Creation through to David, 1000 BCEUSE RIGHT OR LEFT ARROWS TO GO FORWARD OR BACK

For Introduction to Judaism course

Unit 4 session 2, part 1

Rabbi Jonathan Keren-Black, 2012/5772. All illustrations are Wikipedia Commons copyright free

Images in this presentation

Most of the images used in this presentation are from the classical artists, who often used the rich and well known stories of the Hebrew Bible.

They rarely knew the landscapes and styles of the original settings and periods, and used their experience or imagination.

Therefore, rich and magnificent as they are, do not expect them to look authentic!

Pre-Abrahamic – please note

The initial part of the Torah should not be taken literally.

Judaism and Science do not need to be in conflict.

We know that the universe was not created in six days (not days as we know them!)

We call ‘The Big Bang’ theory ‘creation ex

nihilo’ (creation from nothing)

Explaining the world

Creation explains the world with its plants and animals, the universe with the stars, the sun and moon – and human beings.

Human beings have a special relationship with God – God’s children, partners in God’s work, care-takers of God’s world.

‘God’ in the Garden of Eden Lucas Cranach the Elder, Germany, 1472-1553

Eden is ‘Paradise’

Eden is Paradise (this is the name of the previous picture).

Eden can also be taken as childhood – naivety, protected, looked after, before growing up and having to work to live.

Eden is the model of peace and perfection – the ‘time of perfection’ to which we yearn to return (Shabbat gives us a weekly taste of it)

Noah’s Ark and the flood Charles Willson Peale, 1819, English, ‘Noah and His Ark’, oil on canvas

Noah is only one of many flood stories

It seems likely they are recording memories of a huge regional flood.

Evidence suggests it could be a record of the end of the last ice age.

There are striking similarities between Noah and the Utnapishtim flood story.

But there is a key difference. In that story, the flood is the result of ‘colateral damage’ from a fight between the gods.

The Tower of Babel Hendrick van Cleve III, Antwerp b.1525, oils

They knew what was what!

Our ancestors may not have had the benefit of TV news and websites.

However they certainly knew about other parts of the world, closer and far away.

In Babylon (Bavel = Babel), they built towers to worship the gods (Ziggurats)

The story also explains why the distant peoples speak different languages

From legend towards history

From the legendary pre-history of these stories of the development of humanity, Genesis moves to a genealogy (11:10-32).

This introduces Avram, and links him back to Noah and thus back to Adam and Eve.

The Israelite story starts at chapter 12.

The story tells us Avram and Sarai were born in Ur, and travel with his

father, who dies in Haran, to Canaan

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Avram and Sarai leave Haran

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Avram and Sarai leave Haran Worship God by setting up altars

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Avram and Sarai leave Haran Worship God by setting up altars Dwell nomadically in ‘land of Canaan’

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Avram and Sarai leave Haran Worship God by setting up altars Dwell nomadically in ‘land of Canaan’ Avram and handmaid have Ishma’el

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Avram and Sarai leave Haran Worship God by setting up altars Dwell nomadically in ‘land of Canaan’ Avram and handmaid have Ishma’el Renamed AvraHam (Abraham) and SaraH

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Avram and Sarai leave Haran Worship God by setting up altars Dwell nomadically in ‘land of Canaan’ Avram and handmaid have Ishma’el Renamed AvraHam (Abraham) and SaraH The added letter ‘hey’ (H) indicates their

awareness of the One God of the world

Circumcision

Abraham circumcises himself at the age of 99 – the ‘sign of the covenant with God’

He also circumcises his son Ishmael, who is thirteen, and all the men in his camp.

He is sitting at the entrance of his tent when visitors appear (angels) to announce Sarah will have a child.

Abraham, Sarah and the Angel

(Angel to left, Sarah behind wall of ‘tent’ to right!) Jan Prevost, 1462-1529, Bruges, oil on panel

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Avram and Sarai leave Haran Worship God by setting up altars Dwell nomadically in ‘land of Canaan’ Avram and handmaid have Ishma’el Renamed AvraHam-Abraham-and SaraH Then Abraham and Sarah have Isaac

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Avram and Sarai leave Haran Worship God by setting up altars Dwell nomadically in ‘land of Canaan’ Avram and handmaid have Ishma’el Renamed AvraHam-Abraham-and SaraH Then Abraham and Sarah have Isaac Abraham’s servant sent to find Isaac a wife

Isaac marries Rebekkah

Benjamin West, British-American, 1738-1820, ‘Esau and Jacob Presented to Isaac’

They have Jacob & Esau

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Jacob and Esau are not identical twins!

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Jacob and Esau are not identical twins! They have a major falling-out.

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Jacob and Esau are not identical twins! They have a major falling-out. Mum thinks it would be a good idea for

Jacob to go to Uncle Laban for a while.

Jacob meets Rachel at the wellLuca Giordano, Italian, 1632-1705, oil on canvas dated c.1690

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Jacob and Esau are not identical twins! They have a major falling-out. Mum thinks it would be a good idea for

Jacob to go to Uncle Laban for a while. Jacob stays a while – works for Laban,

and gets married (to Leah and Rachel).

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Jacob and Esau are not identical twins! They have a major falling-out. Mum thinks it would be a good idea for

Jacob to go to Uncle Laban for a while. Jacob stays a while – works for Laban,

and gets married (to Leah and Rachel). He fathers at least twelve children and

eventually decides to go back home!

Return of Jacob with His FamilyJacopo Bassano, Italian, 1510–1592, oil on canvas, c.1580

A bit concerned?

Jacob is told that his brother Esau has come to meet him with 400 men!

Jacob is by now a very rich man, and sends many gifts ahead of him to Esau.

He sends his family and his flocks across the river.

But he stays on the far side. However, he doesn’t get a good night’s sleep!

Jacob and the Angel Alexander Louis Leloir, 1843–1884, French, dated 1865

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Jacob struggles with an angel

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Jacob struggles with an angel He is renamed YISRA’EL

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Jacob struggles with an angel He is renamed YISRA’EL: One who struggles with God

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Jacob struggles with an angel He is renamed YISRA’EL: ‘One (lit. he) who struggles with God’ Therefore, his children are called ‘The

Children of Israel’

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Jacob struggles with an angel He is renamed YISRA’EL: One who struggles with God Therefore his children are called ‘The

Children of Israel’ Or the ‘Israelites’!

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Jacob’s favourite son, Joseph, is sold as

a slave and taken to Egypt

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Jacob’s favourite son, Joseph, is sold as

a slave and taken to Egypt Eventually he becomes vizier in Egypt

Joseph and his BrothersFranz Anton Maulbertsch (1724–1796), d.1745-50, oil on canvas

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Jacob’s favourite son, Joseph, is sold as

a slave and taken to Egypt Eventually he becomes vizier in Egypt The rest of the family come to Egypt

because of famine in Canaan

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

1000 1948 2000

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Jacob’s favourite son, Joseph, is sold as

a slave and taken to Egypt Eventually he becomes vizier in Egypt The rest of the family come to Egypt

because of famine in Canaan The Israelites thrive, prosper and grow in

Egypt

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

1000 1948 2000

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Jacob’s favourite son, Joseph, is sold as

a slave and taken to Egypt Eventually he becomes vizier in Egypt The rest of the family come to Egypt

because of famine in Canaan The Israelites thrive, prosper and grow in

Egypt Until a new Pharaoh (dynasty) arises

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII The Israelites are enslaved

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII The Israelites are enslaved Many measures are used against them

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII The Israelites are enslaved Many measures are used against them They are given hard labour, building the

store cities of Pitom and Ramses

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

1000 1948 2000

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII The Israelites are enslaved Many measures are used against them They are given hard labour, building the

store cities of Pitom and Ramses Their male babies are to be killed at birth

Moses exposed on the water

Nicolas Colombel, French, c1644- 1717, Rome influence

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII The Israelites are enslaved Many measures are used against them They are given hard labour, building the

store cities of Pitom and Ramses Their male babies are to be killed at birth One is apparently saved, named Moses,

and brought up in the Egyptian Court

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Moses flees the Court and becomes a

shepherd in the desert

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Moses flees the Court and becomes a

shepherd in the desert His encounter with God at the Burning

Bush forces him to return to Pharaoh

Moses removes his shoes at the Burning Bush

Domenico Fetti, Italian, 1588 – 1623, c.1615/17, oil on canvas

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Moses flees the Court and becomes a

shepherd in the desert His encounter with God at the Burning

Bush forces him to return to Pharaoh With the help of the Ten Plagues,

Pharaoh is persuaded to let the Israelites go free – ‘The Exodus’ from Egypt

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Moses flees the Court and becomes a

shepherd in the desert His encounter with God at the Burning

Bush forces him to return to Pharaoh With the help of the Ten Plagues,

Pharaoh is persuaded to let the Israelites go free – ‘The Exodus’ from Egypt

They pass through the Sea of Reeds

Crossing of the SeaNicolas Poussin 1594–1665 , c.1634

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII In the desert, they are free from slavery –

free to worship God

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII In the desert, they are free from slavery –

free to worship God The concept of Shabbat is introduced

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII In the desert, they are free from slavery –

free to worship God The concept of Shabbat is introduced They come to Mount Sinai and receive

Torah

Moses with the Ten CommandmentsRembrandt 1606–1669, oil on canvas, 1659

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII In the desert, they are free from slavery –

free to worship God The concept of Shabbat is introduced They come to Mount Sinai and receive

Torah They construct ‘The Tabernacle’ to

worship God

Furniture of the Biblical Tabernacle

Illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible, New York American Bible Society

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII In the desert, they are free from slavery –

free to worship God The concept of Shabbat is introduced They come to Mount Sinai and receive

Torah They construct ‘The Tabernacle’ to

worship God They spend 40 years in the desert

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII The generation who knew slavery die out

and a new generation are born

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII The generation who knew slavery die out

and a new generation are born Moses sees the ‘Promised Land’ but God

tells him he will die without entering it.

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII The generation who knew slavey die out

and a new generation are born Moses sees the ‘Promised Land’ but God

tells him he will die without entering it. Moses ordains Joshua to lead the people

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII The generation who knew slavey die out

and a new generation are born Moses sees the ‘Promised Land’ but God

tells him he will die without entering it. Moses ordains Joshua to lead the people Joshua leads the people into the

‘Promised Land’ and conquers Jericho

The Seven Trumpets of Jericho1904, J. James Tissot

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Canaan is conquered/settled and the

Israelites are ruled by the ‘Judges’

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Canaan is conquered/settled and the

Israelites are ruled by the ‘Judges’ Charismatic individuals appear, speaking

in the name of God, called ‘Prophets’

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Canaan is conquered/settled and the

Israelites are ruled by the ‘Judges’ Charismatic individuals appear, speaking

in the name of God, called ‘Prophets’ But the people want a king, like the

surrounding nations

BCE – BEFORE THE COMMON ERA CE – COMMON ERA 2000 1000 586 0 70 220 550

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Canaan is conquered/settled and the

Israelites are ruled by the ‘Judges’ Charismatic individuals appear, speaking

in the name of God, called ‘Prophets’ But the people want a king, like the

surrounding nations The Prophet Samuel annoints the first

Israelite king, Saul.

Saul and the Witch of Endor

Jacob Cornelisz. van Oostsanen, Dutch, c.1472-1533, oil on panel, 1526

End of part 1

This unit (4.2) is continued with part 2