Scriptural Narrative
1. The explanation in The Bible is that it started with a man named Abraham who lived in Ur [Babylon]. God commanded him to move to Caanan, so he did, taking with him Abraham, his son, and Sarah, his wife. * Then there was Joseph [the one with the colourful coat]. After being sold into slavery in Egypt and rising to high position there, in a time of famine he moved his relatives, and thus, Judaism, to Egypt. * A few generations later Egyptians again ruled over them (many report that the slaves were Jews) but it was the Hebrews as slaves. The Jews are not mentioned till later. In John 8:33 The Jews said they were never in bondage to any man. God promised to Moses the freedom of the Hebrews, and not the Jews as many have reported. The ten plagues were visited upon Egypt, and Moses led the Hebrews back to Canaan.
2. The term "Jew" is first used in the Old Testament in the Book of Esther 2:5. * The term "Jews" is first used in the Book of 2 Kings 16:6. * The Hebrews are mentioned only (And Not the Jews) in the first 5 Books of Moses. * It refers to the people, primarily members of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, who were exiled from the Land of Israel when the Kingdom of Judah was defeated. * Background: After the time of King Solomon (David's son) the nation of Israel split into 2 kingdoms: the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. The Kingdom of Judah's capital was Jerusalem, on the border between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and included those 2 tribes, and the tribe of Levi (who were very connected to the Temple in Jerusalem). The Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah were both defeated and forced into exile. The Kingdom of Judah, on the other hand, maintained many attributes of a nation, including a connection to a land and a set of beliefs (which of course includes many variations). Many of them returned to the Land of Israel after approximately 70 years in exile, and re-established their kingdom in Israel for roughly 400 years before being defeated by the Romans. * It is true that the Kingdom of Judah (and therefore the Jews) does includes only part of the original Nation of Israel, but 2 relevant points:
According to the censuses in the Bible, the Kingdom of Judah was similar in size to the Kingdom of Israel, and included more than just the tribe of Judah, so the claim that "Jews" refers to just 1/12 of the original Nation of Israel is inaccurate.
The Kingdom of Israel was dispersed, and maintained no connection to their original identity. Therefore the Jews constitute the only group that considers themselves to be part of the original convenant between God and the Nation of Israel, and bound by that covenant.
3. In Israel. Read the books of Genesis, Exodus, Judges, 1st and 2nd Samuel and 1st Kings to get a good idea of their early history. They wound up scattered all over Europe because the Romans destroyed their country and deported them in 72 A.D. Jewish tradition names Abraham as their first ancestor. He came from Ur, and was most likely a tribal leader who brought his people west towards Canaan, a land promised to his descendants by God. Contemporary writings attest to a group of tribes known as "Habiru", "Hapiru" or "Abiru" that came from the deserts and cities of Iran and Iraq. They seem to be separate from the nomads and bedouins we know of today, and held quite a lot of power, and posed a threat to the kingdoms already occupying the lands they passed through. The Bible shows Abraham in contact with several of these kingdoms, possibly as a mercenary, and he bought land in Hebron as a burial ground for his wife and himself. * The Jews were probably a loose confederation of different tribes, some of which went to Egypt during times of famine and gradually came to be slaves until the great Exodus. The Bible makes it clear that there were already kinsmen of theirs in Canaan, when they came back and gradually took over the land of the ancient Canaanites, as promised by God. * Like most other nations, they probably originated as groups of separate peoples, who came together during times of stress, unified by a common God and history.
4. Please see the link SimpleToRemember.
5. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their families lived in the Holy Land. Their earlier ancestors came from Mesopotamia.
What Scholars Propose
For the original population, as distinct from today's Jewish population (see above): Currently biblical scholars recognize three possible scenarios explaining Israel's rise to power in Canaan:
1. the Conquest theory: that Israelites came in from the outside and conquered the land;
2. the Peaceful Settlement theory: in which it is argued that Israelites entered gradually, settling in the sparsely populated areas of the central highlands; and
3. the Peasant Revolt or Social Revolution theory: that Canaanites rose up against their overlords. See link The Problem of Israel's Origin.
Another Answer
Our tradition (Jewish tradition) is that we are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as described in the Biblical book of Genesis. Abraham was born in Ur; and his ancestors and relatives lived in the Fertile Crescent adjacent to the Euphrates river. This tradition has been substantiated by DNA analysis of Jewish communities all over the world, showing them to be inter-related and of Middle Eastern origin. We possess the names, dates, and (in some cases) the family trees of our ancestors and leaders in an unbroken chain for 3800 years.
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 teach belief in One God; and it is in his merit that Jews continue to exist (Genesis 18:19, and ch.17).
Abraham (18th century BCE) came from ancestry that had been God-fearing a couple of centuries earlier but had afterwards slipped into idolatry (Joshua 24:2). Nimrod, the idolatrous tyrant, had brought Abraham's father (Terah) from the Semitic ancestral seat near the conjunction 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 Abraham 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 taught disciples (Talmud, Yoma 28b), gave tithes (Genesis ch.14), strove to raise a family (Genesis ch.15, 17, and 24) which would serve God (Genesis 18:19), made 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).
All of these forms of behavior 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.
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, according to our tradition, 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.
An Historical View:
The people who became the Hebrews were part of the general Semitic people of the eastern Mediterranean. They were known to the Egyptians as Habiru - hill tribes of pastoralists and brigands in the highlands of what became Judah. These tribes became better organised and started to expand their territory. The stories of David and Solomon are much exaggerated - witness the archaeological absence of all the palaces etc claimed; they were most likely over-chief of a confederation of tribes.
However by the 8th Century BCE the tribes had a territorial area from Galilee to Jerusalem. The northern tribes were conquered by the Assyrians in the latter part of that century, and their aristocracy taken off to Assyria, replaced by a foreign one which would be unlikely to sympathise with fomenting rebellion against Assyrian rule (so no, the ten tribes were not deported and lost, the mass of people remained). Nearly a century and a half later, the same thing happened to the southern kingdom, at the hands of the Babylonians - the aristocracy deported, the people remaining behind.
Judaism was a missionary religion, converting people all around the Mediterranean and then further afield later on. The actual ethnicity of Jews expanded well beyond the Semitic people known as Hebrews. Just as Greeks transitioned to people who adopted Greek culture, and Slavs the people who adopted Slavic culture, Jews became people who adopted Jewish culture. Over the centuries, quite different ethnics have come under the umbrella of all those cultures, with wide varieties of skin colour, physical characteristics, language and religion.
It originate from Germany they call it lebkuken there.
from the ritual, (Christian) antisemitism started when Christianity was merely a branch of Judaism and the Christians did not like all of the ritual and ceremony involved in Judaism. Though there was a lull in the second and third centuries, the persecution has gone on since. Naza antisemitsm is arguably the natural progression of Christian antisemitsm, though the Roman Catholic Church would argue against it (they would also argue that Christian anitsemitsm does not exist). i hope that answers your question.
The birth of Abraham (1812 BCE), who founded what is now called Judaism. See also:More about AbrahamA more detailed timeline of Judaism
Judaism believes that God is eternal and therefore does not have an origin.
Where does the last name Goldsberry originate from?
Judaism
southwest Asia
No, the regional designation of "Palestine" was not invented by the Romans over 1000 years after Judaism came into existence. Judaism originated in Cana'an.
Abraham was born in the Babylonian city of Ur.
Abraham founded Judaism 3700 years ago.
According to tradition, it was 3800 years ago.
Islam did not originate in India. Christianity did not. Judaism did not. Baha'i did not. Zoroastrianism did not.
Israel (which was once called Canaan. See Exodus 3:8).
Judaism originated in the city of Ur Mesopotamia after God told Abraham that he would have a child even though his wife had already gone through metopause. God told him that he would be the father of many nations. These being christianity, Islam, and JUDAISM. He is the ancestor of David and Jesus.
Judaism began when Abraham started practicing the ways of God, and teaching others, in his birthplace of Ur. Later he continued in Canaan.
*Note that these are scholar estimates* Judaism-500 BCE Islam-610 CE Christianity-33 CE Buddhism-490-560 BCE
There is no such thing as a Jewish Church. Judaism doesn't have that kind of organization. Jewish beliefs originated in the land of Israel and evolved all over the world.