Origins of Origins of JudaismJudaism

Comunicación y Gerencia

Jewish People In History• Homeland

– Area of Palestine called Canaan

– In 1800 BC (or so), Yahweh (God) told Abraham to go to Canaan, from Ur (in Sumeria)

– B’rit: contract between Yahweh, Abraham as father of Jewish people

• Yahweh promised to protect Jewish people

• Jewish people promised to obey Yahweh

Jewish People in History

• Around 1650 BC, Jewish people moved from Canaan to Egypt

• Exodus– Egypt first welcomed

them (Joseph story), then later enslaved them

– Hebrews fled Egypt between 1300 and 1200 BC, back to Canaan (Moses story)

Exodus• New Covenant

– Moses went to Mt. Sinai to pray; there, he encountered Yahweh

– Moses brings the Ten Commandments

• Basis for civil, religious laws of Judaism

– New agreement between Yahweh, Jewish people

• God protects them if they follow commandments

– Hebrews wander for 40 years before reaching Canaan (central Palestine)

Kingdom of Israel• Hebrews expanded

North, South to get more natural resources

• Philistines challenged Hebrews, but lost (David story)

• Kingdom of Israel– Jerusalem was its capitol– Famous kings: David,

Solomon (baby splitter)

• Kingdom of Judah (southern portion rebelled)

Foreign Domination• By 738 BC, both kingdoms

paying tribute to Assyria (bribes not to invade)

• Assyrians lost to Neo-Babylonians– Policy was to re-locate conquered

people within Empire– Jews were spread out!– Called the “Babylonian Captivity”

• 539 BC: Persians defeated Babylonians, allowed Hebrews back to Jerusalem to rebuild city

Sources of Jewish Law, Belief

• Torah (“written law”)– First five books of Bible– Tell the story of how

Yahweh chose Jewish people to be examples of how to live, worship

– Most broadly, Torah means the entire body of Jewish law: written, oral, Talmud, contemporary interp.

Talmud

• Law for the Jewish people

• Originally, oral law passed down by rabbis to students

• Talmud organized topically, like an encyclopedia

Ten Commandments

• Religious, ethical principles of Jewish people

• Moses brought them to the Jewish people

• First five = community• Next five = individual

Belief System

• Monotheistic: belief in one God, Yahweh

• One God who is all powerful, personal, eternal

Belief System

• Importance of Prophets– Words of prophets are

true– Literally means one who

proclaims word of God (spokesman of Yahweh)

– Important prophets: Abraham, Moses, Jesus

Reward and Punishment• Follow the Covenant and

be rewarded with Yahweh’s protection

• Intentionally disobey Covenant and face Yahweh’s wrath

• Chosen people– Jewish people were chosen

by Yahweh as examples to rest of world (worship)

– Does not mean that they are the only ones to be saved