The First Israelites

Who Were the Israelites?

• Small group of people who believed in one God– Monotheistic

• Their religion is now known as Judaism, and its followers are called Jews– It influenced Christianity and Islamic religions

Who Were the Israelites?

• Israelites spoke the Hebrew language

• They wrote down much of their history in the Hebrew Bible

Origins of the Israelites

• Israelites believe they are descendants of Abraham– In the bible, God told

Abraham and his followers to leave Mesopotamia and go to Canaan.

• In return, the land

would belong to them

Origins of the Israelites

• Jacob was Abraham’s grandson– He raised 12 sons

• Each the head of a tribe (family group)

– These groups became known as the 12 tribes of Israel

• A long drought forced the Israelites to leave Canaan and go to Egypt

From Slavery to Freedom

• Pharaoh enslaved the Israelites in Egypt– Ordered all baby boys

to be thrown into the river (preventing rebellion)

• One mother hid her son on the riverbank

– He was discovered by pharaoh’s daughter

» Named him Moses

From Slavery to Freedom

• Around 1290, Moses had a vision (burning bush) of God telling him to lead the Israelites from Egypt

From Slavery to Freedom

• According to the Bible, God sent 10 plagues to trouble Egypt– The last one killed all first-born children

except for those of Israelites who marked their doors (Passover)

From Slavery to Freedom

• These plagues convinced pharaoh to let the Israelites go

• As the Israelites left, pharaoh changed his mind and sent an army after them

From Slavery to Freedom

• The bible says that God parted the Red Sea to allow his people to pass– When the Egyptians followed, the waters fell back and

drowned them

From Slavery to Freedom

• The escape from Egypt is called the Exodus

What are the 10 Commandments?

• God promised Moses that he would lead the Israelites back to Canaan if they followed his laws

– Known as a covenant (agreement)

10 Commandments

– The worship of God and He alone– No worship of idols– Keeping the Sabbath day – Respecting father/mother– Don’t murder– Faithful marriage– Don’t steal– Don’t lie– Don’t want things that do not belong to you– Avoid jealousy

The Promised Land

• Once the Israelites reached Canaan, they found people already living there

• Joshua led them into battle to conquer the land– The land they seized was divided among the

12 tribes of Israel

The Phoenicians

• The Phoenicians lived in cities along the Mediterranean Sea

The Phoenician Alphabet

• One of their most important ideas was an alphabet– Group of letters that stand for sounds– Used to spell out the words of their language– Made writings simpler and helped people

keep records

• This alphabet influenced the Greeks and Romans