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

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”?

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

Related documents

Partial preview of the text

Download The Development of Judaism: Monotheism, Covenants, and the Impact on Ancient Israelites and more Slides Religion in PDF only on Docsity!

Mini Lecture

Aim #8: How did Judaism & Jews develop?

Roots of Judaism

Review Questions:

Resources/Documents:

MY NOTES

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

How did Judaism impact the lives of Ancient Israelites?

That Babylonian Exile (Captivity)

Directions: Watch this History Channel video clip, Exile of the Jews and read the excerpt below,

then answer the questions that follow.

Starting around 597 BCE, the Babylonian Empire , centered in the city of Babylon in the Fertile

Crescent, conquered the Kingdom of Judah. The upper class Jewish people, Israelites who lived

in Judah, were ordered by the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar II, to leave Jerusalem and live

in captivity in Babylon.

The period of time from 597 to 539 BCE, which ended when the Persian king Cyrus the Great

took over Babylon and allowed the Jews to return to Judah, is known as the Babylonian Exile or

Captivity.

This period had a great effect on the Jewish people. They wondered how such a terrible thing

could happen to god’s “chosen people.” In addition, their sacred temple where they worshiped

their god was destroyed.

As a result, some of the Jewish people in Babylon became more religions. They commemorated

the fall of Jerusalem with days of prayer and celebrated the Sabbath (day of rest set aside for

religious reasons). The profession of the scribes , people who copied religious documents, grew in

importance. Historical writings and religious teachers were compiled and revised by the scribes to

create the Torah. The writers viewed the recent events as punishment for their sins, especially the

sin of worshipping gods other than the one god. At the same time, the scribes and others in exile

hoped that the Jewish faith would bring the Israelites together and that they would be able to

rebuild the Temple once the exile was over.

The Babylonian exile represents both one of Judaism's darkest hours and also the beginning of its

history as an enduring universal religion that gave birth to the later monotheistic traditions of

Christianity and Islam.

Based on the video and reading above identify two pieces of evidence that show that

Judaism unified the Jewish people.

How did Judaism spread?

Directions: Examine the images below, then fill out the chart with what you see, think, and wonder.

See

Think

Wonder