Download 3-1 The First Israelites

3-1
The First Israelites
“FAITH OR FACT”
• **DISCLAMER: This chapter deals a lot with religion
and religious beliefs that are still active today.
Much of what is covered can be difficult to
understand and prove because it is based on FAITH,
meaning a person’s personal religious beliefs, not
FACT. These beliefs are important to us as
historians because what people believe causes
their actions, therefore effecting history. It is not
necessary that your believe what others believe,
but it is important to understand others’ beliefs.
Who were the Israelites?
• Around 1000BC they built a kingdom in Canaan
(present-day Israel, Lebanon and Jordan).
• The Israelite religion focused on only one God, making it
the first major monotheistic religion.
• The Israelite religion became known as
Judaism. This religion has influenced
many other major religions and societies.
• Spoke a language called Hebrew
From the Beginning
• The Israelites history begins around 1800 BC with a man
who lived in Mesopotamia named Abraham.
• According to the story, he was told by God to go with his
followers to Canaan, which would become the Jewish
“Promised Land”
• Jacob, Abraham’s grandson,
and his 12 sons form the 12
Tribes around Canaan.
– Tribe – family groups that live and
work together
• Jacob’s name changes to Israel
and it is this name that is given
to his descendents. Means
“one who wrestles with God”
From Slavery to Freedom
• A long drought forced many of the Israelites to move to Egypt.
• The Egyptian pharaoh enslaved the Israelites (needed people to
build the many temples).
Exodus
• Moses leads the Hebrew and works to free them.
• God sends the 10 Plagues to trouble Egypt, forces the
pharaoh (maybe Ramses the Great) to free the Hebrews.
• The escape from Egyptian slavery is known as the
EXODUS (celebrated in the Jewish Holiday Passover)
Ten Commandments
• Important part of the Torah (First part of the Hebrew Bible)
• Laws that were received by Moses on the top of Mt. Sinai
• 15?
• Explains what God
considers right and
wrong
• Helped shape the
ideas of what
modern people
think is right and
wrong
The Covenant
• Moses also made the
Covenant with God.
• Said that if the
Israelites followed
God’s laws that God
would protect the
Israelites and make
sure that they have
Canaan as their home
land.
The Promised Land
• After a long and difficult 40 year journey, the Israelites finally
reach Canaan (their Promised Land) only to find the Canaanites
living there.
• Joshua led the Israelites into battle at Jericho, and then 3 more
wars.
• Judges (including Deborah) than led the Israelites into battle
and took over central Canaan
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•
•
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Phoenicians
Groups of Canaanites that lived along the Mediterranean Sea.
Skilled traders and sailors.
Created a calendar.
Created an alphabet which influenced the Greeks and Romans.
• Invented purple dye. The Phoenicians discovered that
crushed shellfish oozed a wine-colored goop. Cloth
soaked in this substance turned shades ranging from
deep pink to rich purple. Royalty soon chose purple as
their favorite hue, so every king and queen needed
purple dye.
Exit Questions
• Judaism was the world’s first _____________
religion, meaning they believed in only ONE God.
1) Polytheistic
2) Monotheistic
3) Dendrocronolistic
• The Exodus is the story of the Israelites escape
from slavery in _______________, led by
Moses.
1) Canaan
2) Mesopotamia
3) Egypt
• The __________________ were a list of laws that
Moses was given by God. Not only did they lay out
rules for Judaism, but also would effect the
______________, which lays out the rules of
America.
1) Ten Commandments / Magna Carta
2) Ten Commandments / U.S. Constitution
3) Five Commandments / Defenestration Pact
• The Phoenicians created the world’s first
_____________, which would influence those of
the Greeks, Romans, and therefore us.
1) Alphabet
2) Pyramid
3) Religion