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Ancient Israel
Historical Overview
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Ancient Israel is the birthplace
of the 3 great monotheistic
religions of the world: Judaism,
Christianity and Islam
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Ancient Israel dates back
approximately 4000 years to the
books of the Old Testament
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Great patriarchs of Judaism:
Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua
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Hebrews, Israelites, Jews,
Semites: have all undergone
persecution throughout history;
from Babylonian Captivity,
Exodus, Diaspora, Spanish
Inquisition, Holocaust
Introduction to Judaism
What is in a name?
► Hebrew
means “From across”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
Tracing Roots of Israel’s History
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Nomadic tribes wandered
into Palestine from east in
approximately 1900 BCE
Mesopotamian society
dominated by polytheism
God (Yahweh) appeared
before Patriarch Abraham
and told Abraham “to go
and raise a great nation”
This began the
monotheistic tradition of
the Hebrew faith with the
establishment of the
“Covenant”, “Chosen
People” and “Promised
Land”
Abraham settled in Canaan
Story: Sacrifice of Abraham
Abraham’s Sacrifice
Jacob (grandson of Abraham)
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Abraham’s
grandson Jacob
took name “Israel”
which means “God
ruled” and
organized
Israelites into 12
tribes
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Some tribes settled
in Egypt (due to
drought and
famine) and where
subjected to
Pharaoh rule and
slavery
Moses
► An
illustrated story of
Moses
The Exodus
The Plagues of Egypt
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Water to Blood
Frogs
Gnats or Lice
Flies
Livestock Diseased
Boils
Thunder and Hail
Locusts
Darkness
Death of the Firstborn
The Plagues of Egypt
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Water to Blood
 7:19 And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say
unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out
thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon
their streams, upon their rivers, and upon
their ponds, and upon all their pools of
water, that they may become blood; and that
there may be blood throughout all the land
of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in
vessels of stone.
The Plagues of Egypt
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Frogs
 8:2 And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will
smite all thy borders with frogs: 8:3 And the river shall
bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and
come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and
upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and
upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy
kneading troughs:
 8:4 And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon
thy people, and upon all thy servants.
The Plagues of Egypt
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Gnats or Lice
 8:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron,
Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that
it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
The Plagues of Egypt
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Flies
 8:21 Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I
will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy
servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and
the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of
flies, and also the ground whereon they are.
The Plagues of Egypt
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Livestock Diseased
 9:3 Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle
which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses,
upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep:
there shall be a very grievous murrain.
The Plagues of Egypt
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Boils
 9:8 And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron,
Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let
Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of
Pharaoh. 9:9 And it shall become small dust in all the
land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with
blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the
land of Egypt.
The Plagues of Egypt
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Thunder and Hail
 9:18 Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to
rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt
since the foundation thereof even until now.
The Plagues of Egypt
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Locusts
 10:4 Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to
morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast: 10:5 And
they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot
be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue
of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you
from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for
you out of the field.
The Plagues of Egypt
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Darkness
 10:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine
hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over
the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.
10:22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward
heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of
Egypt three days
The Plagues of Egypt
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Death of the Firstborn
 11:4 And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About
midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: 11:5 And
all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the
first born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even
unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the
mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
Moses & Exodus:
“Let My People Go!”
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Moses received revelations from
God: burning bush, rod / staff, 10
plagues, parting of the Red Sea
End of 13th century BCE- Moses led
the Israelites out of bondage in
Egypt during Rames II reign called
the EXODUS
Moses led the 12 Tribes of Israel to
Mount Sinai where Yahweh gave
him the 10 Commandments, uniting
the Hebrews under one God
Moses and Hebrews searched for
the “Promised Land” or the land of
milk and honey, however they
wandered in the desert for 40 years
Exodus
Jewish Teachings
Kings of Israel
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1230 BCE, Israelites
guided by Joshua,
invaded Canaan
(Promised Land)
1020 BCE: first king of
Israelites was Saul, then
David, then Solomon
Under King David the
Israelites captured city of
Jerusalem
King Solomon built the
Temple of Jerusalem, to
house the Arc of the
Covenant (sacred box to
hold Torah)
Solomon’s Temple was
destroyed during
Babylonian invasion,
rebuilt in 6th century BCE,
and destroyed again in
70 CE by the Romans
Only remaining part of
Solomon’s Temple is the
Western Wall
Jericho
David
King Solomon
Lost Tribes of Israel
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After the death of
Solomon, Kingdom of
Israel split into two
(north= Israel; south=
Judah)
Israel was conquered by
Assyrians in 722 BCE and
the scattered people were
known as the ‘Lost Tribes
of Israel’
Judah was eventually
destroyed by Babylon in
586 BCE and inhabitants
were held in captivity
(called the Exile or
Babylonian Captivity)
Emergence of synagogues
and rabbis during Exile
Released by Persians in
538 BCE and returned to
Jerusalem to rebuild
temple
Diaspora
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Diaspora is a Greek word meaning “sowing of seed” or “dispersal” which
refers to Jewish population living outside of Israel
In 332 BCE, Jewish people in fell under Hellenization (Greek culture) as
Alexander the Great conquered Persia, Egypt and India
164 BCE, group of Jews called the Maccabees revolted against Greek rule,
took control of Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple to God (Hanukkah)
64 BCE, Jerusalem fell to Romans and the Kingdom of Judah became one
of the provinces of the Roman Empire (Judea). The people living there
were called Judeans, and it is from this word that we get the word Jew
In 66 CE the people of Judea revolted against Rome. This uprising was
crushed and the temple was destroyed for a second time in 70 CE
Despite the dispersion of Jewish people throughout Europe after 70 CE,
their culture and religious beliefs have been by far the most influential of
all the ancient cultures of the Near East
Persecution
Jerusalem
Impact of Ancient Israel
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Covenant = formal agreement
between Hebrews and God
(Yahweh); Hebrews worshipped God
and only God, and in return, they
would be God’s Chosen People and
given Canaan as the Promised Land
Spiritual ideas profoundly influenced
Western culture, morality, ethics and
conduct
Three of the world’s most dominant
religions: Judaism, Christianity and
Islam all derive their roots from the
spiritual beliefs of the Ancient
Israelites
Jewish Holidays and Festivals
Purism and Passover
The Jewish Calendar
► Fall
Observances
 Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)
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two-day observance marks the beginning of the holiest time of the
year for Jews.
 Yom Kippur (Day or Atonement)
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is the most solemn day of the Jewish year and signals the end of
the Ten Days of Penitence. It is devoted to fasting, prayer, and
synagogue services.
 Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)
► Sukkot
is a harvest festival of thanksgiving. To commemorate the
dwellings of the ancient Israelites during the harvest, many families
build temporary huts (sukkot) in which they eat and even sleep.
 Simchat Torah
► Celebrates
the conclusion of the year-long cycle of reading the Torah
(the five books of Moses) and the beginning of a new cycle and marks
the end of the fall season of special religious observances
The Jewish Calendar
► Winter
Observances
 Chanukah (Festival of Lights)
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eight-day observance is a celebration of religious freedom
and commemorates the re-dedication of the Temple in
Jerusalem in 165 B.C.E. Families celebrate in their homes by
lighting candles for eight nights, exchanging gifts and eating
special foods.
 Purim (Feast of Lots)
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on the biblical Book of Esther (The Megillah), Purim
celebrates the foiling of a plot to kill the Jews in ancient Persia.
A ritual of Purim is to read the story from The Megillah of how
Esther and Mordecai prevented Haman from exterminating the
Jews.
The Jewish Calendar
► Spring
Observances
 Pesach (Passover)
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eight-day festival of freedom celebrates the
deliverance of the ancient Israelites from Egyptian
bondage. Families gather for a traditional meal, or
Seder, on the first two nights, when the story is
retold and symbolic foods are eaten.
 Shavu’ot (Festival of Weeks)
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in late Spring, this two-day observance
celebrates the giving of the Torah (the Five Books of
Moses) on Mount Sinai, and commemorates ancient
Israel’s acceptance of the Torah and its obligations.
Links
► Judaism
Religion and Ethics
► Ancient History Sourcebook- Israel
► Ancient Israel