History of Judaism

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History of Judaism
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Religions of the World
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Judaism in the Middle East

• Pre-jewish history begins with the story of the
  Patriarchs, 4000 to 5000 years ago
• Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
• Abram (Abraham) was originally from Ur, a city in
  Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq)
• No one know exactly when he lived, but scholars
  estimate somewhere between 2000 and 2500 BCE

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Abraham

• Name means father of the multitude.
• Upon a call (vision) from God, he and Sarah left
  Ur and headed west.

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Patriarchs

• Abraham settled in an area north of the land of
  Canaan (modern day Israel and Turkey.
• Abraham worshipped the god El Shaddai (god of the
  mountains)
• Native Canaanites worshipped a god called El.
  They worshipped thorugh animal and human
  sacrifices of the first born.

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Isaac

• After being barren until the age of 90, Sarah
  gives birth to a son, Isaac.
• Isaac is not Abrahams first born. Ishmael was
  born to Hagaar, Sarahs servant.
• Sarah is jealous of Hagar and kicks them out into
  the desert.

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Ishmael and Hagar

• Hagar and her young son Ishmael survive the
  desert and travel to Arabia.
• Ishmael becomes the patriarch of the future
  religion of Islam.

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Human Sacrifice?

• As was the Canaanite custom, Abraham was about to
  sacrifice his son Isaac to El Shaddai.
• Stopped by an angel, Isaacs life is spared, and
  Abraham shows his faithfulness to God.
• Islam says that the devil stopped Abrahams hand
  and that he disobeyed God.

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Twelve Brothers Patriarchs of the 12 tribes of
Israel

• One of these is Joseph, sold into slavery because
  his brothers were jealous of his new coat.
• Joseph ends up in Egypt and becomes an
  interpreter of dreams for the Pharaoh
• Within 20 years, Joseph rises to the top of
  Egyptian government.

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Egypt

• Joseph brings his brothers and father to Egypt.
  Their descendants live in Egypt for the next 400
  years.
• The become known as the Hebrews
• Over time, the become enslaved by the Egyptians?

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Moses

• Moses leads Hebrews out of Egypt in the Exodus
• Moses is a prophet
• Moses receives the Ten Commandments
• Moses is said to have written the Torah, the
  sacred Jewish text (first five books of the
  Christian Bible)

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Joshua

• After they leave Egypt, the Hebrews wander in the
  desert (Sinai) for 40 years.
• Moses dies before he reaches the promised land.
• Joshua leads the Hebrews into Canaan (modern
  Israel).

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King David

• David lived around 1000 to 900 BCE.
• Much loved king of Israel.
• Warrior and musician, he is said to have written
  many of the psalms.
• Brought the religious and political capital to
  Israel to Jerusalem.

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King Solomon

• Davids son Solomon became king after him.
• Solomon built the first Temple in Jerusalem
• Had over 700 wives and concubines

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Judah

• After Solomon, discord enters twelve tribes.
  They split, and only Judahs tribes survive.
• Judahs descendants are conquered by Babylon and
  deported.

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Persia and Zoraster

• While Jews were in Persia (Babylon), they were
  influenced by the local religion, Zorastrianism.
• Here, the concepts of Satan, heaven and hell, and
  end times (cosmic battle of good and eveil)
  enter Jewish thought.

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Second Temple

• In 520 BCE, Jews were allowed to return to
  Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple.
• During this time, the Hebrew scriptures were
  assembled, edited, and commentary was added.

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Jewish Diaspora

• In 70 CE (AD), the second Temple was destroyed by
  the Romans. Jewish uprisings were brutally put
  down.
• Jews fled to Spain, Eastern Europe and Baghdad.
  This is known as the Diaspora.

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Messianic Hope

• Since Jews had no country of their own, there
  became a hope, a movement, that someday Israel
  would again rise and be lead by a great king and
  spiritual leadera messiah.