Zoroastrianism and Judaismmshouapworld.weebly.com/uploads/1/4/9/1/14918798/... · The Origins and...

KeywordsAhura Mazda

Akhenaten

Aten

berit

Diaspora

King David

King Solomon

Israel

Jerusalem

Sabbath

Solomon’s Temple

Ten Commandments

Yahweh

Zarathushtra

Essential Questions• WhataretheoriginsandbeliefsofZoroastrianism?

• Whataretherootsofmonotheism?

• WhataretheoriginsandgeographiclocationofJudaism?

• WhatarethemajorprinciplesofJudaism?

• WhatarethemainelementsofAbraham’sCovenant?

• WhatwasthesignificanceofHebrewslaveryinEgyptandtheExodus?

• WhywerethekingdomsofSolomonandDavidsignificant?

• WhichempiresconqueredandinvadedthekingdomsofIsraelandJudah?

• WhatweretheprimaryeventsofRomanruleandtheJewishDiaspora?

• WhataretheTalmud’smainideas?

Unit 2, Lesson 4

Zoroastrianism and Judaism

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The Origins and Beliefs of ZoroastrianismTheancientcivilizationofPersianurtureditsownreligion,Zoroastrianism,oneofthefirstknownexamplesofmonotheism.ZoroastrianismdevelopedoutofearlyPersiansectsthatworshippedthenaturalworld.Inmanyways,thesePersiansectshadelementssimilartoVedic,particularlyAryanreligions:thePersiansreverencedsimilardivinitiesthroughsimilarrites,suchassacrificialritualsandritualutili-zationofmind-alteringsubstances.ThePersianshadsimilarsocietalvaluestoo,emphasizingcomfortinthepresentratherthanlookingforwardtotheafterlife.

ThesesectswerethebasisofZoroastrianism,whichwasalsobasedontheideasofathinkercalledZarathushtraorZoroaster(datesunknown;hecouldhavebeenaliveasearlyasthe1700sB.C.E.,orasrecentlyasthe500sB.C.E.).NotmuchisknownaboutZarathushtra;hewasmostlikelyanoblepersonwhomovedawayfromthereligioussectsandexperiencedhisownepiphanies.ZarathushtraisbelievedtohavehadanepiphanyinwhichhesawhisGod,Ahura Mazda(uh-hou-ruh-MAZ-duh).ZarathushtradevotedtherestofhislifetospreadingthewordofAhuraMazda,whoalsobecameknownasthe“wiselord.”HedidsothroughaseriesoftextscalledtheGathas.

Originally,Zarathushtra’sdisciples,called“magi,”sharedtheGathasorally,andtheholytextswereputinwritingseveralcenturieslater.TheGathasareactu-allyreligioussongsthathonorAhuraMazdaandotherdivinitiesworshippedbyZarathushtra.ScholarsbelieveZarathustrawrotemanyothertextsaboutreligiousandphilosophicalsubjects,severalofwhich,unfortunately,werenotpreserved.

AstheGathasshow,ZarathushtraandtheZoroastrianspracticedpolytheism,althoughtheyhonoredAhuraMazdaabovetheirothergods.AhuraMazdahadmanycharacteristicsofthesingleomnipotentgodworshipedinothercultures.However,AhuraMazdasharedtheheavenswithatleastsevenothersupremebe-ings,includinganevilbeingnamedAngraMainyu.AhuraMazdarepresentedtheforcesofgoodintheworld,andAngraMainyutheforcesofevil.Zarathushtra

Set the StageAcross the ancient world, polytheistic religions and non-spiritual philosophies developed. People tried to understand the world around them, the cosmos, and the possibilities of what would happen after death. Many worshiped different gods to appease different elements in their lives. However, across the globe, other kinds of religions were growing. In Persia and the Middle East in particular, people became interested in religions worshipping single gods. These monotheistic religions, like many polytheistic religions and non-spiritual philosophies, emphasized moral behavior, virtue, and obedience. These new religions would offer people a different means of understanding the world around them. One such monotheistic religion, Judaism, would become extremely long-lasting and have a tremendous influence on other developing religions.

Zarathushtra monotheistic prophet who founded Zoroastrianism

Ahura Mazda the Zoroastrian god

Unit 2, Lesson 4 2


preachedthatAhuraMazdaandAngraMainyuwouldtakepartinabattlerangingoverthousandsofyears—abattlewhichhadalreadybegunatthecreationoftheworld.Attheendofthebattle,AhuraMazdawouldwinandatypeofjudgmentdaywouldtakeplace,withpeople’ssoulsbeingassignedtoplacessimilartothewesternversionsofheavenandhell.

Unlikesomeotherancientreligions,Zoroastrianismencourageditsfollowerstoseekoutandfindpleasureintheworldaroundthem.Zoroastriansreverencedele-mentsofthenaturalworldlikefireandwater,similartothesectsthathadprecededthem.Fastingandotherlikepracticeswerediscouraged.However,liketheBuddha,Zarathushtraencouragedhisfollowerstolivemoderatelives.OneoftheprimaryprinciplesofZoroastrianismbecameathree-partslogan:“goodwords,goodthoughts,gooddeeds.”Theyvaluedhonestyabovemanythings,andunderstoodtheworldintermsofcycles,suchasbirth,death,andrebirth.TheZoroastriansbelievedinthepossibilitythatspiritualityandlifedidnotnecessarilystopintheearthlyrealm.

Zoroastriansappliedtheirprinciplestotwoofthecentralelementsoflife:mar-riageanddeath.BothtookongreatsignificanceinZoroastriantradition.First,theZoroastriansdidnotpermitintermarriage.Itspractitionerscouldonlymarryotherpractitioners.ThislawwassetuptokeepthereligionandtheethnicityofZoroastriansintact.Second,deathshadtobememorializedinaspecificandexactway.AccordingtoZoroastrianpractice,bodiesofthedeadwerememorializedthrougharitualknownasDakhma-nashini.Thetitleofthispracticeispartiallyareferencetoastonebuildingcalledadakhma,inwhichadeadbodywasplacedforburial.Dakhmashadopentopssothatanimalscouldenterandhelpdisposeofthebodies.Asanimalsconsumedthebodies,thebodiesdisintegratedandreturnedtotheearth.TheZoroastri-ansbelievedthispracticehelpedperpetuatethecycleoflife.However,thisreligiouspracticealsohadapracticalpurpose,inthatthedakhmaskeptdeadbodiesawayfromthebodiesofwatertheZoroastriansreliedupon.

WhileZarathustra’sexacttimelineisunclear,schol-arshavedeterminedthatthereligionhefoundedbe-camepopularduringthe500sB.C.E.ZoroastrianismwasfirstpracticedbyhigherclassPersiancitizens,whosupportedthereligionfinancially.DuringPersianEm-perorDarius’sreign(541–486B.C.E.),ZoroastrianismbecameformallylinkedtothePersiangovernment.DariusclaimedthatAhuraMazdagavehimthedivinerighttorulePersia,andusedhisconnectionswiththereligiontoattempttheincreaseofhisempire.Duringhisreign,DariussupportedZoroastrianismfinancial-lyandbuiltseveralreligiousspacesandinscriptionsdetailinghisrelationshipwiththeprimarygod.

King Darius I of Persia was one of the first rulers to claim that deity had given him a divine right to rule.

Unit 2, Lesson 4 3


Meanwhile,DariusincreasedthesizeofthePersianEmpireinseveraldirec-tions,untilitincludedMacedoniaandpartsofIndia.Atitspeak,Darius’sempiremeasured1,865milesby933milesandcontainedupwardsof35millionpeople.DariusbuilthiscapitalcityinPersepolis,buildingagrandcenterofartsandculturethatalsofunctionedsmoothlyasthebureaucraticcenterofanempire.DariusalsomadeseveralbureaucraticinnovationsinhowthePersiangovernmentranandfoundanotherwayoffundinghiscourtbysystemizingtaxes.Inaddition,Dariusmadeimprovementstohisempire’slegalsystem.

BytheendoftheAchaemeniddynasty,ofwhichDariuswasapart,peoplehadstartedpracticingZoroastrianisminplacesasdiverseasIranandEgypt,andincountriesthroughoutthewesternregionsoftheAsiancontinent.ZoroastrianismprobablyinfluencedJudaicandChristianbeliefsystemsbecauseitemphasizedasupremegod,salvation,andgoodvs.evil,andbecauseithadamajoreffectonreligionacrosstheglobe.Asearlyasthe600sB.C.E.,however,ZoroastrianismfelloutoffavorandbegantobereplacedbytherisingreligionofIslam.Zoroastrian-ismishardlypracticedatallinthetwenty-firstcentury,exceptinsomesmallpartsofIndiaandIran.

ManichaeismPriortoitsdissipation,Zoroastrianismledtothedevelopmentofanotherreli-gion,Manichaeism.ManichaeismstemmedfromtheideasofamannamedMani(216–272C.E.)whocombinedhisZoroastrianprincipleswithideasfromotherreligionssuchasBuddhismandChristianity.Manibelievedallthreeofthesereli-gionshadcommonalities,whichhetriedtobringintohisnewfaith,Manichaeism.Manichaeismthusincludedmanyoftheideaspopularizedintheseotherreligions,suchastheoppositionbetweengoodandevil,thepracticeoflivingsimply,andthebeliefinbeingsavedattheendoflife.

ManiencouragedtheManichaeiststolivesparinglyandmodestlyinordertoachievespiritualfulfillment.Hevoyagedgreatdistancestosharehisnewreligionandattemptedtoconvertmanytohiscause.Withindecades,peoplehadstartedpracticingManichaeismthroughouttheRomanEmpire.InthetwohundredyearsfollowingMani’sdeath,thereligionfelloutoffavorinmanyareas,withtheexcep-tionofthemiddleregionofAsia.

The Roots of MonotheismMesopotamiasawtheriseofotherfaiths,suchasJudaism,Buddhism,andMan-ichaeism,allofwhichthreatenedtosupplantthefadingZoroastrianism.Inlateryears,ChristianityandIslamwouldalsoarrive.Overtime,Judaism,Christian-ity,andIslamwouldbecomethethreeprimaryreligionspracticedintheregion.MesopotamianswouldcombinesomeelementsoftheirpreviousZoroastrianfaithwiththesenewreligions.AlthoughZoroastrianismishardlypracticedtoday,ithadastrongimpactonJudaicbeliefs—and,byextension,onChristianandIslamicbeliefs.TheZoroastriansweresomeofthefirsttofocustheirbeliefsonasupremeandgoodgodwhoworkedagainstevilintheworld,andthefirsttobeginbeliev-ingthatallpeoplewouldbejudgedfortheiractionsattheendoflife,afterwhichtheywouldbesenttoheavenorhell.

Unit 2, Lesson 4 4


Thus,Zoroastrianism,initsemphasisonasinglegodwhohadmorepowerandimportancethanothergods,canbeseenasaprecursortoreligionsthatpracticemonotheism,orbeliefinasinglegod.TheseprinciplesbecamefullyintegratedintotherisingfaithofJudaism,andthisemphasisonasinglegodsoonfounditswaytootherculturesinEgypt,Africa,andIsrael.

Monotheism in EgyptInEgypt,aformofmonotheismisthoughttohaveemergedevenearlierthanitdidinIsrael,althoughitdidnothavesimilarstayingpower.Egypthadlongbeenasocietythatworshippedmanydeities,includingtwoimportantgodsthathadstartedtomergeintoone,Amon-Re.AmonandRebecameunitedbecausetheybothhadaffiliationswiththesun.BothAmonandRehadhadseparatefollow-ersandclaimstoworship,butbecausetheyweresimilar,manyEgyptiansstartedthinkingofthemasaunitthatincludedbothgods.ThetwogodsbecameknownbytheencompassingnameAmon-ReandtempleswerebuiltinAmon-Re’shonor.Inthosetemples,Amon-Rewouldstandforbothgods,andpeoplecouldworshipbothofthemsimultaneouslybyaddressingonlyAmon-Re.However,oneEgyptianruler,PharoahAmenhotepIV(r.1353–1335B.C.E.),whowasmarriedtoNefertiti,worshippedadifferentsungodnamedAten.ThePharoahalsobecameknownasAkhenaten(ahk-NAH-tuhn),takingthenameasagestureofhonortohisgod.Akhenatonwishedtopracticeaformofmonotheism,withAtenashissupremedeity.Amon-Rewastreatedasthefirstgodinapantheonofmanygods,butAkhenatenwantedAtentobeworshippedalone,andtreatedhimasakingamonggods.

WhileAkhenatenstillacknowledgedinwritingthepresenceofothergods,includingothersungodsorgodswhosignifiednon-concreteideas,hewantedhispeopletofocusprimarilyonAten.Sometimes,AkhenatenandotherworshiperswouldusethetitlesofothergodstodepictandaddressAten.Duringthistime,peopleonlyhadpermissiontoworshipAtenintemples.AkhenatengaveordersthatreferencestoothergodsshouldberemovedfrommanytemplessothatpeoplewouldfocusonAteninevenmoredetail.

Tofurtherthisworship,Akhenatonemployedmanytactics,includingproselytizing.Hesentmissionariesthroughouthisking-domtosupportAtenandevencreatedanentirecitycenteredonAten-worship.Heforbadepeoplefromreverencingothergods,suchasAmon-Re.ThePharoahenjoyedgreatpower,sowhilehereigned,Atendidtoo.AssoonasAkhenatenrelinquishedhispositionasPharoah(bydying),thesupportersofAmon-RerebelledagainsttheremainingsupportersofAten.Egyptreturnedtoprimarilypolythe-isticpractices.

Monotheism in Africa and the Middle EastOntheAfricancontinent,twotypesofmonotheismemergedasearlyas5000B.C.E.First,intheSudan,peoplehonoredanunnamed

Israel original country and home of the Jewish people

1SELf-chEcK

How did Zoroastrianism

affect Judaism and

Christianity?

Aten the sun god worshiped by Akhenaton

Akhenaten the Egyptian pharoah who embraced monotheism by worshiping Aten

The Egyptian temple of Amon-Re is the largest temple in the world and is actually comprised of a smaller group of temples devoted to different deities in the Egyptian pantheon.

Unit 2, Lesson 4 5


divinitythatrepresentedelementsofgoodandevil.Thedivinity,althoughitwasasingleentity,couldappearinmanydifferentguisesasasub-deity.Peoplecouldworshipthesesub-deitiesand,byextension,worshipthedeityitself.Second,inNigerandtheCongo,thepeople,includingtheBantu,honoredadeitynamedNyamba.Nyamba,acreatorgod,wasbothpowerfulandremoved.LiketheSu-danese,monotheisticpeoplewhoworshipedNyambawouldturntosub-deitiesfirstandpraytothemtointercedewiththesupremepower;unliketheSudanesedeities,thesesub-deitieswereseparatefromtheprimarygod.

However,religiouspracticesinAfricachangedandadaptedfrequently.WhentheSudaneseandBantuculturesencounteredoneanotherintheyearsfollowing1000B.C.E.,theBantuappliedtheparadigmofgoodandevilintheSudanesebeliefsystemtotheirownbeliefs.

Monotheism in Israel: The Location and Origins of JudaismInIsrael(formerlytheregionbetweentheJordanRiverandtheMediterraneanSea),accordingtoHebrewreligioustexts,peoplefirstbegantobelieveinmonotheismundertheleadershipofAbraham(inapproximately1850B.C.E.)andMoses(inthe1300sB.C.E.).Priortotheirleadership,theIsraeliteshadworshippedthenaturalworldandparticipatedinpolytheisticpractices.AbrahamandMosespresentedasingledeityasanalternative,andreferredtothisgodasYahweh.UnlikeAhuraMazda,theZoroastriangod,Yahwehruledaloneanddidnotsharepowerswithanyotherdivinefigures.AbrahamandMosesquicklyralliedmanyfollowerstotheircause.

WhenthepeopleofIsraelsettledinJerusalemandmadeittheircapitalcity,thereligiousbuildingstheycreatedwerespaceswhereYahwehwouldbehonored.Theybuiltacivilizationthatemphasizedpatriarchyandprivilegedmenoverwomen,althoughwomenreceivedhonorindomesticspaces.Accordingtotheirlaws,peoplehadanobligationtocareforthoselessfortunatethanthemselvesandcontributebothtocharityandtotheorganizationoftheircommunity.Despitetheiremphasisongoodworksandcharity,theystillpermittedslaverytosomeextent.

Abraham’s covenantOneoftheimportantstoriesinHebrewreligioustextsisthatofAbrahamandhisfamily.ThemanreferredtointheTorahasAbrahamisthoughttohavearrivedinMesopotamiain1850B.C.E.,afteremigratingfromUr,aplaceinSumeria.HeandhisrelativesbecamepartofHebrewsocietyinMesopotamiaandtookpartintheirculturesandtraditions.

PerhapsthemostimportantelementofJudaismcomesfromthecovenantthatAbrahammadewithYahweh,asdescribedintheTorah.Jewsalsorefertothecovenantastheberit.IntheberitAbrahamagreedthatheandhisprogenywouldworshipYahwehalone.Inreturn,YahwehpromisedthatAbraham’sprogenywouldbecomethe“chosenpeople”ofGod;Yahwehsaidhewouldshowthemthewaytoaholyandsafeplace,whichatthetimewascalledCanaanandtodayiscalledIsrael.

Ultimately,theberitshouldbethoughtofinthreeways.First,theberitisanagreementwithYahwehthatdefendsJewsandmarksthemasthechosenpeople.

Yahweh the Judaic god

Jerusalem the holy city, capital of Israel and of the Jewish faith

berit covenant with god

Unit 2, Lesson 4 6


AgreeingtotheberitisakintocommittingtoaholyoathwithYahweh.Theberitissacred.TheJewsbelievedthatbyparticipatingintheberit,onlypeopleoftheirownreligiousfaithwouldultimatelybedefendedandlovedbyYahweh.Second,theberitimpliesthattheJewswillcomplywithYahweh’sruleinallthings.Abra-hamcommittedtothecovenantwithoutevenknowingtheextentofYahweh’sprecepts,whichweredetailedtoMosesduringtheExodus:Mosesandhispeoplecouldnotmakedemandsoftheirgod.Third,theberitbringsallJewstogetherasagroupthatislargerthantheirownfamilies.Yahwehjudgesthegroupasawhole.

Abraham’sprogeny,includingIsaac,Jacob,andJoseph,alsohaveimportantrolesintheTorah.AfterAbraham’sdeath,hissonIsaactookoverasleaderofthefollowersofYahweh.Intime,Isaac’ssonJacobwouldalsostepforwardasaleader.JacobwouldeventuallyacceptthenewnameofIsrael,andhisdescendantswouldbecomethetwelvetribesofIsrael,whoarealsoknownasthe“childrenofIsrael.”Inthisway,“Israel”refersbothtothedescendantsofJacobandtothelandprom-isedthosedescendentsbyYahwehhimself.Abraham’sfamily,shepherdsbytrade,traveledthroughIsraelandeventuallytoEgypt,wheretheyfoundedJudaism.

SomehistoricevidenceisslightlyatoddswiththeversionofeventsconveyedbyHebrewreligioustexts,whichwereoriginallyoralinsteadofwritten,describeeventsafterthefact,andhaveseveralunknownauthors.Despitethediscrepan-cies,mosthistoriansagreethattheIsraelitesdevelopedtheoriginalmonotheisticreligion,whichbecameknownasJudaism.JudaismbeganwiththepeopleofMesopotamia,originallycalledtheHebrews.Asearlyas2000B.C.E.,theHebrewslivedoffthelandanddidnotstayincentralizedlocations.Thebeliefsystemtheybegandevelopingwouldeventuallyhaveatremendousinfluenceonreligionsaroundtheworld.

HebrewreligioustextsshowthattheIsraelitessawYahwehasamultifunctionalgodwhohadenoughpowertobuildthecosmosbutenoughdetailedattentiontocareforeachofhisworshippers.Unlikedeitiesinotherbeliefsystems,Yahwehwouldnotsharedisciples:thosewhowishedtoreverenceYahwehcouldnotbe-comedisciplesofanyothergods.ManyoftheearlybehavioralrequirementsforthosewhofollowedYahwehweresetdownintheTen Commandments,whichincludeguidelinesforlivingmorallyandhonorably.Thesecommandments,alongwithotherreligiousinstructionsfromMosesandotherfollowersofYahweh,werecombinedintoasingletext,theTorah,intheyearsfrom800to400B.C.E.Accord-ingtotheTorah,peoplewhofollowYahweh’sinstructionswillbenefit,andthosewhodonotwillsuffer.Inlateryears,practitionersoftheChristianfaithwouldaddtheTorahtotheirownreligioustextsasthefirstsectionsoftheOldTestament.

Judaism’s Major PrinciplesTheJewsclungtotheirreligiousideals,especiallytheirmonotheisticbeliefinYah-weh,despitethefactthattheircountrywassmallandhadlittlepoliticalpower.UnliketheEgyptianmonotheistAkhenaton,theydidnotproselytize.Instead,theyemphasizedtheirindividualandspecialrelationshipwiththeirgod.

Judaisminstructsitsfollowersinmanyways.First,Jewsbelieveinasinglegod,Yahweh,anddonotworshipanyfalseidols.Jewsarerequiredtobehavemorallyandvirtuously,followingthestricturessetforthintheTenCommandmentsand

Ten commandments ten rules for behavior and morality received by Moses from Yahweh

Unit 2, Lesson 4 7


theguidelinesdetailedintheTorah.Evilactssuchasstealingandkillingareforbid-den,whileactsofcharityandkindnessareencouraged.Paradoxically,someslaverywaspermitted.TheworshipperswhobehaveaccordingtoYahweh’sguidelineswillberecompensed,andthosewhodonotwillsuffer.TheTenCommandmentsalsoencouragepeopletoveneratetheirancestorsandcelebrateadayofresteachweekontheSabbath.ThisdayhonorsYahweh,whotookadayofrestaftermakingtheworldinsixdays.

OtherregulationsforlivingproperJewishlifearesetoutinatextcalledtheTalmud.Judaismstartedoutasapatriarchalreligion.Itsobserversaresupposedtomarryonlythoseindividualswhosharetheirfaith.Judaismalsosetforthspecificrulesaboutceremonialbathingforpurificationandforeating,knownaskeepingkosher(fleshofcloven-hoofedanimalsandshellfishisforbidden,andmeatandmilkcannotbeeatenatthesamemeal).

Ultimately,theJews’monotheismtaughttheworldtothinkofGodasasu-premebeingwhobalancedhumanity,morality,andfairness.Thetrialsthepeoplesuffered,byundergoingoutsiderule,mademostJews’faithinYahwehgrowstronger.WhereverJewswentinMesopotamiaandAsia,theytooktheirfaithwiththem.Theirreligioncontinuedtogrowindepthandsignificance.

hebrew Slavery in Egypt and the ExodusMuchofwhatpeopleknowabouttheseeventsistakenfromaccountsintheTorah,whichstatethatHebrewstraveledtoEgyptinthe1700sB.C.E.Inparticular,theTorahdescribeshowJosephandMosesaidedtheirfellowHebrewsagainsttheEgyptiancaptors.ThesectionfromtheTorahcalledtheExodusshowshowMoses—thesameMoseswhoencouragedmonotheism—helpedleadanuprisingandbringtheHe-brewsoutofEgypttoCanaaninabout1200or1300B.C.E.MosesledtheHebrewsfromEgyptonlyaftertheEgyptianssufferedseveralplagues,inflictedbyYahweh.ToreleasehisfellowsfromEgypt,MosesissupposedtohavepartedtheRedSea.TheTorahstatesthatthisExodus,begunbyMosesandfinishedbyJoshua,lastedfourdecades.Duringthistime,MosesreceivedtheTenCommandments,andhisfollow-ersmadeapactwithYahwehthattheywouldveneratehimaloneastheirsupremegod.TheTenCommandmentsrequirethefollowersofYahwehtodothefollowing:one,toworshipnoothergodsbutYahweh;two,torefrainfromcreatinganyfalseidols;three,nottotakeGod’snameinvain;four,toobservetheSabbathonedayperweek;five,tohonorone’sparents;six,torefrainfromcommittingmurder;seven,torefrainfrompracticingadultery;eight,torefrainfromstealing;nine,torefrainfromlying;andten,torefrainfromdesiringthepossessionsofothers.

Inlateryears,theExodusbecamepartofJudaicreligiousobservance,high-lightedasthePassoverholiday.Passoveriscelebratedonceayearinthespringandlastseightdaysandnights.Itstitlecomesfromtheideaof“passingover,”areferencetooneoftheplaguesYahwehinflictedontheEgyptianstoencouragethemtoreleasetheJews.Inthisparticularplague,YahwehkilledthefirstmalechildineachEgyptianhome,buthe“passedover”thehomesofhisownpeople,theJews.DuringthePassoverholiday,JewsdonoteatanyleavenedbreadasawayofhonoringtheIsraeliteswhohadtoleaveEgyptonsuchshortnoticethattheyhadnotimefortheirbreadtorise.OnthefirsttwonightsofPassover,Jewshave

Sabbath the holy day of rest and the seventh day of the week

Unit 2, Lesson 4 8


aceremonialmealcalledaseder.Eachfoodeatenatthemealreferencesanele-mentoftheExodus,andthefoodisconsumedinaccordancewithspecialprayers.

WhilehistoriansdebatewhetherenoughevidenceexiststosupportthepresenceofHebrewsinEgypt,manyHebrewswereenslavedbytheEgyptiansaccordingtotheTorah.Historicevidencesuggeststhatmorethan400yearsafterthisexodusfromEgypt,peopleofIsraelorofSemiticdescentcametotheMediterraneanregionofCanaan(nowIsraelandPalestine)intheyearsfollowing1200B.C.E.HistoricevidencepinpointstheriseofmonotheismandworshipofYahwehlaterthanHebrewreligioustextsdo,positingthatitoccurredinthe700sB.C.E.

The Kingdoms of Solomon and DavidAfterarrivinginCanaan,theHebrewsbecametheIsraelites.TheIsraelitesdividedthemselvesintotwelvegroupsorfamilytribesandruledthemselvesthatwayforabouttwohundredyears.TheTorah’sepisodesofSamsonandDelilah,andofDa-vidandGoliath,aresetduringthistime.Then,in1000B.C.E.theIsraelitetribesjoinedtogetherundertheruleofKingSaul(1020–ca.1000B.C.E.),followedbyKing David(r.1000–970B.C.E.),followedbyKing Solomon(r.970–930B.C.E.).TheIsraelites,whobecameknownasJewsduringthe900sB.C.E.,incorporatedsomePalestinianandCanaanitecustoms—whichincludedworshippingmanygodssuchasBaalandAsherah.BecausetheirtribeswerestrengthenedasaunifiedgroupunderDavidandSolomon,theIsraelitescontrolledlandrangingfromtheSinaiPeninsulaallthewaytoSyria.

Duringtheeleventhandtenthcenturies,whenDavidandSolomonruled,theIsraelitesdevelopedpatriarchalsocietiesthatprivilegedmen.Whilewomenhadmorerightsthantheirpeersinothersocieties(somewomen,suchasDeborah,couldrisetopositionsofauthorityinthelawandthemilitary),theystillwereforbiddenfromowningpropertyorleavingtheirhusbands.Eachfamilybecameconcernedwithproducingmalechildrentoinherittheirbelongings.

DavidandSolomonbecamelegendarykings.DuringKingDavid’sreign,theIsraelitesformalizedthecentralzoneofJerusalemastheircapitalcity.KingDavidcontinuedtobringtogetherthetwelvetribesofIsraelintoasinglegroupofpeople.HemadesureJerusalemhadareligiousfocusonYahwehandtheJewishfaithbyinstallingtheArkinJerusalem;however,healsostrengthenedthecityfromapoliti-calstandpoint.Underhisrule,theIsraelitescontributedtaxestothegovernmentandbuiltanarmyforprotection.Today,peoplebelievethatKingDavid,regardedasanexcellentmusician,composedthemajorityofthePsalms(whichareinboththeHebrewandtheChristianBibles).

KingDavid’ssonSolomonalsoruledwellandfairlyandwasknownforhiswisejudgments.DuringKingSolomon’sera,IsraelprosperedandenteredintotradewithArabiannations.SolomonalsohonoredYahwehbycreatingareligioushouseinIsrael:thefirsttemple,orSolomon’s Temple,whereallpeoplecouldcometoworship.InordertobuildthetempleinamannerhethoughtwouldbepleasingtoYahweh,SolomonwishedtousematerialsthatcouldnotbefoundinIsrael,butonlyinnearbycountriesintheArabregion(suchascedar).Inordertoprocurethesematerials,SolomondevelopedpeaceabletradewiththeleadersoftheseArabiannations.Thetemplealsostandsoutasoneofthefirsthousesofworshipdedicatedtoamonothe-

2SELf-chEcK

In Judaism, what

is the significance of

the Sabbath?

King David great Israelite ruler who encouraged taxes and military preparation

King Solomon great Israelite ruler who emphasized trade and religious worship

Solomon’s Temple important religious center founded in Jerusalem by King Solomon

Unit 2, Lesson 4 9


isticgodratherthanagroupofgods.Themenwhoworkedatthetemplebecamerichandpowerful,whichcauseddissentamongtheIsraelites.Therichgrewricher,whilethepoorgrewpoorer:Israel’sprosperityandunificationwouldbeshort-lived.

Empires and the Invasion of Israel and JudahIn920B.C.E.,followingthedeathofKingSolomon,thepeopleofIsraelsplitintotwofactions:IsraelandJudah,whichheldthecityofJerusalem.Thosefactionsdidnotremainundisturbedforlong.Asearlyas722B.C.E.,leadersofothercountries,includingtheAssyriansandtheNewBabylonians,hadintercededtoruleovertheJews.Infact,in722B.C.E.theAssyriansconqueredthenewIsraeleventhoughitspeoplehadjoinedwithJudahinanattempttocombattheassault,andmostofthepeoplethereeitherbecameAssyrianorwereforciblyremovedfromtheregion.

Lessthantwohundredyearslater,in586B.C.E.,therulerNebuchadnezzarledtheNewBabylonianstoconquertheAssyrians,andalsoattackedJudah.PeopleinJudahwhoclungtotheirJewishfaithwereforciblyremovedfromtheregion.NebuchadnezzardemolishedthetemplethatSolomonhadbuiltandforcedtheimportantauthorityfiguresoutofJudahtoBabylon.SomeJewswouldlaterrebuildthetempleintheyearsbetweenthe530sand520sB.C.E.

Despitetheseoutsideinfluencesandpressures,theJewsmaintainedtheirre-ligiousandculturaltraditions.EventhoughtheJewswerecontinuallypersecutedandforcedawayfromtheirhomes,theytrustedinreligiousforecasters,orprophets,whoencouragedthemtoremainfaithfulandtruetoYahweh.Accordingtotheprophets,theJews’werepersecutedbytheAssyriansandNewBabyloniansbecauseYahwehwasunhappywiththem.TheprophetsbelievedthatiftheJewsweremorefaithfulandobservant,Yahwehwouldrelentandassistthem.TheJewsbegantohavefaithintheideathatYahwehwouldsenddownaspecialmessengerastheirsaviorwhowouldreleasethemfromthesenon-Jewishgovernmentsandleaders.TheJewsbegantorefertothissaviorastheMessiah.

Eventually,fiftyyearsaftertheNewBabyloniansforcedthemoutofJudah,someIsraelitecitizenswouldreturn.Theybroughtwiththemrenewedcommit-menttotheirfaithandworkedtorebuildsmallernationswheretheycouldpracticetheirfaithsafely.YetmanyoftheformerIsraelitesstayedaway.Meanwhile,inthecenturiesthatfollowedtheNewBabylonians’conquest,othercountrieswouldalsoattackJudah.TheyincludedPersia,whichattackedin539B.C.E.,MacedoniaunderAlexandertheGreatfrom333to331B.C.E.,andRomebetween66and64B.C.E.Duringthistime,manyJewswereforciblyremovedfromtheirhomes.

Roman Rule and the Jewish DiasporaTheprocessofoutsideintercessioncontinuedthroughthebeginningofRoman-dominatedrulein63B.C.E.undertheleadershipofPompey.Romanrulelastedforcenturies.Duringitsearlyyears,amannamedJesuswholivedintheregionofNazarethandhadpracticedJudaismbeganpreachingnewreligiousideas,whicheventuallyturnedintoanotherreligion,Christianity.

JudahitselfbecameyetanothersmallpartofthegreatRomanEmpire.Whiletheregionhaditsownleader(sponsoredbytheRomans),JudahstillfunctionedasacogintheRomanEmpire’swheel;itspeopleowedtaxestoRomeandhad

3SELf-chEcK

What is the relationship

between King David and

King Solomon?

Unit 2, Lesson 4 10


A Piece ofhISTORY

Solomon’s Temple

People of many religions want to honor their gods by creating exquisite temples dedicated to their deities that are full of luxurious items and beautiful craftsmanship. The beauty and richness of each temple is a means of worshipping the deity it honors. In creating a great temple for Yahweh, Solomon hoped to please his god by constructing the finest place of worship possible.

To build his great temple Solomon needed to

exchange goods with other countries so he could

acquire materials that would be sufficient to honor

such divinity. One figure Solomon approached was

Hiram, King of Tyre, in Phoenicia. Fortunately, Hi-

ram was willing to trade with Solomon. While the

Phoenicians could have responded aggressively to

the Israelites, they negotiated peacefully, and both

sides benefited from the exchange. The Phoenicians

received the food and oil they needed to survive,

while the Israelites received the wood they needed

to craft Solomon’s Temple.Many years later, this remarkably peaceful ex-

change of goods became memorialized in the Isra-elites’ holy text, the Old Testament. The historic fact of a trade between two nations and the construc-tion of a holy place in Israel thus took on religious connotations. A passage from the Old Testament, 1 Kings 5, describes this trading process, reconstruct-ing a dialogue between the two negotiating rulers, and showing the intercession of the Israelites’ god in the historic construction of the temple:

And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest to

me for: and I will do all thy desire concern-ing timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir. My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be dis-charged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire in giving food for my household. So Hiram gave Solo-mon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire. And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together. (1 Kings 5:8-12)

Hiram provides Solomon with “timber of ce-dar” and “timber of fir,” the trees Solomon needed for his temple. In turn, Solomon provided Hiram with “twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil.” The two leaders traded honorably, and Solomon was able to honor his god without opposition from his enemy. Instead, by honoring Yahweh, Solomon was able to strengthen his nation’s relationship with the country of Tyre. Rather than fighting, as so many other leaders did over Israel and Judah, Hiram worked with Solomon to exchange goods. Both nations benefited as a result, and a historic act of trade became memorialized as evidence of the Israelites’ god rewarding his people for their faithfulness to him.

Unit 2, Lesson 4 11


tosupporttheRomanmilitary.OneoftheearliestoftheseleaderswasknownasHerodtheGreat(40–4B.C.E.).TheJewsdidnotlikeHerodverymuch;heappearstohavebeenacruelandunforgivingman.Yethehadmanyachieve-mentsastherulerofJudah,includingthecreationofmanyfabulousbuildingsthroughouttheregion.However,thefinancialburdenofsuchcreationfellontheJewishcitizensofJudah.HerodalsomadeJerusalemhiscapitalandworkedtorepairSolomon’sTemplethere.JewscametoJerusalemfromaroundtheworldtoworshipatthetemple.

WhenHeroddied,hissonArchelaos(4B.C.E.–6C.E.)tookoverleadershipoftheregion,albeitbriefly.Archelaoswasmuchcruelerthanhisfather,andtheJewsprotestedhisruletothecurrentRomanemperor,CaesarAugustus.CaesarAugustusremovedArchelaos,butthenmadeJudahintoaprovincegovernedbyaRomanprefect,ratherthanasemi-independentnationruledbyaking.PrefectswouldgovernJudahforthenextseveraldecades.Withtheexceptionoftheyears41–44C.E.,whenKingAgrippaIwasbrieflyappointedtogovernJudah,rulershipbyRomanscontinueduntil66C.E.

Alltold,lifeunderRomanrulebecameincreasinglydifficultfortheJews.AlittleoveracenturyafterRome’sinitialconquest,theRomansandJewsfoughtinanothersustainedconflict,theJewishWars(66–74C.E.).By73C.E.,theRomanshadburntdowntherebuiltversionofSolomon’sTemple.Today,onlyaportionofthatrebuilttemplestillstands.KnownastheWesternWall,theremnantsofthetemplearestillvisitedbypilgrimsfromacrosstheglobe,whoconsideritoneoftheholiestofplaces.

The Western Wall in Jerusalem is the only surviving portion of Solomon’s second temple.

Unit 2, Lesson 4 12


TheRomansdestroyedalltheirJewishopponents:theymurderedaquarteroftheJewslivinginJudahandmadeslavesoutofatenthofthem.TheRomansalsopushedmoreJewsintoexile,forcingthemoutofthecountrythatsomanyofthemhadfinallybeenabletocallhome.ThistreatmentledtoamovementcalledtheDiaspora,atermmeaning“dispersal,”inwhichtheIsraelitesrecognizedtheirpeopleasafaithratherthannationality.Fromthispointon,theybecameknownasJews.WherevertheJewssetuptheirhouseholds,theybuiltreligiouscentersandfollowedthecommandmentssetforthbyYahweh.Thus,whiletheJewslivedamongmanytypesofpeoplethroughoutAsia,theydidnotbecomefullyintegratedwiththem.Instead,theypreservedtheirstatusaswhattheybelievedthemselvestobe:thechosenpeople.

From73to300C.E.,JewsextendedthisDiasporathroughoutAsia,Africa,andEurope.TheytraveledtotheregionsnowrecognizedasNorthAfrica,Iraq,France,Italy,Germany,Austria,Bulgaria,Bosnia,Belgium,Turkey,andGreece.Astheytraveled,theirnumbersincreasedtooverfourmillion.

Main Ideas of The TalmudThemostimportantholytextinJudaismisknownastheTanak.TheTanakin-cludesthreesectionsandisnamedaftertheinitialsforeachsection.Asawhole,theTanakcompromisesthesameinformationfoundintheProtestantversionoftheOldTestament.ThefirstsectionoftheTanakistheTorah,whichitselfhasfivesmallersectionsrangingfromGenesistoDeuteronomy.ThesecondsectionoftheTanakistheProphets,whichincludessmallersectionssuchasSamuel,Kings,andIsaiah.ThethirdsectionoftheTanakistheWritings,anditincludestheProverbsandthePsalms.

TheTalmudisanothertextaltogether;itisnotholybutisanessentialpartofunderstandingandapplyingtheTanaktodailylife.TheTalmudwascreateddur-ingthe500sC.E.toexplainhowpreviousJudaictraditionscouldbetranslatedtowhatwasseenatthetimeasthemodernworld.Inaway,theTalmudisanalogoustotheChristianNewTestament,sincebothinterprettheTanak,whichisusedinChristianityastheOldTestament.

TheTalmudisbrokenupinto40booksinEnglishandisbestunderstoodasaseriesofteachings,conversations,andideasaboutelementsofJudaicfaithandtradition,accompaniedbyparablesandtales.TheTalmudhasseveralsections,includingexcerptsfromthelegaldiscussionsofatextcalledtheMishnahanddiscussionandanalysisoftheMishnah,whichisknownastheGemara.TheGe-marahelpsreadersunderstandhowtointerpretandfollowtheideassetforthintheMishnah.JewsstudiedtheTalmudfaithfullyandthoroughlyforcenturies;itisstillstudiedtoday.

OnefinalimportantelementoftheTalmudistheideathattheTorahitselfactuallyexistsintwoways,inwritingandthroughmemory.TheTanakservesastheversionoftheTorahinwriting;theTalmudisatoolthatcanbeusedtoaccesstheTorahthroughmemory.SometimestheTalmudcanbedifficulttounderstandorinterpret,sinceitdoesnothaveatableofcontentsormoretraditionalstruc-ture.Forthatreason,othertextssuchastheMishnahTorah,writtenbyMoses

Diaspora dispersal of the Jews from their homes in Judah and Israel throughout the world

4SELf-chEcK

When the people of

Judah complained

about the leadership of

Archelaos, what action

did Caesar Augustus

take in response?

Unit 2, Lesson 4 13


Maimonides(1135–1204C.E.),andJosephCaro’sShulhanArk(ca.1550C.E.)areusedtohelpscholarsgainabetterunderstandingoftheTalmudandJewishlaw.

SummaryMonotheisticreligionsdevelopedintheancientworld.InPersia,ZoroastrianismdevelopedbasedontheteachingsofZarathustra.Zarathustraproposedtheideaofsalvationandthatasupremegod,AhuraMazda,wasbattlingevilforces.PeopleinEgyptandAfricaalsobecameinterestedinmonotheism.However,monotheismdevelopedmostextensivelyintheMiddleEastinaregioncalledIsrael.Overtime,thepeopleofIsraelbegantoworshipasupremegodnamedYahweh.ImportantfiguressuchasAbrahamandMosesencouragedfollowerstomakeacovenantwithYahweh,statingtheywouldworshipnoothergods.Theirnewreligion,Judaism,encouragedpeopletobehavemorally,followtheTenCommandments,andabidebytheteachingsoftheTorahandtheTalmud.Soon,thepeopleofIsrael,ortheJews,wouldencounterpersecutionfromallsides,includingfromtheAssyrians,NewBabylonians,andRomans.Yetdespitetheirsuffering,mostJews’faithwouldonlygrowstronger.

Looking AheadJudaismwouldbecomeanincrediblyimportantreligion.ItsinfluencewassoonfeltinthedevelopmentofothermonotheisticreligionssuchasChristianityandIslam.Christianitywouldarisefirst,stemmingfromtheteachingsofaJewishmannamedJesus,whiletheJewsthemselveswerestillstrugglingtoemergefromtheRomanEmpire’scontrol.WhiletheJewscontinuedtorefinetheirunderstandingofreligiouslawandthemeansbywhichtheywouldworship,afactionofdevotedfollowerswouldfollowJesus’steachingsandformulatethemintoareligionthatwouldbecomeevenmorewidespreadthanJudaismitself.

1. Zoroastrianism placed emphasis for the first time on an all-powerful god, the idea of being saved at the end of life, and the connection between goodness (on the side of that god) and an evil opponent.

2. Jews honor the Sabbath by resting on the seventh day of the week, just as Yahweh rested on the seventh day after creating the world.

3. King David is King Solomon’s father.

4. When the people of Judah complained about the leadership of Archelaos, Caesar Augustus removed Archelaos from power. However, he then placed a Roman prefect in charge of Judah: as a result, Judah lost some of its independence.

SELf-chEcK AnSwERS

Unit 2, Lesson 4 14


Unit 2, Lesson 4All images © K12 Inc. unless otherwise noted. 1 Jerusalem wall and dome. Medioimages/Photodisc/Thinkstock. 3 Darius, King of Persia. © The Art Archive/Gianni Dagli Orti. 5 Hieroglyph at Temple of Amon-Re, Karnak. © Wojtek Buss/age footstock. 11 The Holy Bible, According to the Authorized Version (A.D. 1611) Vol 2, ed. Frederic Charles Cook (New York: Scribner, Armstrong & co., 1874), 507–8. 12 Jerusalem wall and dome. Medioimages/Photodisc/Thinkstock.


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