Chapter 2 Section 5 Roots of Judaism World History Chapter 2 Section 5 Roots of Judaism

Israelites Monotheistic – belief in one god Hebrew – ancient Israelites God = all knowing, all powerful, present everywhere Torah – sacred text – record of events and laws First five books of the bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy Hebrew Bible included 24 books

Ancient Israelites Abraham – lived in Ur in Mesopotamia Migrated to Canaan with family Father of the Israelite people Covenant – binding agreement Believed God made covenant with Abraham / Jewish people

Two declarations: 1)God declared special relationships with Abraham and his descendents 2) Declared Canaan would belong to Israelites Israelites migrated to Egypt and were enslaved Moses – renewed God’s covenant with Israelites Moses led them out of slavery – 40 yrs. In the wilderness – Moses died before they made it

Kingdom of Israel 1000 B.C. – Established Kingdom of Israel Twelve separate tribes – fought Joined by David – second king of Israel Solomon – (David’s son) – turned Jerusalem into an impressive capital - wise

Division and Conquest Solomon’s projects cost money – taxed people Led to revolt – split up Israel Israel in North – Judah in South Israel captured by the Assyrians and Judah captured by Babylonian’s Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon’s Great temple, forced Israelites into exile in Babylon for 50 years

Persian Ruler Cyrus the Great – captured Babylon and freed the Israelites Had come from the Kingdom of Judah – became known as the Jews Rebuilt Solomon’s Great Temple – smaller version and remained under Persian rule

Law and Morality Law is a central concept of Israelites Torah had many laws – called books of law Dealt with everyday matters – cleanliness and food preparation, also criminal behavior

Israelite Society Patriarchal – men held greatest legal and moral authority Oldest male was the head of household – arranged marriages for daughters Women – few rights Deborah – judge – won honor

Ten Commandments Set of laws given to them from God through Moses Keeping the Sabbath – holy day Honoring parents, no killing, no stealing Prophets – spiritual leaders that interpret God’s will – warned that failure would lead to disaster Ethics – moral standards of behavior – taught by prophets

All people equal before God Ruler was not seen as a God – leaders were human and had to obey God’s laws After Babylonian captivity – 500 years period – left homeland and moved to different parts of the world Called Diaspora – spreading out of Jews

Settled in close-knit communities in which they followed and obeyed laws and traditions Helped them survive/endure centuries of persecution – unfair treatment Today Judaism = Major Religion – influenced Christianity and Islam All honor Abraham, Moses, prophets