Western Civilization - Chapter 3.4, The Origins of Judaism Notecards

Palestine

A country in West Asia that speaks Arabic.

Canaan

An ancient Semitic speaking civilization and land of the Southern Levant during the late second millennium BC.

Hebrew

A member of an ancient people living in what is now Israel and Palestine. According to biblical tradition, they descended from the patriarch Jacob.

Torah

The law of God recorded in the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures. (The Pentateuch.)

Old Testament

The first part of the Christian Bible, comprising 38 books- most of which were written in Hebrew.

Abraham

An Old Testament patriarch, known by Jews as the founder of the Hebrew people through his son Isaac.

Book of Genesis

The Bible’s origin story, detailing the creation of the world, the introduction of sin, and its consequences.

Yahweh

A form of the Hebrew name for God used in the Bible.

Polytheism

The belief in more than one God.

Monotheism

The belief in one God.

Covenant

An agreement.

Exodus

The departure of the Israelites from Egypt.

Passover

The major Jewish festival that commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

Moses

The Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the Exodus from Egypt.

Ten Commandments

A set of fundamental rules given by God to the prophet Moses on Mount Sinai.

Wandering in the Wilderness

Refers to the Biblical narrative of the Israelites’ 40 year journey through the desert after they were freed from slavery.

Twelve Tribes

The ancient Israelite peoples, descended from the twelve sons and grandsons of Jacob/Israel. They took possession of the Promised Land after Moses’ passing.

Talmud

The body of Jewish civil and ceremonial law and legend comprising the Mishnah and the Gemara.

Philistines

Ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan during the Iron Age.

Judaism

The monotheistic religion of the Jewish people.

Jews

A member of the people whose traditional religion is Judaism.

Saul

A monarch of ancient Israel and Judah, and the first king of the United Monarchy.

David

A Hebrew shepherd who became the second king of Israel.

Solomon

The fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah.

Israel

Kingdom in ancient Palestine comprising the lands occupied by the Hebrew people.

Jerusalem

A city in the Southern Levant, the capital of Israel.

Great Temple in Jerusalem

The two ancient Jewish Temples that stood on Temple Mount, the most sacret site in Judaism.

Ark of the Covenant

A secret golden-plated wooden chest that held the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s rod, and a pot of manna, acting as a symbol of God’s covenant with Israel.

Judah

The fourth of the six sons of Jacob, and the founder of the Tribe of the Israelites.

Tribute

Payment made periodically by one state or ruler to another, especially as a sign of dependence.

Babylonian Captivity

The period when the Babylonian Empire under King Nebuchadnezzar II conquered Jerusalem.

Jewish-Roman Wars

A series of large-scale revolts by the Jews of Judea against the Roman Empire between 66 and 135 BC.

Masada

An ancient fortified palace and plateau in Israel, meaning stronghold in Hebrew.

Diaspora

The dispersion or spread of a people from their original homeland.

Synagogues

The building where a Jewish assembly or congregation meets for religious worship and instruction.

Antisemitism

Hostility to or prejudice against Jewish people.

Ancient Levant

The historical region of the Eastern Mediterranean, made of modern-day Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and parts of Syria.

Western Wall

One of the last remaining walls of the Temple Mount, and a place of prayer and pilgrimage sacred to the Jewish people.

Dead Sea Scrolls

A collection of ancient Jewish manuscripts, including biblical texts and other religious writings.

Hanukkah

A lesser Jewish festival lasting eight days starting on Christmas, to commemorate the rededication of the Temple in 165 BC by the Maccabees after its desecration by the Syrians.