Unit 1: Jewish History Flashcards
What two ideas emerged from God’s instructions to Abraham, and why are they significant to Judaism?
- Jews represent God’s Chosen People.
- Idea of the Promised Land was Established.
What was the reason the descendants of Abraham left Canaan? Where did they go?
Severe Drought, Egypt
Eventually, the Egyptians enslaved the Hebrews, which set that stage for Moses to liberate them. The process of Moses leading the Hebrew (Israelites) peoples to freedom is know as what?
The Exodus
What was the purpose of the Ten Commandments?
Emphasized the nature of God’s existence. Set out the laws that the people would need to follow in order to keep their covenant with God.
After being led by the Judges for sometime, the Hebrew people were looking to elect a king. Who was their first king? Who succeeded him?
Saul ➡️ David
David went down in history as the greatest of all the kings of Israel; his son succeeded him after his death. What happened to the kingdom after Solomon died?
As predicted by the prophets, the kingdom broke up. Around 921 BCE the northern tribes separated from the southern tribes, taking on the name Israel. The southern tribes centred around Jerusalem became known as Judah. The era of the kings was ending.
Prophets predicted that the era of the kings was coming to an end. Define the word prophet, in the Jewish tradition.
One who speaks on behalf of God/One who predicts the future.
Eventually Jewish independence and autonomy (political self-government) would be dramatically altered by two military conquests. What were they?
721 BCE, Assyrian invasion captured Israel and evicted many local Jews. 586 BCE, Babylonian invaders captured Judah and destroyed Solomon’s Temple. Approximately 10,000 Jewish community leaders captured and sent into exile in Babylon. Cyrus the Great of Persia eventually released them in 538 BCE, ending the exile or Babylonian Captivity.
How did the period of the Babylonian Captivity/Exile affect the way in which Hebrew’s would worship?
Synagogues created out of necessity. Beginnings of intense scholarly analysis of scripture and the emergence of Rabbis. Also the notion of the belief in a divine kingship characterized by a Messiah developed.
In 515 BCE, what were Jewish people able to do with consent and help of the Persians?
Rebuilt the Temple. During these time Judaism had evolved from a Tribal Faith to the World Faith that it is today.
Define Diaspora
Dispersal, refers to the Jewish population living outside of Israel.
The Jews endured tremendous hardship at the hands of the Romans: Heavy taxation, unfair administration of justice, and Roman control of the temple and the high priest. As a result, what did the Jews do?
Revolt, once again regaining control of the Temple. Jews outside of Jerusalem also challenged Roman authority by attacking occupiers in their cities.
What did the Romans do in retaliation to the attempted revolution?
Responded with force. In 70 CE, after a 5 month siege Jerusalem was taken and the temple destroyed for the last time. With Jewish resistance destroyed, the Jewish faith was once again faced with a potential dual fate: disintegration or reformation.
Around 2000 BCE, Abraham received a vision from God. What was different about this occurrence, which essentially guided how Hebrew faith came to be?
Abraham received a revelation from ONE God in Polytheistic Mesotopia. Monotheistic - Hebrew faith came to be.
