Unit 6 Civilizations in the Land of Canaan

Unit 6: Civilizations in the Land of Canaan: Hebrews (Israelites) and Phoenicians

Where is the land of Canaan?

The land of Canaan was composed of three kingdoms: Philistia, Phoenicia, and the Kingdom of Israel Ancient Israel is the birthplace of the 3 great monotheistic religions of the world: Judaism Christianity and Islam monotheism is the belief in a single god

Some Terms -The word Hebrew means “from across” or “the other side” and was a name given to Abraham (father of Judaism) probably because he came from Ur in Mesopotamia -Israel and the Israelites: Abraham’s grandson Jacob was renamed Israel by Yahweh which means “he who has wrestled with God”. His descendants were called Israelites. a descendant is someone who is a relative in a direct line of descent Yahweh is the Hebrew name of God

Abraham, the father of all the Hebrews, came from Ur in Mesopotamia. As we know, Mesopotamian society dominated by polytheism God (Yahweh) appeared before Patriarch Abraham and told him “to go and raise a great nation” This began the monotheistic tradition of the Hebrew peoples Abraham travelled west from Ur and settled in the Land of Canaan Tracing Roots of Israel’s History

The Presumed Route that Abraham took based on trading patterns from ancient times – through the fertile crescent!

Jacob (grandson of Abraham) Abraham’s grandson Jacob took name “Israel” which means “God ruled” and organized Israelites (people who followed the religion of Abraham and Jacob) into 12 tribes Some tribes settled in Egypt (due to drought and famine) and were subjected to the Pharaoh’s rule and slavery (Moses)

Kings of Israel ► 1020 BCE: first king of Israelites was Saul, then David, then Solomon ► Under King David the Israelites captured city of Jerusalem ► King Solomon built the Temple of Jerusalem ► Solomon’s Temple was destroyed during Babylonian invasion, rebuilt in 6 th century BCE, and destroyed again in 70 CE by the Romans ► Only remaining part of Solomon’s Temple is the Western Wall

Lost Tribes of Israel ► ► ► After the death of Solomon, Kingdom of Israel split into two (north= Israel; south= Judah) Israel was conquered by Assyrians in 722 BCE and the scattered people were known as the ‘Lost Tribes of Israel’ Judah was eventually destroyed by Babylon in 586 BCE Emergence of synagogues and rabbis during Exile Released by Persians in 538 BCE and returned to Jerusalem to rebuild temple

Diaspora is a Greek word meaning “sowing of seed” or “dispersal” which refers to Jewish population living outside of Israel 64 BCE, Jerusalem fell to Romans and the Kingdom of Judah became one of the provinces of the Roman Empire (Judea). The people living there were called Judeans, and it is from this word that we get the word Jew In 66 CE the people of Judea revolted against Rome. This uprising was crushed Despite the dispersion of Jewish people throughout Europe after 70 CE, their culture and religious beliefs have been by far the most influential of all the ancient cultures of the Near East

Formation of Israel Land that was originally settled by Abraham in Caanan The country of Israel was created in 1948 by the United Nations following the horrors of WWII. The land prior to this had been part of Palestine which was Arab controlled. 1/3 of the world’s Jews live in Israel (5. 6 million) and 80% of country is Jewish.

Moses & Exodus: “Let My People Go!” Moses received revelations from God: , rod / staff, 10 plagues, parting of the Red Sea, burning bush End of 13 th century BCE- Moses led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt during Ramses II reign called the EXODUS Moses led the 12 Tribes of Israel to Mount Sinai where Yahweh gave him the 10 Commandments, uniting the Hebrews under one God Exodus = ex-odos Greek for the road out

An illustrated story of Moses

Torah ► 1 st 5 books of the Bible § Genisis § Exodus § Leviticus § Numbers § Deuteronomy ► Written as a scroll ► Each temple has a Torah which teaches about Jewish history and laws

Star of David ► Used as a symbol of Judaism but was originally the symbol of the shield used by King David when he went into battle.

Sabbath Weekly services to worship. Starts at sundown on Friday and goes to sundown on Saturday People go to the temple to worship.

Keeping Kosher Keeping kosher has to do with the foods that a Jewish person chooses to eat. Meats are chosen because they chew their cud or have split hooves and (lamb and beef are in, pork is out) and how the animals are killed (shooting is out) and butchered. Fish must have scales (shellfish is out). Meat and Dairy must be kept separate including plates, silverware, pots & pans. Only the most devout Jews keep a kosher kitchen.