Chapter 25: Section 3
Judaism and Christianity
LEQ(s)
What were the main religious beliefs of the ancient Hebrews?
How did Judaism influences Christianity?
What were the teachings of Jesus?
Why did Christianity attract a large following?
III. Judaism and Christianity
A. Background History
- 1800 B.C. – drought and famine drove some nomadic Hebrews from Canaan (later called Palestine), on the eastern Mediterranean coast.
- the Hebrews migrated to Egypt where they became enslaved; there, their leader Moses led them out of bondage
- the people moved to the Sinai Peninsula, according to Hebrew tradition, Moses heard the voice of God and agreed to a covenant of faith
- the covenant, or binding agreement, meant that the Hebrews accepted God as the ruler of heaven and Earth
- in return, God made the Hebrews the chosen people on Earth
- the Hebrews set up a small state of Canaan, that existed for a relatively short time
- they were eventually called Jews after the name Judea given to their land
- their beliefs and values have influenced the world today
B. The Kingdom of Israel
- the Hebrews emigrated from the Sinai Peninsula to the Fertile Crescent
- 1025 BC – they formed the kingdom of Israel
- ancient Israel was located in Canaan, which was a buffer area between the Egypt and Mesopotamia
- David and Solomon were its two greatest kings and the kingdom flourished
- King David, was known for being a great general and uniting Israel into a power
- David’s son, Solomon, was known for his wisdom and reigning in an era of peace
- the capital was Jerusalem and it had outer walls of stone and inner walls of wood covered with gold
- 930 BC, Solomon dies, and his reign caused some discontent because of his policy of heavy taxes
- revolts also weakened the kingdom after his death
- the Kingdom of Israel was conquered by foreign rulers and the Hebrews were forced into exile
- 500 BC – the Persians conquered the Fertile Crescent and they allowed the Hebrews to return
- the Hebrews rebuilt Jerusalem, but were ruled by a series of foreign rulers such as the Persians, Greeks, and the Romans
- 70 AD – the Jews, as the Hebrews came to be called, revolted against Roman rule
- many Jews died and the survivors were forced out of Palestine, the scattering of Jews is known as the Diaspora
- in scattered communities they preserved their religious and cultural traditions
- throughout history they have contributed to science, medicine, business, and the arts in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas
C. Teachings of Judaism
- the Hebrews were different than other religions at the time because they were monotheistic
- their holy book is called the Torah (Christians adopted the Torah as the first 5 books of the Bible)
- law was important to them as seen in their Ten Commandments
- the commandments urged people to respect and honor God, also they forbade stealing, lying, cheating, and murder
- the Torah and Hammurabi’s code are similar because they both focused on behavior in everyday life
- they are different in that the Torah stressed kind treatment of slaves unlike the Hammurabi’s code
- the beliefs were called Judaism, and they stressed living a moral life
- religious teachers, called prophets, warned of God’s wrath if they did not follow their duties
- unlike other Middle Eastern rulers, the Jews did not regard their own leaders as Gods
- Zoroastrians, influenced the Jews because they taught that people had to pick between good and evil
D. Rise of Christianity
- grew out of Jewish traditions in Palestine
- the founder of Christianity is Jesus
- he lived during Roman rule, and the stories of his life come from Christian sources called the Gospels
- Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a small town near Jerusalem
- he was a carpenter and he studied with rabbis (Jewish scholars and teachers)
- Jesus became a preacher when he was about 30 years old
- he taught the poor about God’s goodness and mercy and the Gospels recorded that he performed miracles such as healing the sick and raising the dead
- he attracted many disciples or followers
- Jewish prophets predicted a messiah, or one anointed by God, who would deliver the Jews from foreign rule and restore the kingdom of Israel
- some Jews believed that Jesus was the messiah
- most Jews did not believe in him and some even saw him as a trouble maker who opposed traditional laws
- with growing popularity the Roman Empire saw Jesus as a rebel
- Jesus rejected the divinity of the Roman Emperor and in 33 AD was arrested
- in typical Roman fashion Jesus was crucified, meaning he was nailed to a wooden cross and left to die of exposure
- Jesus stressed the 10 commandments and the belief in one God
- he also believed in many values such as equality, compassion, being humble, merciful, unselfish, and especially forgiveness
- Jew and non-Jew alike, regardless of wealth were all loved by God
- Jesus used parables, or short stories with simple moral lessons, to teach people to be kind to one another
- he also stressed that acquiring wealth on Earth did not guarantee salvation
E. Spread of Christianity
- the followers of Jesus became known as Christians (derived from the Greek word Christos meaning anointed)
- missionaries such as Peter and Paul spread the Christian word throughout the Roman Empire
- they spread Christianity with success especially with the aid of Roman roads and peace within the empire
- many Christians were persecuted for not believing in the Roman gods
- those who died for the cause were called martyrs (a martyr is anyone who dies for their beliefs)
- 313 AD – Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity
- 395 AD – Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire
- people liked the appeal of Christianity because it stressed eternal salvation and through moral choices people have a control over their destiny
- the church established a hierarchy of bishops and the head bishop ruled from Rome and became known as the pope, or father of the church
- the Roman Empire split in 395 AD and which resulted into the Roman Catholic church and the Byzantine Church
- each part refused to recognize the sovereignty of the other as head of the church