World History I October, 2015 Ms. Costas & Ms. Marino Judaism World History I October, 2015 Ms. Costas & Ms. Marino

Essential Questions What are the major events in the history of the early Hebrews? How did the Kingdom of Israel develop, and who were some of its key leaders? What are the basic teachings and sacred texts of Judaism?

Do now What does the term “world religion” mean? What makes something a world religion?

All world religions have… Basic ethical principles to guide human actions A sacred text to teach moral values, often through stories or parables Offer a universal message that appeals to people in different places with diverse cultural backgrounds Universal religions offer hope for a better life Access to a higher truth They are “portable” They can be practiced anywhere They spread to other parts of the world

religions So far we have learned about Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism What do you remember about them? Take this time to fill out the chart for those three religions

Judaism Origins: Middle East Christianity and Islam too Believed to be one of the first monotheistic religions Sacred text: Torah The Torah & other writings make up the Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible is the Old Testament in the Christian Bible

Abraham 2000 BCE God visited Abraham and made a covenant with him Covenant = sacred agreement Abraham promised to follow God’s teachings God promised to love Abraham and his people and lead them to the Promise Land (Canaan) Abraham’s people = Israelites or Hebrews According to the teachings – God promised a nomadic leader called Abram in the Middle East that he would be the father of great people if he did as God told him. Abraham was the first person to teach the idea that there was only one god; before this most people believed in many Gods; ironically Abraham’s father sold idols for a living Story is found in the Book of Genesis  says that Abraham was a shepherd who came from Ur in modern day Iraq – this was an age of polytheism but for some reason he answered God’s call, and accepts the idea that there is one true God. After accepting one god, Abraham is asked to leave his home country and he makes Abram three promises: (1) the promise of a relationship with God, (2) numerous descendants, (3) land Abraham and his wife Sarai (Sarah) are old and childless, but follow God’s words anyways – he is known as a man of tremendous faith – God changes his name from Abram to Abraham meaning “father of the people” Abraham’s obedience is tested, when he is asked to sacrifice his son, Isaac. God had promised that Abraham’s descendants would come through Isaac, so the level of faith he displayed is astonishing. Abraham trusts God and takes his son to the mountain, and at the very last minute, God intervenes and spares Isaac’s life by providing another animal (a ram) for sacrifice. The test is complete and God reiterates his promises to Abraham. Abraham is humanity’s last chance to establish a relationship with God – Adam & Eve = disobedience, Noah = the only one saved’;  many people believe these stories were written to explain to people why the world is like it is and why humans are like they are.

Abraham Abraham, his son Isaac, and grandson Jacob are known as the patriarchs or ancestral fathers Jacob had 12 sons = 12 tribes of Israel Abraham and God have a 2-way relationship. Abraham was told that the descendants would come through Isaac  Isaac’s son Jacob had 12 sons – Isaac, Abraham, and Jacob are known as the ancestral fathers or patriarchs. Twelve tribes were: (1) Reuben, (2) Simeon, (3) Judah, (4) Issachar, (5) Zebulun (6) Benjamin, (7) Dan (8) Naphtali, (9) Gad, (10) Asher, (11) Ephraim, (12) Manasseh They followers of God follow the men and they settle in Canaan (now known as Israel or Palestine) – along the coast of the eastern Mediterranean. Lebanon lies to the north and Egypt to the south, the eastern border is the Jordan River Jacob and his sons were forced by famine to flee to Egypt – where Jacob’s son Joseph was and had been sold into slavery at a young age. When they arrive they and their family are 70 in number, but within 4 generations, the Israelites have increased to 600,000 men of fighting age. The Pharaoh panics and first enslaves them and then orders the death of all male Hebrew children. A woman from the tribe of Levi hides her child, places him in a woven basket, and sends him down the Nile River – his name is Moses, given to him by the Egyptians who find him. He is raised by his own mother in the Pharaoh’s court.

Moses Moses lived around 1300 BCE in Egypt He was an Israelite but was raised in the Pharaoh’s palace Pharaoh = Egyptian ruler The Pharaoh discriminated against the Israelites God spoke to Moses & told him to lead his people out of Egypt When Moses is 40, he murders an Egyptian who he discovers is beating a Hebrew to death, and escapes as a fugitive into the Sinai desert where he is taken in by the Midanites and marries Zipporah, the daughter of a priest. When he is 80 years old, Moses is tending a herd of sheep in solitude on Mount Sinai when he sees a desert shrub that is burning but is not consumed. The God of Israel calls to Moses from the fire and reveals his name, Yahweh (from Hebrew meaning to exist) Yahweh tells Moses that he is being sent to Pharaoh to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt. He then tells Moses that if Pharaoh refuses to let the Hebrews go to say to the Pharaoh “thus says Yahweh: Israel is my son, my first-born and I have said to you: Let my son go, that he may serve me, and you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will slay your son, your first-born”

Exodus Moses asked the Pharaoh’s to let his people go He said no God sent plagues (10) Blood, frogs, lice, fleas, sick animals, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, death of firstborn At this point, Pharaoh agrees God shows Moses the 10 Commandments, agrees to live by them Moses & his people wander desert for 40 years & settle in Canaan God anointed Aaron to go with Moses to be the spokesman and they persuaded the people of Israel to follow them, but the Pharaoh would not let them go. Then, God sent 10 devastating plagues on the Egyptians, the last being the death of the firstborn in every home whose doors were not marked with lamb’s blood (Passover) Plagues = (1) Blood, (2) Frogs, (3) Lice, (4) Flies, (5) Disease on Livestock (7) Hail, (8) Locusts, (9) Darkness, (10) Death of the first born God told the Israelites to celebrate the yearly Passover – the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying, this month shall be your beginning of months, it shall be the first month of the year to you. After the Pharaoh finally gave in and agreed to let Israel go (and with all the wealth of Egypt), but as soon as they left, the Pharaoh changed his mind. He sent his army after them where Israel was cornered against the Red Sea. God parted the waters and led them through on dry ground. The waters closed in on the Pharaoh’s armies. The Israelites were guided by the mysterious Shekinah glory cloud that led them to Mount Sinai. On the way their faith was tested as they experienced intense heat, hunger, thirst, and war. God did many miracles including manna bread that fell from heaven and brought them water to show his power. The Israelites camped around a mountain in the desert of Sinai, and suddenly there was thunder and lightning on the mountain and out of a thick cloud, the sound of a trumpet blew, and the Lord, cloaked in fire, descended on the mountain. He called Moses to the top and spoke these words: I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” And as the Lord spoke, he wrote the 10 commandments on tables of stone (1) you shall have no other gods before me, (2) you shall not make idols or bow down to them, nor serve them, (3) you shall not use the lord’s name in vein (4) Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, (5) Honor your father and mother, (6) You should not murder, (7) You shall not commit adultery, (8) You shall not steal, (9) Shall not lie about your neighbor, (10) you shall not lust for your neighbor’s house, or his wife, or anything

Kingdom of Israel Saul, David, and Solomon = three kings rule over Kingdom of Israel After Solomon’s death, the 12 tribes split into two 10 in north = Israel 2 in south = Kingdom of Judah, Jews Both are conquered by other kingdoms Diaspora = Jews are scattered throughout the world, beyond Judah Kingdom of Israel = Kingdom claimed by Israelite nation around 1030 BCE – formed during the Exodus, and conquered Canaan under Joshua’s leadership. There was no king, but the people appealed to the prophet-judge Samuel for a king after Samuel’s son misused their inherited offices. The first king of united Israel was Saul, who was from the tribe of Benjamin. He was succeeded by David, who was from Judah. Saul’s failure to establish a dynasty is interpreted in the Bible as Yahweh’s rejection of kingship. David reigned for 40 years, and he established a minor empire around 1000 BCE in Syria-Palestine, encompassing the tribes of Israel and dominating neighboring areas. David’s son Solomon succeeded him as king, despite not being the eldest son; Solomon focused less on military conquest and more on international relations. He built the temple in Jerusalem but is blamed for worshipping other gods. After Solomon’s death, the tribes split – some say because Solomon didn’t allow worship of idols, and also because the successor put heavy taxes. The first significant Diaspora was the result of the Babylonian Exile in 586 BCE  After the Babylonians conquered the Kingdom of Judah, part of the Jewish population was deported into slavery. Cyrus the Great, the Persian conqueror of Babylonia, permitted the Jews to return to their homeland, but many remained behind.