Origins of Judaism and the Hebrew People

Introduction to the Hebrew People and Origins of Judaism

• The Hebrew people originated in Canaan in the Levant.
• This occurred during the late Bronze Age, around 1400 BCE.
• Canaan was a region situated between the Egyptian, Hittite, and Assyrian empires.
• The Canaanites were the people of this region.

The Patriarch Abraham

• Ancient Israelites believed they were descendants of Abraham, his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob.
• According to the Torah, God instructed Abraham to relocate his people from Mesopotamia to Canaan.

The Exodus

• Later, the Hebrew people migrated to Egypt due to drought.
• The Egyptians enslaved the Hebrew people.
• According to the Torah, Moses led the Hebrews out of slavery and across the Sinai Peninsula.
• The Hebrews were in the Sinai desert for 40 years.

The 10 Commandments

• God revealed the Ten Commandments to Moses.
• The Ten Commandments are fundamental principles of Judaism and Christianity.
• These principles were likely modeled on Hittite and Mesopotamian laws.

The 12 Tribes of Israel

• The Israelites returned to Canaan and split into 12 tribes.
• There might have been a United Kingdom of Israel.
• The United Kingdom of Israel was under the rule of Kings Saul, David, and Solomon.

Downfall of Israel and Judah

• The kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire in 722 BCE.
• The Assyrian King, Sennacherib devastated Judah, but couldn't conquer Jerusalem.
• Judah revolted several times against Babylonian rule.
• The Babylonian Empire besieged and destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BCE. This started the Babylonian Captivity.

Return and the Second Temple

• The Persian Empire conquered Babylon in 539 BCE.
• Cyrus the Great encouraged Jews to return to Jerusalem.
• A Second Temple was constructed around 516 BCE.

Conquered by the Romans

• Judea became a Persian province for 200 years.
• Alexander the Great conquered Judea in 332 BCE.
• Judea was briefly independent before the Roman Empire conquered it in 37 BCE.
• Jewish revolts contributed to its conquest by the Romans.