Ancient Israel
Historical Overview
• Ancient Israel is the birthplace of
the 3 great monotheistic religions
of the world: Judaism, Christianity
and Islam
• Ancient Israel dates back
approximately 4000 years to the
books of the Old Testament
• Great patriarchs of Judaism:
Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua
• Hebrews, Israelites, Jews: have all
undergone persecution throughout
history; from Babylonian Captivity,
Exodus, Diaspora, Spanish
Inquisition, Holocaust
Jacob (grandson of Abraham)
• Abraham’s grandson
Jacob took name
“Israel” which
means “God ruled”
and organized
Israelites into 12
tribes
• Some tribes settled
in Egypt (due to
drought and famine)
and where subjected
to Pharaoh rule and
slavery
Tracing Roots of Israel’s History
• Nomadic tribes wandered
into Palestine from east in
approximately 1900 BCE
• Mesopotamian society
dominated by polytheism
• God (Yahweh) appeared
before Patriarch Abraham and
told Abraham “to go and raise
a great nation”
• This began the monotheistic
tradition of the Hebrew faith
with the establishment of the
“Covenant”, “Chosen People”
and “Promised Land”
• Abraham settled in Canaan
• Story: Sacrifice of Abraham
Moses & Exodus:
“Let My People Go!”
• Moses received revelations from God:
burning bush, rod / staff, 10 plagues,
parting of the Red Sea
• End of 13th century BCE- Moses led the
Israelites out of bondage in Egypt
during Rames II reign called the
EXODUS
• Moses led the 12 Tribes of Israel to
Mount Sinai where Yahweh gave him
the 10 Commandments, uniting the
Hebrews under one God
• Moses and Hebrews searched for the
“Promised Land” or the land of milk
and honey, however they wandered in
the desert for 40 years
Judaism is…
• “A 4000 year old tradition with ideas about
what it means to be human and how to make
the world a holy place”
(Rabbi Harold Kushner, To Life)
• A “covenant relationship” between God and
the Hebrew people
• A celebration and sanctification of life
• A faith, a people, a way of life…
A 4000 year old tradition…
• The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
(“Israel”) – origins of the Hebrew people
(more than 3800 years ago)
• Enslaved in ancient Egypt and freed by
Moses (more than 3300 years ago)
• Hebrew monarchy in the “Promised Land”
(The Land of Israel), ends 6th century
BCE
Kings of Israel
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1230 BCE, Israelites guided
by Joshua, invaded Canaan
(Promised Land)
1020 BCE: first king of
Israelites was Saul, then
David, then Solomon
Under King David the
Israelites captured city of
Jerusalem
King Solomon built the
Temple of Jerusalem, to
house the Arc of the
Covenant (sacred box to
hold Torah)
Solomon’s Temple was
destroyed during
Babylonian invasion, rebuilt
in 6th century BCE, and
destroyed again in 70 CE by
the Romans
Only remaining part of
Solomon’s Temple is the
Western Wall
What is in a name?
• Hebrew means “From across”name given to Abraham and his
followers
• Israelites: Abraham’s grandson
Jacob renamed Israel which means
“he who has wrestled with God”.
His descendants were called
“Israelites”
• Jews: named after Jacob’s son
Judah, ancient father of tribe of
King David’s dynasty
As a faith, Jews Believe…
• In one God, creator of the universe, personal but
non-corporeal
• In prophets of old – especially Moses, through
whom Torah was revealed to the Hebrew people
• In Torah (first five books of the Bible), containing
religious, moral and social law which guides the life
of a Jew
• The Hebrew Bible does not include the New Testament
As a people, Jews are…
• A nation in Diaspora (dispersed)
• 15 – 16 million in worldwide population
• United by a common heritage (an “ethnic” religion),
divided in contemporary practice:
– Orthodox:
• Modern
• Chasidic (Ultra Orthodox)
– Reformed (18th century Germany)
– Conservative – moderates, response to reform
• Reconstructionalism (20th century America)
Star of David
• The Star of David is a six-pointed star made up of two
triangles superimposed over each other. In Judaism it is often
called the Magen David, which means the "shield of David" in
Hebrew.
• It doesn’t have any religious significance in Judaism but it is
one of the symbols most commonly associated with the
Jewish people. In many ways it has come to be a symbol of
unity.
Symbolic meaning
• There are many ideas about the symbolic meaning of
the Star of David. Some Kabbalists thought that the
six points represented God's absolute rule over the
universe in all six directions: north, south, east, west,
up and down. They also believed that the triangles
represented humanity’s dual nature – good and evil
– and that the star could be used as protection
against evil spirits.
As a way of life, Judaism is based
on…
• 613 commandments found in Torah (“Written Law”)
• Talmud (“Oral Law”) – commentary of ancient rabbis
that elaborates on how to apply God’s Law in everyday
life through:
– Dietary rules (Kashrut/Kosher)
– Dress and other symbols
– Prayer and devotion to the one God
– The Temple and Temple rites
– Observance of Holy days
– Proper social relations between male and female, in
business, judicial rulings, etc.
• Thus sanctifying life, blessing it in every way
How does Judaism sanctify life?
Life cycle celebrations:
• Bris – ritual circumcision, sign of the covenant
• Bar/Bat Mitzvah – full adult status and
responsibility within the religion
• Marriage - "Be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:22)
• Death – funerals, mourning (sitting “Shiva”), and
memorials (“Yartzeits”)
How does Judaism sanctify time?
The Jewish Holidays:
• High Holidays:
– Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)
– Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
• Sukkot, the “Festival of Booths” (fall
harvest festival)
• Simchat Torah – celebrating Torah
• Hanukkah, the “Festival of Lights”
• Passover:
• Passover is a predominantly Jewish holy day and festival. It
commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites
were freed from slavery in Egypt. Passover begins on the 15th day of the
month of Nisan, which is spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and is
celebrated for seven or eight days. It is one of the most widely observed
Jewish holidays, and is commemorated by affiliated and nonaffiliated Jews
alike as a time to contemplate the endurance of the Jewish people
throughout history.
Passover
• In the narrative of the Exodus, the Bible tells that God inflicted ten plagues
upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh would release his Hebrew slaves, with
the tenth plague being the killing of every firstborn male, from the
Pharaoh's son to the firstborn of the dungeon captive, to the firstborn of
cattle. The Hebrews were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes
with the blood of a spring lamb and, upon seeing this, the spirit of the
Lord passed over these homes, hence the term "passover“. When Pharaoh
freed the Hebrews, it is said that they left in such a hurry that they could
not wait for bread to rise. In commemoration, for the duration of Passover
no leavened bread is eaten, for which reason it is called "The Festival of
the Unleavened Bread“. Matzo (flat unleavened bread) is the primary
symbol of the holiday.
More Holy Days…
• Purim (“Lots”) – a carnival (commemorates
events told in book of Esther)
• Pesach (“Passover”) – commemorates the
exodus from Egypt (events told in Exodus)
• Shavuot (“weeks,” Pentecost) – commemorates
receipt of Torah at Sinai
• Other, minor festivals
• Shabbat (Sabbath, 7th day, on Saturday) –
the “Day of Rest”
How is Judaism related to
Christianity?
• Judaism predates Christianity – it is the foundation of
Christianity but is not a part of it
• Jesus was Jewish, as were his followers and the
Apostles
• Jews do not believe that Jesus was anything more than
a good and wise man who lived and died 2000 years ago
– Jews still await their messiah
• The Jewish messiah would not be divine. He would be
a political figure who restores the Hebrew monarchy
and causes peace to reign on Earth
• Jews are not concerned about salvation and the “world
to come”
What are Jews really concerned
about?
• Tikkun Olam - “repairing this world” through
justice and righteousness; through “deed, not
creed”
• The heart of Judaism is in the home and family,
social responsibility and doing Mitzvot (“good
deeds” based on God’s commandments)
• Through education and hard work we make our
lives, the lives of others, and the world, what God
intended it to be – Holy!
To Life!
To Life!
LeChaim!
Web resources
• Judaism 101: http://jewfaq.org/
”an online encyclopedia of Judaism, covering Jewish beliefs,
people, places, things, language, scripture, holidays,
practices and customs”
• ReligiousTolerance.org on Judaism:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/judaism.htm
• This P0werpoint presentation available at:
http://www.nvcc.edu/home/lshulman/Rel232/resource/judaism.ppt