History Midterm (Hebrews) Flashcards
What group of people did herbrews belong to and when?
they are a small Semitic people that emerged around 1200 BCE.
why were they very important historically?
they invent a new way of understanding religion
what was their way of understanding religion?
a universal religion in which a single god is responsible for creating the universe and the lives of all people. (Monotheism)
what was religion like before the Hebrews emerged?
the gods are only local (each people/ethnicity has their own gods) and these are merely very powerful beings (magical powers… they represent forces of nature …) who are immortal.
what is the Hierarchy list?
- Gods (rationality + immortal)
- Humans (rationality + mortal)
- Animals ( instincts + mortal)
what was the appeal to this new sort of religion?
in monotheism humans can have the assurance that the world makes sense/is ordered and only appears chaotic but is actually the product of a benevolent force and intelligence.
Explain the Myth in their holy book (the Torah)
The Hebrews are presented as the descendants of a guy called Abraham (a prophet) that God reveals himself to. Abraham is supposed to come from Mesopotamia. Later on the Hebrews moved to Egypt where they thrived at first, but later were oppressed by the Pharaoh - and then another prophet, Moses, helped them escape and return to Palestine. God gives the ten commandments to Moses.
what is the first commandment?
monotheism
explain the Scientific/archeological account of Hebrew history
200 BCE. Around 1000 BCE a small kingdom emerged - the first Hebrew kings: Saul, David, Solomon. The kingdom was named Israel. It was centered on Jerusalem and thrived for a few generations. The kingdom of Israel is able to exist independently for a time because the two regional superpowers, Egypt and the Hittite kingdom, have collapsed (late bronze age collapse). But when new superpowers emerge, like the Neo-babylonian and later the Assyrian empire, the Hebrews cannot resist: Their kingdom is destroyed and the Hebrews elites sent unto forced exile to Babylon: (597 BCE (you don’t need to know this date). The question the Hebrews tried to deal with was “why did god allow their kingdom to be taken away?”. The Hebrew elites didn’t use the obvious political explanation: the Hebrew kingdom disappeared because it was less powerful - instead they believed it was because God was punishing them for not respecting the first commandment.
what is their Ideology?
A way of looking at/understanding the world so that it makes sense and gives life meaning.
