Chapter 7 Section 1 The Early Hebrews The

Chapter 7 Section 1 The Early Hebrews

The Big Idea Originally desert nomads, the Hebrews Geography and Early China established a great kingdom called Israel. Main Ideas • Abraham and Moses led the Hebrews to Canaan and to a new religion. • Strong kings united the Israelites to fight off invaders. • Invaders conquered and ruled the Hebrews after their kingdom broke apart. • Some women in Hebrew society made great contributions to their history.

Early Hebrews • Around 2000 BC a new people appeared in Southwest Asia. They were the Hebrews, ancestors of the Israelites and Jews. • The early Hebrews were simple herders, but they developed a culture that became a major influence on later civilizations.

Early Hebrews • Much of what is known about their early history comes from the work of archaeologists and from accounts written by Jewish scribes. • These accounts describe the early history of the Jews’ ancestors and the laws of Judaism, their religion. In time these accounts became the Hebrew Bible. • The Hebrew Bible is largely the same as the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.

The Beginnings in Canaan • The Hebrew Bible traces the Hebrews back to a man named Abraham. • God told Abraham to leave his home in Mesopotamia. He was to take his family on a long journey to the west.

The Beginnings in Canaan • Abraham left Mesopotamia and settled in Canaan. • The area that was Canaan is now occupied by Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan.

The Beginnings in Canaan • God made a covenant (a special relationship contract) with Abraham, promising to • Make him a great man and bless him • Create a great nation out of him and give them a land forever • Bring blessings to all people through his descendents

Isaac and Jacob • After his death, Abraham’s son Isaac, and his grandson, Jacob headed the family. • Jacob would be given the name Israel (who prevails with God) by an angel, and his descendants would later be called Israelites. • Jacob’s 12 sons became the leaders of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. • Jacob’s family left Canaan and migrated to Egypt due to a famine and the help of Joseph.

Egypt • The Israelites lived well in Egypt, and their population grew. • As the Israelite population increased in Egypt, the Egyptian Pharaoh feared the Israelites would rebel. • To prevent this, the Egyptians reduced the Israelites to slavery.

Exodus • In the 1200 s BC, God told Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt after 430 years of enslavement. • Moses demanded that the Pharaoh free the Israelites. The Pharaoh refused and God sent 10 plagues upon Egypt.

Exodus • During the 10 th plague, all the firstborn of Egypt was killed. The Israelites escaped the plague by placing the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. • The spirit of the Lord knew to pass over the first- born in these homes, hence the English name of the holiday, Passover • After the tenth plague, the Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to go free.

Exodus • Moses led his people out of Egypt in a journey called the Exodus. • When the Israelites reached the Red Sea, God parted the waters to allow the Israelites to pass. • When the Egyptian army tried to follow, the waters flooded back and drowned them.

The Exodus • During their journey to Canaan, they reached a mountain called Sinai. • At the foot of the mountain, Israel permanently committed itself to be the people of the Lord and to be holy. This established the Mosaic Covenant.

The Exodus • Then, Moses went up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments, a code of moral laws. • The laws revealed the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, and provided guidance fro right living.

The Ten Commandments 1. Do not worship other 6. Do not murder Gods 7. Be faithful in marriage 2. Do not worship Idols 8. Do not steal 3. Do not Misuse God’s name 9. Do not lie 4. Remember the Sabbath and keep it 10. Do not want holy 5. Honor your father and mother anything that belongs to someone else

Journey to Canaan • After receiving further instructions on the building of the Tabernacle and other laws, the Israelites began to journey to Canaan. • The people began to complain about the hardships of the journey and where punished for their constant disobedience. • When they reached Canaan, they were afraid of the Canaanites.

Journey to Canaan • God judged the people for their unbelief, and decreed that they would wander the wilderness for 40 years. • Eventually Moses died, and Joshua was chosen to lead the Israelites into Canaan.

The Canaanites • The Canaanites were a mixture of different Amorite peoples living in small city-states. • They were merchants or farmers and used the Phoenician alphabet. • Their religion was polytheistic with their chief god, Baal. • They had sanctuaries or temples that they would offer children as sacrifice

Conquest of Canaan • Joshua led them in a series of battles to conquer Canaan and fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant. • In one famous battled mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the battle of Jericho, the Israelites marched around the walls of Jericho for six days. On the seventh day, Joshua told them to “shout for the Lord” –at doing so, the walls of Jericho collapsed and the Israelites claimed the city. • After the conquest, the land was divided among the 12 Tribes.

Judges • In Canaan, the Israelites lived in small, scattered communities. • These communities had no central government. • Each community selected judges as leaders to enforce the law and settle disputes. • However, the Israelites began to be influence by other religions and fell into anarchy and depravity.

The Kingdom of Israel • By 1100 B. C. , the Israelites had one powerful enemy – the Philistines. • � Many Israelites called for a king to unite the Twelve Tribes and lead them into battle against the Philistines.

The Kingdom of Israel • The Israelites asked the last judge Samuel to choose a King. • Samuel warned against this, saying a new King would tax and enslave them.

Saul the First King • �Samuel chose a man named Saul to be King, and under his leadership, the Israelites won many battles and Saul became very popular. • � However, Saul disobeyed some of God's commands, and God told Samuel to choose a new king.

King David • After Saul, Samuel chose David to be king of the Israelites. • �Before becoming King, David was already popular because of his battle with Goliath, a giant Philistine warrior.

King David • King Saul placed David in charge of his army, but as David became successful and gained popularity with the people, King Saul became jealous and tried to kill David, but David was able to escape. • �When King Saul died in battle against the Philistines, David returned and took the throne.

King David • � Under King David, the Tribes were united, and the Philistines were defeated. • He administered righteousness and justice in the land • � David built a capital city for Israel in Jerusalem.

King David • God promised to David that his house would endure forever and that their will always be a king, establishing the Davidic Covenant.

King David • King David was also a musician and is believed to have written many of the sacred songs in the Hebrew Bible’s book of Psalms. • �Israelites prospered under David’s rule. • They cultivated tough, dry land by building terraces on steep hillsides.

King Solomon • Solomon became king next in 965 BC, and expanded the kingdom and trade. • He made allies with nearby kingdoms, including Egypt and Phoenicia. Trade with them made Israel very rich. • With the riches that came from this, he built a temple to God in Jerusalem.

Solomon’s Wisdom

A House Divided • � Despite Solomon’s accomplishments, Israelites did not like paying the high taxes demanded by Solomon • After Solomon’s death in 930 BC, disagreements split their kingdom into Israel and Judah.

Kingdoms of Israel and Judah • After Solomon’s death, the ten Northern tribes rebelled and formed a separate kingdom, Israel with their capital in Samaria. • The two southern tribes founded the smaller kingdom of Judah with their capital in Jerusalem. • The people of Judah became known as the Jews.

Fall of Israel • The other empires wanted to control the trade routes running through the Israelite Kingdoms. • In 772 B. C. , when the kingdom of Israel refused to pay tribute, the Assyrians invaded and conquered Samaria. • They forced many Israelites to resettle in Assyria, and then brought people from other parts of their empire to live in Israel. • The settlers mixed with the Israelites still living there, and a mingled culture developed. These people became known as Samaritans.

The Fall of the Kingdom of Judah • While the people of Judah survived the Assyrian conquests, in 597 B. C. , the Chaldeans or Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar forced thousands to leave Jerusalem and live in Babylon. • Nebuchadnezzar chose a new king, a Judean to rule Judah.

The Fall of the Kingdom of Judah • The Judeans plotted to set Judah free. • �The Chaldeans retook Jerusalem in 586 B. C. , destroyed their temple, and forced Judah’s people to move to Babylon. • �The Jews went through a period of enslavement called the Babylonian Captivity. • This would last for 70 years

The Fall of the Kingdom of Judah • �The Jews went through a period of enslavement called the Babylonian Captivity. • This would last for 70 years

Captivity Routes

Jews in Babylon

The Return • The Persians took over Babylon and allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem. Some did not return, however, and settled in other parts of the Persian Empire. • Scholars call the scattering of the Jews outside Canaan, the Diaspora.

Rebuilding • In Jerusalem, they rebuilt Solomon’s Temple. This became known as the Second Temple. • The Jews remained under Persian rule until 330 BC, when the Persians were conquered by the Greeks.

Independence • In 176 B. C. , Antiochus came to power as a Greek Emperor and required Jews to worship many Greek gods and goddesses. • Many Jews refused to abandon their religion and in 167 B. C. , Judas Maccabeus, a Jewish priest, fled to the hills and formed a rebel army called the Maccabees.

Independence • After many battles, the Maccabees succeeded in capturing the Temple, ridding it of all the Greek statues of gods, and rededicating the temple to the worship of God. • Jews celebrate this cleansing of the Temple each year with the festival of Hanukkah.

Roman Conquest • Their independence didn’t last long, and they were conquered by the Romans in 63 BC. • Although, a Jewish ruler Herod added to the Second Temple under Roman rule, life was difficult. • Heavy taxes burdened the people and the Romans were brutal rulers, who had no respect for the Jews or their religion.

Final Rebellion • Some rulers tried to force the Jews to worship the Roman Emperor. • The Roman rulers even appointed the high priests, the leaders of the Temple. • The Jews finally rebelled against the Romans.

Women in Israelite Society • Hebrew society was governed by men. Women had few rights. • They had to obey their fathers and husbands. They couldn’t choose their own husbands. • A woman could not inherit property unless she had no brothers.

Women in Israelite Society • Some of them, however, such as Queen Esther, the judge Deborah, and Miriam (the sister of Moses) made great contributions to society. • Some women, such as Ruth and Naomi, were seen as examples of how women should behave. Ruth was devoted to her mother-inlaw.

Questions pages 202 -207 Cambridge answer in a complete sentence 1. Who was Abraham, and where did he move to? 2. Who was Moses, and what was the Exodus? 3. How did the Ten Commandments shape Israelite life? 4. How did the Israelites respond to anarchy and the Philistines? 5. Who do you think is the greater king, David or Solomon? Why? 6. What events led to the Diaspora?