Download A Brief History of the Jewish People, and Judaism

A Brief History of the Jewish People, and Judaism
Jewish history began sometime between 1900 & 1750 bce, nearly 2000
years before the time of Jesus. At that time the Jews were simply part of a
number of tribes collectively know as the Hebrews. Only later would these
peoples take on the name Jews.
Their history begins with the religious experience of a man named
Abraham; Jewish history starts here because he represents the first steps taken
in the formation of Hebrew religious practice that would eventually evolve into
Judaism.
*While reading through p. 217-224 of your text, answer the following:
1. Around 2000 bce, Abraham received a vision from God. What was
different about this occurrence, which essentially guided how Hebrew faith
came to be?
Abraham received a revelation from ONE God in Polytheistic
Mesotopia. Monotheistic – Hebrew faith came to be.
2. What two ideas emerged from God’s instructions to Abraham, and why
are they significant to Judaism.
Jews represent God’s Chosen People.
Idea of the Promised Land was established
3. What was the reason the descendants of Abraham left Canaan? Where
did they go?
Severe Drought  Egypt
*Joseph previously sold out of jealousy to traveling caravan and
eventually became head advisor to a stately person or the pharaoh.
Joseph recognized his brothers when they came looking to purchase
wheat to absolve the famine.
4. Eventually the Egyptians enslaved the Hebrews, which set the stage for
Moses to liberate them. The process of Moses leading the Hebrew
(Israelites) peoples to freedom is historically known as the Exodus?
Exodus- Means “mass departure”
5. What was the purpose of the Ten Commandments?
Emphasized the nature of God’s existence. Set out the laws that the
people would need to follow in order to keep their covenant with
God.
The Passover, the Exodus, and the Ten Commandments served as a
specific renewal of the covenant between God and the Hebrew people. Now
the Hebrews could draw inspiration from the example of Moses and marvel at
the wonder of God. They could also conduct their lives according to the
absolute laws, established by god in the Commandments, in order to live as a
peaceful and faithful people.
6. After being led by the Judges for sometime, the Hebrew people were
looking to elect a king. Who was their first king? Who succeeded him?
Saul  David
7. David went down in history as the greatest of all the kings of Israel; his
son succeeded him after his death. What happened to the kingdom after
Solomon died?
As predicted by the prophets, the kingdom broke up. Around 921
BCE the northern tribes separated from the southern tribes, taking
on the name Israel. The southern tribes centered around Jerusalem,
became known as Judah. The era of the kings was ending.
8. Prophets predicted that the era of the kings was coming to an end. Define
the word prophet, in the Jewish tradition.
Two Meanings: One who speaks on behalf of God
One who predicts the future
9. Eventually Jewish independence and autonomy (political self-government)
would be dramatically altered by two military conquests. What were they?
721 BCE, Assyrian invasion captured Israel and evicted many local
Jews.
586 BCE, Babylonian invaders captured Judah and destroyed
Solomon’s Temple. Approximately 10,000 Jewish community
leaders captured and sent into exile in Babylon. Cyrus the Great of
Persia eventually released them in 538 BCE, ending the exile or
Babylonian Captivity.
10. How did the period of the Exile effect the way in which Hebrew’s would
worship?
Synagogues created out of necessity.
Beginning of intense scholarly analysis of scripture and the
emergence of Rabbis. Also the notion of the belief in a divine
kingship characterized by a Messiah developed.
11. In 515 BCE, what were Jewish people able to do with the consent and
help of the Persians?
Rebuilt the Temple. During these times Judaism had evolved from a
Tribal Faith to the ‘World’ Faith that it is to this day.
12. Define, Diaspora?
“dispersal” + refers to the Jewish population living outside of Israel.
In 332 bce, Alexander the Great conquered much of the known world
including Persia, Egypt, and India. This, the Jewish people, particularly those
in the Diaspora, fell under the influence of Greek culture, a process called
Hellenization. Eventually the Greek influence became too great. Antichus IV
Epiphanes converted the temple into a shrine to the Greek God Zeus and
installed his own candidate to the Jewish high priesthood.
By 164 BCE the Maccabees (a Jewish rebel group) had regained control
of Jerusalem;they would rule until the Roman’s decided to expand their
kingdom into the Jewish homeland. Once again Jews were subject to foreign
domination.
By this time there were several distinct Jewish Sects that had emerged:
Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, Essenes, and Samaritans.
13. The Jew’s endured tremendous hardship at the hands of the Romans:
Heavy taxation, unfair administration of justice, and Roman control of the
temple and the high priest. As a result, what did the Jews do?
Revolt, once again regaining control of the Temple. Jews outside of
Jerusalem also challenged Roman authority by attacking occupiers
in their cities.
14. What did the Roman’s do in retaliation?
Responded with force. In 70 CE, after a 5 month siege Jerusalem was
taken and the temple destroyed for the last time. With Jewish
resistance destroyed, the Jewish faith was once again faced with a
potential dual fate: disintegration or reformation.
Eventually the Jews convinced the Romans to allow the Sanhedrin
(supreme judicial body of the Jews) to relocate to the town of Yavneh. This
provided the Jews the opportunity to preserve their way of life and redefine
themselves. Despite apparent destruction of the Jews, their will to survive
prevailed.
The stage was set for the emergence of rabbinic Judaism. The priest of
old were replaced by Rabbis. By the middle ages, Judaism had established
deep intellectual and spiritual roots that would ensure its survival.