North Africa and Southwest Asia: Place and Times 435

Southwest Asia was the birthplaceof Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Today, these three religionscontinue to attract believers and influence world events.

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW

Three ReligionsJerusalem is a city in which Jews, Christians, and Muslims havelived for centuries. These religions all share common traits. Theyall got their start in Southwest Asia.

The members of each group believe that there is only one god, a belief called monotheism. The Sumerians and Egyptiansbelieved in many gods, a belief called polytheism. In addition,each religion was first led by a single person and has a set ofsacred writings.

TERMS & NAMESAbrahamJudaismJesus ChristianityMuhammadIslamMuslimQur’an

JERUSALEM, JUNE 10, 1967—The

third war between Arab States and

Israel ended today—after just six

days of fighting. Israeli forces have

gained control of Jerusalem’s Old

City. In 1948, Jerusalem was divided

between Arabs and Israelis. Now

the entire city is in Israeli hands.

The Old City includes sites

sacred to three religions. Muslims

revere the Dome of the Rock, built

over the rock from which

Muhammad made a night journey

to heaven. The Wailing Wall, all

that remains of the ancient Temple

of Solomon, is sacred to the Jews.

The Christian Church of the Holy

Sepulcher marks the spot where

Jesus Christ is believed to have

been buried after his crucifixion.

Birthplace ofThree ReligionsBirthplace ofThree Religions

Location • This map of Jerusalem’s Old City

section shows the location of many sacred

sites. �

Muslim

Quarter

Jewish

Quarter

Christian

Quarter

Armenian

Quarter

Church of theHoly Sepulcher

DamascusGate St.

Stephen'sGate

DungGate

Wailing Wall

GoldenGate

Domeof theRock

CitadelJaffaGate

Monastery of the Flagellation

TempleMount

THE OLD

CITY

N

0

0 1/16 1/8 kilometer

1/16 1/8 mile

TAKING NOTES

1. Bodies of water provideresources for people inNorth Africa and . . .

2. Complex civilizationsdeveloped religions and . . .

Generalizations Details

Use your chart to take notes about North Africaand Southwest Asia.

Abraham and the Origin of JudaismThe Hebrew people were the first monotheists.They believed in a god they called Yahweh.According to the Hebrew scripture, Yahwehspoke to a man named Abraham. Abrahamwas from the city of Ur, in southeasternMesopotamia. Yahweh told Abraham to leavehis native land. Abraham obeyed and settled inCanaan, which is now in the land of Israel.Abraham’s descendants are known as Jews, andtheir religious belief is called Judaism.

How Judaism Adapted over Time The story ofJudaism is the story of exile. In 586 B.C., theBabylonians from southern Mesopotamiadestroyed the First Temple built by the Jews inJerusalem. The Jews were exiled to Babylon.They continued to worship by praying and read-ing their holy texts.

About 50 years later, the Persians took con-trol of Mesopotamia. The Persian ruler Cyrusallowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem andrebuild their Temple. Much later, the Jews cameunder Roman control. The Jews revoltedagainst Rome in A.D. 66. Jerusalem and theSecond Temple were destroyed in the struggle.

Although the Temple was never rebuilt, Judaism did not dieout. Jewish teachers and religious leaders encouraged their peopleto replace worship in the Temple with prayer, study, and gooddeeds. For the next 1,800 years, most Jews lived outsideJerusalem. They hoped that Jerusalem might once again becomethe home of Judaism.

Jesus and the Birth of ChristianitySometime during the years 8 to 4 B.C., a Jewish boy named Jesuswas born in Bethlehem, a small town in ancient Palestine. (See themap on page 439.) The story of his life is told in the four Gospels,part of the Christian scripture collected in the Bible. The first ofthe Gospels was written about 30 years after Jesus died.

Early Life According to the Gospels, Jesus grew up in Galilee, aregion in northern Palestine. His father trained him to be a carpenter.

Movement • Abraham led his household into the land of Canaan. �

Place • TheWailing Wall isall that remainsof Solomon’sTemple. �

Vocabulary

scripture:sacred writing

Vocabulary

exile:forced removalfrom one’s nativecountry

436 CHAPTER 15

When he was about 30, his cousin John the Baptist baptized him.For the next three years, he traveled around the countryside, preach-ing a religion of love and forgiveness and performing miracles.People flocked to hear his words. Disciples gathered around him.

The Jewish people believed that someday a Messiah, or savior,would come to lead them out of exile. Some people believed Jesuswas the Messiah. He came to be called Christ, the Greek wordfor messiah. Those who believed in him and his teachings werecalled Christians.

Final Days Some government and religious leaders consideredJesus’ teachings and his large following a threat to their ownpower. When Jesus came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewishfeast of Passover, the authorities decided to get rid of him. JudasIscariot, one of the 12 disciples who were closest to Jesus,betrayed him to the authorities. Jesus was arrested. After a brieftrial, he was crucified and died. He was put into a tomb. Afterthree days, according to his disciples, he wasresurrected and later went up into heaven.

Beginnings of Christianity Jesus’ disciples spreadhis teachings and their belief that he was theMessiah promised in Jewish scripture. From itsroots in Judaism, a new religion developed calledChristianity. It is based on the life and teachingsof Jesus. Eventually, the new religion spread toother parts of the world. Today, only a smallnumber of Christians live in Southwest Asia, theregion where Christianity began. (See the UnitAtlas map on page 411.)

Muhammad, the Prophet of IslamLess than 600 years after Christ’s death, a third monotheistic reli-gion arose in Southwest Asia. A man named Muhammad (mu•

HAM•ihd) was born in Mecca (MEHK•uh) about A.D. 570.

North Africa and Southwest Asia: Place and Times 437

Vocabulary

baptize:to purify andadmit into a newway of life

disciple:a follower of theteachings ofanother

Vocabulary

crucify:to put to death by fastening thehands and feet to a cross

resurrect:to bring back to life

Culture • Thisfamous painting,The Last Supperby Leonardo daVinci, shows Jesuswith his disciplesshortly before hisdeath. �

Place • ManyChristiansbelieve Jesuswas buried atthe site of theChurch of theHoly Sepulcherin Jerusalem. �

Suppose that you have just seen and heard one of the religious leaders mentionedin this section. Write a letter to a friend describing your experience.

SECTION ASSESSMENT

Using Graphics2. Use a time line like this one to

write important dates in the early history of Judaism,Christianity, and Islam.

Main Ideas3. (a) What do Judaism, Christianity,

and Islam have in common?

(b) What role did Jesus’ disciplesplay in establishing Christianity?

(c) What does the Qur’an contain?

Critical Thinking4. Making Inferences

Why do you think Judaism wasable to flourish in exile for somany centuries?

Think About◆ religious beliefs◆ the role of religious leaders and

teachers

Terms & Names1. Explain the significance of: (a) Abraham (b) Judaism (c) Jesus (d) Christianity

(e) Muhammad ( f ) Islam (g) Muslim (h) Qur’an

He is the founder of Islam, a religion whose followers believethere is one god and that Muhammad is his prophet. A believerin Islam is called a Muslim.

One day about A.D. 610, according to Muslim beliefs, whenMuhammad was alone, he heard a voice commanding him: “Recitein the name of your Lord who created! He created man from thatwhich clings. Recite; and thy Lord is Most Bountiful, He who hastaught by the pen, taught man what he knew not.”

Muhammad’s Teachings Muhammad believed that the commandcame from the angel Gabriel, who was revealing to him the will ofGod. For the next 22 years, Gabriel continued to send revelations toMuhammad. Later, the revelations were collected into the Qur’an(kuh•RAN), the sacred text of Islam. Muhammad told other people

about the divine messages he received. He criticized thewealthy people of Mecca for turning their backs on thepoor and needy. He encouraged them to reject theirwicked ways and to worship the one true God.

The leaders of Mecca thought Muhammad’s teach-ings threatened their traditions and businesses. Someplotted to kill him. In 622, Muhammad and a group offollowers escaped to the nearby city of Medina

(mih•DEE•nuh), where they were welcomed. Muslims date thebeginning of their calendar from this important year in their history.

438 CHAPTER 15

Place • TheSultan ofMoroccodonated thiscopy of theQur’an to the city ofJerusalem. �

Comparing Whatdid the founders ofJudaism,Christianity, andIslam have in common?

586 B.C. A.D. 622

Vocabulary

prophet:a person whospeaks throughdivine inspiration

35°E

33°N

32°N

MEDITERRANEANSEA

Sea ofGalilee

DeadSea

N.

Besor

Arnon River

Jabbok River

Jord

anR

i ver

Yarmuk

River

KishonR

iver

N. Yarkon

W. Faria

N. Harod

Hebron

Jerusalem

Awarta

Nablus

Irbid

Es Salt

Amman

Jacob’s Well

Bethlehem

Nebi-Musa

Beersheba

Megiddo

Caesarea

Jaffa

Tel Aviv

Haifa

NazarethMash-bad

Tiberias

Zippori

WESTBANK

GOLANHEIGHTS

GA

ZA

STRIP

GALILEE

SAMARIA

I S R A E L

J O R D A N

0

0 5 10 kilometers

5 10 miles

Christian

Jewish

Muslim

Intermittent Stream

Holy city or site

N

JU

DA E A

Holy Places of Three Religions

GEOGRAPHYSKILLBUILDER:Interpreting a Map1. Location • Which religions

have holy sites on the Seaof Galilee?

2. Region • What does thismap indicate about theimportance of this regionto Christians, Jews, andMuslims?

439