The Sumerians and Judaism Chapter 2-4, 2-5

The Sumerians and Judaism Babylonian Empire-Babylon, the capital of Babylonia, an ancient empire of Mesopotamia, was a city on the Euphrates River, in what is now southern Iraq. Historically, Babylonia refers to the First Dynasty of Babylon established by Hammurabi and to the Neo-Babylonian Period after the fall of the Assyrian Empire. Babylon became one of the most important cities of the ancient Middle East when Hammurabi ( BC) made it the capital of his kingdom of Babylonia.

The Sumerians and Judaism The Babylonian Empire

The Sumerians and Judaism Hammurabi the Lawgiver – 1750 B.C. Babylonian king who set down first written code of laws Hammurabi, first ruler of the Babylonian empire, holds the claim of restoring order and justice to Mesopotamia. Although Hammurabi did conquer other city-states to expand his empire, he let the rulers of the cities-states live and justly ruled the people with fair laws. Hammurabi wanted his subjects to obey him because they liked him and believed he made just, fair laws and not because they were apprehensive of his formidable military. 2 2 In about 1786 B.C. he wrote 282 laws governing family, criminal punishment, civil law, ethics, business, prices, trade, and every other aspect of ancient life known as “the Code of Hammurabi” which he set up where everyone could read them.

The Sumerians and Judaism Hammurabi image

The Sumerians and Judaism The Code of Hammurabi Image

The Sumerians and Judaism Criminal Law- One section of Hammurabi’s code dealed with criminal law. Criminal law is the branch of law that deals with offenses against others such as murder, assault or robbery. Civil Law- Under Hammurabi’s code; this is the branch of law that deals with private rights and matters such as business contracts, property inheritance, taxes, marriage, and divorce.

The Sumerians and Judaism The Hittites, like other invaders helped with the spread of ideas. Hittites and the Secret of Ironworking spreads- The Hittites pushed out of Asia Minor and into Mesopotamia in 1400 B.C. They learned how to extract iron from ore. The tools that they made with iron were harder and cheaper than those made with bronze or copper.

The Sumerians and Judaism The Assyrians- lived in the Upper Tigris; learned to forge iron weapons. By 1100 B.C. they expanded across Mesopotamia. For 500 years they were seen as the most fearsome warriors in History.

The Sumerians and Judaism Nebuchadnezzar and the Hanging Gardens- After the Assyrians fell, the ruthless Babylonian empire revived Babylon led by Nebuchadnezzar. Near Nebuchadnezzar’s palace were the famous hanging gardens built for his wife who was homesick for the hills where she grew up. These Hanging Gardens were one of the Seven Wonders of the World

The Sumerians and Judaism The Hanging Gardens of Babylon-

The Sumerians and Judaism The Persian empire takes over Babylon- Though Babylon had thick walls it failed to hold back the Persian armies, and Babylon fell to Cyrus the Great.

The Sumerians and Judaism The Persians practiced tolerance or acceptance of the people that they conquered. Satrap- Governor of the Persian Empire. Darius’ set of Laws- Darius was a Persian Emperor from 522 B.C. to 486 B.C. Darius created a set of laws from the people that he conquered..

The Sumerians and Judaism Zoroaster Religion- Created by the Persian thinker Zoroaster who helped unite the empire. Zoroaster lived about 600 B.C. He rejected the old Persian Gods. He taught that a single wise God, Ahura Mazda, ruled the world. Ahura Mazda was in a constant battle against Ahriman, the prince of lies and evil. Each individual had to pick which side to support. The teachings were in the book, Zend- Avesta.

The Sumerians and Judaism The Phoenicians- Gained fame as sailors and traders. They occupied a string of cities along the eastern Mediterranean coast. The area that is now Lebanon and Syria. Colony- The Phoenicians traded with people all around the Mediterranean Sea. To promote trade they set up colonies from North Africa to Sicily and Spain. Alphabet-the Phoenicians created the alphabet that we use today, a system in which every symbol or word represents spoken sounds.

The Sumerians and Judaism According to the Torah, a man named Abraham lived near Ur in Mesopotamia. About 2000 B.C. he and his family migrated to Canaan. Abraham is considered the founder of the Israelite nation. The Book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, states that they migrated to Egypt during a famine; they were enslaved and later escaped from Egypt. Moses led their exodus; they entered the land of Canaan.

The Sumerians and Judaism By 1000 B.C. the Israelites set up a kingdom called Israel. Their King, David, united the Kingdom into one nation. David’s son, Solomon, turned Jerusalem into the capital of Israel. Solomon’s building projects required heavy taxes and after his death the people revolted dividing Israel in the North and the South.

The Sumerians and Judaism Israel was divided and now located to the North, Judah was located in the South. Weakened by the division Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the great temple and forced the Israelites into exile in Babylon. During this period of captivity the Israelites became known as the Jews.

The Sumerians and Judaism Jews practiced a monotheistic religion. Israelites believed that god had a covenant, or binding agreement with Abraham. In return for their obedience the Jews saw themselves as God’s chosen people. Israel’s society was patriarchal, which means that fathers held legal and moral authority. Women had few legal rights.

The Sumerians and Judaism The heart of Judaism are the “ Ten Commandments”, which was a set of laws that Jews believe God gave them through Moses. The first four commandments stress religious duties towards God. Such as keeping the Sabbath, a holy day for rest and worship. Jewish spiritual leaders are called Prophets, who warned that those who failed to follow his laws would lead their people to disaster.

The Sumerians and Judaism The Prophets also preached a strong code of ethics, or moral standards of behavior. They urged both personal morality and social justice. More than 2,000 years ago, many Jews left their homeland, this Diaspora, or scattering of people, sent Jews to different parts of the world Judaism influenced Christianity and Islam.