The Hebrews

II. Hebrews (1900 BC – 539 BC)A. Abraham – Father of Judaism (1900 BC)

1. Abraham was a herder and trader in Sumer and worshiped many gods2. God (Yahweh) appeared before Abraham one day and told Abraham “to go and raise a great nation” to the East.

II. Hebrews (1900 BC – 539 BC)A. Abraham – Father of Judaism (1900 BC)

3. Abraham rejected polytheism and led his followers east.

a. Settled in Canaan (Just South of Phoenicia) 4. The Hebrew’s were the first people to practice monotheism.5. The Monotheism of Abraham became the foundation of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

II. Hebrews (1900 BC – 539 BC)

II. Hebrews (1900 BC – 539 BC)B. The Exodus (1200 BC)

1. Descendants of Abraham left Canaan because of a drought and traveled west into Egypt.2. Eventually the Hebrew’s were enslaved by the Egyptians.

II. Hebrews (1900 BC – 539 BC)B. The Exodus (1200 BC) 3. The Departure from Egypt (The Exodus)

a. Moses(Jewish Prophet) 1. Led the Hebrews out of Egypt and slavery2. Wandered the desserts of the Sinai Peninsula for 40 years.

II. Hebrews (1900 BC – 539 BC)B. The Exodus (1200 BC)

b. Ten Commandments1. Moses climbed to the top of Mount Sinai2. Moses returned to his people with two tablets with commandments3. These commandments were the moral laws that Yahweh revealed

to Moses.

II. Hebrews (1900 BC – 539 BC)

The Ten Commandments

The Ark of the Covenant• This was the carrying case of the 10

commandments & was said to contain magical powers: whatever nation carried this at the head of their army was invincible.

II. Hebrews (1900 BC – 539 BC)B. The Exodus (1200 BC)

c. The Torah – Jewish sacred text1. Moses renews covenant with Yahweh while on Mount Sinai2. First five books of the Old Testament of the Bible

III. Hebrew Kingdom of CanaanA. Around 1020 BC the Hebrew’s return to Canaan

and set up their capital in the city of Jerusalem

King David

• David was a shepherd boy.

• Defeated the Giant Philistine Goliath

• Became King of the Jews• Established the city of

Jerusalem as the capital

King Solomon

• Super wise king; See the picture above about the judgment over a baby• Son of King David• Made the Temple Mount in Jerusalem• Wrote the books “Psalms” & “Proverbs” in the Bible

The Temple

The Temple

Holy of Holies• The inner most sanctum of the Temple• Contained the Ark of the Covenant & 10 Cmmdts

Temple Today: Dome of the Rock

The Rock Altar where Abraham mad his sacrifice….

Western Wall: Whaling Wall

The Kingdom of Israel Fractured

• Peak of civilization 1000-900 BC under David and Solomon

• 900 BC, split into Israel (North) and Judah (South)

The 12 Tribes of Israel

• Israel falls to Assyrians- “10 lost tribes”, Judah remains, “Israelites” become “Jews”

III. Hebrew Kingdom of CanaanB. The Exile – expulsion from their native land of Canaan

1. In 597 BC, The Babylonians (Nebuchadnezzar) conquered Jerusalem 2. Most of the Hebrews are taken back to

Babylon to be slaves3. The removal of Hebrews from Canaan is called The Exile.

III. Hebrew Kingdom of CanaanC. Diaspora – dispersion or scattering

1. In 539 BC, the Persians conquered the Babylonians

2. Some Jews stay in Babylon3. Some Jews return to Jerusalem to start a new Jewish Community4. Other Jews migrated to other areas in the

Middle East

III. Hebrew Kingdom of Canaan

Where did the Jews go?

• Middle Ages- Jews in Europe divided into Ashkenazim (in Christian Europe- developed Yiddish w/ Hebrew and German)

• Sephardim (in Muslim areas- more freedom, secular)

Where did the Jews Go? (Part 2)

• The Golden Age — The Jews in SpainThe years either side of 1000 CE were the golden age of the Jews in Spain. Coexisting happily with the country’s Islamic rulers the Jews developed a flourishing study of Science, Hebrew literature and the Talmud. Despite an attempt to forcibly convert all Jews to Islam in 1086, this golden age continued. At around this time the first Jews are recorded in Britain.

1492 AD Jews Expelled from Spain

• Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue

• Reconquista: Took Spain back from Jews

• Spanish Inquisition: got rid of non-christians

• Jews fled to Morocco and other parts of Europe

Persecution!!!

• The Jews became persecuted

• They became scapegoats for many problems

• They were very successful at time when others were not so leaders blamed them in order to unify their people.

The Holocaust

• The Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler rounded up all of the Jews (& others) into concentration camps and executed them on a mass scale.

• 6 million Jews were killed in the holocaust!

The State of Israel• Borders created by

United Nations Mandate• 1945 after WW2 created

a home for Jews after Holocaust

• Used Historical lands