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Early Middle East: Hebrews and Persians
What is the Middle East? And
Central Asia?
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What’s wrong with these names?
Near East/Levant
“Middle East”/Greater & Central
Southwest Asia
Maghrib
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“Never mind what the fact is, it
depends what it is called.”
Facts
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Vast -Region stretching from Rabat
to Tehran (3400 miles)
Few distinct natural boundaries
Intercontinental—Europe, Africa, and
Asia-”Crossroads”
“Greater Middle East” - Equal to U.S.
in size.
20 independent states
3 Sub-regions: North Africa, Arab
lands, Highlands of Turkey and Iran
Land of the 7 Seas
Physical map of
northern Middle
East - north to
south includes
Black Sea,
Turkey, Cyprus,
Syria, Iraq,
Lebanon, Israel
and Jordan
Note green
vegetation
areas in Israel
on the Eastern
coast of the
Mediterranean
sea, and along
the Nile river
and delta.
Mirage. . .
Fertile Crescent
The World of the Old Testament
http://scriptures.lds.org/biblemaps/4
Empires in Greece, Persia, Rome
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Definition of Empire:
The political control of one people over
other, different peoples
But how to control?
-hegemony-foreign rule that governs with
the consent of the governed
-dominance-exercise of military power,
with frequent resistance.
Persia
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Present-day Iran
Iran derived from
“Aryan”
Indo-Europeans
[Medes and Persians]
moved into regions of
later Mesopotamian
empires [c. 1000 BCE]
Stone relief of Medes
Chronology of Early Persia
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1000 BCE
into Central
Indo-European migrations
Persia
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600 BCE
Achaemenids united Persian tribes
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521-486 BCE
Reign of Darius
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500-479 BCE
Wars with Greece
334-330 BCE
Macedon
Conquest by Alexander of
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Persia
Key Achievements
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unifiers of the Middle East.
ruled diverse peoples.
hegemony through tolerance of local
traditions and granting of local
control.
uniform standards.
trade from India to Egypt.
skillful leadership (bureaucracy) and
diplomacy
The Persian Royal Road
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2575 kilometers
long
Took 90 days to
travel from one
end to the other
Post stations, inns,
courier service
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor
gloom of night stays these couriers
from swift completion of appointed
rounds”
Herodotus
Persepolis
The “Axial Age”
500BCE – 100CE
China
Confucius
Laozi
India
Buddha
Hinduism
The
Axial
Age
Palestine
Jesus
Greece
Socrates
Plato
Aristotle
Persia
Zaruthustra
Revolutionary monotheisms:
Jews, Christians, and Muslims (Abrahamic
faiths)
(J-C-I Tradition) believe:
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There is ONE God (monotheism)
God is above nature and human
weakness (transcendent)
Sacred books are revealed
Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Abrahamic Traditions
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All three religions
consider Abraham
their originating
prophet
Islam places
Muhammad in a line
of prophets including
Abraham, Moses, and
Jesus
Muslims consider
Muhammad the “Seal
of the Prophets
Guercino, “Abraham Casting Out Hager and
Ishmael,” [1657]
Zoroastrianism
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Prophet: Zoroaster /
Zaruthustra [c. 500 BCE?]
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One supreme god: Ahura
Mazda
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conflict dualism-struggle
between good and evil
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personal ethics and
salvation
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Opponent of Ahura Mazda
Angra Mainyu
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There are few adherents of
Zoroastrianism today but it
left many important legacies
to the Judeo-Christian
Modern image of Zoroaster
“King Darius says: By the
grace of Ahuramazda am I
king; Ahuramazda has
granted me the kingdom.”
Jamsheed Choksy, THE SOLAR DIVINITY
MITHRA ON LEFT, THE SASANIAN KING
ARDASHIR II IN CENTER, AND THE
CREATOR GOD AHURA MAZDA ON RIGHT,
TAQ-E-BOSTAN, IRAN (300-400)
Greece and Rome
Ancient West
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Mediterranean-centered
Cities and trade
Self-government
Rise of empire
Decline and discontinuity
Shared culture (Greco-Roman)
• Chart: RGH p. 136
Judaism
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Approximately 3800 years
old
Founder of Judaism:
Abraham
Foundational stories of
Judaism are ones of
journey, exile, return
Descendants of Abraham
comprise a divinely chosen
family and ethnic group
World’s first monotheistic
religion
Rembrandt’s Abraham
922 B.C. The Jewish kingdom is established
70 A.D. The Romans conquer the Jewish kingdom – the Temple of Solomon is
destroyed.
11-12th Cent. Massacres on Jews in the Rhineland and by the Crusaders.
1215 Jews in Europe are forced to dress in a certain way or carry the Jewish mark.
1290 The Jews are expelled from England.
14th Cent. The Jews are expelled from France.
1492 The Jews are expelled from Spain, unless they are willing to be baptised.
1648 Massacres on Jews in Poland and the Ukraine.
19th Cent. The Jews are gradually emancipated in Germany and in other Westernm
European countries.
1819 Pogrom against the Jews of Copenhagen.
1881 Pogroms in Russia following the murder of the Tsar.
1919 Pogroms in Eastern Europe – 60,000 Jews are killed in the Ukraine by Ukrainian
nationalists.
Key Historical Events
Judaism
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Moses and the 10 Commandmentsethical monotheism-the Covenant
Hebrew Kingdoms—David and
Solomon
Diaspora – Torah (“Bible”) and
Talmud (Law)
Chosen People
Sacred Geography-Israel, Jerusalem
Exodus
Moses and his Covenant with God
Torah
HANAKKUH
Importance of Ritual
Basic Beliefs of Judaism
Meaning in God – ethical monotheism
“God is righteous and loves man”
Meaning in Creation
“The universe is god-created”
Meaning in Man
“Man is created in God’s image”
“The Chosen People”
Meaning in History
“The Promised Land”
Basic Beliefs of Judaism
Meaning in Morality – the Covenant with
God
“Ten Commandments” and Torah
Meaning in Justice
“injustice breeds its own demise”
Talmud
Meaning in Suffering-Last Judgment,
Salvation
Holy City of Jerusalem
The Western Wall
Dome of the Rock
Church of the Holy
Sepulcher
Jews within the Roman Empire
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During Roman times,
there was already a
“Jewish diaspora”
Jewish communities
often came into conflict
with Romans when they
refused to worship
Roman deities or
emperors
66-70 CE—Jerusalem
defeated by Rome
Oldest Synagogue in US – Newport, RI
Diaspora