1. THE ANCIENT ISRAELITES (HEBREWS) AND THE ORIGINS OF JUDAISM

2. Pastoral Nomads Nomadic peoples who lived in the areas surrounding the
great civilizations of the ancient Middle East.
They domesticated animals for food and clothing and
moved along regular migratory routes.
They did trade with the settled peoples of the area and
helped to establish long-distance trade networks. This also allowed for the spreading of culture and technology (Cultural Diffusion)
Indo-Europeans
Probably came out of the steppe region north of the Black Sea.
Their language influenced Greek, Latin, Persian, Sanskrit, and Germanic languages.
Some of these people settled in Anatolia around 1750 B.C. and helped to establish the Hittite Kingdom.

3. The Hittites created their empire between 1600-1200 B.C. (BCE)
*They were the first people to learn to smelt (separate metal from ore) iron.
There were eventually weakened and defeated by the Sea Peoples.
The Sea Peoples is the term used for a mysterious confederacy of seafaring raiders who sailed into the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, invaded Cyprus, and the Levant, and attempted to enter Egyptian territory
The end of the Hittite kingdom allowed for the rise of other people in this region

4. The Hittite capital city of Hattusha

5. Made Living: They traded several goods including glass and lumber.
Lived: The Phoenicians established a trade empire, and colonies, throughout the Mediterranean.
Made Living: They traded several goods including glass and lumber.
Goods: Their most important product was Tyrian purple, a dye made from boiling the Murex snail.
This purple dye was very difficult and expensive to produce. It was very valuable to the rich.
Murex snail

7. The Phoenicians spread their alphabet throughout the Mediterranean
Their alphabet consisted of 22 letters, it did not have vowels.
Unlike many early alphabets which were made of pictograms, the Phoenician alphabet was phonic (based on sound). These sounds could be assembled to make words.
The Greeks eventually adopted this alphabet, which influenced the Latin Alphabet which we use today.

8. Phoenician Artifacts

10. Israelites
Semitic-speaking people who lived
south of the Phoenicians in
the Levant.
Compared to other groups in the region,
they were a small group.
Their religion, known today as Judaism, continues as a world religion and influenced the development of Christianity and Islam.

11. Who were the Hebrews (ISRAELITES)?
The Hebrews were a group of people who lived northeast of Egypt.
The Hebrew civilization developed gradually after 1800 B,C,E, and flourished until 70 C.E.
The people who became Hebrews originally lived in Mesopotamia.
Around 1950 B.C.E., they moved to the land of Canaan (modern day Israel)
Canaan
Mesopotamia

12. What is in a name?
Hebrew means “From the other side of the river”- name given to Abraham and his followers
Israelites: Abraham’s grandson Jacob renamed Israel which means “he who has wrestled with God”. His descendants were called “Israelites”
Jews: named after Jacob’s son Judah, ancient father of tribe of King David’s dynasty

13. 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
Great patriarchs of Judaism: Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua
Hebrews, Israelites, Jews, Semites: have all undergone persecution throughout history;
from Babylonian Captivity,
Exodus, Diaspora, Spanish
Inquisition, Holocaust

14. Ancient Israel
Israel is the culture that contributed the Bible, perhaps the most influential book of the last three millennia, to western civilization.
Ancient Israel, circa Christ’s life

15. By the thirteenth century B. C
By the thirteenth century B.C.E the Israelites inhabited the hill country on both sides of the Jordan river, either as settlers or nomads.
–Their history was dominated by warfare, perhaps because the land was poor for agriculture making the economy frail.
–Even periods of strong centralized rule were marked by political coups.
Since 1993

16. The First Israelites
Israelites were monotheist which meant they only believed in one god.
Israelite faith become the religion known today as Judaism. (Jewish)
Judaism influenced Christianity and Islam
Israelites spoke Hebrew
The Israelites wrote the Hebrew Bible. The Christians call this book the Old Testament.
Around 1200 B.C., Israelites built a kingdom in Canaan.

17. Israelites in Captivity

18. History of the Hebrews Abraham
Abraham is seen as the Patriarch, or father, of Judaism as well as Christianity and Islam.
According to Jewish tradition Abraham is brought by God from his home in the ancient city of Ur into a new land, Canaan (the holy land), where he enters into a covenant (agreement) with God:
in exchange for sole recognition of Yahweh as supreme universal authority, Abraham will be the father of a great nation.

19. Who is Abraham?
The Israelites believed they descended from a man named Abraham.
The Hebrew Bible says that God told Abraham and his people to leave Mesopotamia and settle in Canaan.
Abrahams grandson Jacob (also called Israel) raised 12 sons in Canaan. His family then divided into what is known as the 12 tribes of Israel.

20. The escape of the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt.
Exodus
The escape of the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt.
Moses was the leader of the Hebrew Exodus. The story goes that the Hebrew God had to curse Egypt with 10 plagues in order for the Pharaoh (Ramses II) to free the Israelites.
10 Plagues
The Nile turned to blood
Frogs
Fleas and Lice
Flies
Epidemic disease which exterminated the Egyptian livestock.
Boils
Storm (Hail)
Locusts
Darkness
Death of the first born son
(Passover Holiday comes from this event)
According to the Torah, the Israelites disobeyed
God and wandered the desert for 40 years
before reaching the holy land.

21. King Solomon BCE
United the tribes of Israel into the Kingdom of Israel
Solomon was the son of King David, and was known as a wise king.
During this time Jerusalem
became the capital of the
Kingdom of Israel
Under the leadership of Solomon,
Israel reached the height of its power.
He built a great temple in Jerusalem which
became the focal point of the Jewish Religion.
The remains of this temple, now known as the
Western Wall or Wailing Wall are still a focal
point of the Jewish faith.

22. The Babylonian Captivity of the Jews was known as the first Diaspora.
The Diaspora is the scattering of the Jewish people.
There have been two Diasporas.
The first was the Babylonian captivity, which ended when the Persians freed the Jews and the Jews returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple.
During the Captivity there was an Age of Prophecy
The Prophets such as Isaiah and Ezekiel
The prophets declared that the people
needed to return to the original
covenant or face punishment.

23. The Jews stayed in Israel until the Romans destroyed the Temple again in 70 CE beginning the second Diaspora.
After that the Jews were scattered throughout Europe.
European anti-Semitism in the Middle Ages and the Holocaust of WWII forced many Jews to emigrate to the United States and many began to return to Israel.
This led to the formation of the state of Israel by the United Nations in 1948 ending the second Diaspora. Many Jews consider any Jew not living in the Holy Land to still be in the Diaspora.

24. Began: Judaism began with Abraham.
Where From: It is thought that Abraham was from the Sumerian city of Ur.
Abraham believed that he had been selected by Yahweh (God) to be the father of a great nation.
Abraham is seen as the Patriarch of Judaism.
Monotheism: Judaism was the first religion to worship only One God. The Jews viewed Yahweh as being all-knowing (Omniscient), and all-powerful (Omnipotent)
Yahweh: The Jewish name for God. Jews view this name as sacred and will not say the full name or write the name out. They will use abbreviations in writing, or say another name for God when speaking of God.

25. -Jews promised not to worship any other God.
Covenant: Jews believe that Abraham made a Covenant, or Agreement with God that he and his descendants would have no other God.
Obligations:
-Jews promised not to worship any other God.
-The Jews promised to practice Bris, or Circumcision, as a symbol of the Covenant.
-In exchange the Jews believe that God promised them Canaan, or the Holy land.

26. The term people of Israel refers to the descendants of Abraham through his son Isaac, and his Son Jacob who became known as Israel. Jacob was named Israel after he struggled with an angel and won, it means he who prevails with God." .
The Torah is the holy book of Judaism, the laws of the Jewish people.
It is the first five books of the Christian Bible
The Torah is also known as the Five Books of Moses or the Pentateuch
Books written to explain and interpret Jewish law

27. What is the Torah?
The Torah contains the basic laws of Judaism and tells many stories about the history of the Hebrew people.
The Torah is the Jewish Bible (also known by Christians as the Old Testament).
The word Torah means “God’s teaching.”

28. What is the Torah?
Historians use the stories told in the Torah to understand the history of the Hebrews (Israelites) and the development of Judaism.
It is important to remember that the Hebrews wrote their stories to explain and celebrate their beliefs.
Although many people believe that the Torah is a true record of the times, most historians combine the information there with other kinds of evidence, such as archeological artifacts and other written records, to understand the events and ideas of that time period.

29. The Five Books of the Pentateuch
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
The oldest surviving manuscript of the complete Bible is the Codex Leningradensis which dates to 1008 C.E. A Facsimile edition of this great codex is now available (Leningrad Codex 1998, Eerdmans for $225).

30. The Early History of the Hebrews
According to the Torah, the ancestor of the Hebrews (Israelites), a man named Abraham, lived near Ur in Mesopotamia.
Around B.C.E., Abraham and his clan migrated to the land of Canaan.
In the land of Canaan, the Hebrews became nomads who herded flocks of sheep and goats.

31. The history of the Hebrews begins in the Ancient Middle East with Abraham.
Abraham forms a Covenant with Yahweh (God) to be the chosen people and worship only that God.
Abraham’s people settle in Canaan where they live for many years.
A famine falls on the area and many of the Hebrews go to Egypt, the breadbasket of the Mediterranean, seeking food. There they stay and grow in number and so they are enslaved by the Egyptians.
The Exodus, is the story of the escape of the Jews from Egypt led by Moses.
After fleeing Egypt and wandering the desert for 40 years, the Israelites return to the promised land.

32. The Early History of the Hebrews
By 1000 B.C.E., the Hebrews had set up the kingdom of Israel in Canaan under King David and his son, King Solomon.
David forged the Hebrews into one united nation.
Solomon built a magnificent temple in the capitol city of Jerusalem.

33. Later, they establish the Nation of Israel under king Solomon.
Solomon dies, Israel is divided into Israel and Judah.
Israel is scattered and destroyed by the Assyrians.
Judah is defeated by king Nebuchadnezzar and the Jews are taken into the Babylonian Captivity where they record the Torah.
Diaspora: The Babylonian Captivity is the first Diaspora, or scattering, of the Jewish people.
They are freed by Cyrus the Great, return to Jerusalem and rebuild their city.
They are eventually conquered by the Romans and become the Roman province of Judea.
The Romans destroy the Temple of Jerusalem for the second time in 70A.D., thus starting the Second Diaspora.
The second Diaspora, many believe, ended with the est. of the Nation of Israel in 1948.

34. Important Hebrew Leaders
Abraham
The “father of the Hebrews”
According to the Torah, Abraham introduced the belief in “one God” to the Hebrews.
This was a new idea in the ancient world.
At the time, most people worshiped many gods and goddesses.
Led the Hebrews from Mesopotamia to Canaan.
According to the Torah, God promised to make Abraham the father of a great nation and bless his people if he would take the Hebrews to Canaan.
As a result, many Jews consider themselves to be God’s “chosen people.”

35. Important Hebrew Leaders
Moses
The greatest leader of the Hebrews
According to the Torah, Moses led his people out of slavery in Egypt.
Moses told the Hebrews that God would lead them to Canaan, the “promised land,” in exchange for their faithful obedience.
Moses also gave Judaism its fundamental laws.
The Torah tells how God gave Moses 10 important laws engraved on two stone tablets.
These laws became the foundation of Judaism.

36. Important Hebrew Leaders
Kings David and Solomon
After escaping from Egypt and wandering in the wilderness, the Hebrews came once more to Canaan.
It was there that they created a kingdom under King David and his son, Solomon.
King David established Jerusalem as a holy city.
King Solomon built Jerusalem’s first great temple.
The city of Jerusalem and its temple became powerful symbols to the Hebrews of their faith in God.

37. The Story of Abraham: Father of the Hebrews
Abraham was not always known as “Abraham.”
He was born with the name Abram.
Abram was born in about 2000 B.C.E. in the city of Ur.

38. The Story of Abraham: Father of the Hebrews
The people of Ur worshiped many gods.
But Abram came to believe there was only one true God.
This belief in one God would set Judaism apart from other ancient religions.
Abram’s special relationship with God would become the foundation of the Hebrew faith.

39. The Story of Abraham: Father of the Hebrews Abraham’s Covenant with God
According to the Torah, the faith that would become Judaism began with a sacred agreement, or covenant between God and Abram.
covenant: an agreement or promise
The Torah says that God visited Abram when he was an old man.
God told him, “Leave your own country and your father’s house, and go to a country that I will show you.”
God promised to make Abram the father of a great nation of people.

40. The Story of Abraham: Father of the Hebrews Abraham’s Covenant with God
Abram obeyed.
Around 1950 B.C.E., he gathered his many relatives and went west into the land of Canaan.

41. The Story of Abraham: Father of the Hebrews Abraham’s Covenant with God
When Abram was 99 years old, the Torah says, God spoke to him again: “I will make a covenant between myself and you.”
God promised to favor and protect Abram’s descendants, meaning his children and the generations that would follow.
descendant: a daughter or son, granddaughter or grandson, and so on
In return, Abram agreed that he and his people would always devote themselves to God.

42. The Story of Abraham: Father of the Hebrews Abraham’s Covenant with God
As a mark of their covenant, God gave Abram a new name, Abraham, which means “father of many.”
God promised that Abraham’s people could have the land of Canaan in which to live.
For the Hebrews, Canaan became the “promised land.”
According to the Torah, Abraham’s covenant with God meant they were God’s “chosen people.”

43. The Story of Abraham: Father of the Hebrews Abraham’s Sacrifice
According to the Torah, God tested Abraham’s faith and obedience many times.
The final test was the hardest.
It was common at that time to offer animals as a sacrifice to the gods.
sacrifice: a gift of an animal for slaughter as a way to honor gods
An animal such as a sheep would be killed and then burned on an alter.

44. The Story of Abraham: Father of the Hebrews Abraham’s Sacrifice
Abraham, in his old age, finally had a son named Isaac.
The Torah says that one day God tested Abraham by telling him to make a sacrifice of his son.
Abraham dearly loved his son.
Yet his devotion to God was so complete that he brought Isaac to a mountain to be sacrificed.
At the last minute, God sent an angel to stop Abraham from killing his son.

45. The Story of Abraham: Father of the Hebrews Abraham’s Sacrifice
Abraham had proved his faith and obedience, and God renewed the promise to him.
God said, “I will make your descendants as many as the stars of heaven.”

46. INTERNET SOURCES FOR POWER POINT
schools.yrdsb.ca/markville.ss/history/16th/AncientIsrael.ppt
staff.harrisonburg.k12.va.us/~cwalton/H%20Notes%20C%202%20S%203.ppt
www2.ivcc.edu/radek/Gender_2000/Ancient%20Israel%20Students%20Version.ppt
nsms6thgradesocialstudies.weebly.com/uploads/3/7/2/.../the_kingdom_of_israel.ppsx