Origins of Judaism Sec 4

Background Judaism is the oldest known monotheistic, belief in a single god, religion still practiced in the world today. Yahweh- Hebrew name for God Its fundamental teachings have been influential and are the basis for more recently developed religions such as Christianity and Islam.

Torah Most of what we know about Hebrew history is contained in the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible, the Torah Christians respect the Torah as part of the Old Testament Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

Founders of Judaism Abraham- chosen by God to be “father” of the Hebrew people, considered one of the founders of Judaism Abraham was a shepherd who lived in the city of Ur in Mesopotamia Book of Genesis says that God told Abraham to move his people to Canaan Believed to be around 1800 BC

Covenant Covenant- mutual promise between God and the Hebrews. God would protect the Hebrews as long as they obeyed him

Moses and the Exodus Around 1650 BC, the Hebrews moved to Egypt At first they were given places of honor but later they were forced into slavery The Exodus- between 1300 and 1200 BC the Hebrews fled from Egypt led by Moses Exodus is celebrated during Passover

Moses Moses- man who led the Hebrews out of slavery Ten Commandments- basis for civil and religious laws of Judaism New Covenant- God will protect the Hebrews and they will obey the Ten Commandments

10 Commandments YouTube - Moses - Ten Commandments http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW_GmCzdDNQ

Land and People of the Bible After escaping Egypt the Hebrews wandered the desert for 40 years Eventually returned to Canaan where Abraham was from Loosely organized into 12 tribes that would unite in times of trouble

Hebrew Law Ten Commandments were part of a code of laws delivered to Moses that included other rules regarding social and religious behavior Similar to Hammurabi’s Code in some ways Goal of Judaism is to live a moral life in accordance with God’s laws

Kingdom of Israel Eventually only the tribe of Judah was left out of the 12 tribes, as a result Hebrews became known as Jews and their religions Judaism From about 1020 to 922 BC the Hebrews united under 3 able kings, Saul, David, and Solomon The new kingdom was Israel

King Solomon King Solomon was the most powerful of the Hebrew kings He extended the kingdom’s trade, beautified Jerusalem, built a temple By 922 BC the kingdom was stressed by high taxes and forced labor on the temple and split into 2 kingdoms upon Solomon’s death Israel in the north and Judah in the south

Foreign Rule In 722 BC the Assyrians took control of Israel Judah held out for 150 years but eventually fell to the Babylonians who destroyed the temple in 586 BC In 539 BC the Persians took control and allowed the Hebrews to return to Jerusalem Soon other empires took control of the region- Persians, Greeks, Romans