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The Rise of Judaism. Introduction. Israelites = Hebrews = Jews Judaism stood apart from other religions because of monotheism (belief in one all-powerful god). Judaism shares many beliefs with two later religions: Christianity and Islam. Introduction, cont.
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Introduction • Israelites = Hebrews = Jews • Judaism stood apart from other religions because of monotheism (belief in one all-powerful god). • Judaism shares many beliefs with two later religions: Christianity and Islam.
Introduction, cont. • Abraham is regarded as the first Jew. • He and his followers left Mesopotamia and settled in Canaan (now Lebanon, Israel and Jordan) at the commandment of God, in 1900 BC. • Abraham’s grandson, Jacob (Israel), had 12 sons who each led his own tribe.
Slavery and Exodus • Famine caused the Israelites to migrate to Egypt, where Jacob’s son, Joseph, lived. • They were eventually enslaved. • Many of the monuments of Egypt’s New Kingdom were built by Israelite slaves.
Slavery and Exodus, cont. • Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt in the 13th century BC, possibly when Ramses II ruled. • Ten Plagues • Crossing of the Red Sea • Shortly afterward, Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.
The Kingdom of Israel • The Israelites fought for 200 years before successfully reclaiming Canaan. • Saul became the first king of Israel, uniting the 12 tribes for the first time.
The Kingdom of Israel, cont. • Saul’s successor, David, ruled Israel from 1012 BC to 962 BC, and established Jerusalem as the capital.
The Kingdom of Israel, cont. • David’s son, Solomon, built the magnificent temple in Jerusalem, at the cost of high taxes and intensive labor. • After Solomon’s death (922 BC), the two southern tribes split from Israel to create the kingdom of Judah.
Exile • Israel was conquered in 722 BC by the Assyrians, who scattered the Israelites throughout their empire. • Judah was conquered in 597 BC by the Chaldeans, under King Nebuchadnezzar. • In 586, after a rebellion, they destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem and captured many Jews to be slaves in Babylon.
Exile, cont. • Jews continued to maintain their religion while in exile. • The Chaldeans were conquered in 539 BC by the Persians, under Cyrus the Great. • He allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple.
After Exile • Judah/Israel would eventually be ruled by: • the Greeks (Alexander the Great) • the Romans • the Islamic Empire (when it became known as Palestine) • the Ottoman Empire • Israel would not be an independent state until 1948.
Important Aspects of Judaism • The Torah: the Jewish holy book, believed to be written by Moses and inspired by God. • The Torah and subsequent books (collectively known as the Old Testament by Christians ) record the history of the Jews through the Babylonian exile.
Important Aspects of Judaism, cont. • Every human being is made in the image of God and has infinite worth. • People work in partnership with God to strive to achieve a better world.