Download Timeline of Hebrew Leaders and Unique Religious Beliefs in Ancient Canaan and more Study notes Religion in PDF only on Docsity!
Following Chronological Order Use a time line to show major Hebrew leaders and one fact about each.
TAKING NOTES
2000 B.C.
Abraham: father of Jewish people.
People and Ideas on the Move 77
MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW TERMS & NAMES
RELIGIOUS AND ETHICAL
SYSTEMS The Hebrews maintained monotheistic religious beliefs that were unique in the ancient world.
From this tradition, Judaism, the religion of the Jews, evolved. Judaism is one of the world’s major religions.
- Palestine
- Canaan
- Torah
- Abraham
- monotheism
- covenant
- Moses
- Israel
- Judah
- tribute
4
SETTING THE STAGE The Phoenicians lived in a region at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea that was later called Palestine. The Phoenicians were not the only ancient people to live in Palestine. The Romans had given the area that name after the Philistines, another people who lived in the region. Canaan (KAY•nuhn) was the ancient home of the Hebrews, later called the Jews, in this area. Their history, legends, and moral laws are a major influence on Western culture, and they began a tradition also shared by Christianity and Islam.
The Search for a Promised Land Ancient Palestine’s location made it a cultural crossroads of the ancient world. By land, it connected Asia and Africa and two great empires, both eager to expand. To the east lay Assyria and Babylonia and to the west Egypt. Palestine’s seaports opened onto the two most important waterways of that time: the Mediterranean and the Red seas. The Hebrews settled in Canaan, which lay between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Bible, Canaan was the land God had promised to the Hebrew people.
From Ur to Egypt Most of what we know about the early history of the Hebrews is contained in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. Jews call these books the Torah (TAWR•uh) and consider them the most sacred writings in their tradi- tion. Christians respect them as part of the Old Testament. In the Torah, God chose Abraham (AY•bruh•HAM) to be the “father” of the Hebrew people. God’s words to Abraham expressed a promise of land and a pledge:
P R I M A R Y S O U R C E
Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great. Genesis 12:1–
Abraham was a shepherd who lived in the city of Ur, in Mesopotamia. The Book of Genesis tells that God commanded him to move his people to Canaan. Around 1800 B. C ., Abraham, his family, and their herds made their way to Canaan. Then, around 1650 B.C ., the descendants of Abraham moved to Egypt.
The Origins of Judaism
The God of Abraham The Bible tells how Abraham and his family roamed for many years from Mesopotamia to Canaan to Egypt and back to Canaan. All the while, their God, whose name was Yahweh, watched over them. Gods worshiped by other peo- ple were often local, and were associated with a specific place. Unlike the other groups around them, who were polytheists, the Hebrews were monotheists. They prayed to only one God. Monotheism (MAHN•uh•thee•IHZ•uhm), a belief in a single god, comes from the Greek words mono , meaning “one,” and the- ism , meaning “god-worship.” The Hebrews proclaimed Yahweh as the one and only God. In their eyes, Yahweh had power over all peoples, everywhere. To the Hebrews, God was not a physical being, and no physical images were to be made of him. The Hebrews asked Yahweh for protection from their enemies, just as other people prayed to their gods to defend them. According to the Bible, Yahweh looked after the Hebrews not so much because of ritual ceremonies and sacrifices but because Abraham had promised to obey him. In return, Yahweh had promised to protect Abraham and his descendants. This mutual promise between God and the founder of the Hebrew people is called a covenant (KUHV•uh•nuhnt).
Moses and the Exodus The Bible says the Hebrews migrated to Egypt because of a drought and threat of a famine. At first, the Hebrews were given places of honor in the Egyptian king- dom. Later, however, they were forced into slavery.
“Let My People Go” The Hebrews fled Egypt—perhaps between 1300 and 1200 B. C. Jews call this event “the Exodus,” and they remember it every year during the
▲ (^) This statue of Moses was carved by Michelangelo.
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Kingdom of Judah, 922 B.C. Kingdom of Israel, 922 B.C. Assyrian Empire, 650 B.C. Babylonian Empire, 600 B.C. Wanderings of Abraham Route of Hebrews out of Egypt
Canaan, the Crossroads, 2000–600 B.C.
GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER:
Interpreting Maps
- Movement Along what waterway did Abraham begin his wanderings away from his native city?
- Location How did Canaan’s location make it a true crossroads of the eastern Mediterranean?
When the Hebrews arrived in Canaan, they were loosely organized into twelve tribes. These tribes lived in separate territories and were self-governing. In times of emergency, the Bible reports that God would raise up judges. They would unite the tribes and provide judicial and military leadership during a crisis. In the course of time, God chose a series of judges, one of the most prominent of whom was a woman, Deborah. Hebrew Law Deborah’s leadership was unusual for a Hebrew woman. The roles of men and women were quite separate in Hebrew society. Women could not offi- ciate at religious ceremonies. In general, a Hebrew woman’s most important duty was to raise her children and provide moral leadership for them. The Ten Commandments were part of a code of laws delivered to Moses. The code included other rules regulating social and religious behavior. In some ways, this code resembled Hammurabi’s Code with its attitude of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” However, its strict justice was softened by expressions of God’s mercy. The code was later interpreted by religious teachers called prophets. These interpretations tended to emphasize greater equality before the law than did other codes of the time. The prophets constantly urged the Hebrews to stay true to their covenant with God. The prophets taught that the Hebrews had a duty to worship God and live justly with one another. The goal was a moral life lived in accordance with God’s laws. In the words of the prophet Micah, “He has told you, O mortal what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” This emphasis on right conduct and the worship of one God is called ethical monotheism—a Hebrew idea that has influenced human behavior for thousands of years through Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Summarizing What does Hebrew law require of believers?
Judaism
Judaism is the religion
of the Jewish people.
In Judaism, one of the
most important ways for
a person to please God is
to study the scriptures, or
sacred writings, and to live
according to what they teach.
Many Jews keep a scroll of an
important scripture passage in a
mezuzah (a holder attached to a
doorpost) like the one shown here.
80 Chapter 3
SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Charts
- Contrasting What is contained in the Hebrew Bible that is not in the Talmud? What is in the Talmud that is not in the Hebrew Bible?
- Hypothesizing What kind of poetry would you expect to find in the Hebrew Bible? Explain what you think the subjects or themes of the poems might be.
Sacred Writings Contents
The Sacred Writings of Judaism
Torah
- first five books of the Bible
- recounts origins of humanity and Judaism
- contains basic laws of Judaism Prophets
- stories about and writings by Jewish teachers
- divided into Former Prophets and Latter Prophets
- recounts Jewish history and calls for repentance and obedience Writings
- a collection of various other writings
- includes poetry, history and stories, and philosophical writings called wisdom literature
Mishnah
- written versions of Jewish oral law Gemara
- explanations and interpretations of the Mishnah
Hebrew Bible
Talmud
The Kingdom of Israel Canaan—the land that the Hebrews believed had been promised them by God— combined largely harsh features such as arid desert, rocky wilderness, grassy hills, and the dry, hot valley of the Jordan River. Water was never plentiful; even the numerous limestone formations soaked up any excess rainfall. After first settling in the south-central area of ancient Palestine, the Hebrews expanded south and north. Saul and David Establish a Kingdom The judges occasionally pulled together the widely scattered tribes for a united military effort. Nonetheless, the Philistines, another people in the area, threatened the Hebrews’ position in ancient Palestine. The Hebrews got along somewhat better with their Canaanite neighbors. Eventually, the only large tribe left of the 12 tribes was the tribe of Judah. As a result, Hebrews came to be called Jews, and their religion, Judaism. From about 1020 to 922 B.C ., the Hebrews united under three able kings: Saul, David, and Solomon. The new king- dom was called Israel (IHZ•ree•uhl). For 100 years, Israel enjoyed its greatest period of power and independence. Saul, the first of the three kings, was chosen largely because of his success in driving out the Philistines from the central hills of ancient Palestine. Saul is portrayed in the Bible as a tragic man, who was given to bouts of jealousy. After his death, he was succeeded by his son-in-law, David. King David, an extremely popular leader, united the tribes, established Jerusalem as the capital, and founded a dynasty.
Solomon Builds the Kingdom About the year 962 B.C ., David was succeeded by his son Solomon, whose mother was Bathsheba. Solomon was the most powerful of the Hebrew kings. He built a trading empire with the help of his friend Hiram, the king of the Phoenician city of Tyre. Solomon also beautified the capital city of Jerusalem. The crowning achievement of his extensive building program in Jerusalem was a great temple, which he built to glorify God. The temple was also to be a permanent home for the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the tablets of Moses’ law. The temple that Solomon built was not large, but it gleamed like a precious gem. Bronze pillars stood at the temple’s entrance. The temple was stone on the outside, while its inner walls were made of cedar covered in gold. The main hall was richly decorated with brass and gold. Solomon also built a royal palace even more costly and more magnificent than the temple. The Kingdom Divides Solomon’s building projects required high taxes and badly strained the kingdom’s finances. In addition, men were forced to spend one month out of every three working on the temple. The expense and forced labor caused much discontent. As a result, after Solomon’s death, the Jews in the northern part of the king- dom, which was located far from the south, revolted. By 922 B.C ., the kingdom had divided in two. Israel was in the north and Judah (JOO•duh) was in the south.
King Solomon 962?–922? B. C. In the Bible, Solomon prays to God for “an understanding mind,” which God grants him. Soon after, the story goes, two women and a baby boy were brought before him. Each woman claimed the baby was hers. After hearing their testimony, Solomon declared, “Divide the living boy in two; then give half to the one and half to the other.” One said: “Please, my lord, give her the living boy; certainly do not kill him!” However, the other woman accepted: “It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide it.” Solomon knew that the woman who would give up the child to save it was the real mother.
RESEARCH LINKS For more on King Solomon, go to classzone.com
Drawing Conclusions How might geographical dis- tance make the split of Israel and Judah more likely?
People and Ideas on the Move 81
The Flood Story
The tale of a devastating flood appears among the legends of ancient peoples throughout
the world. In some versions, the story of the flood serves to explain how the world came
to be. In others, the flood is heaven’s punishment for evil deeds committed by humans.
Using Primary and Secondary Sources
A P R I M A R Y S O U R C E B P R I M A R Y S O U R C E C P R I M A R Y S O U R C E
The Torah
Only one man, Noah, found favor in
the Hebrew God Yahweh’s eyes.
And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them.... Make yourself an ark of cypress wood.... And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark... they shall be male and female. “... The rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.... At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark... and... sent out the dove... and the dove came back... and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.... Then God said to Noah, “Go out of the ark.... Bring out with you every living thing that is with you.... I establish my covenant with you, that... never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
The Epic of Gilgamesh
In this Mesopotamian legend,
Utnapishtim, like Noah, escapes a
worldwide flood by building an ark. Ea,
the god of wisdom, warns Utnapishtim
of the coming catastrophe in a dream.
O man of Shurrupak, son of Ubara- Tutu; tear down your house and build a boat, abandon possessions and look for life.... I loaded into [the boat] all that I had of gold and of living things, my family, my kin, the beast of the field both wild and tame.... For six days and six nights the winds blew, torrent and tempest and flood overwhelmed the world.... When the seventh day dawned the storm from the south subsided, the sea grew calm, the flood was stilled; I looked at the face of the world and there was silence, all mankind was turned to clay.
... I opened a hatch and the light fell on my face. Then I bowed low, I sat down and I wept, the tears streamed down my face, for on every side was the waste of water.
The Fish Incarnation of Vishnu
The Hindu god Vishnu, in his first
earthly incarnation, took the form of
Matsya, the fish, and saved humankind.
One day, as the sage Manu was praying at the river Ganges, a small fish asked for his protection. Manu put the fish in an earthen jar, but soon the fish was too big for the jar. So Manu put it into the river, but soon it outgrew the river. So Manu put the fish in the ocean.... The fish told Manu there would be a great deluge [flood]. He advised Manu to build a large boat and take... the seeds of various kinds of plants, and one of each type of animal. When the deluge came, the fish said, he would take the ark... to safety. Sure enough, when the deluge occurred, the fish was there. Manu tied the boat to the horns of the fish.... The fish then pulled the boat through the waters until it reached a mountain peak.
D
Anonymous
This art dates from the fifth
century A.D. It shows Noah
and his ark in the Hebrew
flood story. In the picture,
Noah is welcoming back
the dove he had sent out
from the ark at the end of 40
days. The dove is carrying in
its beak an olive leaf.
P R I M A R Y S O U R C E
1. Based on Source A, what promise does God make to mankind? 2. What are some of the differences among the gods in Sources A, B, and C? 3. What are some of the similarities among the flood stories in Sources A, B, and C? 4. In Source D, what is the dove bringing to Noah and what might it represent? 83
Chapter
Assessment
Three Major Religions
Many gods, all faces of Brahman
Vedas; Upanishads, Mahabharata, and others
Books on the teachings and life of the Buddha
The Torah and other books of the Hebrew Bible
Originally, no gods One God
Hinduism
Number of Gods
Holy Books
Moral Law^ Karma^ Eightfold Path^ Ten Commandments
Leaders^ Brahmins^ Monks^ Priests, judges, kings, prophets
Moksha Enlightenment, Nirvana A moral life through obedience to God’s law
Final Goal
Buddhism Judaism
84 Chapter 3
TERMS & NAMES
For each term or name below, briefly explain its importance in the years 3500 B.C. to 259 B.C.
- Indo-Europeans 5. Minoans
- caste 6. Phoenicians
- reincarnation 7. monotheism
- Siddhartha Gautama 8. Moses
MAIN IDEAS
The Indo-Europeans Section 1 (pages 61–65)
- What are three reasons that historians give to explain why Indo-Europeans migrated?
- What are two technologies that helped the Hittites build their empire?
- How were the Aryans different from the non-Aryans ( dasas ) that they encountered when migrating to India?
Hinduism and Buddhism Develop Section 2 (pages 66–71)
- In Hinduism, how are the ideas of karma, reincarnation, and moksha connected?
- Why were lower castes more likely to convert to Buddhism?
Seafaring Traders Section 3 (pages 72–76)
- What did the Minoans export?
- What is Phoenicia’s greatest legacy to the world?
The Origins of Judaism Section 4 (pages 77–83)
- What is ethical monotheism and why is it important?
- What caused the division of Solomon’s kingdom?
- What are two ways in which early Judaism differed from other religions of the time?
CRITICAL THINKING
- USING YOUR NOTES In a chart, fill in information about three world religions.
2. DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
How important were the migrations of the Indo-European peoples? How lasting were the changes that they brought? Explain your conclusion.
- RECOGNIZING EFFECTS What were some of the effects of King Solomon’s reign?
- COMPARING How were the economic foundations of Minoan and Phoenician civilizations similar?
- DEVELOPING HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Why was monotheism unusual in its time and place?
ECONOMICS
INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT
Religion Hinduism Buddhism Judaism
Founder
Time Originated
Area Originated
RELIGIOUS AND ETHICAL SYSTEMS
