I.Abraham and the origins of the Abrahamic Religion A.Abraham & his clan lived in Ur, probably around the time of Hammurabi (c. 1750) 1.Abraham leader of a patriarchal clan of Semites, was contacted by the god Yahweh 2.Yahweh made a covenant with Abraham a.Abraham & his people would worship only Yahweh b.They would live righteous lives according to the commands of Yahweh c.Yahweh would make Abraham and his people his "chosen" people as long as they remained obedient and worshipful d.Yahweh demanded that all males of Abraham's clan undergo ritual sexual mutilation as a sign of their submission to the will of Yahweh B.At the command of Yahweh, Abraham leads his clan of bedouin sheep-herders out from Ur 1.Travels into Kingdom of Mitanni, to Harran, where some of his relatives live 2.Abraham, at the command of Yahweh, migrates into Canaan (Palestine) C.Abraham, his wife Sarah, and their clan settle in Palestine 1.Their graves are in the cave below the Mosque of Machpela, in Hebron, in Palestine 2.Yahweh gives Palestine to Abraham and his descendants forever, as the "Promised Land" D.Yahweh tests Abraham 1.Abraham has two sons, Ishmael & Isaac a.Ishmael is the firstborn b.but Isaac is the son of Sarah 2.Yahweh demands that Abraham offer his son (which one?) as a human sacrifice, just to prove that Abraham is faithful 3.Yahweh intervened at the last moment, satisfied that Abraham was indeed faithful. 4.Yahweh promises to make a great nation from the descendents of Isaac (or was it Ishmael?) E.Abraham builds the first temple to Yahweh 1.The Lord commands that Abraham travel into Arabia, taking Hagar and Ishmael with him 2.When there, Abraham builds a temple to the Lord, using as the capstone a black stone that the Lord provided 3.This temple was a Mecca, and the black stone is currently built into the wall of the Ka'aba 4.At the insistence of Sarah, Abraham abandons Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness (now Mecca) 5.The Lord makes a spring so that Hagar and Ishmael will not die a.Well of Zem Zem, in Mecca, whose bitter waters remind uis of the bitter tears that Hagar wept when she was abandoned in the wilderness 6.The Lord promises to make a great nation from the descendents of Ishmael II.Abraham's Descendents and the Sojurn in Egypt A.Abraham begat Isaac B.Isaac begat Jacob (Israel) and Esau C.Jacob begat twelve sons with four wives D.These sons later migrated into Egypt during a famine E.Originally they were successfulm but eventually they were subjugated and kept as slaves by the Egyptians F.Many modern scholars think that Abraham's descendents migrated into Egypt as part of the Hyksos conquest, and that they were enslaved after the Hyksos were driven out because they were fellow travellers III.Moses and the Invasion of Canaan/Palestine, c. 1280 A.Yahweh contacts Moses, a Hebrew who had been raised as an Egyptian 1.Yahweh introduced himself as the God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, of the Hebrews 2.Yehweh tells Moses to lead the Hebrews (now called Israelites, since they are the descendents of Jacob/Israel) out of bondage in Egyot and to return them to the Promised Land 3.Moses pulls off many miracles, and eventually the Israelites emigrate from Egypt 4.Twelve tribes of Israel correspond to the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel B.Moses consults with Yahweh on Mount Sinai 1.The covenant with Abraham renewed, if the Israelites remain faithful and obedient 2.Yahweh issues the Ten Commandments 3.Stored in the Ark of the Covenant C.After Moses's death, Joshua leads the Israelites into Canaan, slaughtering everyone and everything in their path 1.God made me do it! 2.They carry the Ark of the Covenant before them, and it destroys their enemies with the power of Yahweh D.After Joshua, Israelites ruled by Judges, c. 1200-1000 1.Who interpret and enforce the laws of Moses 2.Who lead them in battle 3.Gideon, Deborah IV.Davidic Kingship, David & Solomon A.The Israelites clamor for a King, not more Judges 1.Yahweh sets up the warrior Saul as king, but does so unwillingly, saying that he is not ready yet, c. 1020-1005 B.Yahweh eventually reveals David as his personal choice to be King of the Israelites, c. 1005-965 1.Davidic Kingship 2.Anointed with holy oils 3.God's viceroy 4.Has an obligation to God, and to people C.David conquers Jerusalem, makes it his capital D.Solomon, David's son, rules after David, c. 965-925 1.Builds Temple at Jerusalem 2.Demands that all Israelites worship at the Jerusalem temple 3.Destroys all other altars to Yahweh in Israel 4.Makes the Jerusalem priesthood the caretakers of Yahweh worship V.The Divided Kingdom A.Solomon's son cannot hold Israel together, it breaks into two kingdoms 1.Israel in the North, with Samaria as its capital 2.Judah in the South, with Jerusalem as its capital a.Jerusalem Sacked by Sheshak, c. 875 b.Judah restored to prosperity, c. 780-740 B.Israel conquered by the Assyrians, who deport many of the Irraelites, c. 722 C.Judah holds out against Assyria, but was eventually conquered by Babylon, c. 586 1.Babylonian Captivity, c. 586-539 2. Strong Zoroastrian influnce on Hebrew Religion a. Angelology b. Eschatology c. Messianic Expectations (the Saoshyant) VI.The Prophetic Tradition A.Prophets, who speak the will of the Lord, often appear B.Call the people to repent, to return to the way of the Lord C.Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Micah, Amos D.They prophesy the appearance of a Savior who will restore the true worship of the Lord and triumph over evil E.They call for people to obey the Lord in their heart, not just in the law, and they begin to speak about an afterlife in Paradise 1.A Kingdom of God that is not of this world