A History of the World: Chapter 6: The Israelites

A group of people in Southwest Asia known as the Israelites were different. Unlike other cultures of the day, they worshipped only one God.

The Israelites believed that God sent prophets, or messengers, to share God's word with the people.

The belief in one all-powerful, just, and personal God is called monotheism.

As stated in the Hebrew Bible, Jacob's 12 sons became the leaders of tribes, or separate family groups.

These plagues were events that caused problems for the Egyptians, such as locusts devouring the fields or outbreaks of disease.

The departure of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt is known as the Exodus.

On their way from Egypt, according to the Hebrew Bible, the Israelites received a covenant, or agreement with God.

The Torah made clear what God considered to be right and wrong. One important part of the Torah is the Ten Commandments.

This dye was extracted from shellfish along the Phoenician coast.

One of the Phoenicians' important contributions was an alphabet, or a group of letters that stand for sounds.

The Israelites believed the ark was a sign of God's presence and that having it with them in battle would ensure victory.

A fine musician and poet, David is believed to have written many of the sacred songs found in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Psalms—also found in the Christian Bible.

Through trade and treaties with other peoples, Solomon brought a long period of peace to the region.

He is believed to be the author of proverbs, or wise sayings, that are recorded in the Hebrew Bible.

These tribes founded a separate kingdom, Israel.

The people of Judah survived the Assyrian conquests, but their freedom did not last.

When people are exiled, they are forced to leave their home or country.

It is believed that small groups of Jews began to meet at synagogues, or Jewish houses of worship.

According to tradition, the Sabbath lasts from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.

Led by a scribe named Ezra, the Jews wrote the five books of the Torah on pieces of parchment. They sewed the pieces together to make long scrolls.

God disapproved and made the people speak in different languages. The people could not communicate with one another.

Because reading the Torah was central to Jewish life, religious teachers became important community leaders.

Today, food that is prepared according to Jewish dietary laws is called kosher.

These groups of Jews living outside of the Jewish homeland became known as the Diaspora. Diaspora is a Greek word that means "scattered."

A group of Jewish scholars in Egypt copied the Hebrew Bible into Greek. This Greek version, called the Septuagint, helped people who were not Jews to read and understand the Hebrew Bible.

Led by powerful generals, the Romans expanded their empire.

They urged the people to practice the Torah's teachings with greater devotion.

The Sadducees favored cooperation with the Romans.

As tensions between Romans and Jews in Judaea increased, the Zealots prepared to act.

Despite losing their struggle for independence, the Jews regrouped with the help of their rabbis, or religious leaders.

Some jars were empty, but in others he found ancient scrolls of leather, papyrus, and copper. These documents, written between 200 B.C. and A.D. 68, are called the Dead Sea scrolls.