The Hebrews

Vocabulary: Hebrews (Israelites) – Small group of middle eastern people who followed Judaism Nomadic - a group that moves from place to place Harran – Major Hebrew Trading City Yahweh – The Hebrew god

Vocabulary (continued): Descendants – offspring such as children and grandchildren Exodus – The Hebrew escape from slavery in Egypt Covenant – a promise Social Justice – The idea that everyone is to be treated fairly

Psalms – sacred songs from the Bible Judge – a person who settled disputes in a Hebrew tribe Jerusalem – The capital of the Hebrew Kingdom Prophets – persons claiming to have received messages from God Vocabulary (continued):

Sabbath – the day of rest, holy day of the week, usually Sunday Torah – The Jewish holy book, tells of the history of the Hebrews Vocabulary (continued):

I. Introduction to the Hebrews Hebrews are also known as Israelites They were a group of nomadic herders and merchants from the Middle East Their Religion is still followed today

They followed a trade route through the Tigris and Euphrates River Valleys They traded gold, copper, and ivory for silver They formed the city of Harran at the base of the Turkish Mountains Some moved further west and traded with the Phoenicians and Egyptians I. Introduction to the Hebrews (continued)

II. The God of Abraham Much of what we know about the Hebrews comes from the Bible Yahweh (the Hebrew god) made a Promise to Abraham (the leader of the Hebrews) that if his people were to accept him as their one true god the Hebrew people would be able to live forever peacefully in Cannan

Yahweh was a different god – No human qualities – Always did what is right II. The God of Abraham (continued) Abraham’s descendants lived for 100yrs in Cannan – Abraham’s Grandson Jacob had 12 sons which formed the 12 Hebrew Tribes – As the Hebrews began to disobey God, a drought hit and it pushed them into Egypt where they could survive

III. Moses and the Ten Commandments Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt for 600 yrs Moses emerges as a leader of the Hebrew people and went before Pharaoh to ask for the release of his people Eventually Pharaoh was convinced to release the Hebrews after a series of Plagues that was according to the Hebrews sent from God.

As the Hebrews were leaving the Pharaoh sent his army to recapture them The army trapped Moses and his followers at the edge of the Red Sea According to the Hebrew religion, God gave Moses the power to part the Red Sea and allow his followers to escape into the Sinai Desert III. Moses and the Ten Commandments (continued)

The escape of the Hebrew people is known as the Exodus During their time Abraham was given the Ten Commandments – If the Hebrews would follow these new rules, then God would renew the covenant that he made with Abraham and allow the Hebrews to live peacefully in Canaan III. Moses and the Ten Commandments (continued)

The 10 Commandments promoted social justice and allowed the Hebrews to strengthen their army and eventually grow strong enough to enter Canaan This set of laws called for Yahweh to be the only God III. Moses and the Ten Commandments (continued)

IV. The Promised Land After the death of Moses, Joshua lead the Hebrews into Canaan (the promised land) The Hebrews became farmers and shepherds The adopted the language and technology of the Canaanites and Phoenicians They also made their own advancements such as a better form of irrigating their crops

Most of the Hebrews lived in one room two level houses Houses were made of mud-brick and supported by wooden beams, with a flat reed rood and a clay floor The lower level was used for cooking and working, the animals would be brought in and kept here at night The upper level was where the people slept IV. The Promised Land (Continued)

V. Kings After the death of Joshua the tribes well apart – Each had their separate Councils of Elders and Judges that made decisions for the tribe Overtime the Elders and Judges decided that a king was needed for the Hebrew Kingdom Saul was named the first King of the Hebrews – Over time Saul became very power hungry and the people did not favor him – When he died in battle David was named King

David makes the take over of the Canaanites complete He made Jerusalem the capital of the Hebrew Kingdom David is also responsible for the majority of Psalms in the Bible V. Kings (Continued)

David’s son Solomon took power after the his death. Solomon built a massive temple at Jerusalem and made the Hebrew Kingdom wealthy and lead a very peaceful reign Some Hebrews did not like the fact that Solomon collected high taxes and they did not agree with his wealthy way of life, after he died the Kingdom split into 2 separate parts V. Kings (Continued)

Israel in the north and Judah in the south fought among one another for 200 years After the fighting weakened the Hebrew Kingdom eventually was conquered by other empires V. Kings (Continued)

VI. Prophets Reminded the Hebrews of their responsibility to God Preached that Yahweh was the God of everyone and warned that the fall of the Hebrew Kingdom would come if people did not follow God’s Law Both parts of the Hebrew Kingdom fell apart

After the 2 parts fell many Hebrews were pushed into Babylon The Prophets kept meeting on the Sabbath to keep their religion and way of life alive After 70 years the Hebrews returned to their homeland of Canaan – They rebuilt the temple at Jerusalem – A scribe by the name of Ezra recorded the Laws of Moses into the Torah VI. Prophets (continued)

VII. Major Contributions 1 st major monotheistic religion Laws were made to teach people to treat one another fairly Judaism is still a religion today