Download Vocabulary of the Middle East 1. Dead Sea Scrolls

Vocabulary of the Middle East
1. Dead Sea Scrolls: A collection of ancient writings found in caves near Qumran (near the
Dead Sea) said to contain almost every book from the Old Testament. They were discovered
between 1947 to 1956 and were made from animal skins, papyrus and copper.
2. Mesopotamia: “Land between the two rivers”—lies between the Tigris and the Euphrates
Rivers. This area is said to be the cradle of civilization and the Sumerian culture started here
and goes back as far as 7,500 years.
3. Fertile Crescent: Crescent shaped area of land that runs along the Mediterranean Sea to
the Persian Gulf encompassing the Nile, Euphrates and the Tigris Rivers. This area has fertile soil
that makes growing crops easier and supports more people than the desert region around it.
4. Code of Hammurabi : The code is a series of 282 laws handed down from the god
Shamash to the Emperor Hammurabi. These laws were the first set of laws given to a group of
people. They all come down to this statement: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”.
Hammurabi ruled ancient Babylon.
5. TeNaKh: Jewish holy book that contains three parts: Torah, Nevi’im, Ketuvim. - Acronym,
based on the letters T (for "Torah"), N (for "Neviim," the Prophets), and K (for "Ketuvim," the
Sacred Writings). The TeNaKh is the five books of Moses, the prophets, and the sacred writings.
6. Ziggurat: Stepped towers on which temples were built in ancient Mesopotamia are known
as ziggurats. They have a pyramid shaped style and the term ziggurat means “rising tower” due
to its terraced (stepped) appearance.
7. Bible: The Christian holy book consisting of the Old and the New Testaments. The Old
Testament is shared by both the Jews and the Christians. The Bible is the best- selling book in
history.
8. Cuniform– (p. 426) means “wedge-shaped”
System of writing
Developed by the Sumerians more than 5,000 years ago
One of the world’s first written languages
First were pictographs that became more wedge-shaped
Scribes used a pen that made the wedge-shaped design when
Pushed into damp clay (picture, bottom page 426)
9. Judaism– (pages 111, 336, 435, 470-473, 740)
Hebrew people were the first monotheists (one God)
Yahweh spoke to Hebrew named Abraham
Abraham followed Yahweh’s commands to move people
Yahweh told Abraham that his people would become God’s
Chosen people; all of Abraham’s descendants are known as
Jews
Religious belief is known as Judaism
10. Islam–
Monotheistic religion that teaches that there is one God, Allah,
The God of Abraham
Less than 600 years after Christ, a man named MUHAMMAD
Was born in MECCA about A.D. 570
Muhammad is the founder of Islam and is the final prophet of
Islam
A believer in Islam is called a Muslim.
11. Christianity –
Monotheistic religion that teaches that there is one God,the
God of Abraham
Developed out of Judaism
Based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ
Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and was both human
And Divine
Believers are called Christians
12. Qur’an – (438, 635)
Holy Book of Islam
Contains the commands of God as revealed to Muhammad by
The angel Gabriel, the angel of God
Written in the sacred language of Arabic
Contains 114 chapters or suras
13. Muhammad- (435, 437-438, 440-441,)
The creator and final prophet of Islam
Believed the angel of God, Gabriel revealed God’s wishes to
Him
Began preaching the Divine messages
622 A.D. is the year Muhammad escaped would-be assassins
Escaped to the city of Medina
622 marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar to commemorate this important year
14. Jesus
A Jewish carpenter whose life and teachings became the basis for Christianity .
15. Five Pillars of Islam
Basic 5 beliefs of the Islam faith.
Followers( Muslims) should work toward attaining these:
Declaration of Faith in Allah
Five times a day prayer facing Mecca
Giving to the needy 2.5%
Fasting during Ramadan
Hajj- trip to Mecca during their lifetime
16. Rabbi- Leader of the Jewish worship service
17. Mosque- Islam place of worship
18. Synagogue- Jewish place of worship
19. Church- Christian place of worship
20. Prophet- Person regarded as inspired with the word of God.