Chapter 8: Ancient Hebrews and the Beginning of Judaism
What role did King David play in Hebrew history?
King David ruled the Israelites from c. 1000 to 962 BCE and is known as the first successful king of Israel. He united all the tribes of Israel into a single kingdom and made Jerusalem its capital. David came to embody the union of the Israelites with their God.
What role did Moses play in the Hebrew tradition?
Moses is also credited with bringing the "Ten Commandments" as well as the "Torah" directly from God to the Jewish people. He played a big role in bringing law and structure to the Jewish society.
What role did Moses play in the Hebrew tradition?
Moses is credited with leading the enslaved Hebrews in Egypt out of slavery and back to Israel.
What is the significance of Mt. Sinai in Hebrew tradition?
Mount Sinai is where Moses receives direct word from God. It is at Mt. Sinai that Moses receives the "The Ten Commandments" as well as "The Torah" from God and passes on these necessary rules on to the Jewish people.
Explain the similarity between Christian and Jewish tradition of Sabbath.
Sabbath is celebrated in both Christian and Jewish traditions as a "day of rest". According to the Torah, God created the universe in six days and rested on the seventh. For both Christians and Jews this is a day of self-reflection, worship, and rest.
What does the word diaspora mean?
Scattering of people
Why did the Ancient Israelites move to Egypt?
The Ancient Israelites moved to Egypt due to a large famine, a great shortage of food, taking place in Israel at the time. They migrated from Israel to Egypt to avoid starvation and due to the large amount of Hebrews in Egypt found themselves enslaved instead.
What did Abraham contribute to the development of Judaism?
The story of Abraham and Isaac is important in monotheistic history because it highlights the importance of believing in one God only and showing God undivided loyalty.
The Second Commandment states, "Thou shalt have no other gods, before Me". How did this commandment influence the development of Christianity and Islam?
This concept is central to all major monotheistic religions because it essentially highlights the practice of monotheism or believing in one God only. The story of Abraham and Isaac is also important in this sense because in that story Abraham proves his undivided loyalty to God by putting no one else above him, not even his only son.
What is polytheism?
A belief in multiple Gods
What is monotheism?
A belief that there is only one God
What did Abraham contribute to the development of Judaism?
Abraham is considered to be the Father of Judaism and in turn Father of Monotheism. He is credited as one of the first few people to solely belief in monotheism.
What is the legend of the Exodus?
Exodus means a mass exit of people from one place. For many years, the word exodus was used to describe the mass exit of Jewish slaves from Egypt back to Israel. The legend of exodus begins with Moses asking Pharaoh Ramses to free all the Hebrew slaves. Pharoah Rameses refuses to let this free source of labor leave. As a result, Moses fights Rameses and God sends 10 plagues to the people of Egypt. Moses is finally successful in leading his people out of Egypt, but then gets lost in the desert for another 40 years.
Why were the Jews eventually dispersed geographically?
In 132 CE, a second Jewish revolt broke out. After four years, it was crushed by the Romans. This time the Romans changed the name of Jerusalem and barred Jews from living there. The Jewish people were scattered throughout the region. That was the end of Judea, but it was not the end of the Jewish people.
Explain the significance of Jerusalem in Jewish culture
Jerusalem is considered an important city in all three major monotheistic religions. For Jews, this was a city of the Temple Mount and King David's tomb. For them is also a symbol of their independence and the promised land from God. For Christians, this is also a holy site because Christians believe this is where Jesus was resurrected. Muslims value Jerusalem because they believe this was an important holy city that Prophet Muhammad visited on his way to Mecca. Through the years, there have been many wars amongst the followers of the three monotheistic religions over this particular piece of land due to all of their beliefs regarding this holy city.
What are the three main monotheistic religions of the world?
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
