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