The Development of Judaism: Monotheism, Covenants, and the Impact on Ancient Israelites, Slides of Religion

Download The Development of Judaism: Monotheism, Covenants, and the Impact on Ancient Israelites and more Slides Religion in PDF only on Docsity! Mini Lecture  About 4,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, the ancient Israelites developed Judaism, one of today’s major religions. Unlike neighboring peoples, Israelites were monotheistic, believing in only one god.  They believed every event reflected God’s plan. So, they recorded events and laws in the Torah. .It is the most sacred text of the Israelites, or Jews.  According to the Torah, about 2000 B.C., Abraham “founded” Judaism& is considered the father of the Israelites. The Israelites believed that God made a covenant, or binding agreement, with Abraham. This covenant promised a special relationship with God & a homeland in Canaan.  However, famine forced the Israelites into Egypt, where they became slaves. Much later, Moses led their exodus, or departure, from Egypt back to Canaan. There, they established the kingdom of Israel around 1000 B.C. under the second king, David; the feuding 12 tribes of Israel were united into one kingdom.  Then, David’s son Solomon undertook the task of turning Jerusalem into an impressive capital city. He completed a massive temple & increased Israel’s influence in the region. However, after his death, the kingdom split & eventually fell to the Assyrians & Babylonians.  Israelite society was patriarchal, meaning that men held the greatest authority. Also from early times, law was central to Judaism. The Torah contains laws on such subjects as cleanliness, food preparation, & crime. Also in the Torah is a special set of laws called the Ten Commandments. These laws stress moral conduct & religious duty, such as keeping the Sabbath.  Often in Jewish history, prophets, or spiritual leaders, arose. They urged social justice & taught strong codes of ethics, or moral standards of behavior.  During a 500-year period called the Diaspora, the Jews left or were exiled from Israel, & they spread out around the world. Still, they maintained their identity in close- knit communities, following religious laws & traditions. This helped them to survive centuries of persecution.  Judaism has been an important religion. From that culture & faith, both Christianity & Islam emerged, creating an ethical legacy we call the Judeo-Christian tradition. Aim #8: How did Judaism & Jews develop? Roots of Judaism Review Questions: 1. What made the ancient Israelites’ belief system unique from others at the time? 2. What was the Diaspora? 3. Who is considered the “father of the Israelites”? Further Reading: Chapter 2, Section 5 Resources/Documents:  The Covenant  The Ten Commandments  The Babylonian Exile NYS SS Framework: 9.2a, 2b , MY NOTES ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ How did Judaism spread? Directions: Examine the images below, then fill out the chart with what you see, think, and wonder. See List three things you see in map above. Think Based on your observations, who do you think diaspora means and what do you think caused the Jewish diaspora? Wonder Write two questions you have about the map. Spread: The Jewish Diaspora Directions: Read the text and analyze the map below, then answer the questions that follow. The term diaspora (in Ancient Greek, διασπορά – "a scattering or sowing of seeds") refers to any people or ethnic group forced to leave its traditional homeland, and the spreading out of those people that results from it. It is especially used to with reference to the Jewish people, who have lived most of their historical existence as a diasporan people. The Jewish diaspora began with the Babylonian Exile. Although some of the captives that were forced to live in Babylon returned to Judea after they were released by the Persian King Cyrus the Great, others settled elsewhere. They were dispersed in lands around the Mediterranean Sea. Major centers of Jewish diasporan culture emerged in such places as Alexandria, Asia Minor, and Babylonia. A second major expulsion and diaspora of the Jewish people from Judea took place between 66 CE and 136 CE. In 66 CE, the Roman Empire had been in control of Judea for some time, but had mostly respected the rights of the Jewish people to practice their religion. Due to Roman administrators who were disrespectful towards their religion, and disagreements over taxes, the Judeans rebelled against the Romans. In response, the Roman military destroyed most of Jerusalem including the Second Temple to the Jewish God. For the next 66 years tensions between the Judeans and Romans intensified with riots and wars and calmed. At the end of this period, much of the Jewish population had either chosen to leave Judea or were forced out. Some Jewish people remained in Judea or the surrounding area, but most left. In the sixth century there were 43 Jewish communities in Palestine, scattered along the coast, in the Negev, east of the Jordan, and in villages in the Galilee region, and in the Jordan River valley. Jewish communities expelled from Judea were sent, or decided to go, to various Roman provinces in the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa. 1. Why did the Jewish diaspora occur? 2. Where did Jewish people spread their religion after they were expelled from Judea?