What is a contribution credited to the Hebrews?

Answer 1

Monotheism

Answer:You have asked a wide-ranging question with many hundreds of details in its answer. I'll provide a few examples.

1) The Jews' monotheistic religious tradition shaped the Western beliefs about God.

2) The 7-day week, including a day of rest for every one.

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 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. Professor and former President of the American Historical Association, William L. Langer (in The History of Childhood):Children, being physically unable to resist aggression, were the victims of forces over which they had no control, and they were abused in almost unimaginable ways.

Answer 2

Three major contributions, the first, and most important being their monotheistic religious traditions.

1. Christianity, 2. Judaism, and heavily influenced Islam.

The others are more of just what came from these religions, such as the 7 day week.

Also, they shaped the western concept of God. The concept of Morality was also the

work of the Hebrews. The dignity and value of a person.

That's about all I can think of!

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The following are Jewish ("Hebrew") ideas. They were weird, bleeding-heart-liberal,

naive, unworkable restraints on the functioning society when they were introduced:

-- People do not own people.

-- Murder, robbery, adultery, cheating are not acceptable in civilization.

-- Cruelty to animals is not acceptable.

-- Parents are responsible for teaching children.

-- Infants are to be protected and cared for, whether or not they turned out to be

the sex you were hoping for.

-- Government is accountable to a higher authority.

-- Punishment must fit the the crime. The penalty for causing the loss of an eye is

no more than the monetary value of the eye. A robber repays double to his victim,

or works it off. Cutting off the hands of a robber is unacceptable.

-- The value, importance, and rights of men and women are equal.

-- It is the responsibility of the community to support the widow, the orphan, the poor,

and the stranger passing through. Not when the spirit moves your heart, but now.