The Birth of Judaism and Islam Monotheism

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  Ancient Israelites originated from Mesopotamia

Abraham  He was one of God’s most loyal servants in the Old Testament. One day, God asks Abraham to gather his family and leave their city. Abraham agreed to a contract with God: do what I say, and I’ll give you a land of your own-and many children.

Tracing Roots of Israel’s History  Abraham and his people were nomads  Abraham settled in Canaan which consisted of parts of Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine  All three major monotheistic religions view the same area to be their “holy lands”

Father Abraham  Abraham and Sara ended up not being able to have children for many years. When they were both in their 90s, Sarah told Abraham to have an affair with their Egyptian maid named Hagar.

Ishmael  Hagar gets pregnant and has a son named Ishmael.  God gets mad and banishes them, but says don’t worry, I’ll take care of Ishmael.  Ishmael and Hagar wander a desert and are near death until God shows them a well for survival.  Ishmael goes on to prosper and procreate and the profit Muhamad is a part of his lineage and starts Islam.

Isaac  Sarah gets pregnant with Isaac and he becomes God’s chosen one.  Isaac is raised by both parents, and they live happily ever after (sort of).  After nearly being sacrificed by his father, Isaac goes on to prosper and procreate and eventually give birth to the sons who lead the 12 Tribes of Israel.

Jacob, Egyptians, Moses  Isaac’s son Jacob had 12 sons which eventually started the 12 Tribes of Israel  Due to famine, some of these tribes ended up serving as slaves to the Egyptians  This led to the historical figure Moses