How did the religion of the ancient israelites differ from those of its neighbors?

Answer 1

Archaeologists have traditionally looked for the relative absence of pig bones at a settlement site, to determine whether the inhabitants were Hebrew or otherwise. However, some scholars have recently pointed out that this is not a reliable guide, since pigs are difficult to manage for traditionally nomadic people; therefore the absence of pig bones could simply mean that the site had been settled by nomadic pastoralists.

There are some clues in potsherds that were discarded by the inhabitants, but even this is controversial. It is generally accepted that because there was a sudden increase in the population of the Palestinian highlands just prior to 1200 BCE, this is evidence of the arrival in Canaan of the Hebrews. However, some scholars have noticed that the style of pottery usually associated with the Israelites did not begin until around 1000 BCE, suggesting the possibility that the Hebrews did not arrive in the territory until just before 1000 BCE.

Answer:

There are no clear monumental differences between the earliy Hebrews and their neighbours. Like their near neighbours, the Hebrews were a Semitic people. They spoke a West Semitic language. Hebrews are different mainly because

1. they perform circumcision
2. at the time, they were the only monotheists around.

Answer 2

1) The Jews' monotheistic religious tradition was, for centuries, unique.

2) The 7-day week which included a day of rest for everyone, was a novel concept in the ancient world.

3) The concept of morality was also the work of the Hebrews, including the dignity and value of a person. Under Israelite law, everyone had recourse to the courts. A child, widow, wife, etc., could initiate legal action against any citizen to redress perpetrated harm. Compare this to those societies in which only mature, land-owning males had rights.

Also:

4) Parents are responsible for teaching children. Illiteracy among Israelites, in every generation, was rare.

5) Infants are to be protected and cared for, whether or not they turned out to be the gender you were hoping for.

6) Cruelty to animals is not acceptable.

7) Government is accountable to a higher authority. In other ancient societies, the monarch was all-powerful. Among the Israelites, however, the king was under the constant scrutiny of the Divinely-informed prophets, who didn't hesitate to castigate him publicly for any misstep in the sight of God. And, other than for the crime of rebellion, the king couldn't punish any citizen by his own decision. He was obligated by the Torah-procedures like everyone else.

8) A robber repays double to his victim, or works it off. Cutting off the hands of a robber is unacceptable. Debtors are not imprisoned or harmed. They are made to sell property and/or work to repay what they owe. Compare this to the Roman practice by which anyone could accuse a man of owing them money and the debtor could be killed.

9) It is the responsibility of the community to support the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger passing through.

It is important to note that every one of the above was instituted among the Hebrews (a.k.a. the Israelites) thousands of years earlier than in other nations. Here's just one example: Aristotle, who was among the greatest of the Greeks, and Seneca, the famous Roman, both write that killing one's young babies is perfectly acceptable.

Answer 3

At that time of Abraham the Hebrew, the area where he lived was full of pagan cults; they were polytheistic, worshiping multiple deities. Abraham was the first to advance the idea of ethical monotheism: the worship of One God, and the appropriate ethical code of conduct.
Judaism differed from other ancient religions in the following ways:1) It was the only religion in which God spoke to the entire assembled nation (Exodus ch.19) of over two million people.

2) It made a complete break from the surrounding idolatry. Their monotheism (belief in One God) set the Jews apart because other ancient nations did not share it. We've heard (for example) of Greek mythology and Roman mythology. What not everyone is aware of is that idolatry tended to go hand in hand with cruel, licentious and excessive behavior, since the caprices which were narrated concerning the pagan gods were adopted as an excuse to imitate those types of behavior.

(See: cruelties of the polytheists)

Compare that to God, who reveals His attributes in the Torah as wise, kind, holy, and pure. God is One, so the command to imitate His attributes (Deuteronomy 8:6) was (and is) a straightforward matter once one is even minimally familiar with the Torah.

(See: What do Jews believe God is like?)

Accordingly, Judaism was:

3) The only ancient religion in which a large percentage of its adherents were literate and scholars.

4) It was the only religion in which the people were ruled by God, with no need for a king, for several centuries (see Judges 8:23 and 1 Samuel 8:4-7).

5) The concept of morality was also the work of the Hebrews' religion, including the dignity and value of a person. It is the responsibility of the community to support the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger passing through.

6) Under the law of Judaism, everyone had recourse to the courts. A child, widow, wife, poor person, etc., could initiate legal action against any citizen to redress perpetrated harm. Compare this to those societies in which (at most) only mature, land-owning males had rights.

7) Government is accountable to a higher authority. In other ancient societies, the monarch was all-powerful. Among the Israelites, however, the king was under the constant scrutiny of the Divinely-informed prophets, who didn't hesitate to castigate him publicly for any misstep in the sight of God.

(See: What was the role of the Israelite prophets?)

And, other than for the crime of rebellion, the king couldn't punish any citizen by his own decision. He was obligated by the Torah-procedures like everyone else (Talmud, Sanhedrin 19a).

8) A robber repays double to his victim, or works it off. Unlike in many other ancient societies, in Judaism debtors are not imprisoned or harmed. They are made to sell property and/or work to repay what they owe. Compare this to the Roman practice by which anyone could accuse a man of owing them money and the debtor could be killed (Roman Twelve Tables of Law, 3:10).

It is important to note that every one of the above existed in Judaism thousands of years earlier than in other nations. Here's just one example: Infanticide was practiced in classical European nations until Judaism and its daughter-religions put a stop to it.

Answer 4

The Hebrew people were West Semitic people, closely related to their neighbours such as the Canaanites, from whom most historians now believe they were descended, and the Phoenicians and Aramaeans. Biblical tradition says they were descended from Abraham, from Ur of the Chaldees, and therefore eastern Semitic people, but there is no real difference between the Semitic people of east and west.

The religion of the Hebrew people was also almost indistinguishable from that of their neighbours, at least until the time of the late monarchy in Judah. Lang (cited in English by Keel and Uehlinger in Gods, Goddesses and Images of God in Ancient Israel), tells us: "In the four and a half centuries during which there were one or two Israelite monarchies (ca. 1020-586 B.C.), there was a dominant, polytheistic religion that was indistinguishable from that of neighboring peoples. Insofar as there were differences between the Ammonite, Moabite, Edomite, Tyrian, etc. versions of religion, these beliefs stayed within the framework of Near Eastern polytheism, and each should be interpreted as a local variant of the same basic pattern. The Israelites . . . venerated their own protector god who was there to provide for health and family. But they venerated Yahweh [God] as well, the regional and national god, whose special domain dealt with war and peace issues."

After the destruction of Israel, Judah moved towards monolatry, at least as its official religion, although there is evidence of polytheism continuing right up to the time of the Babylonian Exile. By the time of the Babylonian Exile, Judaism had become strongly monotheistic and made considerable efforts to wipe out all memory of its polytheistic past.

Answer 5

The ancient Israelite worshipped 1 God exclusively. The neighbors around the Israelites worshipped gods made of wood and stone.

Answer 6

Israelites had their own country, religion and had many miracles done to them.