Judaism The People of Israel The Patriarchs Offspring wrote and collected books of the Old Testament They were Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews They were a religious and national entity Hebrew refers to Abraham s ethnic group Eventual they came to be known as Israeli after Abraham s grandson The Patriarchs Abraham Semi-nomadic peoples from Mesopotamia Abram changed to Abraham Lived in Ur of the Chaldees in 2nd millennium B.C.. Traveled from bad Haran to Canaan Believed Canaan was suitable for fulfilling a destiny appointed by God. Secluded hill country but close to trade routes Known as Hebrews, the other side of the Euphrates Son, Isaac, who was nearly sacrificed by Abram at God s command Moses The Patriarchs National liberator Pharaoh ordered slaughter of all Hebrew children Moses mother made a basket of bulrushes and set him afloat in the Nile. The Pharaoh s sister found him, adopted him, and brought him up in the royal court. Moses killed an Egyptian abusing an Israelite, so he was forced to flee to Midian He became a shepherd He heard the voice of God at Mount Horeb coming from a burning bush God told him to return to Egypt and lead his people to safety After the ten plagues, the Pharaoh allowed the people of Israel to leave Egypt Moses led his people across the Red Sea Pharaoh changed his mind and Egyptian army chased them Red Sea crushed the Egyptian army Israel Three months later, the Israelites arrived at Sinai They made a covenant with God, Yahweh, that he would be their God. Humanity must conform to the character of God
Humankind must create and work with God Justice and righteousness in The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you Honor your father and your mother You shall not kill. Neither shall you commit adultery. Neither shall you steal. Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor. Neither shall you covet your neighbor s wife or anything that is your neighbor s. Conquest Having just broken free from slavery, Israelites were not yet unified. They were undisciplined, spiritually immature, and easily broken. They wandered in the wilderness of Sinai for forty years That time made Israel strong and disciplined with firm spiritual values. Under Joshua, Israel conquered Canaan and organized themselves. Anarchy followed Joshua s death Israelites began intermarrying with outsiders and turning away from Yahweh The Judges A series of twelve Judges arose and liberated Israel from enemies The judges were more local than national leaders The Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, Israel s most sacred object. Samuel, a judge, was able to reform the Israelites after this and call for a king Saul became possibly the first constitutional king in history
The United Monarchy Saul was able to free Israel from the Philistines and unify the nation Samuel chose David as Yahweh s instrument to consolidate the monarchy. Saul was jealous of David and David eventually became king David becoming king marked the beginning of Israel s golden age He extended the kingdom from Phoenicia to the Arabian Desert; from the River Orontes to the Gulf of Aqaba. He captured the Canaanites Jerusalem Jerusalem became the national and religious capital where David s son, Solomon, built the great Temple. Solomon s Kingdom Solomon Son of David and Bathsheba Rules Israel for forty years His name meant Yahweh s beloved David affirmed his commitment to make Solomon his successor Solomon became co-regent until David s death Solomon saw his brother as a threat and had him executed The Bible ascribes seven hundred wives to Solomon The Divided Kingdom and Exile After Solomon died, the nation split into Northern & Southern kingdoms with Jerusalem as capital of the Southern Kingdom Both were weak and the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom Between Solomon and the Assyrian conquest, the prophet Isaiah Northern peoples became known as the Lost Tribes of Israel Babylonians conquered the Southern Kingdom, Judah, and destroyed Solomon s Temple The Post-Exilic Period & Beyond Cyrus the Great conquered the Babylonians and freed the
Jews The Temple was rebuilt Nehemia and Ezra lead for the next hundred years Jews believed that their God rescued him and it was a period of renewal They established a theocracy, a government rules by those who are believed to have special divine approval and direction. Post-Exilic Refinements Judaism underwent a series of refinements Concerns about the end of the world Prophecies about the coming of God and judgment day Looked for the coming of Messiah, who would lead them and bring peace and justice Outside Conquerors Outside conquerors became leaders of Israel Alexander the Great The Seleucids The Maccabees under Judas Maccabeus Rome Romans destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem Destruction of Israel and Judaic nation Judaic Religion Religious tradition and ethical system of the Jewish people, who consider themselves descended from the patriarchs Did not start with but developed monotheism Consists of a group of beliefs and practices springing from a common identity, genealogy, and history Identity comes through birth to a Jewish mother rather than by acceptance of a faith Cultural and spiritual Many accept culture and ethics but ignore or reject religious observances Judaic Religion
Centered on the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) First five books called the Pentateuch, Book of Moses, and/or Torah Faith rests on divine laws within those texts Jews base their faith on a series of covenants made between God and the patriarchs, beginning with Abraham and ending with Moses God promises to bless and protect the Jewish people in return for their worship and obedience Jewish understanding that they are the chosen people The covenant promises Jews a home in the Holy Land Biblical references to a Messiah came to mean a savior who would reunite the Jews, vanquish enemies, and establish God s kingdom on earth. While Christians believe that Jesus fulfilled the prophesy of Messiah, Jews do not accept that belief Religious Organization Judaism has no particular organization or hierarchy and no official clergy. Rabbis are traditionally religious teachers revered for their scholarship and wisdom. Rabbis customarily maintain authority in spiritual matters. Since the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans, and the destruction of the Temple, the dispersion of Jews from Palestine developed two separate communities in Europe, each with its own cultural patterns and Hebraic dialect. Sephardic Jews are Arab-influenced, Ladino-speaking people from Spain and Portugal Ashkenazi Jews speak Yiddish and descended from Roman-era Palestinians Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative communities didn t develop until the 19th century The Arts of Judaism Painting Biblical injunction against graven images Little significant Jewish sculpture or painting Injunctions occasionally relaxed Assembly hall at the synagogue at Dura-Europos Tells the history of the Chosen People and their covenant with the Lord Attempts to put into pictures the traditions previously restricted to words No unifying relationship among the details Animals, humans, buildings, and cult objects Artist assumed viewer would understand Less lifelike than the Roman wall decoration Plasticity three-dimensional space
The Sacrifice of Conon from the assembly hall of the synagogue at Dura-Europos Architecture The Temple in Jerusalem Center of Israelite national life The Temple Mount (Mount Zion) symbolized God s relationship with His people General public had access to the Temple courts and not the inside The inner sanctum remained off limits to everyone except the chief priest, and to him only on the Day of Atonement Basic shape formed a rectangle subdivided into three sections Symbolized the presence of the Lord God and Israel s national identity The Temple of Jerusalem Music & Dance Jewish scriptures reference music and dance frequently Genesis 4:21 refers to those who play the lyre and the pipe Exodus 15:20-21: Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. David took the lyre and played it with his hand; so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. 1 Samuel 16:23 Literature The Hebrew Bible The word bible comes from the Greek word for book and the town of Byblos, which exported the papyrus reed used in the ancient world for making books Compiled the history of their culture and religion into scriptures, sacred writings
Grew from oral traditions of the Hebrew people Assembled, transcribed, and verified by state officials and scholars The Hebrew Bible contains a collection of twenty-four books written in Hebrew Earliest written Bible consists of history, songs, stories, and prophecy Jewish religious leaders and scholars established a canon, an officially accepted compilation, after Babylonian Captivity The first canon consisted of the Torah and the Pentateuch The current Hebrew Bible contained three parts: The Law (Torah), the Prophets, and the Writings The Torah Meaning the teaching Doctrine and practice, religion, and morals Contains the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy The commandments and the Decalogue were designed to prep Israel for a holy mission that the nation would be called upon to undertake in order to become holy unto God Rejected practices such as human sacrifice, sacred prostitution, divination, and magic The Prophets The Prophets include the Former Prophets Joshua Judges Samuel Kings And the Latter Prophets Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel And the twelve minor prophets The Prophets Record the history of Israel and Judah Further develop Hebrew concepts of God, his nature, and the Hebrews relationship to him Represents more than history Prophets speak with the authority of God
Prophets spoke of a coming time of peace and justice when the Messiah would come Their principal message was one of reconciliation of the Hebrew people with their God Called upon the people of Israel to return to the ways of the covenant with God Prophets functioned as social critics The Writings Contain a variety of literary forms Poetry and apocalyptic visions Psalms Proverbs Job Song of Songs Ruth Lamentations Ecclesiastes Esther Daniel Ezra Nehemiah Chronicles Psalms or Psalter Psalms or Psalter were the hymnal of ancient Israel Can be divided into categories Hymns Entronment hymns Songs of Zion Laments Songs of trust Thanksgiving Sacred history Royal psalms Wisdom psalms Parallelism Psalms contain a literary device called parallelism Arrangement of coordinate ideas in phrases, sentences, and
paragraphs that balance one element with another of equal importance and similar wording The repetition of sounds, meanings, and structures helps to order, emphasize, and illuminate relationships