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History of Judaism
The History of Judaism is the history of the Jewish people, their religion and culture, tracing back to the Biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob of the 18th c. BCE. The earliest mention of Israel as a people was discovered in an inscription on the Merneptah Stele from the 1200s BCE.
1,396 Questions
What is the difference in names between German Jews and German Christians?
The same as American Jews and American Christians. It's about the faith.
How were the Jews in Babylon set free?
King Cyrus announced that they were free to return to Israel (Judea).
When did the jews first exist?
The Jewish people are descendants of Abraham, whose Semitic ancestors lived in the Fertile Crescent and who lived most of his life in the Middle Eastern country of Israel (Canaan) 3800 years ago. Abraham is called a Hebrew (Genesis ch.14) because Hebrew (Ivrim) means descendants of Eber (Ever). Ever was an ancestor of Abraham (Genesis ch.10-11), and the early Hebrews were Abraham's uncles and cousins for several generations back. They were Western Semites and lived in northern Mesopotamia, near the confluence of the Balikh and the Euphrates.
Abraham gave birth to Isaac and Isaac gave birth to Jacob. Jacob was later renamed Israel (Genesis ch.35), which is why we're called Israelites. There were 12 sons of Israel, who formed the 12 tribes. The Israelites worshiped One God. One thousand years after Jacob, ten of the tribes were exiled to points unknown. The only complete tribes left were Judah and Benjamin; plus part of Levi. The few thousands who remained from the other tribes joined the Tribe of Judah; and modern Jews are mostly descendants of Judah (hence the word "Jew"). Even now, through DNA analysis, Jewish communities worldwide have been shown to come from a common Middle Eastern Semitic ancestry. The Cohanim, a family of the tribe of Levi, also share common genetics.
Today, "Judaism" and "Jewish" refer to all members of the tribes of Israel.http://judaism.answers.com/jewish-history/timeline-of-jewish-history
What day celebrates the start of the new year in the Jewish calendar?
There are Four Traditional New Years in Judaism.
1) Rosh Hashanah (Tishrei 1) This is when the calendars restart (i.e. Year 2000 -> 2001 etc.)
2) Nisan 1: The First Day of Jewish Liberation from Egypt.
3) Tu B'Shvat (Shvat 15) The birthday of the Trees.
4) Your Own Personal Birthday on the Jewish Calendar.
Even if we take the earliest possible date for Jewish slavery that the Bible suggests, the Jews were enslaved in Egypt a good three hundred years after the 1750 B.C. completion date of the pyramids. That is, of course, if they were ever slaves in Egypt at all.
Does Zola make an issue of Dreyfus's Judaism in J'accuse?
Yes; in this open letter he explicitly accuses the French government of anti-Semitism.
What gods did the Hebrews worship?
Jehovah [meaning "He causes to become"]. The personal name of God. Throughout the history of the Hebrews, they worshiped the One God, Jehovah. He was known as the True God, and the Hebrews worshiped Him all their lives. Although they had pitfalls, Jehovah remained to be the only true God they worshiped. Jehovah was the God that commanded Pharaoh to "Let his people go" (Exodus ch.5) and was also the one who led them to the promised land (Numbers 9:15-20). Also Jehovah was with the Israelites when they went to war and was the cause of winning the wars. Yes, the Israelites did get captured by the Babylonians and some may have worshiped their false gods, but true worship was restored when the Persian king Cyrus overthrew king Belshazzar some 2400 years ago. Jehovah was and is a very powerful, wise, merciful, and loving God always forgiving the Israelites when they repented for their errors. The name Jehovah is known in Hebrew as YHWH and is the correct name for God.
Answer 2
Dictionaries define "Judaism" as The monotheistic religion of the Jews, since the founding principle of Judaism was and is the belief in One God, creator of the universe. This was the teaching which was spread by Abraham, and has continued since then. From Judaism, belief in One God has spread through the Western world.
Jacob confiscated the idolatrous images taken from Shechem (Genesis 35:2) and got rid of them (Genesis 35:4); and refrained from invoking the gods of Nahor (Genesis 31:53). Rachel pilfered Laban's statue-images (Genesis 31:19) in order to prevent him from idolatry (Rashi commentary, ibid.). Joseph placed his hope in the God of the Forefathers (Genesis 50:24).
At the time of the Exodus, God wrecked the Egyptian idols (Exodus 12:12) and warned against idolatry (Exodus 22:19). Later, Moses characterized the Golden Calf as "a great sin" (Exodus 32:21, 30) and punished the worshipers (Exodus ch.32). During the rest of his lifetime and that of Joshua (Judges 2:7), no incidents of Israelite idolatry were reported.
These warnings came true. Many of the Israelites went astray after the foreign gods (Judges 2:11). However, they never invented their own idol. It was always the baneful influence of other peoples. And there were times when the entire Israelite nation repented (Judges 2:1-4) and prayed to God (Judges 3:9, 3:15, 6:6, 10:10).
Those who did sin did not represent or influence normative Judaism, just as the later Sadducees and Essenes did not. They were deviating from the Torah's standard; they were publicly, repeatedly, and scathingly excoriated by the prophets, and they caused God's retribution to come upon the entire people (2 Kings ch.17).
It should be noted that idolatry was never universal among the Israelites. The belief in One God was continued in every generation, whether by the few or the many; and it is those who handed down that tradition whose beliefs we Jews continue today. Deborah ascribed victory to God (Judges 4:14), Gideon tore down the idolatrous altar (Judges 6:25-27); Samson prayed to God (Judges 16:28), as did Hannah (1 Samuel 1:11) and Samuel (ibid. 12:18); Eli blessed in the name of God (1 Samuel 2:20), Saul built an altar to God (1 Samuel 14:35); Jonathan ascribed victory to God (1 Samuel 14:12), as did David (1 Samuel 17:46); and Solomon built the Temple for God (1 Kings 8:20). A number of the kings "did what was right in God's eyes": David (1 Kings 15:5), Solomon (see 1 Kings 3:3), Asa (1 Kings 15:11), Yehoshaphat (1 Kings 22:43), Yehu (2 Kings 10:30), Yehoash (2 Kings 12:3), Amatziah (2 Kings 14:3), Azariah (2 Kings 15:3), Yotam (2 Kings 15:34), Hizkiah (2 Kings 18:3), and Josiah (2 Kings 22:2). Part of this righteousness was their destroying whatever idolatrous incursions had occurred among the populace (1 Samuel 7:3-4, 2 Chronicles 15:8, 2 Chronicles 17:6, 2 Kings 18:4). Even at the height of the unfortunate spread of idolatry among the less-loyal Ten Tribes, there were thousands who remained loyal to God (1 Kings 19:18).
And, of course, the Prophets, who spoke in the name of God and warned against idolatry: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea and so on.
The later sages of the Talmud, who ridiculed idolatry (Megillah 25b), were simply continuing in the tradition of the Prophets whose verses are quoted in that context (ibid.).
While no excuse should be made for those Israelites who strayed, the following may at least clarify the topic a little.
1) The ancients were tested by a powerful lure towards idolatry. We don't understand it because conditions have changed (Talmud, Yoma 69b).
2) Most Israelites (if not all) who committed idolatry didn't completely forget about their One God. They introduced idols into the picture.
3) It was thought that each nation has its own god. They thought that they needed to propitiate the gods of the nations around them so that those gods "wouldn't give military victory" to those nations over the land of Israel.
4) They figured that they would acknowledge other gods "just in case," and that it would be no worse than someone today who carries a "lucky" penny or rabbit's foot.
There is both religious and secular zionism. Both concern the Jewish desire to live in our ancestral land.
Why did Palestinians fear Jewish immigration?
Palestinians feared Jewish immigration because they (correctly) believed it to be the precursor to the establishment of an independent Jewish State. The Jews who settled in the British Mandate of Palestine made their intentions very clear. The Palestinians were afraid that a Jewish state would serve to antagonize them and make their lives worse.
How where the Jews treated in the Middle Ages?
Terribly!
Middle East, North Africa, and the Balkans: The Roman Empire gives way to the Islamic Caliphates in the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire in Anatolia and the Balkans. The treatment under the Byzantine Empire is rather similar to that in Western Europe (see 2D). In the Islamic Caliphates, Jews are recognized and protected; and Anti-Semitism, though pervasive, is not strong, leading to pogroms and violence on a much smaller scale. Jews in the Arab World are taxed (both by head - jizya, and by land - kharaj). Jews in the Arab World were allowed to choose their professions (although there were professions that Jews tended to take because of lack of Moslem competition, like banking). Jews joined the Moslems in a cultural flowering across the Arab World. Rabbis in the Jewish communities in the Arab World corresponded with their counterparts in Europe to reach decisions in matters of Torah-law.
Western Europe: As the Roman Empire disintegrates, the Medieval Christian states begin to impose harsh laws on the Jews but allow them to practice Judaism openly if they follow these rules. Typically the community would be allowed to live in one neighborhood, called a "ghetto" (after the Venetian neighborhood so designated), under the stewardship of a Kahal (or Jewish Board of Directors). However, the cities allowing Jews to set up these types of neighborhoods were few and far between, leading many Jews to emigrate out of Western Europe and further east to find sanctuary. In addition, Jews were banned from many occupations which lead them into very specialized fields. Anti-Semitism was pervasive and common which lead to numerous pogroms and religiously incited massacres. Judaism was also defined religiously at this point, which meant that a Jew could convert to Christianity and become just as accepted to them as native-born Christians. Rabbis in these Kahals correspond with their counterparts in the Arab World.
Central and Eastern Europe: Jews begin to arrive in these regions due to more fluid borders and less stringent obligations. The Jews moving to Central and Eastern Europe (most often from Western Europe) are typically poorer than those who remained in the Western European cities. Anti-Semitism was still pervasive, but Jewish communities could usually avoid the major cities and instead live as farmers.
Where did Anti-Semitism take place?
The better question would be, "Where have Jews lived historically where there has been minimal or no Anti-Semitism?" for which the only answers would India and China. Every other country in which the Jews have resided have treated the Jews worse than the rest of the population at one point or another.
Where were pogroms initiated against Jewish people?
A significant number of Jews were murdered very soon after the Holocaust. In Poland. for example there was a horrific pogrom at Kielce on 4 July 1946 which resulted in the death of 37 Jews who had survived the Holocaust. The Kielce pogrom had all the classic features of a medieval or Tsarist pogrom. It began with a 'blood libel' (yes, a blood libel in 1946 against Holocaust survivors). The mob got into such a frenzy that it even stopped trains passing through the railway station at Kielce and searched them for Jews. A number of Jews were dragged from the trains and two were murdered. As if all this were not bad enough, some Polish bishops refused to condemn the pogrom. Others, while condemning the murders, refused to condemn the blood libel. In the Wikipedia article on the pogrom, Cadinal Wyszynski is reported as having said: "that the popular hatred of Jews was caused by Jewish support for Communism, which had also been the reason why "the Germans murdered the Jewish nation". Wyszyński also gave some credence to blood libel rumours commenting that the question of the use of Christian blood was never completely clarified " Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kielce_pogrom There were other pogroms and murders of Jew in Poland in 1945-46. Eugen Kogon, in Der SS-Staat (first published in 1947) gives a figure of 600 Holocaust survivors murdered in Poland in 1945-46. In Poland, it has been customary to blame all this on Soviet agents seeking to bring Poland into disrepute, but there is no sound evidence of Soviet involvement.
The Jews have had innumerable opponents over the centuries. A few include: Egyptians, Amalek, the Canaanite Tribes, the Philistines, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Macedonian Greeks, the Syrian Greeks, the Ptolemaic Greeks, the Romans, nearly every major government in Europe from 400 CE until 1700 CE, Nazi Germany, a number of Modern Islamic States, and the list goes on.
Admittedly, enemy is a strong word and not every group listed here is as prominent or as vile as every other, but all have in some way opposed the Jewish people either at a political level or existential level.
What were the organized massacres designed to frighten all Jews out of Russia?
They were called pogroms.
Why is the Sinai covenant the most important event in Jewish history?
because it was when the entire nation of the Israelites met God for the first time.
What religion was mostly practiced by the Hebrew people?
"Hebrews" (Ivrim) actually means descendants of Eber (Ever). Ever was an ancestor of Abraham (Genesis ch.10-11) and the earliest Hebrews were Abraham's uncles and cousins for several generations back. They were idolaters, as is evident from Genesis 31:30, 31:53, and Joshua 24:2.
It is only the Israelites (whom you probably intended in your Question), who were monotheistic. They practiced what is today called Judaism; the Torah and its commands.
There is often hyperbole in the media about comparing Zionist Israeli policy to Nazi German policy in order to create sympathy for the Palestinians. However, there are vast differences in the organization of ideals and direction of the governments, making these ideologies very different.
Persecution and Genocide
One of the hallmarks of Nazi policy was the quarantining of "Undesirables" in ghettos which were partial cities without sufficient food or living space. Then the "Undesirables" would be trucked to forced labor and extermination camps. This led to the deaths of 6 million Jews and 5 million non-Jews (primarily Slavs and Romani/Gypsies).
Israel has never organized any sort of genocidal campaign against any group. Although life is difficult for Palestinians in the West Bank under Israeli occupation, they are not rounded up, quarantined or subject to mass murder. The Palestinians in Gaza are under a blockade since the Hamas government almost always uses surplus supplies to wage war on Israel, but Israel still continues to provide the Gaza Strip with all of its electricity and 80% of its foodstuffs, the exact opposite treatment afforded by the Nazis to their "Undesirables". Of course, this fails to note how Arab Israeli citizens (ethnic Palestinians, Druze, Bedouins, and Arab Christians) receive equal treatment under Israeli Law and even have political parties which have participated in every Israeli Parliament, some of which are opposed to the Jewish State.
Industry Nationalization and Human Rights
Economically, the Fascist State tends to co-opt private industry and create an unholy political-industrial complex that makes the rights of its citizens secondary to the whims and desires of industry. This is to create a stronger impetus for production of military arms and manufactures. The Nazis were well known for their extensive collaboration with industrial manufacturers and the lessening of workers' protections.
Israel has some of the most comprehensive worker protections in the world and an incredible number of regulations for private industry. Israeli domestic policy would be considered socialist by American standards or Lib-Dem by British Standards or Moderate Gaullist by French Standards. While there is significant military expenditure in Israel, it is not co-opted by the government. Rather private manufacturers receive grants and subsidies, similar to what happens in the United States. Israel also has one of the most productive start-up economies, entirely outside of the government's interference.
Eugenics
The Nazis made very clear that they were trying to create a master race with a certain set of discernible physical features: blond hair, blue eyes, small nose, pale face, and had anatomical drawings of the Ãœbermensch which resembled the typical Swede. The Nazis researched the best ways to promote reproduction among those who "had desirable traits" and to limit reproduction among the Undesirables. Women in concentration camps, for example, were experimented on to prevent them from ovulating and thus effectively prevent their reproduction.
Aside from the fact that Jews in Israel are from all over the world (roughly 1/3 from Russia, 1/3 from the Arab World, and 1/3 from Western Europe and the USA, with sprinklings from elsewhere), there is no view in Israel of how a Jew should look. Further, there is no attempt to alter demography by preventing non-Jews from marrying and reproducing. In fact, aside for Religious Jews, Arab Israelis have the highest birth rates in Israel. While there are demographic concerns in Israel, no Israeli politician or organization has ever contemplated trying to prevent Arabs from marrying or having children, because this is not what Israel is about.
How was Jews deported and how?
you are smart they were deported becasue they wre jews and how idk i am still in school learning about this
Where did the ancient Hebrews come from originally?
no one knows for sure, but Abraham is described in the book of Genesis as coming from "beyond the river" and settling in Israel (then called Canaan).
- Answer 2
In 1934-39, excavations were conducted at ancient Mari on the Euphrates River. They found that ancient towns were named after the ancestors of Abraham:
The city of Nahor was found near the city of Harran which exists to this day. Equally clear signs of early Hebrew residence appear in the names of other towns nearby: Serug (Assyrian Sarugi), Terah (Til Turakhi, "Mound of Terah"), and Peleg (Paliga, on the Euphrates near the mouth of the Habur). All these names are found in Genesis ch.11. In 2000, the analysis of a report by Nicholas Wade "provided genetic witness that Jewish communities have, to a remarkable extent, retained their biological identity separate from their host populations, showing relatively little intermarriage or conversion into Judaism over the centuries. The results accord with Jewish history and tradition
What does zionism in europe mean?
The phrase "Zionism in Europe" does not mean anything different than the individual words "Zionism", "in", and "Europe" mean when put in sequence. There is no distinctly European form of Zionism, even though Zionism really developed in Europe, the concept was understood relatively uniformly in almost every country where it was discussed regardless of whether the Jewish community embraced it or rejected it.
What is the history of Jewish payis?
פֵּאָוֹת as they are known in Hebrew (English payot, payos, peyot or peyes) are the sidelocks often grown by Orthodox Jewish men. The name comes from pe'ah, meaning literally corners - which in turns comes from the Torah commandment found in Leviticus (19:27) which states: "You shall not round off the peya of your head." Peya was interpreted by the Rabbis as referring to hair growing in front of the ears and also explains why most Orthodox men have beards.
Payot are considered to have mystical importance too, forming a symbolic separation between the front part of the brain (which is said to govern abstract thought) from the back part (which is said to govern and control the body). This is very much part of the Jewish tradition of keeping separate the holy and everyday life.
What did the Lateran Council of 1215 decree for Jews?
1. Jews were banned from holding public office.
2. The various countries in Christendom were ordered (or urged - there is some disagreement about this) to make Jews wear a distinctive badge (such as a red or yellow star).
Are the Ashanti ancient Hebrews?
Hebrew Igbo
The Ashanti of Ghana
The Ashanti
The Ashanti, the predominate tribe in Ghana, formerly known as the Gold Coast is predominately believed to have come from North Africa and many fingers point to Egypt or Assyria. It has been pointed out by the first white men that came to Ghana and met the Ashanti noted the Egyptian like architecture and design, but just as equally some of these so called Egyptian and or Assyrian traits could also point to a Hebraic origin. For Israel was captive in both places and left an indelible mark on both as well as a little Egyptian and Assyrian influence rubbed off somewhat on Israel. Also noted by such men was the Semitic or Arabic appearance (facial features) of the Ashanti as well as the reddish hue to their brown skin, which is also an Igbo trait which is akin to Adam, whose name means red earth and David who was said to have a ruddy (reddish) complexion and both of which were of a dark complexion to boot. I have already established in my earlier works regarding the Igbo (which I have linked to Gad and other Israeli Tribes) that the first Hebrews and Jews were of a dark and reddish complexion.
Some believe and has voiced that the Ashanti may be related to the Yoruba and if so, no wonder they have things in common with the Igbo because the father of the Yoruba people was a traveling companion to Eri, the father of the Igbo people. Both the Igbo and the Ashanti holy men cover themselves in white chalk.
African tribal names usually mean, "The People of…" The name Ashanti may come from the Hebrew word "Ashan" meaning, "smoke" which is usually used in the context of the destruction of a city and may hint of the destruction of Israel by the Babylonian and Assyrian exiles or even the Roman ransacking of Israel. There was indeed a town in Judea called Ashan (I Chron. 6:59) corresponding to Joshua 21:6 where the word Ain according to the Jewish Encyclopedia may be a corruption or variant of Ashan. If this all be true it would mean the Ashanti may possibly predominately be Jews (Judah) Levites, Simeonites and Benjamites.
But much of this is still very circumstantial and possibly coincidental, though I myself am not a huge believer in coincidence. Are there more substantial links the Ashanti have with Israel?
The Evidences
Briefly, few striking Hebraic traits that are attributed to the Ashanti are morning baths in the river which is much like mikvah's (ritual baths/cleansings) by the Jews. Their sanitations laws closely mirror that of what is written in the Torah. They were originally a pastoral people until they were forced to move into the bush, which is similar to what has happened to the Igbos. The selling of prisoners of war as slaves or the enslavement of their fellow man in order to pay off a debt as it is found in the Torah, the five Books of Moses. Also when one dies, the place in which a person has expired is cleansed and locked up for nine days, which is like how in Leviticus 14 a room is shut up for seven days. They never fought on Saturday (Sabbath) they started their calendar in the fall like Jews and Hebrews. The Ashanti society is a Patriarchal one. There is a stool of authority which is uncannily similar to that of what is called in synagogues as the Seat of Moses and the Chair of Elijah. They practice intra-tribal marriages (Num. 36:5-12). They also had cross-cousin marriages (Num. 36:11-12). The preservation of the family line is of the utmost importance and it is considered a curse if a line dies out or if a woman is infertile, miscarries or a man dies with no sons. This is a very Hebraic trait, for we see the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of Scripture struggled with infertility and the Patriarchs often pleaded to God for sons. So in Israel, the preservation and perpetuation of the family line was very important to them as it is with the Ashanti. The whole process of the rituals and customs surrounding marriage is much like that of How Isaac married Rebecca (Gen. 24), insomuch as we even find a post Temple tradition; a cup of wine is given to the contracting familial parties and the drained cup is then smashed under the feet of the groom. This seems to indicate that if the Ahsanti are indeed Israelites, they come from the post second Temple era, and the Babylonian and Assyrian exile era. An Ashanti mother is separated and considered unclean 8 days after child birth and it is on the eighth day that the child is thus named (Lev. 15:19-29), all as we see are Hebraic customs and laws. Joseph J. Williams, S.J, PH.D, Litt.D. author of "Hebrewisms of West Africa" cites many more evidences, but has an interesting piece on how the Ashanti language is very similar to that of Hebrew and even how the name of their Chief Deity is a corrupted variant of the Hebrew Yahweh (pg. 56-60, 74-76). His book is definitely worthy of a read for more extensive information on the Ashanti. An Ashanti Herald wears a monkey skin cap, which is reminiscent of a Jewish yarmulke or kippah (skull cap).
Some argue that because they do not circumcise they cannot be of Hebraic descent, but Moses did not circumcise his son until God forced his hand and there was a time in the wilderness when Israel stopped circumcisions for a time. Such a ritual can become easily lost due to wanderings and the distance of time, from ones people and into that of another land and culture. Having the naming ceremony on the 8th day seems to be a hint that they used to circumcise their male infants.
Though other gods were recognized in Ashanti religion there was recognized a Supreme Deity called Nyame who was in character much like the Yahweh of the Hebrews. The Ashanti Priesthood had a turban with a circular metal piece very much like the Levitical priesthood that read "Holy unto YHWH." Not only that, but that had a square, 12 sectioned breastplate, similar to that which was worn by the Levitical priests! The Ashanti priests have a common saying regarding Nyame, "No priest may look upon the face of his God and live." We find this almost verbatim in Exd. 33:20. It was not forbidden to say God's Name as it became post Babylonian exile, which could indicate that if the Ashanti are Hebrews/Jews/Israelites, they came to Africa before or during the Babylonian Captivity!
The altar of Nyame is like that of a Hebrew altar, four cornered with a horn protrusion going slightly inward.
As I have noted with the Igbos, paganism is actually an indicator that an African tribe, coupled with other evidences may indicate that they are indeed Hebrews/Jews/Israelites. Why? Because in both the Igbo and Ashanti they not only worshiped a Supreme Deity, the lower gods under Him was sometimes seem more as ambassadors or manifestations of the One Supreme Being and or His attributes, and admittedly some were separate gods in and of themselves, but this should not concern us or surprise us, because Israel worshiped YHWH but in their depravity which caused them to be taken by Babylon and Assyria and dispersed, they worshipped the Canaanite gods of the neighboring peoples.
The greatest of Ashanti gods that was said to walk the earth and be the son of the Supreme Deity is Ta Kora, a type of redeemer which is uncannily similar to the personage of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah.
The Ashanti as has been said, starts its year in the fall as do the Jews and has a New Year and harvest festival much like that of the Jewish Rosh Hashanah/Yom Teruah (New Year/Feast of Trumpets, Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), there is even a libation ceremony like was done in Yeshua's day in the Temple, once again possibly indicating that if the Ashanti are Jews/Hebrews/Israelite they likely came to Africa after the Temple was destroyed.
The Ashanti has elephant tusk horns that resemble the shofarim (ram's horns) blown in Judaism.
There is also a type of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonements) in which the whole nation; land and people, goes through a cleansing and purification ceremony
