Who are the Habiru?Who are the Habiru?—The SequelIsraelites in EgyptReligious BeliefsInlaid Calf and ShrineThe CovenantTaNaKhText of the Bible/TanakhLiterary Style in the TanakhPowerPoint PresentationWho are the Habiru?Who are the Habiru?—The SequelNomadic sheep herdersSettled in Palestine c. 1500 BCEAppear in cuneiform records as laborers, mercenary soldiers and slavesMentioned in texts from Babylonia, Assyria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Canaan, and EgyptPart of a migration of nomads, tracing a common ancestry, who travelled the entire area, eventually settling in what would become Israel An ethnic conglomerate constructs a common ancestry with these narrativesIsraelites in Egypt(wall painting on an Egyptian tomb wall)Religious BeliefsPolytheistic in time of Abraham; Moses (c.1300 BCE) probable starting point of monotheistic and nationalistic beliefsMonotheistic:God is completely free, not subject to any outside forces, either natural or magicalGod has a moral purpose, not understandable by human beings; fate does not existHuman being are responsible for their own choices and the consequences can affect the generations that followEmphasis on sin and punishmentPatriarchal belief system reflected in cultureInlaid Calf and Shrine(found in recent dig at Ashkelon)The CovenantGod’s chosen people (sons of Jacob)The promised homeland in CanaanFirst stated directly in Exodus, but foreshadowed repeatedly in GenesisGod will keep his promise only if the people remain faithful and completely obedient to himTaNaKhTorahNevi’imKetuvimText of the Bible/TanakhBelieved to have divine originTorah understood to have been communicated by God to Moses at SinaiLogic problems notwithstanding, this belief gives authorship of Torah to MosesTraditionally, scholars have seen four different hands in finished product, but current theory favors the concept of a “redactor” (editor)Literary Style in the TanakhUnderstatementDetails omittedCharacters’ thoughts concealedAnticipatory informationConsequences of choices often concealed for several chaptersComplex chronologyFlashbacks, allusions, dreams/visions, flash forwards, fade ins and outsMotifs and events often repeatedPatterns of oral tale tellingUse of repetition for