History of ancient Israel and Judah: Difference between revisions
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The people today known as 'Jews' are descended from the southern half of ancient Israel. Most people mistakenly think that the southern Kingdom was only populated by those Jews from the tribe of Judah and Bejamin, but this is not exactly so. |
The people today known as 'Jews' are descended from the southern half of ancient Israel. Most people mistakenly think that the southern Kingdom was only populated by those Jews from the tribe of Judah and Bejamin, but this is not exactly so. |
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In Bibical times, Israel was originally one country. Eventually, it suffered a tragic civil war which split it into two parts. This happened in 922 BC. Jeroboam led the revolt of the northern tribes and established the (northern) Kingdom of Israel. It consisted of nine landed tribes: Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, Dan, Manaseh, Ephraim, Reuben and Gad, and some of Levi [which had no land allocation]. This makes ten tribes, which later became known as "the lost ten tribes". However, Manaseh and Ephraim technically count as just one full tribe, so their were really eight full landed tribes, and part of one tribe without land. Samaria was its capital. |
In Bibical times, Israel was originally one country. Eventually, it suffered a tragic civil war which split it into two parts. This happened in 922 BC. Jeroboam led the revolt of the northern tribes and established the (northern) Kingdom of Israel. It consisted of nine landed tribes: Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, Dan, Manaseh, Ephraim, Reuben and Gad, and some of Levi [which had no land allocation]. This makes ten tribes, which later became known as "[[lost tribes of Israel|the lost ten tribes]]". However, Manaseh and Ephraim technically count as just one full tribe, so their were really eight full landed tribes, and part of one tribe without land. Samaria was its capital. |
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Judah, the southern Kingdom, has Jerusalem as its capital and was led by King Rehoboam. It is populated by the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Simeon (and also some of Levi). Simeon and Judea later merged together, and Simeon lost its separate identity. |
Judah, the southern Kingdom, has Jerusalem as its capital and was led by King Rehoboam. It is populated by the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Simeon (and also some of Levi). Simeon and Judea later merged together, and Simeon lost its separate identity. |
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Revision as of 04:51, 27 April 2002
The history of ancient Israel and Judah is in many ways the history of the Hebrew people, also referred to in this historical context as the Israelites. A significant source of information is the scriptures found in the Jewish Tanach / Christian Old Testament. The absence of independent evidence confirming the biblical narrative cause many scholars to question the accuracy or even the veracity of the historical account. According to them, the Patriarchs, Moses, David, and Solomon are little more than legendary figures, though possibly based on historical events and persons.
The history traditionally begins with Abraham being promised by God that he would become the father of a great nation. Historians believe that events behind this story took place circa 1800 BC. Somewhere near this time, Terah and his son Abram (later named Abraham) move from the Sumerian city of Ur to the city of Haran. Abraham declares his belief in the One God, which initiates the beginning of Judaism. Abraham marries Sarai (later named Sarah). Abraham and his extended clan move to the land of Canaan (Israel). (Biblical ccount)
Abraham's grandson Jacob was later renamed Israel, and his 12 sons became the fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Gad, Napthali, Asher, Joseph, and Benjamin.
Jacob's son Joseph, of the famous coveted colorful coat, became a powerful man in Egypt and the Israelites went there seeking relief from a famine. They stayed and over time grew in number; eventually their descendents became slaves. Joseph had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh; these became the names of two tribes to replace the tribe of Joseph. Issac's blessing gave Ephraim and Manasseh each a half portion; each of them thus legally constitues a half tribe. Since each counts as only 1/2 of a full tribe (each is one half of the line of Joseph), there are effectively 12 full tribes. Looked at another way, although this increased the number of tribes to 13, the tribe of Levi did not acquire territory in Canaan, so there remained twelve territories belonging to twelve tribes in Canaan.
How did the descendents of the Israelites become slaves? The historical background behind this narrative is unclear, but some historians believe that this may have been due to the changing political conditions within Egypt. In 1600 BC, Egypt was conquered by Asian tribes known as the Hyksos. The Hyksos are later driven out by Kamose, the last king of the seventeenth dynasty. Between 1540-1070 BC, Amhose founds the 18th Egyptian dynasty, and a new age for Egypt, The New Kingdom. Thutmos II established Egypt's empire in western Asia. By 1440 BC we come to the Egyptian reign of Amenhotep II. It is here that the first mention of Hapiru (possibly the Hebrews) is found in Egyptian texts.
The immediate historical background to the story of Moses and the Exodus is tied to the events of Egypt at this time. In 1365 BC, Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) comes to power. He unsuccessfully tries to promote a form of monotheism with the Sun god 'Re' as creator. His successor is Tutankhamun (King Tut). By 1295 BC Egypt's 19th dynasty begins with the reign of Ramses I. Ramses II (1279-1213 BC) fills the land with enormous monuments, and formed an alliance with the Hittites. By 1300 BC (and this is only a rough estimate) Moses was born. If this dating is correct, he would be a prince of the royal Egyptian court.
Moses later led the people out of Egypt, after the famous confrontation with Pharoah and the great plagues. According to the Biblical narrative, the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years and eventually came to "the promised land" in Canaan (Palestine). Moses died before entering Canaan, and Joshua became the next leader. According to the book of Joshua, they invaded and took over, killing most of the inhabitants; however, according to the later Biblical bookswhat actually happened was that there was a limited series of battles, and most of the previous inhabitants of the land were not killed. These later books are more in accord with modern day archaeological findings.
1200 BC. The Hittite empire is conquered by allied tribes from the north. The northern, coastal Canaanites (called the Phoenicians by the Greeks) are temporarily displaced, but return when the invading tribes show no inclination to settle.
The Egyptians called the horde that swept across Asia Minor and the Mediterranean the Sea Peoples. At the head of this alliance of Sea Peoples were the Peleshet, known in the Bible as the Philistines. They possibly originated on the island of Crete.
Around 1200 BC, Israel was led by a series of judges for many years before establishing a true kingdom. In 1185 BC the Sea Peoples invade Egypt, but are repelled. The Peleshet are deflected northward, and settle in Canaan, in the cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ashdod.In 1140 BC the Canaanite tribes try to destroy the Israelite tribes of northern and central Canaan. The Israelite response is led by Barak, and the Hebrew prophet Devorah. The Canaanites are defeated.
1030 BC. The tribes settle in the land of Israel; A time of unrest and strife. Saul became the first king of the Israelites in approximately 1020 B.C. David succeeded him in 1006, and moved the capital from Hebron to Jerusalem. David waged several successful military campaigns, annexing Philistia, Edom, Moab, Ammon, and parts of ancient Aram (Syria) known as Aram-Zobah, and Aram-Damascus. Aram itself became a vassal state of Israel under David.
David was succeeded by Solomon in about 965, who constructed a Temple at Jerusalem and had a prosperous reign. However, on Solomon's death in 926 the kingdom began to fragment, bisecting into the kingdoms of Israel in the north (including the city of Jericho) and Judah in the south (containing Jerusalem).
In 922 BC, the Kingdom of Israel divides. Judah, the southern Kingdom, has Jerusalem as its capital and is led by Rehoboam. It is populated by the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Simeon (and some of Levi). Simeon and Judea later merged together, and Simeon lost it separate identity.
Jeroboam led the revolt of the northern tribes and established the Kingdom of Israel, which consisted of nine tribes: Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, Dan, Manaseh, Ephraim, Reuben and Gad (and some of Levi). Samaria is its capital.
Israel fell to the Assyrians in 721 B.C., and Judah to the Babylonians a little over a century later in 597. For further history of the territory comprising ancient Israel and Judah, see Palestine.
The people today known as 'Jews' are descended from the southern half of ancient Israel. Most people mistakenly think that the southern Kingdom was only populated by those Jews from the tribe of Judah and Bejamin, but this is not exactly so.
In Bibical times, Israel was originally one country. Eventually, it suffered a tragic civil war which split it into two parts. This happened in 922 BC. Jeroboam led the revolt of the northern tribes and established the (northern) Kingdom of Israel. It consisted of nine landed tribes: Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, Dan, Manaseh, Ephraim, Reuben and Gad, and some of Levi [which had no land allocation]. This makes ten tribes, which later became known as "the lost ten tribes". However, Manaseh and Ephraim technically count as just one full tribe, so their were really eight full landed tribes, and part of one tribe without land. Samaria was its capital.
Judah, the southern Kingdom, has Jerusalem as its capital and was led by King Rehoboam. It is populated by the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Simeon (and also some of Levi). Simeon and Judea later merged together, and Simeon lost its separate identity.
In 722 BC, the Assyrians, under Shalmaneser, and then under Sargon, conquered Israel (the northern Kingdom), destroyed its capital Samaria, and sent the Israelites into exile and captivity. Much of the nine landed tribes of the northern kingdom become 'lost'. However, what is less commonly know is that many people from the conquered northern kingdom fled south to safety in Judea, the Southern Kingdom, which maintained its independence. By this time the nation of Judah then was populated with Israelites from Judah, Bejamain, Shimeon, some of Levi, and many from all of the other tribes as well.
729-687 BC. Reign of King Hezekiah of Judah. One of the greatest kings of Judah; He initiated reforms that eliminated idolatry. http://scholar.cc.emory.edu:80/scripts/ASOR/BA/Borowski.html
687-638 BC. Reign of King Manaseh. 638-637 BC. Reign of King Amon. These two kings reversed Hezekiah's reforms and revived idolatry.
637 - 607 BC. The reign of King Josiah is accompanied by a religious reformation. While repairs were made on the Temple, the Book of the Law was discovered (this was probably the book of Deuteronomy). http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/gerald_larue/otll/chap19.html
612 BC. King Nabopalassar of Babylonia attacks and destroys the Assyrian capitol city of Nineveh and regains Babylonia's independence. The Assyrian empire is destroyed.
587 BC. Babylon, under King Nebuchadnezzar II, seizes Jerusalem. The First Temple is destroyed. The date is the 9th of Av, Tisha B'av. http://www.jajz-ed.org.il/festivls/9avrka.html
586 BC. Conquest of Judah (Southern Kingdom) by Babylon. A large part of Judea's population is exiled to Babylonia.
722-586 BC. The First Dispersion, the Diaspora. Jews are taken as slaves, or flee to Egypt Syria, Mesopotamia, and Persia. http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/History/Exile.html
559 BC. Cyrus the Great becomes King of Persia. http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/History/Persians.html
539 BC. Babylonian Empire falls to Persia under King Kyros.
550-333 BC. Persian Empire rules over Israel.
537 BC. Cyrus allows Shesbazzar, a prince from the tribe of Judah, to bring Babylonian Jews back to Jerusalem. Jews were allowed to return with the Temple vessels that the Babylonians had taken. Construction of the Second Temple is begun. http://jeru.huji.ac.il/ec1.htm http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Judaism/return.html
520 - 515 BC. Under the spiritual leadership of the Prophets Haggai and Zechariah, the Second Temple is completed. At this time the Holy Land is a subdistrict of a Persian province.
480 - 323 BC. Classical Greek period. Persian War, Peloponnesian war. http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/thucydes.htm http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/sophists.htm
In this time period, Alexander conquers the near and middle east. http://www.wallop.demon.co.uk/alexander/
Development of early democracy. Height of Athenian culture. http://mars.acnet.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/wc1/lectures/07democracy.html
444 BC. The reformation of Israel is led by the Jewish scribes Nehemiah and Ezra. Ezra institutes synagogue and prayer services, and canonizes the Torah by reading it publicly in Jerusalem to the Great Assembly. Ezra sets up the Great Assembly.
Ezra and Nehemiah http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/gerald_larue/otll/chap25.html http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/judaism/FAQ/03-Torah-Halacha/faq-doc-8.ht ml
332 BC. The Empire of Alexander the Great includes Israel. The Persian Empire is defeated by Alexander. http://mars.acnet.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/wc1/lectures/09alexander.html
323 BC. Alexander the Great dies. In the struggle for power after Alexander's death, the part of his empire including Israel changed hands at least five times in just over twenty years. Babylonia and Syria are ruled by the Seleucids and Egypt is under the Ptolemies.
323 - 31 BC. Hellenistic Greek period. Library at Alexandria built. The great altar of Zeus and Athena is built at Pergamon. Rome defeats Macedonia (168) and sacks Corinth (146).
301 BC. Ptolemy I Soter becomes the last Ptolemic ruler of Israel.
250 BC. The beginning of the Pharisees (rabbinic Jews), and other Jewish sects such as the Sadducees and Essenes. http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Judaism/The_Temple.html
200 BC. A separatist Jewish community forms at Qumrum, near the Dead Sea, possibly by members of the Essene sect. Their records are discovered 2,000 years later and are called 'The Dead Sea Scrolls'. http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/Shokel/940825_Dead_Sea.html http://sunsite.unc.edu/expo/deadsea.scrolls.exhibit/intro.html http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Archaeology/dead1.html
198 BC. Armies of the Seleucid King Antiochus III (Antiochus the Great) oust Ptolemy V from Judea and Samaria.
The Maccabe Rebellion, Chanukah and the Hasmonean Kingdom 180 - 142 BC.
In 66 AD, Roman soldiers loot Jerusalem, which is then seized by a sect of Jews called the Zealots. Roman military reinforcements from Syria are defeated by the Zealots. The Revolt lasts until 73 AD. In 67 AD, Vespasian and his forces land in the north of Israel; They receive the submission of Jews from Ptolemais to Sepphoris. The Jewish garrison at Jodeptah is massacred after a two month siege. By the end of this year Jewish resistance in the north has been crushed.
In 69 AD, Vespasian seizes the throne after a civil war. By 70 AD, the Romans occupy Jerusalem. Titus, son of the Roman Emperor, destroys the Second Temple on the 9th of Av, Tisha B'av. Over 100,000 Jews die during the siege, and almost 100,000 are taken to Rome as slaves. Many Jews fled to Mesopotamia (Iraq) and other countries around the Mediterranean.
Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai escapes from Jerusalem and obtains permission from the Roman general to establish a center of Jewish learning and the seat of the Sanhedrin in the outlying town of Yavneh. Judaism survives the destruction of Jerusalem through this new center. The Sanhedrin becomes the supreme religious, political and judicial body for Jews worldwide until 425 AD, when it is forcibly disbanded by the Roman government under pressure by the Christian Church. [13]
In 73 AD, the last Jewish resistance is crushed by Rome. At the mountain fortress of Masada, the last defenders are thought to have commited suicide rather than be captured and be sold into slavery.
200 BC - 100 AD. Throughout this era the Tanach (Hebrew Bible, Old Testament) is gradualy canonized.
People
Kings of Israel
Kings of Judah
Places
Things
Related
- Bible, Old Testament, Torah, History of Levant; see especially JEDP theory for a discussion of important issues in the use of the Bible as a historical source.