1. Judaism Sec. #5 Mesopotamia

2. Importance of God to the Israelites Israelites believed that God was taking part in their history Events were written in the Torah, their sacred text The Torah is made up of 5 books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy Later the Christians adopted these books as the first five books of the Old Testament

3. A Covenant with God Israelite beliefs changed into the religion of Judaism Israelites believed that God was everywhere, knew everything and had complete power It was believed that God made a covenant with the Jews and that they were the “chosen people” and that they must obey Him faithfully.

4. The Ten Commandments The Israelites believe that god gave Moses the Ten Commandments They set out religious duties toward God and rules for correct behavior. The Torah set out many other laws about diet, crime, and everyday matters.

5. Justice and Morality From time to time prophets would appear telling the Israelites what God wanted them to do Prophets urged the people to lead moral lives and tell the rich and powerful to take care of the poor and weak All people were equal before God Kings had to obey God’s law as well as shepherds and merchants

6. Looking Ahead The Romans added to the Diaspora or scattering of the Jews in 135 AD Wherever they settled, the Jews preserved their heritage by living together in close communities Judaism is one of the world’s major religions and it had important influences on Christianity and Islam