Difference between revisions of "Religion of the early Hebrews."

Latest revision as of 09:11, 27 February 2012

Overview

The religion of the early Hebrews was mostly monotheistic, but there are several references to Monolatry, or the worship of a single god without denying the existence of others, have been found throughout the Bible. Religion in the Near East was closely tied to politics and place - places were often considered holy and polytheism was wide spread. In general, the Hebrews believed that religion was history and as such, the majority of their religious events occurred in time, not before or out of time.

A Brief Religious History

Throughout history, there are only traces of evidence of evidence about the Hebrews, and even then the majority of it comes from the Hebrews themselves. They believed that all Hebrews had originated from one man - Abraham. It was to Abraham that the Hebrews were first promised the Palestine - he was told by Yahweh, a regional god, that all the land was his and that his people had been chosen to rule over all others.The Hebrews monotheistic views made them individual - it wasn't until the Iron Age that monotheism was a state-supported religion. The Hebrews also had a special covenant relationship with their god - he protected them, taking on the duty of a protective figure. The best analogy for this situation would be a lord defending the peasants or servants of his land - he protected them and provided them with land and in exchange they pledged their obedience to him. This "Promised Land" was Palestine, and it was special to the Hebrews because it was the land their god had promised to them. This land was important geologically and economically speaking because it was the land bridge between Egypt and Mesopotamia, two great powers. It was the bridge all commercial goods were carried across, but also a highway for invading armies. Because of this, Palestine was in constant turmoil. Hebrews referred to this land as the "land of milk and honey", but in reality it was not. It was a harsh environment and only appeared to be the "land of milk and honey" because the Hebrews had been living in a desert before they left Egypt for Palestine.

Beliefs

The Jewish peoples of then and now do not follow a dogma of any kind. Rambam's thirteen principles of faith is largely credited with the most successful attempt to consolidate all beliefs into one set of thirteen beliefs that all Jews must follow. While the principles are basic, they are still disputed among the Jewish society even today.

• G-d exists

• G-d is one and unique

• G-d is incorporeal

• G-d is eternal

• Prayer is to be directed to G-d alone and to no other

• The words of the prophets are true

• Moses' prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets

• The Written Torah and Oral Torah teachings now were given to Moses

• There will be no other Torah

• G-d knows the thoughts and deeds of men

• G-d will reward the good and punish the wicked

• The Messiah will come

• The dead will be resurrected

Sources

Hebrew Society, History, Religion, and Texts http://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/Genesis.htm

The Manual for Cultural Foundations of Ancient Civilizations compiled by Rosie Beniretto and Clay Elliot

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