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TERMS & NAMES 4 • Palestine The Origins of • • • • • • Moses MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW • Israel The Hebrews maintained monotheistic From this tradition, Judaism, the • Judah religious beliefs that were unique in religion of the , evolved. Judaism • tribute the ancient world. is one of the world’s major religions.

SETTING THE STAGE The Phoenicians lived in a region at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea that was later called Palestine. The Phoenicians were not the only ancient people to live in Palestine. Nor were they the only Palestinian people to make a great contribution to world civilization. The area of Palestine called Canaan (KAY•nuhn) was the ancient home of the Hebrews, later called the Jews. Their history, Background legends, and moral laws are a major influence on Western culture, and they began a Many scholars use the name Israelite, tradition also shared by and Islam. instead of Hebrew. The Search for a Promised Land Ancient Palestine’s location made it a cultural crossroads of the ancient world. By land, it connected Asia and Africa and two great empires, both eager to expand. To the east lay and Babylonia and to the west Egypt. Palestine’s seaports opened onto the two most important waterways of that time: the Mediterranean, which con- nected to the Atlantic Ocean, and the Red Sea, which flowed into SPOTLIGHTON the Indian Ocean. The Hebrews settled in Canaan, the part of ancient Palestine that lay between the Jordan River and the Mediter- Philistines ranean Sea. In fact, Hebrews often used the word Canaan to refer to The Philistines were another all of ancient Palestine. According to the , Canaan was the land ancient people who settled in God had promised to the Hebrew people. Canaan. The Greeks called the area where they lived “Palestine” after From Ur to Egypt Most of what we know about the early history of Vocabulary the Philistines. Much of what we the Hebrews is contained in the first five books of the . Bible: the name know about the Philistines comes given to the sacred Jews call these books the Torah (TAWR•uh) and consider them the from their neighbors, the Hebrews, books of Judaism, as who disliked them and fought with most sacred writings in their tradition. Christians respect them as well as to those of them over control of the land. part of the Old Testament. As in other sacred literatures, the books Christianity. The Philistines enjoyed definite of the Torah describe some events that actually happened. However, military advantages over the those books also contain stories told to teach important lessons. Hebrews. They had a fleet of ships and swift chariots. More import- In the Torah, God chose Abraham (AY•bruh•ham) to be the antly, they knew how to forge iron “father,” or first, of the Hebrew people. God’s first words to Abraham into swords and shields. Over time, expressed a promise of land and a pledge: “Go from your country Hebrews learned the secret of and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show smelting iron and were able to fight the Philistines on more even terms. you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great. . . .” (Genesis 12:1–2) Background The Torah says that Abraham was a shepherd who lived in the city of The is the first book of the Ur, in Mesopotamia. The Torah tells that God commanded him to move his people and Bible. Genesis means their flocks to Canaan. This would have occurred around 2000 b.c. The story of how and “beginning.” why he moved to Canaan is told in the Book of Genesis. Abraham, his family, and their herds made their way from the lower Tigris and Euphrates region to Canaan. Then, pos- sibly around 1650 b.c., the descendants of Abraham moved again—this time to Egypt. The God of Abraham The Bible tells how Abraham and his family roamed for many years from Mesopotamia to Canaan to Egypt and back to Canaan. All the while, their 72 Chapter 3 072-77-0103s4 10/11/02 3:31 PM Page 73

Background God, whose name was , went with them. Gods The name Yahweh worshiped by other people at that time were often local, later became Jehovah to some Christians. associated with a specific place. Because the God of the Hebrews did not belong to any one place, the Hebrews could carry their worship of him wherever they went. Unlike the other groups around them, who were poly- theists, the Hebrews were monotheists. They prayed only to one God. Monotheism (MAHN•uh•thee•ihz•uhm), a belief in a single god, comes from the Greek words mono, meaning “one” and theism, meaning “god-worship.” The Hebrews had made a startling leap. They proclaimed Yahweh as the one and only God. In their eyes, Yahweh had power not only over the Hebrews, but over all peo- ples, everywhere. To the Hebrews, God was not a physical being, and no physical images were to be made of him. The Hebrews asked Yahweh for protection from their enemies, just as other people prayed to their gods to defend them. According to the Bible, Yahweh looked after the Hebrews not so much because of ritual ceremonies and sacrifices, but because Abraham had promised to obey him. In return, Yahweh had promised to protect Abraham and his descendants. This On Moses’ return mutual promise between God and the founder of the Hebrew people is called a from Mount Sinai, he saw the Hebrews covenant (KUHV•uh•nuhnt). This was the first of a series of covenants that Yahweh worshiping a and the Hebrews would make together. golden calf and angrily broke the Background “Let My People Go.” The Bible says the Hebrews migrated to Egypt because of a tablets of the Law. In the , drought and threat of a famine. At first, the Hebrews were given places of honor in The 17th-century God strikes down the Egyptian kingdom. Later, however, they were forced into slavery, their lives made Italian painter the first-born of the Guido Reni depicts Egyptians, but he “bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field.” this dramatic “passes over” the (Exodus 1:14) moment. homes of the Hebrews. B C Passover celebrates The Hebrews fled Egypt—perhaps between 1300 and 1200 . . Jews call this event this episode. “the Exodus,” and they remember it every year during the festival of Passover. The Torah says that the man who led the Hebrews out of slavery was named Moses. At

Passover, it is told that at the time of Moses’ birth, the Egyptian A 35°N I

C I pharaoh felt threatened by the number of Hebrews in Egypt.

E N CYPRUS ° SYRIA E

35 O He thus ordered all Hebrew male babies to be killed. Moses’ H P Damascus Mediterranean Sidon Sea Tyre ISRAEL Samaria Jordan Raamses River Canaan, the Crossroads, Dead Sea 2000–600 B.C. E

Black Sea ° C a JUDAH ° 40 . 30 N s R p , 980 B.C. i Ezion-geber a e l n Kingdom of Israel, 980 B.C. i Mt. Sinai 0 100 Miles 40°N N S

e Assyrian Empire, 650 B.C. ANATOLIA a 0 ° 200 Kilometers Babylonian Empire, 600 B.C. 0 Nineveh M Wanderings of Abraham e Ashur T d E i Route of Hebrews out of Egypt i u g t e p r ASSYRIA r h i r a ra s n tes R e . AFRICA a n R S CANAAN . ASIA e a Babylon Jerusalem Raamses BABYLONIA Uruk 0 500 Miles Ur GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER: Memphis Ezion-geber P 0 1,000 Kilometers e Interpreting Maps r s ia 1. Movement Along what waterway did Abraham N n i R G le e ARABIA u begin his wanderings away from his native city? EGYPT R d lf . Thebes 2. Location How did Canaan’s location make it a S e a true crossroads of the eastern Mediterranean? Tropic of Cancer 73 20°N 072-77-0103s4 10/11/02 3:31 PM Page 74

mother hid her baby in the reeds along the banks of the Nile. There, an Egyptian princess found and adopted him. Though raised in luxury, he did not forget his Hebrew birth. When God commanded him to lead the Jews out of Egypt, he obeyed. From that time on, Moses has been considered the greatest figure in . A New Covenant While the Hebrews were The Ten Commandments* traveling across the Sinai (SY•ny) Peninsula, Moses climbed to the top of a mountain—Mount The first four commandments The last six commandments concerned the Hebrews’ rela- concerned the Hebrews’ rela- Sinai—to pray. The Bible says he spoke with tionship with God: tionship with one another: God. When Moses came down from Mount •I am the Lord thy God. . . . • Honor thy father and thy Sinai, he brought down two stone tablets on Thou shalt have no other mother. . . . which Yahweh had written ten laws, the Ten gods before me. • Thou shalt not kill. Commandments of the Bible. Background • Thou shalt not make unto • Thou shalt not commit These commandments and the other teachings The Hebrew word for thee any graven image. . . . adultery. these ten laws, • Thou shalt not take the name • Thou shalt not steal. that Moses delivered to his people became the devarím, actually of the Lord thy God in • Thou shalt not bear false basis for the civil and religious laws of Judaism. means “words” or vain. . . . witness against thy neighbor. The Hebrews believed that these laws formed a “utterances,” not “commandments.” • Remember the Sabbath day • Thou shalt not covet . . . new covenant between God and the Hebrew to keep it holy. anything that is thy neighbor’s. people. God promised to protect the Hebrews. *Jews and Catholics word the commandments in ways slightly different from this version. They, in turn, promised to keep God’s command- ments. The covenant was based on the idea that God is just—and not arbitrary. In addition, the laws given to Moses required a high standard of moral conduct. The Land and People of the Bible The Torah reports that the Hebrews wandered

Tradition dictates for 40 years in the Sinai Desert. Later books of the Bible tell about the history of the that the Torah Hebrews after their wanderings. After the death of Moses, they returned to Canaan, should be written where Abraham had lived. The Hebrews frequently fought with their neighbors over THINK THROUGH HISTORY on a scroll and kept land. They were also making a change from a nomadic, tribal society to settled A. Contrasting How at the in herders, farmers, and city dwellers. They were learning new technologies from neigh- did the religion of the an ornamented Hebrews differ from chest called an ark. boring peoples in ancient Palestine. These changes in their previously simple way of many of the religions life made settling down a difficult experience for the Hebrews. of their neighbors? A. Answer The The Hebrews Are Ruled by Judges When the Hebrews arrived in Hebrews worshiped Canaan, they were loosely organized into twelve tribes. These tribes only one God. Yahweh was not only the God lived in separate territories and were self-governing. In times of of Hebrews, but of all emergency, the Bible reports that God would raise up judges. They peoples. Yahweh ful- would unite the tribes and provide judicial and military leadership filled promises to the during a crisis. What the judges had in common was charisma, Hebrews in a covenant. a personal magnetism that attracted many followers to their cause. In the course of time, God chose a series of judges, one of the most prominent of whom was a woman, Deborah. Hebrew Law Deborah’s leadership was unusual for a Hebrew woman. The roles of men and women were quite separate in Hebrew society. This was generally the case among peoples of the region. Women could not officiate at religious ceremonies. In general, a Hebrew woman’s most important duty was to raise her children and provide moral leadership for them. The Ten Commandments were part of a code of laws deliv- ered to Moses. The code included other rules regulating social and religious behavior. In some ways, this code resembled Hammurabi’s Code with its attitude of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” However, its strict justice was softened by 072-77-0103s4 10/11/02 3:31 PM Page 75

expressions of God’s mercy. The code was later interpreted by religious teachers called prophets. The prophets believed that they had been chosen as messengers to reveal God’s will to his people. They constantly urged the Hebrews to stay true to their covenant with God. The prophets taught that the Hebrews had a duty both to worship God and to live justly with one another. The goal was a moral life lived in accordance with God’s laws. In the words of the prophet Micah, “He has told you, O mortal/ what is good;/ and what does the Lord require/of you/but to do justice, and to love/kindness,/ and to walk THINK THROUGH HISTORY humbly with your/God?” This emphasis on right conduct and the worship of one God B. Summarizing What does Hebrew is called ethical monotheism—a Hebrew idea that has influenced human behavior for law require of thousands of years through Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. From ethical monothe- believers? ism, the three religions derive much of the moral force that characterizes them. B. Answer To wor- ship God and to treat other human beings The Kingdom of Israel fairly. Canaan—the land that the Hebrews believed had been promised them by God— combined largely harsh features such as arid desert, rocky wilderness, grassy hills, and the dry, hot valley of the Jordan River. Water was never plentiful; even the numerous limestone formations soaked up any excess CONNECT to TODAY rainfall. After first settling in the south-central area of ancient Palestine, the Hebrews expanded south and north. The State of Israel On May 14, 1948, Jews and many Saul and David Establish a Kingdom The judges occasion- non-Jews around the world ally pulled together the widely scattered tribes for a united mili- celebrated the birth of the modern tary effort. Nonetheless, Philistines continued to threaten the state of Israel. Israel owes its existence in part to the idea of the Hebrews’ position in ancient Palestine. The Hebrews got along Promised Land. Jewish tradition somewhat better with their Canaanite neighbors. After the exile, kept that idea alive for almost 18 the only large tribe left was the tribe of Judah. As a result, centuries after Jewish rule had Hebrews came to be called Jews and their religion, Judaism. ended in Palestine. By the 1800s, in Europe led From about 1020 to 922 b.c., the Hebrews united under three many to believe that Jews should able kings: Saul, David, and Solomon. The new kingdom was return to the land given to them by called Israel (IHZ•ree•uhl). For 100 years, Israel enjoyed its God—to Palestine. greatest period of power and independence. In the late 1800s, a movement called called for “a Saul, the first of the three kings, was chosen largely because of (Jewish) home in Palestine his success in driving out the Philistines from the central hills of secured by law.” In 1947, after the ancient Palestine. Saul is portrayed in the Bible as a tragic man, horrors of Nazism, the United who was given to bouts of jealousy. After his death, he was suc- Nations answered that call. It established Israel as a Jewish ceeded by his son-in-law, David. King David, an extremely popu- homeland. Jews had regained their lar leader, united the tribes, established Jerusalem as the capital, Promised Land. and founded a dynasty. Solomon Builds the Kingdom About the year 962 b.c., David was succeeded by his son Solomon, whose mother was Bathsheba. Solomon was the most powerful of the Hebrew kings. He built a trading empire with the help of his friend Hiram, the king of the Phoenician city of Tyre. Solomon also beautified the capital city of Jerusalem. The crowning achievement of his extensive building program in Jerusalem Background was a great temple, which he built to glorify God. The temple was also to be a perma- Solomon formed alliances by marrying nent home for the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the tablets of Moses’s law. the sisters or daugh- The temple that Solomon built was not large, but it gleamed like a precious gem. ters of other kings. Bronze pillars stood at its entrance. The temple was stone on the outside, while its The Bible says that he inner walls were made of cedar covered in gold. The main hall was richly decorated had 700 wives, who turned him away from with brass and gold. Solomon also built a royal palace even more costly and more God. (I Kings 11:3–4) magnificent than the temple.

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■■■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■■ The Kingdom Divides ■■■■■■■■■■HISTORYMAKERS Solomon’s building projects required high taxes and badly strained the kingdom’s finances. In addition, men were forced to spend one month out of every three working THINK THROUGH HISTORY on the temple. The expense and forced labor caused much discon- C. Drawing tent. As a result, after Solomon’s death, the Jews in the northern Conclusions How part of the kingdom—geographically distant from the south— might geographical distance make the revolted. By 922 b.c., the kingdom had divided in two—with split of Israel and Israel in the north and Judah (JOO•duh) in the south. Judah more likely? The next 200 years was a period of confusing ups and downs for C. Possible Answers Poor com- the two kingdoms. Sometimes they fought each other; sometimes munications in they joined together to fight common enemies. Each of the king- ancient times would doms had periods of prosperity, followed by low periods. have made it difficult for the king to enforce his laws in distant King Solomon The places. Geographical 962?–922? B.C. distance meant little Solomon’s fame as a wise man Disaster finally struck as the independence of the two kingdoms was contact between became a legend. In the Bible, he lost. In 738 b.c., both Israel and Judah began paying tribute—peace Israel and Judah; so prays to God for “an understanding money paid by a weaker power to a stronger—to Assyria. By paying they would have dif- mind,” which God grants him. ferent ways of think- Soon after, the story goes, two tribute, Israel and Judah hoped to assure that the mighty Assyrian ing and living. women and a baby boy were empire would not attack. Then everything began to fall apart. The brought before him. Each woman Assyrians began the siege of Samaria, the capital of Israel, in 725. By claimed the baby was hers. After 722, the whole northern kingdom had fallen to the Assyrians. hearing their testimony, Solomon declared, “Divide the living boy in The southern kingdom of Judah resisted for another 150 years two; then give half to the one and before it too was destroyed. The destruction of Judah was to come at half to the other.” He then waited the hands of the Babylonians. After conquering Israel, the Assyrians for the women’s reactions. rapidly lost power to a rising Babylonian empire. The Babylonian One said: “Please, my lord, give king Nebuchadnezzar (nehb•uh•kuhd•NEHZ•uhr) ran the Egyptians her the living boy; certainly do not kill him!” However, the other out of Syria and ancient Palestine, and he twice attacked Jerusalem. woman accepted: “It shall be The city finally fell in 586 b.c. Solomon’s Temple was destroyed in D. Possible Answer neither mine nor yours; divide it.” the Babylonian victory. Many of the survivors were exiled to Babylon. Their religion was By his great wisdom, Solomon During their exile in Babylon, the Bible describes how the prophet more important to knew that the woman who would their lives than even give up the child to save it was the Ezekiel urged his people to keep their religion alive in a foreign land. the defense of their real mother. Then about 50 years after the fall of Judah, another change of for- capital. tune occurred: in 539 b.c., the Persian king Cyrus the Great con- THINK THROUGH HISTORY D. Making quered Babylon. The next year, Cyrus allowed some 40,000 exiles to Inferences The return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. Many, however, were kept in Babylonia. Temple was rebuilt Work on the was completed in 515 b.c. The walls of Jerusalem before the walls of were rebuilt in 445 b.c. Soon, however, other empires would rise and fall in Jerusalem. What does this fact indicate about Southwest Asia. These new empires would take control both of ancient Palestine and the Jews after the the destiny of the Jewish people. Babylonian captivity?

Section 4 Assessment

1. TERMS & NAMES 2. TAKING NOTES 3. IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS 4. THEME ACTIVITY Identify On your own paper, create a time What were the main problems Interaction with • Palestine line showing major Hebrew faced by the Hebrews between Environment You are the • Canaan leaders. Then, below the time line, 2000 B.C. and 700 B.C.? leader of a Hebrew tribe. Write a • Torah give one piece of information THINK ABOUT short speech explaining to your • Abraham about each. • the quest for a homeland people why Palestine is the best • monotheism choice as a homeland. 2000 B.C. • other peoples • covenant • hardships • Moses Abraham: • problems among Hebrews • Israel Father of • Judah Jewish people • tribute

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different PERSPECTIVES The Flood Story The tale of a devastating flood appears among the legends of ancient peoples throughout the world. In some versions, the story of the flood serves to explain how the world came to be. In others, the flood is heaven’s punishment for evil deeds committed by humans. At the right is a fifth- century a.d. view of Noah and his ark in the Hebrew flood story.

HEBREW LITERATURE two of every kind in the ark, to The Torah keep them alive with you; they When Yahweh saw how wickedly humans were acting, shall be male and female. . . . he was sorry that he had created them. Only one man, The rain fell on the earth forty Noah, found favor in God’s eyes. days and forty nights. . . . At the end of the forty days Noah opened the And God said to Noah, “I have window of the ark . . . and . . . sent out determined to make an end of all the dove from the ark; and the dove flesh, for the earth is filled with came back in the evening and there in sons and your sons’ wives with you. violence because of them. . . . Make its beak was a freshly plucked olive Bring out with you every living thing yourself an ark of cypress wood; make leaf; so Noah knew the waters had that is with you. . . . I establish my rooms in the ark, and cover it inside subsided from the earth. . . . covenant with you, that . . . never and out with pitch. . . . And of every Then God said to Noah, “Go out of again shall there be a flood to destroy living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring the ark, you and your wife, and your the earth.”

MESOPOTAMIAN MYTH both wild and tame, and all the craftsmen. I sent them The Epic of Gilgamesh on board. . . . In this legend, Utnapishtim, like Noah, escapes a worldwide flood by building an For six days and six nights the winds blew, torrent and ark. The gods are unable to sleep because of the uproar caused by humans. To tempest and flood overwhelmed the world. . . . When the have peace, they agree to destroy the human race in a great flood. However, Ea, seventh day dawned the storm from the south subsided, the god of wisdom, warns Utnapishtim of the coming catastrophe in a dream. the sea grew calm, the flood was stilled; I looked at the face of the world and there was silence, all mankind was O man of Shurrupak, son of Ubara-Tutu; tear down turned to clay. . . . I opened a hatch and the light fell on your house and build a boat, abandon possessions and my face. Then I bowed low, I sat down and I wept, the look for life. . . . tears streamed down my face, for on every side was the I loaded into (the boat) all that I had of gold and of waste of water. living things, my family, my kin, the beasts of the field

Connect to History A RETELLING OF The fish told Manu there would be Drawing Conclusions List the simi- AN INDIAN TALE a great deluge [flood]. He advised larities among the different versions. The Fish Incarnation Manu to build a large boat and take Why do you think that stories from seven Rishis (saints), the seeds of such different geographical areas and of Vishnu various kinds of plants and one of each time periods are so similar? The Hindu god Vishnu is said to have reappeared on type of animal. When the deluge SEE SKILLBUILDER earth many times. In his first earthly incarnation, he came, the fish said, he would take the HANDBOOK, PAGE R17 took the form of Matsya, the fish, and saved mankind. ark and its inhabitants to safety. Connect to Today One day, as the sage Manu was Sure enough, when the deluge Researching Look in newspapers praying at the river Ganges, a small fish occurred, the fish was there. Manu and magazines for accounts of people asked for his protection. Manu put the tied the boat to the horns of the fish, fleeing a great flood. Share what you fish in an earthen jar, but soon the fish using the divine snake Vasuki as a find with the class. was too big for the jar. So Manu put it rope. The fish then pulled the boat CD-ROM For another perspective on into the river, but soon it outgrew the through the waters until it reached a the Flood Story, see World river. So Manu put the fish in the mountain peak. History: Electronic Library of Primary Sources. ocean. By now Manu began to suspect the divine nature of this fish. People and Ideas on the Move 77