Global 2.5 The World of the Hebrews

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Global I Table of Contents


 * God promised Abraham, the father of the Hebrew people, that he would be the God of Abraham's many  descendants.
 * The Torah is the first 5 books of the Old Testament. This is the sacred law of Judaism.
 * Due to a famine in Canaan the Hebrew people were forced to move to the outskirts of Egypt. Eventually they were enslaved by the Egyptian people and forced into hard labor.
 * Moses, the adopted son of  Pharaoh's  daughter, lead the Hebrew people in their exodus from Egypt.
 * Eventually God leads the Israelites into the land he had promised them. The people ask God for a king and he grants their request. The most skillful rulers of Israel were David and Solomon.
 * David, a shepherd boy, inherited the crown from King Saul after his death. David had an excellent military mind and lead Israel on several  successful  military campaigns. He  maintained a bodyguard of foreign men that were accomplished warriors. He was an incredible man, and a great leader in Israel.
 * King Solomon turned Jerusalem into an impressive capitol. He negotiated with foreign powers, was praised for his incredible wisdom, and built the temple.
 * King Solomon's projects put a strain on the people physically and economically, due to the taxes required to build such impressive structures.
 * After his death his son attempts to continue to put pressure on his people, they rebel and the nation is split in half, Israel in the north, and Judah in the south.
 * Because the nation is weakened by the schism both the northern and southern kingdoms are invaded and the Hebrew people are conquered. Assyria destroys Israel while King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians capture Judah, destroying the temple and dragging Hebrew men back to Babylon with them.
 * Judaism is a monotheistic belief system. Their beliefs have a worldwide impact even today.
 * The Jews believed that God made a covenant, or binding agreement, with Abraham that they are God's chosen people.
 * The Ten Commandments are moral laws given to God's people. The rest of the Jewish law can be found in the Torah.
 * Often in Jewish history, prophets, or spiritual leaders sent to bring God's message to the people, warned people to follow God's laws. They encouraged people to follow the strong code of ethics, moral standards of behavior, presented in Scripture.
 * Mainly due to persecution the Jewish people were forced to leave their homeland and were spread across the world. This spreading of people is called Diaspora. This Diaspora allowed for the spread of Judaism.