A Brief History of the Jewish People

A Brief History of the Jewish People

Patriarchs and Matriarchs • Abraham - (1900 B.C.E.) • Isaac • Jacob • Joseph and the Settlement in Israel • Moses (1290 B.C.E.) • Life in the Promised Land (about 1250 B.C.E.)

Abraham - (1900 B.C.E.) • Jews known as Hebrews • Abram first to follow the One God (the God of gods, the totally spiritual God, the God that is a faithful concerned friend, a God beyond Limits) • As a sign of this new personal relationship between God and Abram, God gave Abram a new name: Abraham • This relationship - based on love - is call a Covenant (I will be your God and you will be my people!)

Isaac • Son of Abraham and Sarah • Abraham so loved God that he was willing to sacrifice his only (long awaited) son - but our God does not want Human Sacrifice

Jacob • Son of Isaac and Rebekah • Jacob renews the covenant with God, Jacob’s name becomes Israel • Jacob becomes the father of twelve sons

Joseph and the Settlement in Israel • Joseph, son of Jacob (Israel) and Rachel - is sold into slavery and ends up in Israel • Joseph ends up saving the Egyptians and as a result his family is invited to live in Egypt • Many years after Joseph’s death, the Israelites are forced into slavery

Patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph - fathers/leaders of a family, fathers of faith • Matriarchs - Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel - mothers of faith

Moses (1290 B.C.E.) • called to free the Israelites from slavery • God reveals the name of God to Moses Yahweh - I am; To be • The ten plagues reveals Gods power over the lives of people • The tenth plague - the death of the firstborn in Egypt; the Passover meal and God protecting the Israelites; the Passover

Moses (continued) • God frees the Israelites - and gives them the ten commandments • After receiving the 10 commandments, the Israelites roamed the desert for forty difficult years

Life in the Promised Land (about 1250 B.C.E.) • After Moses’ death the Israelites were led into the promised land (Canaan) by Joshua • They encountered much opposition as they tried to settle in a land that was already occupied (wars, tempted by foreign religions) • Judges (great warriors), were appointed to fight and defeat Israel’s enemies • The people (wanting to be like other nations), want a strong, visible leader - a king!

The Kingdom of Israel (1000 B.C.E.) • Saul - Warrior King (1020 B.C.E.) • David - Uniting the People • Solomon - Son of David

Saul - Warrior King (1020 B.C.E.) • Saul, the first King, was a brave man in battle but he was a weak man personally. • He was jealous of David, one of the leaders in his army - this jealousy and his stubbornness led to his disaster

David - Uniting the People • As king, David was able to unite the twelve tribes of Israel (1000 B.C.E.) • He was able to defeat the enemies of Israel, making Jerusalem both the political and spiritual capital of the united Israel • He was a great leader • While he was not always faithful to the covenant, he struggled to do what was right and showed great sorrow for his sins

Solomon - Son of David • Solomon was the third King of Israel • Under his leadership Israel experienced a period of great building, increased trade, and prosperity. The temple was built at this time. • But this prosperity came at a price - heavy taxes and idolatry. The spiritual well-being of the people was not protected. • After his death the Kingdom was divided.

The Kingdom Divided • Disagreements between the type of leadership and the type of laws need for the United Kingdom, led to the division of the Kingdom. Israel (ten northern tribes) in the north, and Judah in the south. • This was a period of weak kings and religious disgrace. • The voice of God could be heard through the prophets - calling the people back to the covenant.

The Kingdom Divided (continued) • The northern kingdom of Israel was defeated by the Assyrian Empire ( 721 B.C.E.) • The southern kingdom of Judah was overrun by the Babylonians (587 B.C.E.) - the temple was destroyed (586 B.C.E.) • Thousands were led into captivity (slavery) in Babylon. Those not captured dispersed themselves along the Mediterranean Sea - where they tried to remain faithful to the covenant. (The Diaspora)

Renewal of the Covenantand Return to Judah • While in Babylon some tried to renew their relationship with God, they tried to live much more closely to God - they were called the Remnant • In 538 B.C.E. the Persian king Cyrus overran the Babylonians which led to the release of the exiles • They went back to Judah, worked on rebuilding the temple (finished in 515 B.C.E.) • Because they were from Judah, they came to be called Jews a form of the word Judaism.

Alexander the Great • 331 BCE Alexander the Great, the king of Macedonia (Greece) conquers the region

The Comeback • 164 B.C.E. -100 C.E. The Maccabees (Judean rebels) recapture Jerusalem and reconsecrate the Temple (164 BCE) • birth of several new religious movements in Judaism, including the Pharisees and the way of Jesus of Nazareth • birth of Rabbinic Judaism

The Temple is Destroyed Again • 70 C.E. The Romans lay siege to Jerusalem (in Judea) and destroy the Temple • Judaism and Christianity begin to part ways • Rabbinic Judaism takes hold

The Talmud • c. 220-600 The Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud are compiled

1800s • Jews from Eastern Europe begin to emigrate to North America

1939-1945 The Holocaust

1948 • Israel is declared a Jewish state

A Brief History of the Jewish People