Download Early Israelites

Early Israelites
The Land of Canaan
 Most ancient cultures worshipped many deities
 The Israelites, one of many peoples living in Canaan,
followed monotheism, the belief in one all-powerful
God
 They believed that God’s commands were revealed by
prophets
 The teachings of the Israelites exist today as the
religion of Judaism
 Judaism shares beliefs with two other monotheistic
religions—Christianity and Islam
The Bible
 The Bible is one of the main sources of ancient history
in the Fertile Crescent
 The Bible traces the origins of the early Israelites to
Abraham, a herder and trader who lived in the
Mesopotamian city of Ur.
 Around 1900 BC, Abraham and his family left Ur to
settle in Canaan.
 They did so on the command of Yahweh, or God
 The Israelites believed that God made a covenant, or
agreement, with Abraham to bless him and his
descendants if they would remain faithful to him
Exodus
 Abraham’s grandson Jacob had 12 sons. Each son led a
separate tribe, or family group. These groups became the 12
tribes of Israel.
 The Israelites migrated to Egypt to escape famine. They
lived in Egypt for several generations until they were
enslaved by the Egyptians.
 In the 1200’s BC, the Israelite prophet Moses led his people
out of Egypt in an exodus, or departure, into the Sinai
Desert
 During the journey across the desert God renewed the
covenant he made with Abraham. Moses and the Israelites
agreed to worship only one God and to obey his laws,
particularly the 10 Commandments
 In return for their loyalty, God promised the Israelites a safe
return to the land of Canaan
Why is the 10 Commandments considered
the basis for civil law in many nations?
 The first 4 commandments establish the relationship
between God and the Israelites?
 1 God, no idols, keep the Sabbath holy, do not swear
falsely by the name of God
 Commandments 5-10 establish the relationship
between the people by setting limits on human
behavior and establishing social values
 Honor your father and mother
 Do not murder
 Do not commit adultery
 Do not steal
 Do not bear false witness against your neighbor
 Do not covet anything that your neighbor has
 These values are expressed in the traditions and law
codes of many nations including the United States
Settling the Land
 Moses died before reaching Canaan
 Joshua, his successor, led the Israelites into Jordan
 The fought the Philistines and the Canaanites who occupied
the land
 The 12 tribes lacked unity. Leaders known as “judges” ruled
each tribe
 One judge, Deborah, was successful in winning a battle
against the Canaanites
 Around 1020 BC the 12 tribes united under one king named
Saul. Saul’s popularity declined when he was unable to
defeat the Philistines
 David became king in 1012 BC
 He established Jerusalem as the capital and expanded the
kingdoms borders
 During David’s reign the Israelites enjoyed prosperity
 David’s son Solomon succeeded him in 961 BC
 Solomon founded new cities and built a magnificent temple
to God in Jerusalem
 After Solomon died, the 10 northern tribes broke from the 2
southern tribes
 The northern tribes continued to call their kingdom Israel.
The southern tribes called their kingdom Judah
 The word Jew comes from the name Judah
Abraham’s Geneaology
HAGAR
ABRAHAM
Ishmael
12 Arabian
Tribes
SARAH
Isaac
Jacob
12 Tribes of
Israel
Esau
Abraham’s Journey from Ur
Canaan  The “Promised Land”
Abraham’s Journeys
Ancient Palestine
Land of Goshen, Egypt
Moses
“Prince of Egypt”
“Shepherd of His
The Exodus
Moses and the 10
Commandmets
A new “covenant”
with Yahweh
King David’s Empire
Solomon’
s
Kingdom
Recreation of Ancient
Jerusalem
King Solomon’s Temple
Floor Plan
The First Temple
Inside the Temple
Tabernacle
The Arc
of the
Covenant
Kingdoms
of
Judah
&
Israel
Exile
 The 2 kingdoms were too weak to resist invasion by
neighboring peoples
 In 722 BC, the Assyrians of Mesopotamia conquered
Israel
 The people of the 10 northern tribes scattered
throughout the Assyrian empire
 In 586 BC, the Chaldeans, another Mesopotamian
people, conquered Judah and destroyed the Temple in
Jerusalem
 They carried some of the Israelites off to exile in the
Chaldean capital of Babylon
Israelites in Captivity
The Synagogue
 A series of prophets arose among the Israelites, who
were now called Jews
 Some prophets blamed the exile on the Jews forgetting
their duties to God
 While in Babylon, the Jews did not have a temple.
 Small groups of Jews began to meet on the Sabbath,
the holy day of rest, for prayer and study
 These gatherings gave rise to synagogues
Return/Scattered
 In 539 BC, the Persians conquered the Chaldeans
 The Persian king allowed the Jews to return to Judah
and rebuild the Temple.
 In the 400’s BC, Jewish holy writings were organized
into the Torah, the first 5 books of the Bible
 Although a Jewish community arose in Jerusalem,
many Jews stayed in Babylon and some moved to
other areas of the Middle East.
 Ever since this time, communities of Jews have existed
outside their homeland in what is known as the
Diaspora, a Greek word meaning “scattered”
Yahweh’s “Covenant” With His
People
 The first 5
books
of the Hebrew
Bible.
The Torah
 The most
sacred
text in the
Jewish
religious
tradition.
Legacy
 The Jews troubled history made them very aware of
their past
 They saw events as having a purpose directed by God
 In addition to the Torah, the Jewish Scriptures included
the writings of the prophets
 The scriptures state that people work in partnership
with God, striving to achieve a perfect world.
 This link makes people accountable for what happens
in the world
 As Jews moved beyond Canaan, they took their
religious writings with them
The Temple Mount, Jerusalem
Today
Solomon’s Temple Wall: The “Wailing” Wall