Download the birth of judaism - Madison Public Schools

Name:________________________Per.____Date:________________
THE BIRTH OF JUDAISM
Objective: To understand where Judaism came from, and to understand
the idea of monotheism vs. the more popular polytheism
The Ancient Hebrews and Origins of Judaism
Much
of the history of the ancient Hebrews is found in
_________________________
The
earliest Hebrews were _______________ who lived in Mesopotamia
These
early people created a religion called Judaism
Judaism is still practiced by approximately 15 million people

worldwide
About
the same time that King Hammurabi ruled much of Mesopotamia
(1780 B.C.E.), _______________________ became a leader of the Hebrew
people, leading them through the Fertile Crescent into Canaan.
Canaan is located between the ___________________ and the

Mediterranean Sea, in the western part of the Fertile Crescent

The Hebrews lived in Canaan until a famine struck and drove them
into ________________________ in search of food
The Egyptians enslaved the Hebrews for more than 400 years before a new

leader led them out of Egypt

This new leader was named __________________-_________

Although Moses was a Hebrew, he was raised in
______________________________________ until he murdered a
slave overseer
After fleeing Egypt with the Hebrews, the group wandered the

deserts for about 40 years before settling in
_______________________ once again
While the Hebrews wandered near Mount Sinai, they developed their

own set of written laws, known as the
_________________________________
The Idea of One God – Monotheism
____________________________
– the belief in more than one God, like
the ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians
Gods were connected to the environment and resources, played many

roles, helped to explain the inexplicable, varied in importance
______________________________
– the belief in one God, like the
ancient Hebrews
The Legacy of the Ancient Hebrews
Today,
monotheism is the norm. Many civilizations and religions have
been influenced by this advance in thinking
The
ancient writings of Judaism, known as the
___________________________, make up the first five books of the
___________________________.
The Bible is the most widely read book in the world
