Ancient Israel

1
Ancient Israel

• Prepared by Anita Billeter
• Palmdale School District
• with funding from
• Jordan Fundamentals Grant
• Keeping History Alive Grant

2
The Belief of the Israelites

• The Israelites practiced monotheism, the belief
  in only one god, which was a new idea in the
  ancient world.
• The Torah contains the basic laws of the religion
  of the Jewish people, called Judaism.

3
The Origin of the Israelites

• According to Genesis, God told a shepherd named
  Abraham to move from Mesopotamia to Canaan to
  establish a new nation.
• Many different people lived together in Canaan,
  and gradually came together and were called
  Hebrews.

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• Some Hebrews became slaves to the Egyptians, and
  were led out of captivity by Moses.
• After the Egyptian ruler set the Hebrews free,
  they took a long and difficult journey-called the
  Exodus-back to their homeland.

5
An Agreement with God

• According to the Torah, Moses received a message
  from God establishing a covenant, or special
  agreement, that bound the Israelites to God.
• The Torah explains that first of Gods laws for
  the Israelites were written on stone tablets that
  are also known as the Ten Commandments.

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• The idea of a covenant became the basis for both
  Judaism and Christianity, and the Ten
  Commandments form much of the Western worlds
  ideas about law and justice.

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The Monarchy

• The second king of the Israelites, David, united
  the tribes of Israel, and established a dynasty
  that lasted over 400 years.
• Under Davids leadership, the Israelite empire
  extended from the Sinai Peninsula to Damascus,
  with Jerusalem as its capital.

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• Davids son, Solomon, made treaties with
  neighboring nations, increased trade with others,
  and began a royal building program.
• Solomons main temple in Jerusalem became the
  center for the Israelites religious life and a
  symbol of their faith.
• After Solomons death, Israel split into two
  kingdoms, Israel and Judah.

9
The Message of the Prophets

• In 587 B.C. the Babylonians conquered Judah,
  destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple,
  and took 15,000 prisoners to Babylonia.
• Jewish prophets, who interpreted the will of God,
  said the Jewish people were being punished for
  breaking their covenant with God.

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• The prophets preached that if the Jews obeyed the
  laws of God, they would someday be able to return
  to their homeland.

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A People Governed by Priests

• The Babylonians allowed the Jews to return to
  Judah, but Jerusalem and the surrounding
  territory remained a province of Persia.
• Without a king, leadership of the Jews fell to
  the priests, who oversaw the rebuilding of the
  temple, the celebration of religious holidays,
  and the following of laws.

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• In the 400s B.C., Ezra, a priest and scribe,
  collected the holy writings that became the
  Torah.
• Some Jews came to believe that a messiah would
  someday free the people and restore Israels
  independence.

13
The Revolt of the Maccabees

• New rulers from Syria brought Greek culture to
  Israel.
• A Jewish priest and his son, Judah Maccabee
  fought a two year rebellion against the Syrians.

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• In 164 B.C., the Maccabees drove the Syrians out
  of the area around Jerusalem and restored
  independence to Judah.
• Jews celebrate this victory today as Chanukah.

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The Teachings of Jesus

• Jesus taught that people should obey the Ten
  Commandments and the teachings of the prophets
  he stressed the importance of love and
  forgiveness.
• As Jesus gained followers and was called the
  messiah, opposition from religious leaders grew.

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• About A.D. 33 Jesus was arrested, charged with
  treason against Rome, and put to death.
• A new religion, Christianity, rose as Jesus
  followers spread his teachings.

17
Judaism in the First Century

• In A.D. 66 the Zealots rebelled against Roman
  rule, and during that war, the Romans destroyed
  Jerusalem and burned down the temple.
• The Jews revolted once again in A.D. 132, but
  were crushed after three years.

18
The Jewish Legacy

• After battles with the Romans left the Jews
  without a homeland or temple, the Torah became
  their portable temple.
• As Jews settled in other lands, rabbis, or
  teachers, helped them to continue to practice
  Jewish traditions.