodus” led by
Moses…traveled across Sinai Peninsula,
Moses delivered 10 Commandments from
Mount Sinai…Hebrews wandered through
desert for 40 years…returned to Canaan
3.
Who was Solomon? (Time Period,
Location, Key Achievements)
962 BCE- In Israel, Solomon was the son of
David and Bathsheba, and considered the
most powerful of the Hebrew kings…built a
trading empire…built a temple to house the
Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem.
Video: Time Life- Mesopotamia
Chapter 3.4: The Origins of Judaism
I. The Search for a Promised Land
 Ancient Palestine’s location made it a
cultural crossroads of the ancient world.
 By land- connected Asia and Africa
(Assyria and Babylonia and Egypt)
 Palestine’s seaports opened onto the
Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea
 Hebrews settled in Canaan (between
Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea)
 According to the Bible (Torah)- Canaan
was the land God had promised to the
Hebrew people
A. From Ur to Egypt
 First Five books of the Hebrew Bible=
Torah…contains early history of the
Hebrews
 Old Testament in Christian tradition
 Historical record and morality tales
 Abraham as “father” of the Hebrew
people…makes a covenant with God
 Abraham was a shepherd in the city of
Ur…Torah tells how God commanded
Abraham to move his people and their
flocks to Canaan around 2000BCE…Book
of Genesis…moved from lower Tigris and
Euphrates region to Canaan
 Around 1650BCE- descendants of
Abraham moved again to Egypt
B. The God of Abraham
 Abraham and his family- roamed from
Mesopotamia to Canaan to Egypt and
back to Canaan
 God, called Yahweh…monotheistic
(belief in a single god)
 Hebrews proclaimed Yahweh as the one
and only God
 Covenant between Abraham and his
descendants and Yahweh…mutual
promise- obedience for mutual
protection
C. “Let My People Go.”
 Bible tells of the Hebrews going to Egypt
because of a drought and famine…first
given places of honor, then enslaved
 Hebrews fled Egypt (between 1500 and
1200BCE)- “Exodus”…remembered by
Jews every year as the festival of
Passover
 Moses- led the Hebrews on their Exodus
from Egypt
o When Moses was born, the Egyptian
pharaoh felt threatened by the
number of Hebrews in Egypt and
ordered all Hebrew male babies to
be killed…Moses’ mother hid him in
the reeds along the Nile
River…Egyptian princess found him
and adopted him…later Moses
obeyed God when he was
commanded to lead the Jews out of
Egypt
D. A New Covenant
 While Hebrews traveled across the Sinai
Peninsula…Moses climbed Mount Sinai
to pray…Bible says he spoke with God
and returned with 2 stone tablets on
which Yahweh had written ten laws…the
Ten Commandments of the Bible
 Became the basis for the civil and
religious laws of Judaism
 Hebrews believed this was a new
covenant between the Hebrews and
God
E. The Land and People of the Bible
 Torah tells of the Hebrews wandering
for 40 years in the Sinai Desert
 After death of Moses- return to
Canaan…fought with neighbors over
land…difficult adjusting to settled life in
Palestine
F. The Hebrews Are Ruled by Judges
 When Hebrews arrived in Canaan, they
were loosely organized into 12 tribes
 Tribes lived in separate territories and
were self-governing
 Crisis- judges would rise up to unite the
tribes and provide judicial and military
leadership
 One of the most prominent judges,
chosen by God, was Deborah
G. Hebrew Law
 Deborah had an extraordinary position
for a Hebrew woman
 Gender differences…women were not
allowed to officiate at religious
ceremonies and a Hebrew woman’s
most important duty was to raise her
children and provide moral leadership
for them
 Ten Commandments, part of Hebrew
Moral code…similar to Hammurabi’s
Code “an eye for an eye…”
o However, it was softened by God’s
mercy in interpretation
 Prophets: interpreted the
code…considered themselves as
messengers to reveal God’s will to his
people…urged Hebrews to stay true to
their covenant
 Prophets taught Hebrews had duty to
worship God and live justly with one
another…goal of a moral life
 Ethical monotheism: emphasis on right
conduct and the worship of one
God…influenced Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam
II. The Kingdom of Israel
 Canaan- contained deserts, wilderness,
hills, and dry valley…water was never
plentiful
 After the Hebrews settled in southcentral area of ancient Palestine,
Hebrews expanded south and north
A. Saul and David Establish a Kingdom
 Judges occasionally pulled together
scattered tribes for a united military
effort.
 Philistines continued to threaten the
Hebrews
 Eventually, only the large tribe of Judah
was left…Hebrews called Jews…religion
Judaism
 1020 to 922 BC: Hebrews united under 3
able kings: Saul, David, and
Solomon…new kingdom was called
Israel
 Saul: chosen after he successfully drove
out the Philistines from ancient
Palestine
 David: succeeded his father in law
Saul…very popular leader, united tribes,
established Jerusalem as the capital and
founded a dynasty
B. Solomon Builds the Kingdom
 962BC- David was succeeded by his son,
Solomon, whose mother was Bathsheba
 Solomon was most powerful of Hebrew
kings…built trading empire
 Build Great Temple in Jerusalem…to be
a permanent home for the Ark of the
Covenant…contained the tablets of
Moses’ law
C. The Kingdom Divides
 Solomon’s building projects required
high taxes, and forced labor…caused
discontent
 After Solomon’s death, Jews in northern
part of the kingdom revolted…922BC
kingdom divided into Israel in the north
and Judah in the south…periods of
conflict
III. The Babylonian Captivity
 738BC: both Israel and Judah began
paying tribute to Assyria…(trying to
prevent an attack)
 Assyrians began the siege of Samaria,
capital of Israel in 725
 Southern Kingdom of Judah resisted for
another 150 years before it was
destroyed at the hands of the
Babylonians
 Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, ran
the Egyptians out of Syria and ancient
Palestine…attacked Jerusalem
twice…city fell in 586BC…Solomon’s
Temple was destroyed…survivors
deported to Babylon…time known as the
Babylonian Captivity or Exile
 539BC: Persian king Cyrus the Great
conquered Babylon…then Cyrus allowed
some 40,000 exiles to return to
Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple…many
were kept in Babylonia
 Second Temple completed in 515BCwalls of Jerusalem rebuilt in 445BC