A brief history of Judaism

•Hebrews.•Israelites.

•Jews.

ALL are from within JUDAISM as a culture, a people group

and as a religion.

Beginnings…• The story of Israel as a nation unfolds

beginning with the founding of the people by Abraham.

The journey to Egypt…• Long after the time of Abraham, an agricultural

crisis let the Israelites to move to Egypt.

• The JOSEPH story ~ Genesis 37, 39-50. (a long story highlighting its importance).

Slaves… in Egypt!• The Hebrews grew in number and were forced

into slavery by the Egyptians many years later.

• They were slaves for about 400 years – being used to build structures for the Egyptians.

Moses…

• Moses was born as a slave and hidden in a basket on the river Nile.

• Moses was then found by an Egyptian Princess who raised him in the royal palace.

• Moses grew up thinking he was an Egyptian until he realised who his family were.

• Moses killed an Egyptian for mistreating a Jewish slave.

Moses contd.

• Moses ran away and became a shepherd.

• One day he came across a ‘Burning Bush’ where he heard the voice of G-d.

• G-d told him to go back to Egypt to free the Hebrew/Jewish slaves.

• G-d told him that He would help him.

Moses back in Egypt…• Moses returned to ask

Pharaoh to let G-d’s people go free.

• Pharaoh refused and G-d sent 10 plagues in total to make Pharaoh change his mind.– Blood – Frogs – Vermin – Beasts – Cattle Disease – Boils – Hail – Locusts – Darkness – Slaying of First Born

FREEDOM!• After the last plague – the

death of the first born, Pharaoh decided to let the Jews go.

• But then Pharaoh changed his mind and chased after them.

• At the YAM SUPH (Red Sea) Moses held his staff over the water and the sea parted allowing the Jews to cross.

• When the Egyptians tried to cross the water came down over them and they were drowned.

Desert wanderings…

• After G-d gave Moses the Torah including the 10 commandments the Jews did not follow G-d’s ways.

• They were on their way to the Promised Land – Canaan, but G-d punished them for by making them wander around the desert for 40 years.

Into the Promised Land…• Over the next several centuries

Israel became a moderately powerful nation under Saul, David, and Solomon.

• After Solomon’s death the Kingdom was divided in two parts.

• The northern segment of Israel was overrun by the Assyrian Empire late in the 8th century BC.

• The southern part known as the nation of Judah was conquered by the Babylonians early in the 6th century.

Judah…

• After the Babylonians conquered Judah they made most of the people move to Babylon (Iran/Iraq).

• Eventually the Jews returned to their homeland.

• Next they were conquered by the Greeks.

• Then they were conquered by the Romans…

Expelled! Then return!

• The Romans occupied Israel until 70 CE when they finally expelled the Jews.

• The Jews travelled all over the world not having a country of their own for the next 2000 years until just after the second world war when the nation of Israel was reformed in Palestine. (1948).