Social Studies Chapter 11 - The Origins of Judaism
Abraham
Abraham introduced the belief in one God. He made a covenant with God to go to Canaan, and in turn God made him the father of the Jews. The Jews believed they should act in a way that would fulfill God's covenant.
who was Abraham
Abraham is called the "father of the Jews." One central idea of Judaism is the belief in a single God. According to the Torah, it was Abraham who introduced this belief to the Israelites, ancestors of the Jews. This was a new idea in the ancient world. At that time, most people worshiped many gods and goddesses. According to the Torah, God first spoke to Abraham, telling him to move his family from Mesopotamia to Canaan. God also promised to make Abraham the father of a great nation and to bless this nation. Abraham did as he was told, and his descendants became known as the Jewish people.
who are the four important Jewish leaders
Abraham, Moses, David, and Solomon
who was David
After escaping from Egypt and traveling in the wilderness, the Israelites returned to Canaan. It was here that they created a united kingdom, called Israel, during the reigns of King David and his son, King Solomon. King David established Jerusalem as a holy city and the capital of Israel. King Solomon built Jerusalem's great First Temple. To the Israelites, and later the Jews, the city of Jerusalem and its Temple became powerful symbols of their faith in God.
who was Solomon
After escaping from Egypt and traveling in the wilderness, the Israelites returned to Canaan. It was here that they created a united kingdom, called Israel, during the reigns of King David and his son, King Solomon. King David established Jerusalem as a holy city and the capital of Israel. King Solomon built Jerusalem's great First Temple. To the Israelites, and later the Jews, the city of Jerusalem and its Temple became powerful symbols of their faith in God.
David and Solomon
David defeated the Philistines, united the Israelites in a new nation called Israel, and made Jerusalem the capital and a holy city. Solomon, David's son, built the First Temple in Jerusalem, signed treaties, and increased trade. Both men were also poets with parts of the Hebrew Bible attributed to them.
who were the Ancient Israelite
Historians study artifacts and writings such as the Hebrew Bible to learn about the ancient Israelites and the development of Judaism. The Torah has the first five books of the Hebrew Bible and commandments that direct Jewish life.
Torah
Judaism's most sacred text, consisting of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible
who was Moses
Leader of the Israelites
Moses
Moses led the Israelites on an Exodus out of slavery in Egypt. At Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, basic laws and teachings of Judaism. Moses united the Jews into a people who worshiped one God.
who was Moses
The greatest leader of the Israelites was Moses. The Torah tells how he led his people out of slavery in Egypt. Moses told the Israelites that God would lead them to Canaan, the "promised land," in exchange for their faithful obedience. Moses also gave Judaism its fundamental teachings. The Torah tells how God gave Moses ten important commandments, or laws, engraved on two stone tablets. These teachings became the foundation of Judaism. The books of the Torah are also called the Five Books of Moses.
covenant
an agreement or promise
traditions
an inherited or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior
eventually
at a later time
fundamental
at the most basic level
symbols
character or picture that is used to represent something else
Israelites
early name for the Jewish people
who was Abraham
father of the jews
Ten Commandments
ten laws and teachings said to have been given to Moses by God
Israel
the Israelites' kingdom; divided about 930 B.C.E. into two kingdoms called Judah and Israel
Exodus
the escape of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery to freedom
Judaism
the first religion to worship one God, developed among the ancient Israelites
Jerusalem
the holiest city of the Jews; capital of the ancient kingdoms of Israel and then Judah
foundation
the solid support on which things are built
slavery
the state of a person who is treated as the property of another