1. Chapters 11 & 12 The Origins of Judaism & Learning about World Religions: Judaism

2. How did Judaism originate and develop?

3. What We Know About the Ancient Israelites

4. Important Jewish Leaders

5. The Life of Abraham: Father of the Jews

6. Abraham’s Descendants

7. The Life of Moses: Leader of the Israelites

8. The Exodus from Egypt

9. David Expands the Kingdom of Israel

10. Solomon Builds the Great Temple of Jerusalem

11. How did Judaism originate and develop?
Historians rely on sources of information such as artifacts and writings, including the Torah and the other parts of the Hebrew Bible. From such sources, scholars have learned much about the ancient Israelites and the development of Judaism.
The Torah has the first five books of the Hebrew Bible and commandments that direct Jewish life.
Abraham, father of the Jews, introduced the belief in one God, monotheism. He made a covenant with God to go to Canaan, and in turn God made him the father of the Jews. The Jews believed they should act in a way that would fulfill God’s covenant.

12. How did Judaism originate and develop?
Moses led the Israelites on an Exodus out of slavery in Egypt. At Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, basic laws and teachings of Judaism. Moses united the Jews into a people who worshiped one God.
King David defeated the Philistines, united the Israelites in a new nation called Israel, and made Jerusalem the capital and a holy city. King Solomon, David’s son, built the First Temple in Jerusalem, signed treaties, and increased trade. Both men were also poets with parts of the Hebrew Bible attributed to them.

13. What are the central teachings of Judaism, and why did they survive to modern day?

14. The Central Teachings of Judaism

15. Foreign Rule and the Jewish Diaspora

16. Rule by the Romans

17. Jewish Diaspora and Preserving the Teachings of Judaism

18. What are the central teachings of Judaism, and why did they survive to modern day?
The central teachings of Judaism are monotheism, or the belief in one God, equality, social justice, or fairness, the importance of studying the Hebrew Bible, and following the Jewish teachings, like the Ten Commandments.
After Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E., most Jews were exiled to Babylon. When the Persians defeated Babylon in 539 B.C.E., many Jews returned to Judah under Persia’s rule. Later, the Greeks and then the Romans ruled Judah, now Judea. The Jews fought the Romans in 66 C.E. and in 135 C.E. The Romans put down these revolts and exiled most of the Jews.
During the Jewish Diaspora, scattering, Jews wanted to preserve their religion. The rabbis, or teachers, set up Jewish learning centers and synagogues and created a new religious service. In 1948, the Jewish state of Israel was created in lands once ruled by David and Solomon. These practices preserved Judaism.