Ancient Israelites Notes

Name ___Mrs. Alls___

Who were the Israelites?

  • Define monotheism. The belief in one God
  • What language did the Israelites speak? Hebrew
  • Who were the descendants of Abraham? The Israelites
  • Drought made Abraham leave Canaan.
  • The first books of the Hebrew Bible are called Torah.
  • Covenant is an agreement between God and His people.
  • The Torah describes a covenant between the Israelites and God. In that covenant, God made a promise but the Israelites had to agree tofollow the laws of the Torah then God would return them to Canaan.
  • Moses led the Israelites out of bondage/slavery in Egypt and into the Sinai Desert.
  • The word exodus means departure. What departure does the Exodus refer to? Departure from Egypt
  • The Phoenicians left an important contribution which was their alphabet. This was pass on to the Greeks and then to the Romans. Thus, it became a basis for many Western alphabets.
  • How long did the journey to Canaan take for the Israelites? 40 years

The Kingdom of Israel

  • A person who is thought to be instructed by God and teaches God’s word is called a prophet.
  • The prophet Samuel warned the Israelites that if there was a king appointed, then the king would tax and enslave them.
  • God told Samuel to anoint David in secret to become the next king of the Israelites because Saul was disobeying God’s laws and commandments which displeased God.
  • What was the purpose behind David wanting to build a temple in Jerusalem? To have a permanent place for their sacred religious objects
  • The wise sayings of Solomon were written down and called proverbs.
  • The Israelites divided into two nations of Israel and Judah after king Solomondied.
  • The prophets warned the Israelites that being faithful to God was more than worshiping in a temple. What did the prophets expect for an Israelite to be considered faithful? Working for a just society
  • After the Assyrians conquered Israel, they brought people to live in Samaria from their empire. These settlers mixed with the surviving Israelites there and became known as Samaritans.
  • What was the period of time when the Jews were sent to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar? Babylonian Captivity

The Growth of Judaism

  • Exile is being forced to live in a foreign country away from your homeland.
  • The Hebrews did not believe their leaders were gods. How did this belief affect their daily lives? They believed in equality among people.
  • The Jewish weekly day of rest is the Sabbath.
  • Where do Jews meet on Sabbath to pray and discuss their religion? synagogues
  • In the book of Genesis, God tells of many events throughout the history of the world. One story is that of the flood that destroyed the world. God told Noah to build anark and gather 2 of each animal.
  • Because God disapproved of the people of Babel, the Hebrew Bible explains why people speak different languages. Explain. They had tried to build a tower to Heaven. God disapproved and made the people speak different languages then scattered them across the earth.
  • Alexander the Great spread Jewish ideas to the Greeks.
  • Diaspora refers to Jews living outside of Judah. It means scattered.
  • Judas Maccabeus lead the Maccabees in defeat of Antiochus and the Greeks because he wanted to cleanse the temple of Greek gods and goddesses.
  • Boys were more important in Jewish families than girls because they carried on the family name.
  • Kosher is food prepared today according to Jewish dietary laws.
  • The Pharisees and Sadducees had very different ideas concerning the Torah. Pharisees main concern was applying the Torah to daily life and the Jewish home and family.

While the Sadducees main concern was how it applied to the priests in the temple.

  • Jewish religious teachers are called Rabbis.
  • What is the most significant difference between Judaism and other ancient religions? The Jews believed in only one God.

*** You will need to be able to put things in order in which they occurred.***