Why are the Hebrews regarded as a principal source of western tradition?

Answer 1

Even though there have been a relatively small number of Jews, the faith of Christianity was based in part on Jewish tradition and belief. As a result, the Jewish Holy Book, The Bible became a central part of European history and identity along with the foundation of many laws.

Judaism also represented a fundamental shift from the Hellenistic Worldview in which a person was valued by what he could do (i.e. fight as a warrior, earn lots of money, etc.) to who he could be (i.e. loving, caring, empathetic, etc.). The idea that a person should attempt to love his neighbor instead of out-compete him is of Jewish origin. This, of course, has been subsumed by Christianity.

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

2) The 7-day week.

3) The concept of morality was also the work of the Hebrews, including the dignity and value of a person.

Also:

-- Parents are responsible for teaching children.

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

-- Cruelty to animals is not acceptable.

-- Government is accountable to a higher authority.

-- A robber repays double to his victim, or works it off. Cutting off the hands of a robber is unacceptable.

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

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Answer 2

The long, rich history of Judaism gives the Western world much of its shape today. Many of the laws, traditions, culture and values are directly attributable to Judaism. Here are a few examples:
1) The Jews' monotheistic religious tradition (Deuteronomy 6:4) shaped the Western beliefs about God.
2) The 7-day week (Exodus ch.20), including a day of rest for everyone. This weekly rest was a concept unique to the Israelites.

3) The concept of morality (Leviticus ch.18-19) was also the work of the Hebrews, including the dignity (Genesis 5:1) and value of a person (whereas idolatry had tended to go hand in hand with cruel, licentious and excessive behavior, since the caprices which were narrated concerning the idols were adopted as an excuse to imitate those types of behavior).

(See: Cruelties of the polytheists)

4) Women's rights were carefully maintained in Judaism. Israelite women could own property, could initiate court cases, could have their own servants, and could own fields and businesses; and the Torah specifies marital rights for women (Exodus 21:10).

5) Under Israelite law, 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 only mature, land-owning males had any legal status.

6) The Western diet is a reflection of much of the Judaic dietary law. With the exception of the pig, Western society does not eat species not contained in kosher law (Deuteronomy ch.14). Owls, mice, insects, rats, snakes, cats and dogs are not eaten by most Westerners and it is a direct result of Jewish culture.

7) Parents are responsible for teaching children (Deuteronomy ch.11). Illiteracy among Israelites, in every generation, was rare. Universal education in the Western world is taken for granted today, yet this is a recent development. In Judaism, however, it goes back for more than 3300 years. Judaism has always maintained that education is the highest goal of man in his pursuit of godliness. This tradition has now been passed on to Western culture.

8) Infants are to be cherished, protected and cared for, whether or not they turned out to be the gender you were hoping for. Compare this to societies in which unhealthy babies, or females, were killed.

9) Cruelty to animals is not acceptable.

10) 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 (Talmud, Sanhedrin 19a).

11) A robber repays double to his victim (Exodus 22:3), or works it off. Cutting off the hands of a robber is a punishable crime. 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" code, 3:10).

12) Western jurisprudence in general is based in part upon Judaic Torah-observance. A quick look at the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) and the laws that follow (Exodus ch.21-23) gives a summary of most modern law.

13) It is the responsibility of the community to support the poor (Deuteronomy ch.15), the widow, the orphan, and the stranger passing through (Exodus 22:20-21).

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: Infanticide was practiced among classical European nations until it was stopped by the influence of Judaism and its daughter-religions. 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."

See also:

More about Judaism's impact

How did Jewish ideas spread?

Answer 3

Some quaint, weird, new and unusual, strange practices of the ancient Hebrews
that became adopted by a few modern societies:

-- don't kill your baby even if it's not the gender you wanted

-- people don't own people; even if someone works for you,
he gets one day off in every seven; that's not your choice.

-- animals have feelings; you have no right to treat them with cruelty.

-- teach your children

-- help your neighbor when he's in a jam

-- help those who don't have enough to get by; It doesn't depend on
how warm your heart is, or whether the spirit moves you, or even how
much extra you have or don't have. It's a responsibility, not a choice.

-- honor your parents

-- killing and stealing are not allowed

-- honesty in business, buying, and selling;

These, and many other examples of "common sense", are all
Jewish ideas that were largely unknown in the ancient world until
Judaism introduced them.