The Jewish People-History

Abraham  Abraham is the patriarch or forefather of the Jewish people  Lived around 2000 BCE  He was a herder in the city of Ur who migrated with his family to the land of Canaan  Existence cannot be proven or disproven  Abraham is the patriarch or forefather of the Jewish people  Lived around 2000 BCE  He was a herder in the city of Ur who migrated with his family to the land of Canaan  Existence cannot be proven or disproven

The Covenant of the Pieces  Abraham was worried about being childless; God told him his descendants would be a great nation and the land of Canaan would be theirs  Two important takeaways:  The Israelites are God’s chosen people  The land of Canaan was given to them by God

Abraham’s Children  Abraham and his wife Sarah didn’t believe they could be parents at their ages (100 and 90), so Abraham had a child by Sarah’s slave Hagar, called Ishmael  Eventually, Sarah became pregnant and had a child named Isaac  Ishmael and Isaac would both father great nations  Abraham and his wife Sarah didn’t believe they could be parents at their ages (100 and 90), so Abraham had a child by Sarah’s slave Hagar, called Ishmael  Eventually, Sarah became pregnant and had a child named Isaac  Ishmael and Isaac would both father great nations

Abraham’s Children  God told Abraham that Isaac, not Ishmael fulfilled his promise to Abraham  Isaac’s descendants would inherit the land of Canaan, not Ishmael’s  Ishmael’s birth was a natural event; Isaac’s was supernatural  Isaac became a patriarch of the Jewish people; Ishmael became the patriarch of Arabs and Muslims

Jacob  One of Isaac’s sons was Jacob  God renamed Jacob “Israel” after he wrestled with an angel  Israel=“He who wrestles with God”  Jacob had twelve children, each forming one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel  One of Isaac’s sons was Jacob  God renamed Jacob “Israel” after he wrestled with an angel  Israel=“He who wrestles with God”  Jacob had twelve children, each forming one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel

Leaving Canaan  Jacob and his sons were forced to flee Canaan because of a famine  They settled in Egypt, where they were eventually enslaved by the Pharaohs

Moses  After 400 years of slavery, God sent the prophet Moses to liberate the Israelites  God sent the 10 plagues of Egypt to convince the Egyptians to let the Israelites go  Moses led the people out of Egypt by parting the Red Sea-when the Egyptian army tried to follow, the Sea crashed down on them  There is no archeological evidence supporting this  After 400 years of slavery, God sent the prophet Moses to liberate the Israelites  God sent the 10 plagues of Egypt to convince the Egyptians to let the Israelites go  Moses led the people out of Egypt by parting the Red Sea-when the Egyptian army tried to follow, the Sea crashed down on them  There is no archeological evidence supporting this

Return to Canaan  After leaving Egypt, the Israelites wandered the Sinai Peninsula for 40 years  While they wandered the desert, Moses delivered the laws of Judaism, the Ten Commandments  Finally, they reconquered the land of Canaan

The Exodus

Saul  The Twelve Tribes were ruled by judges before being united under a king, Saul  Around this time, Israel was attacked by a number of groups, including the Philistines  Saul was unable to defeat the Philistines, so he was rejected by God and replaced as king by David  The Twelve Tribes were ruled by judges before being united under a king, Saul  Around this time, Israel was attacked by a number of groups, including the Philistines  Saul was unable to defeat the Philistines, so he was rejected by God and replaced as king by David

David  David is chosen by God to defeat the Philistines  David defeated Goliath, the greatest warrior of the Philistines, and cut off his head for all to see  David ruled Israel for 40 years and made its capital Jerusalem  Great warrior, musician, and poet (wrote most of the Book of Psalms)

Solomon  David was succeeded as king by Solomon  Israel enjoyed great prosperity, but Solomon levied heavy taxes and used force labor to build a temple to God  This is known as the First Temple Period in Jewish history  David was succeeded as king by Solomon  Israel enjoyed great prosperity, but Solomon levied heavy taxes and used force labor to build a temple to God  This is known as the First Temple Period in Jewish history

The Split  After Solomon’s death, anger about taxes and forced labor split the kingdom of Israel in two.  The ten tribes to the north became Israel.  The two tribes to the south became Judah.  Fighting between the two kingdoms weakened them, leaving them vulnerable to outside invasion.

Conquest Part I  The Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC  The kingdom is destroyed; the people are slaughtered or deported across the Middle East  They become the ten “Lost Tribes of Israel”  Was Jerusalem conquered? The Bible says no, the Assyrians say yes  The Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC  The kingdom is destroyed; the people are slaughtered or deported across the Middle East  They become the ten “Lost Tribes of Israel”  Was Jerusalem conquered? The Bible says no, the Assyrians say yes

Conquest Part II  The Kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Babylonians in 586 BC  The Jewish people were sent to Babylon to be enslaved  This is known as the Babylonian Captivity, and the end of the First Temple Period

The End of the Captivity  The Persians conquer the Babylonians, allow the Jews to return to Judah  The Jews are permitted to keep their culture  They rebuild the temple; this is known as the Second Temple Period  The Persians conquer the Babylonians, allow the Jews to return to Judah  The Jews are permitted to keep their culture  They rebuild the temple; this is known as the Second Temple Period

The Maccabees  The Greeks later conquered Judah and used the temple for their religion  The Maccabee family defeated the Greeks  This revolt is celebrated during Hanukkah; a menorah is lit and stays lit for 8 days on one vial of oil

Roman Occupation and Diaspora  The Romans occupied Judah in 63 BC  The Jews revolt several times and are defeated  Final revolt 135 AD-Romans destroy the temple and exile the Jews across the Middle East and Europe  The Diaspora-The scattering  The Romans occupied Judah in 63 BC  The Jews revolt several times and are defeated  Final revolt 135 AD-Romans destroy the temple and exile the Jews across the Middle East and Europe  The Diaspora-The scattering