The Hebrews Kishlansky, Mark A. , et al. Civilization in the West. Vol The Hebrews Kishlansky, Mark A., et al. Civilization in the West. Vol. 1, Pearson Longman, 2008.

Hebrews Beyond Mesopotamia and the Delta of the Nile Semitic (Hebrew or Arabic in language) tribes of shepherds and traders Established a unique religious and cultural tradition

Origin Mesopotamian traditions Urban culture was a curse Story of the flood (Genesis 6-10) Worship of gods on high places (Genesis 11) Urban culture was a curse First city was built by Cain (the first murderer) Tower of Babel (symbol of human pride not human achievement) Rejected gods of other regions

The Exodus 16th century BCE 13th century BCE Moses Semitic settlers reduced to slavery 13th century BCE Small band of Semitic slaves left Egypt for Sinai and Canaan under the leadership of Moses Moses Founder of the Israelites Forged a new faith and adopted Yahweh

The Israelites “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Exodus 20:2) Ten Commandments Absolute (Thou shalt NOT….)

Conclusion “The legacy of the first 3,000 years of civilization is more than a tradition of imperial conquest, exploitation, and cruelty. It goes beyond a mere catalog of discoveries, inventions, and achievements, impressive as they are. The legacy includes the basic structure of Western civilization…They build what we now recognize to have been the first cities and empires…They attacked problems of uneven distribution of natural resources through irrigation, long-distance trade, and communication. Their religious traditions, from polytheism to monotheism, provided patterns for subsequent Western religious traditions” (pg. 32).