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God taught the Israelites about Himself - the one true God - through the agency of Moses.
Answer 2
Tradition states that it was Abraham (18th century BCE) who founded Israelite monotheism.
The Kuzari (Rabbi Judah HaLevi, 1075-1141) states that Abraham was gifted with high intelligence; and, as Maimonides (1135-1204) describes, Abraham didn't blindly accept the ubiquitous idolatry. The whole populace had been duped, but the young Abraham contemplated the matter relentlessly, finally arriving at the conclusion that there is One God and that this should be taught to others as well. This is what is meant by his "calling out in the name of the Lord" (Genesis ch.12). As a young man, he remonstrated with passersby in public, demonstrating to them the falsehood of their idols; and our tradition tells how he was threatened and endangered by Nimrod.
Subsequently, Terah relocated to Harran; and it is here that Abraham began to develop a circle of disciples (Rashi commentary, on Genesis 12:5).
Later, God told Abraham in prophecy to move to the Holy Land, which is where he raised his family.
He continued his contemplations, eventually arriving at the attitudes and forms of behavior which God later incorporated into the Torah given to Moses.
Wiki User
∙ 6y ago
Wiki User
∙ 15y agomonotheism has been around for thousands of years, there are so many religions that have come and gone so we dont know exactly. Islam, Christianity and Judaism say there have been people (prophets if you like) before who were contacted by God, as a Muslim I've been told Adam [pbuh] was the first monotheist.
Wiki User
∙ 6y agoTradition states that it was Abraham* (18th century BCE) who founded Israelite monotheism.(*See the list of Related Links.)
Abraham, tenth-generation descendant of Noah, of Hebrew lineage*, was the son of Terah, uncle of Lot, father of Isaac, grandfather of Jacob, and ancestor of the Israelites. His story is in Genesis ch.11 (end), through ch.25. Jewish tradition states that he was the first to actively spread belief in One God; and it is in his merit that Jews continue to exist (Genesis 18:19, and ch.17).
Abraham came from ancestry that had been aware of God a couple of centuries earlier but had afterwards slipped into idolatry* (Joshua 24:2).
By the time of Abraham, the area where he lived was full of pagan cults; they were polytheistic, worshiping multiple deities. Abraham became the first to advance the idea of ethical monotheism: the worship of One God, and the appropriate ethical code of conduct.
Nimrod, the idolatrous tyrant, had brought Abraham's father (Terah) from the Semitic ancestral seat near the confluence of the Balikh and the Euphrates, and instated him in a position of power in his army in the royal Babylonian city of Ur, where Abraham was born. Nimrod persecuted any who would question his idolatrous cult.
The Kuzari (Rabbi Judah HaLevi, 1075-1141) states that Abraham was gifted with high intelligence; and, as Maimonides (1135-1204) describes, Abraham didn't blindly accept the ubiquitous idolatry. The whole populace had been duped, but the young Abraham contemplated the matter relentlessly, finally arriving at the conclusion that there is One God and that this should be taught to others as well. This is what is meant by his "calling out in the name of the Lord" (Genesis ch.12).
As a young man, he remonstrated with passersby in public, demonstrating to them the falsehood of their idols; and our tradition tells how he was threatened and endangered by Nimrod.
Subsequently, Terah relocated to Harran; and it is here that Abraham began to develop a circle of disciples (Rashi commentary, on Genesis 12:5).
Later, God told Abraham in prophecy to move to the Holy Land, which is where he raised his family.
He continued his contemplations, eventually arriving at the attitudes and forms of behavior which God later incorporated into the Torah given to Moses.
Abraham became the greatest thinker of all time. His originality, perseverance, strength of conviction, and influence, cannot be overestimated.
Abraham, with God's help, trounced the supremacy of the evil Nimrod.
He received God's promise of inheriting the Holy Land (Genesis ch.13).
He strove to raise a family (Genesis ch.15, 17, and 24) which would serve God (Genesis 18:19); and God eventually blessed his efforts, granting him numerous descendants (ibid., ch.16, 21 and 25), in keeping with His promise (Genesis ch.17).
Abraham founded the Jewish people and lived to see his work live on in the persons of Isaac and Jacob; and he taught many other disciples as well (Talmud, Yoma 28b).
He saved the population of the south of Canaan from invading foreign kings (Genesis 14); and he was feared by neighboring kings (ibid., ch.12 and 20).
Abraham gave tithes (Genesis ch.14), entered into a covenant with God (Genesis ch.15 and 17), welcomed guests into his home (Genesis ch.18) unlike the inhospitable Sodomites (Genesis ch.19), prayed for people (Genesis ch.18), rebuked others when necessary (Genesis ch.20), eulogized and buried the deceased (Genesis ch.23), and fulfilled God's will unquestioningly (Genesis ch.22).
He became renowned as a prince of God (Genesis 23:6).
The gravesite of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their wives (Genesis 49:29-32) is located in Hebron and has been known and attested to for many centuries.
All of the above practices of Abraham were based upon the ways of God, which Abraham comprehended through his contemplations. These, and similar personality traits, were the teachings of Abraham and his descendants (unlike idolatry, which had no moral character whatsoever; with worship of the gods accompanied by practices such as human sacrifice, "sacred" prostitution, and animal worship).
It is therefore clear why God expresses His love for Abraham (Isaiah 41:8) and calls Himself the God of Abraham (Genesis 26:24), and says that Abraham obeyed Him fully (Genesis 26:5). And this is why Abraham is credited with having begun the religion which became known as Judaism. (However, Abraham and his descendants observed their traditions voluntarily, until the Giving of the Torah to Moses 3325 years ago, when God made it obligatory.)
***See also the Related Links.
1) Timeline of Jewish history
2) Archaeology
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Where did the Israelites practice their monotheism?
AnswerThe Bible tells us that the Israelites were at all times polytheistic, until the destruction of Israel in 722 BCE. The people of Judah adopted monotheistic Judaism during the seventh-century-BCE reign of King Josiah. At this stage it was limited to the city of Jerusalem and its immediate surrounds, still under the control of the king of Judah. The Jews have ever since practised monotheism wherever they were to be found.
What role did the ancient Hebrews play in monotheism?
They were the first group in the middle east to practice monotheism (or at least monolatry, which is an early form of monotheism).
Compare and Contrast polytheism and monotheism?
Monotheism is the belief in only one god Polytheism is the belief in many gods :)
What is monotheism What is polytheism Did the ancient Egyptians believe in monotheism or polytheism?
Monotheism is the belief in one god (Jews, Christians, Muslims). Polytheism is the belief in many gods(ancient Greece). Egypt also had a polytheistic religion.
What was the name of the empire that influenced monotheism?
There was really no ancient empire that practiced monotheism. The only two peoples of the western world that practiced it were the Jews and, briefly, the Egyptians. Monotheism in the form of Christianity flourished in the latter part of the Roman empire, but the empire did not influence Christianity, rather it was the other way around, with Christianity (monotheism) influencing the Roman empire.
Who first taught the Israelites to practice monotheism?
Abraham is conventionally considered the father of monotheism, but there were no Israelites in Abraham's time. Abraham's grandson, Jacob was given the name Israel after he wrestled with someone (his brother? an angel? God?) at the ford of Jabbok. His children were literally the Children of Israel, and the 12 tribes descending from him are collectively referred to as Israelites. Reading this question narrowly, Jacob was the first to teach his children monotheism, something he learned from his father who learned it from Abraham.
What are some of the Israelites achievements?
They believed in Monotheism.
What are some major achievements of the Israelites?
They believed in Monotheism.
What are some words associated with the ancient Hebrews?
Israelites Jews tribe Israel monotheism Torah
Was Islam was the first major world religion to teach monotheism?
No, there were many major religions before it that taught monotheism. Judaism is an obvious example.
How were the Israelites different from other groups at the time?
They believed in one god (monotheism) , almost all the other peoples believed in many polytheism).
Did muhammid teach that there was one god or many gods?
Muhammad taught monotheism, which is belief in the one God who created all.
Why is Polytheism forbidden in Islam?
Because Monotheism is the bedrock of Islam. There's only one God to this universe & this is what is taught in the holy Quran.
Why did the Israelites embrace monotheism?
The Bible itself tells us the the Kingdom of Israel and its inhabitants were at all times polytheistic. The Kingdom of Judah did eventually embrace monotheism, but this is believed to have taken place during the reign of King Josiah long after the final destruction of Israel. A large number of refugees had flooded south into Judah and it is possible that they had not integrated well into the culture of their sister-kingdom. The reforms undertaken by Josiah, including monotheism and written scriptures may have been intended to foster national unity.
Where did the Israelites practice their monotheism?
AnswerThe Bible tells us that the Israelites were at all times polytheistic, until the destruction of Israel in 722 BCE. The people of Judah adopted monotheistic Judaism during the seventh-century-BCE reign of King Josiah. At this stage it was limited to the city of Jerusalem and its immediate surrounds, still under the control of the king of Judah. The Jews have ever since practised monotheism wherever they were to be found.
How did the Hebrews belief in monotheism separate them from other people's of the time?
The Hebrew's belief in one God was in marked contrast to the many gods of the nations round about them at that time. Archaeologists who have deciphered ancient writing in Egypt, for example, have discovered that as they looked at the earliest dated records the beliefs tended closer towards monotheism, as evidence that something akin to this was the original religious expression of mankind. By the time the Israelites existed as a nation, this primitive monotheism which the Israelites themselves maintained continuously as their official religious expression had deteriorated into polytheism, often of the grossest kind, in other nations.
What do Monotheism believe in?
Monotheism is the belief of one god.
