Ancient Hebrew Civilization 1500 500 BCE Friday September 5 2014 1 24 PM Israel Israelites Judaism Between Nile valley and tigris euphrates valley Remains small Never a super power Great cultural influence First concrete expression of a monotheistic religious system Israelites have special relationship with their god Created by the Hebrews First monotheistic religion in ancient world Unusual in this time Becomes ancestral religion of Christianity and Islam Hebrew Bible Christian Old Testament Histories may or may not be true Information about what how society thought about itself What matters is writers thought it was true Model for civilization based on monotheistic religion Product of very long evolution Religious system that believes in only one god Monotheism Palestine Jordan Patriarch Abraham First place where Hebrews appear 1500 BCE New Kingdom in Egypt Valley around 1500 emergence of ancient Hebrews May be from out of Mesopotamia Agricultural people animals shepherds Preliterate Migrated Organized into large extended clans led by a patriarch Head of the family clan Chief Included blood relatives slaves servants extended relatives animals Always male Literal father in some clans Undisputed authority Head of the family clan Chief Included blood relatives slaves servants extended relatives animals Always male Literal father in some clans Undisputed authority Hebrew founding patriarch Brought extended family out of Mesopotamia and into Palestine Told to do so by a god Polytheists but chose to worship one god Abraham Yahweh Jehovah God of the Hebrews Ordered Abraham and his clan to move to Palestine In exchange for the lands of Palestine Abraham and his family were to worship Yahweh exclusively monolatry Covenant Moses Abraham s relationship with god Distinctive relationship with god Lands of Palestine in exchange for worshipping Yahweh alone Monolatry Notion of special relationship to Yahweh special identity Favors a whole people not just a ruler Drawbacks More trouble if don t live up to covenant Called by Yahweh to lead the Exodus back to Palestine Israel Second foundational figure in ancient Israelite civilization Sometimes considered true founder of Judaism Receives revelations from Yahweh during Wandering Forms core of Hebrew Scripture Torah Exodus 1200 BCE Hebrews enslaved leaving Egypt No evidence outside of scripture Primary central event of Israelite history Israelites gave themselves new identity by giving themselves new religion Monolatry from Abraham clarified into monotheism by Moses First great religious judaism movement Judaism first takes monotheistic form Yahweh becomes only god not just most important Torah Revelations from Yahweh First 5 books of Hebrew Bible Refers to laws that God dictated to Moses Torah First great religious judaism movement Judaism first takes monotheistic form Yahweh becomes only god not just most important Revelations from Yahweh First 5 books of Hebrew Bible Refers to laws that God dictated to Moses Told Moses that covenant had to be renewed and reinforced God will make Israelites His chosen people if they worship Him alone Monotheism there is only one god not just ignoring others Has favored the Israelites Moses job to reveal Torah to chosen people Stories laws foundational myths rules that people of God should live by Designed to make Israelites distinctive people Different from neighbors Organize society based on Torah but ruled like nomads Council of patriarchs System of powerful religious leaders to enforce laws of Torah Temple for central worship State never very strong threatened by neighbors Wanted a king Told people how to act Rigid set of rules Deliberately strict to distinguish chosen people Reinforced patriarchal tradition Personal and collective morality David Solomon 1000 900 BCE David Charismatic figure Military leader Expanded Israel territory Solomon Success of David continues Israel gets as powerful as it will ever get Builds on conquests of father and consolidates Israel Built a temple in Jerusalem Creates associations between him and God Way to enhance power National shrine Israel erupts into civil war after death of Solomon Target for outsiders Babylonian armies take over period of exile Jerusalem Judah Diaspora National shrine Israel erupts into civil war after death of Solomon Target for outsiders Babylonian armies take over period of exile Period of exile when Babylonian armies conquer Dispersion of the Jews across the Middle East and North African global Displacement of Israelites from homeland Loss of homeland Influences Judaism Second great religious movement Period of prophecy Bible appears during this time Replaces the land as home of ancient Jews Gives them identity Spiritual place Jeremiah Isaiah Prophets during Diaspora Preached that Israelites suffering was caused because they didn t live up to their end of the covenant obeying laws of Torah idolatry etc Isaiah Claims that God is speaking through him Tells Israelites what God wants from them Talks about the Messiah Doom and gloom prophets Hold out promise of redemption Prophecy Strict doomsayers harsh critics of their society Listened to Prophecies written down prophetic books Reinforced traditional ideas of Judaism Final judgment Yahweh Acts in human history Determines course of events and influences human affairs Ethics One who is anointed Liberate Israel Political liberator perhaps Spiritual liberator Could be interpreted in a number of ways Jerusalem Judah Diaspora Providential Messiah 1 2 Ethics Messiah Sacred book Chosen people One who is anointed Liberate Israel Political liberator perhaps Spiritual liberator Could be interpreted in a number of ways Important part of development of Judaism central idea Prophecies recorded Histories recorded Bible is source of authority in Judaism Assembled in 200 BCE Culmination of Judaism No sacred book in Egypt or Mesopotamia Divinely inspired to special people Standard by which every believer is judged Deeply part of identity unlike Babylon and Egypt Define themselves as followers of Yahweh and Children of God Central to who they were Should be obvious by way of life Distinct to ancient Judaism Christianity and Islam with Judaism Both have roots in Judaism Final judgment Sacred book Chosen people Monotheistic religious system Laws regarding behaviors are important Prophetic tradition Book Notes The Torah Laws According to the Torah what is Yahweh s relationship to his chosen people a They are His people How