The Hebrew culture or Jews who formed the Hebrew culture settled in the region of Palestine, a territory that currently forms Israel , called in ancient times the Country of Canaan or Promised Land . It was located southern Syria, in Asia Minor .
Limited to the north with Phoenicia and Syria to the south, with the Sinai desert; to the east, with the Arabian desert; and to the west, with the Mediterranean Sea.
1. Description
Palestine comprises about 25,000 km2 of surface. It is crossed by the Jordan River, which runs from north to south. This river rises on Mount Hermon and empties into the Dead sea , 400 meters below sea level.
In the Dead Sea there is no animal or plant life, because its waters are loaded with salt and bitumen. Its shores show to have had great volcanic activity, which is related to the biblical tradition with the disappearance of Sodom and Gomorrah .
Most of its territory is arid or desert; but its hills are covered with forests, such as Mounts Tabor, Nebo, and the Olive Trees. Its climate is hot and dry. Its soils are conducive to grazing and the cultivation of vines, fig trees and olive trees . Its fertile lands are scarce and are located along the Jordan River.
In ancient times, Palestine comprised three regions:Galilee , to the north, with its capital Nazareth; Samaria , in the center, with its capital Samaria; and Judea , to the south, with its capital Jerusalem.
2. Historical evolution
2.1 Historical Background
The first inhabitants to settle in Palestine were the Canaanites, of Semitic origin. , approximately in the third millennium B.C. These primitive settlers had to endure the constant attacks of the desert tribes that coveted their lands, due to their fertility, until in the 14th and 15th centuries BC they had to yield to the advance of the Hebrew culture.
The Hebrews or Jews They formed a tribe of Semitic race that lived in the region of Ur, in the valley of Mesopotamia. 2000 years before Christ they left the region of Ur and moved to Syria. Some tribes advanced carrying their herds and infiltrated the region of Canaan, where they received the name of Hebrews, which means:"from there, the one who comes from beyond the Euphrates." Later, some Jewish tribes, taking advantage of the conquest of Egypt by the Ichsos, Semites like them, settled in the delta of the Nile River, where they remained for 500 years. After the expulsion of the Ichsos, the Israelites went into captivity , forced to forced labor and persecuted by the Egyptians.
2.2 Periods of its history
The Hebrew people, throughout its history, have gone through three periods:that of the Patriarchs , that of the Judges and that of the Kings .
2.2.1 Period of the Patriarchs
This is the name given to the period in which the Hebrew tribes They were governed by the elders who were called patriarchs . The Patriarch was the boss , and as such, exercised the highest authority over people and property. He was also the father, judge, priest and head of the army.
Among the patriarchs stood out:Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses.
a. Abraham
Abraham was the first patriarch. He was born in the city of Ur, in Mesopotamia. The bible tells us that at the age of 75 this patriarch heard the voice of God, who ordered him to leave the land of Ur to lead his people to the promised land or country of Canaan. Historians say that this event occurred in the reign of Hammurabi , around 2050 BC
b. Jacob
Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, also called Israel, which means he who fights with God . He married in Chaldea and moved to Palestine. He had 12 children. They were the founders of the 12 tribes of Israel. One of them, named José, was the one who had all the preferences of his father, which generated the envy of his brothers, who sold him to some merchants. These, in turn, sold it to Potiphar, an Egyptian official.
On one occasion, Pharaoh Apopi had dreamed that seven fat cows were devoured by seven skinny cows. Faced with the failure of the best diviners in the empire, José correctly interpreted this dream, stating that seven years of abundance, in which the surplus harvest would have to be reserved, would be followed by another seven years of drought and misery. Pharaoh marveled at the interpretation appointed him minister. After a few years, the announced famine and misery arrived. One day, José recognized his brothers who had come in search of grain. This also made himself recognized, he forgave them and ordered them to transfer his old father Jacob, to install him in the fertile lands of the Nile River delta.
c. Moses
The Israelites multiplied in Egypt and due to their origin aroused hatred and suspicion from the pharaohs. They were subjected to slavery and forced labor, such as building gigantic temples, palaces, pyramids, and roads. In these circumstances Moses appeared to free the people from him.
The Bible states that the pharaoh ordered, before the increase of the Hebrew people, that the newborns be sacrificed. A woman from the tribe of Levi hid her son in a tarry basket and deposited him in the Nile River, in the place where she used to bathe the pharaoh's daughter. The aforementioned princess found the basket with the child, ordered her rescue and named him Moses, which means saved from the waters .
When this patriarch was forty years old, God appeared to him and commanded him to deliver the children of Israel from the Egyptian yoke.
The departure of the Hebrew people towards the Sinai desert to the "promised land". On the trip, Moses consolidated religious monotheism with which he makes his people believe in one God by receiving the 10 commandments of Jehovah on Mount Sinai.
2.2.2 Period of the Judges
Also called "national consolidation". The Hebrews constitute themselves as a nation for the first time. Moses died before entering Canaan, the "promised land." Joshua led the people in conquering it since it was occupied by other peoples. The Hebrew culture managed to take possession in the 12th century BC. of C. led each tribe by a military and religious chief called Judge. They adopted a sedentary way of life forming towns and cities.
The Judges who ruled Israel are:
- Othniel:(Jg 3:7-11)
- Ehud:(Judg 3:15)
- Samgar:(Jg 3:31)
- Deborah (And Barak):(Jdg 4-5)
- Gideon:(Jud 6-8)
- Tola:(Jg 10:1)
- Jair:(Jg 10:3)
- Jephthah:(Jg 10:6-12:7)
- Ibzan:(Jg 12:8)
- Elon:(Jg 12:11)
- Abdon:(Jg 12:13)
- Samson:(Jud 13-16)
- Eli the priest:(1Sam 4:18)
- Samuel:(1Sam 7:15)
Among the main ones we find the following:
a. Deborah
One of the first judges was a woman, she was a prophetess and was famous for sitting under a palm tree where anyone could seek advice from her and from where she issued battle orders.
Barak, the greatest warrior of that time, refused to go into battle without her. Together they led the troops against the much larger Canaanite army, which was supported by 900 iron chariots, while Israel had none.
On the eve of the battle, Barak doubted whether the Israeli warriors could put up a fight against such a strong opponent, but Deborah stood her ground. An unexpected storm broke out in the sky and the resulting downpour turned the ground to mud; the iron of the chariots was jammed and the Canaanites panicked.
In this way, Deborah's prophecy was fulfilled, which said that “this is the day that God will deliver Sisera into your hands *.
b. Gideon
Which means "Destroyer", "Mighty Warrior", was a judge and warrior of Ancient Israel. He was the fifth of the judges of the Jewish people and is considered one of the most outstanding due to the magnitude of his "warrior work" against one of the enemy peoples of Israel:the Midianites. He was the son of Joash from the tribe of Manasseh.
In substance, the life of Gideon is situated after the settlement of the Jews in the plain of Ofrá where they had assimilated the idolatrous cults of the surrounding populations. After that infidelity, Yahweh would have punished them by sending nomadic tribes and groups of Amalekites and Midianites to make war on them. In those battles, two of Gideon's brothers would have been killed. The Israelites repented and asked for forgiveness. Yahweh sent his angel to speak with Gideon to announce that he would be the liberator of his people. He asked for a test, after a somewhat sarcastic dialogue with the angel. The latter gave him the proof he asked for by burning a sacrifice with miraculous fire. The next day Gideon destroyed the altar of Baal and to the indignation of the people, Joash, his father, defended him saying that if Baal was a god, he would be in charge of punishing the sacrilege. From that day on he was known as Gideon Jerubbaal.
c. Jephthah
Son of Gilead, Jephthah was disinherited and expelled by his half-brothers, so he moved to the region of Tob. However, the elders of Gilead tried to convince him to lead them in the war against the Ammonites, which began a short time before, to which Jephthah refused, unless after the war he retained the leadership position, which the elders accepted.
Jephthah, after having threatened the Ammonites, swore that the first one who comes through the door of my house to greet me after my victory over the Ammonites, will be for Yahveh and I will sacrifice him by fire or whoever comes out to receive me from the doors of my house, when I return from the Ammonites in peace, it will belong to the Lord, and I will offer it as a burnt offering.
He then he easily won the battle. Returning victorious, he goes out to receive his only daughter. He laments (tears his clothes), for he cannot go back on his promise. His daughter tells him that she must honor his promise. She asks her father to mourn her virginity for two months, and returns to fulfill the vow, unlike Abraham's unrealized sacrifice (prevented by an angel), Jephthah's was consummated, but not precisely as inferred, but as dedication of his life to God regardless of marriage.
d. Samson
Samson was a judge famous for his superhero strength and for leading the fight against Israel's greatest enemy:the Philistines.
Samson, who judged Israel for 20 years, was one of those who stood up to the Philistines. He was a nazir (which is a form of penance in which a person temporarily refrains from cutting their hair and drinking wine).
To weaken the Philistines, he pretended to join them, deliberately taking a Philistine woman named Delilah as his wife, she realized that Samson was the main threat to her people. After many failed attempts and many pleas, she finally got Samson to reveal the secret of his supernatural strength, after which she cut his hair while he slept. As a result, the Philistines were able to capture him, blind him, and put him in prison.
When Samson's hair grew, his supernatural strength returned.
In the public execution of Samson, he knocked down the columns of the temple, with which the construction collapsed, killing all those who were inside.
e. Samuel
By the time Samuel appeared, the Jewish people had gone nearly 400 years without a central leadership. When Samuel was young, he traveled the land dictating Jewish law and giving advice to the people, but now that he was old, he no longer believed it. could do. Meanwhile his two sons, who had assumed his role, proved not to be loved by the town.
So a delegation was sent to ask Samuel to anoint a king in his place:
And they said to him “Behold, you are old, and your children do not walk in your ways. Now then. Set over us a king to judge us, like all nations.
Samuel didn't want to do it, but God gave him the go-ahead and he found a king for the people.
And this is how the period of the Judges closed. Samuel acted as a leader for 13 years and in the last two he led the Jewish people together with the first Jewish king, whose name was Saul.
2.2.3 Period of the kings
This is the name given to the period in which the Hebrews were ruled by kings. It arose from the need to unify and defend itself against its enemies, the Philistines of the coast and the nomads of the desert, for which they had a great spirit of solidarity, religious unity and the example of the great monarchies of Egypt and Mesopotamia.
The main kings were:Saul, David and Solomon.
a. SAUL
He was appointed king at the request of the people. During his rule he organized a magnificent army, which allowed the Hebrew culture to live in peace and secure its borders. Become a brilliant warrior, he fought the Philistines and the desert nomads.
b. DAVID
He became famous for his brave feat of killing with his sling the gigantic Philistine warrior called Goliath .
David was a prophet king, true creator of the Hebrew State. He founded the capital of the kingdom on the remains of the Jebus fortress, which he called Jerusalem, a city that was a symbol of the religious and political unity of the Jewish people. He led with great pomp to this citadel the Araca of the Alliance.
This was a cedar chest, where the Hebrews kept the Tablets of the Law, which they had jealously preserved during their wanderings in the desert.
The prophet king had established a mighty army with which he easily subdued his enemies (Philistines, Moabites, Midianites, Amalekites, Ammonites, and Syrians). During his rule, the domain of Hebrew culture extended from the Euphrates River to the Red Sea, with the exception of Phenicia.
The apparent unity of the State of Israel was disturbed by palace conspiracies against David, to the point that his son Absalom revolted against his authority. David was able to defeat him thanks to his mercenaries, who killed him. This death caused him deep sorrow and inspired admirable poetry.
c. SOLOMON
David's death was succeeded to the throne by his favorite son, Solomon. In his reign, the Hebrews acquired a great material development, particularly in commercial activity, with whose riches they embellished their capital and built the temple of Jerusalem, in seven years.
This temple was built according to the instructions of David, in the place where the Ark of the Alliance was located, by Canaanite and Phoenician craftsmen. Its walls were made of large stone blocks and the assemblages were made of sculpted golden cedar.
The temple comprised a public access enclosure; an atrium courtyard of the priests, in which there was an altar for sacrifices and a bronze fountain with water for purifications; and a sanctuary that was divided into two chambers:in one adorned with ten seven-branched candlesticks, incense was burned; in the other, the Ark of the Covenant was kept.
2.3 The Schism
Schism is the name given to the division of the Hebrew people into two kingdoms:Israel and Judah. This was due to the fact that the tribes of the central and northern regions refused to pay the tributes imposed by Solomon.
2.3.1 The kingdom of Israel
It included the ten northern tribes and they hailed Jeroboam as their king. This kingdom was larger and more powerful than Judah. Its capital was the city of Samaria.
Their sovereigns married, on some occasions with foreign princesses, allowing the penetration of new religious.
2.3.2 The kingdom of Judah
It comprised the two southern tribes:Judah and Benjamin, who remained faithful to their king Rehoboam, son of Solomon and rightful heir to the kingdom. Its capital was the city of Jerusalem. They preserved and developed biblical teachings.
Both kingdoms lived in constant internal contradictions. These disputes generated, in Israel and Judah, the appearance of the prophets.
2.4 The Prophets
The prophets were men of humble condition; a kind of popular orators, inspired by God. They fought ardently to defend the purity of the Hebrew religion. They lived retired in the desert and in the mountains dedicated to meditation and prayer. They also visited the tribes, preaching prophecies and penances or reminding the people of their duties to Jehovah. They announced severe punishments for those who failed to comply with the Decalogue of God's commandments.
The main prophets were:Elijah, Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel.
E lees
This prophet accused King Ahab of Israel of having betrayed religion and prophesied his death, who actually died a few years later in a pitched battle.
Masters
He was a religious preacher in southern Palestine. He lambasted the luxury of the potentates, their corruption, their greed and their cruelty towards the dispossessed.
I did you know
He lived in Judah, exalted religious feeling and prophesied the ruin of Samaria and Jerusalem.
Jeremiah
He affirmed the universality of Jehovah and announced the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar. He wrote his famous verses of pain and sadness in his work called the "Lamentations" . Jeremiah made religion the enduring basis of Jewish nationality, regardless of political independence.
E zekiel
He appeared at the time of the captivity, in Babylon. He preached deep faith in Jehovah and the return of the Hebrew people to freedom and splendor.
2.5 Dispersion of the Jews
2.5.1 The two kingdoms were absorbed into the great empires.
Israel was conquered by the mighty Assyrian army in 722 BC.
Judah maintained its independence for over a century and escaped Assyrian conquest. In the year 597 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar subdued the kingdom of Judah and reduced the king and the upper classes to captivity in Babylon.
The destruction of the Jewish kingdom had repercussions on the political life and their own beliefs of the Hebrews. As a consequence, different sects appeared that disputed each other, such as the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scenians.
The Pharisees condemned all superstitious practices and proclaimed the strict application of Mosaicism or the "law of Moses."
The Sadducees, also defenders of Mosaicism. They denied the immortality of the soul and the punishments and rewards beyond life. In addition, they claimed that happiness was achieved with the enjoyment of earthly goods.
The escenios, were small communities defenders of the law of Moisés and of an extremely severe moral.
The appearance of Christ further accentuated these religious differences, as many Jews embraced the new Christian religion and others opposed it.
2.5.2 The Diaspora
The diaspora is the process of dispersion of the Jews. This occurred in the rule of the Roman Emperor Titus, who punished a Jewish independence rebellion in 70 BC. After seizing and sacking Jerusalem, many Jews were sold into slavery and others expelled from their country, they were scattered throughout the Roman empire.
The Jews were unable to recover their political freedom, as they suffered successive dominations by the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks and English . However, they maintained their Jewish nationalism through a deep faith, without mixing with populations of different origin.
3. Economic Organization
The economic organization of the Hebrews changed when they settled in the lands of Canaan. From nomadic herders they became sedentary farmers. Many became rich and became landowners, with servants and numerous slaves.
3.1 Property
Primitive equality survived through the sabbatical year, which meant that one year out of seven, it was necessary to let the fields rest, giving to the poor what the land produced by itself.
The year of jubilee was also celebrated, a solemn festival held every fifty years (seven times seven years) in which, in addition to leaving the land to rest, the sold estates returned to their original owners and the slaves regained their freedom.
3.2 Agricultural Production
The Hebrews excelled in agriculture and excelled at growing wheat, barley, vines, olives, and fig trees. Goats, donkeys, sheep and oxen grazed their fields.
3.3 Trade
Trade and industry especially prospered under King Solomon.
They traded through caravans by land and by boat with the peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea, for which they had the equipment and guidance of the Phoenicians.
– The land provided wheat, oil and honey that were exchanged for the wood and manufactured products of Phoenicia.
– From the mysterious country of Ophir (coast of Somalia, Africa), they brought gold, precious stones and rare woods.
– Spices and incense were imported from the kingdom of Saba (Arabia) to Palestine, which was then distributed in Egypt, Syria and Phoenicia.
– Trade relations were established between Palestine and Tyre, a Phoenician city that dominated the Mediterranean.
4. Contribution of the Hebrew culture to the Universal Culture
The Hebrews developed and contributed to the world, fundamental aspects of a religious nature, still in force today. Among his contributions we have:monotheism, the bible and the Decalogue .
4.1 Monotheism
The Hebrew people had the conviction of believing in a single Universal God , called Jehovah , creator of all things.
This was the product of a long religious evolution, crystallized by Moses, who vigorously promoted monotheism during 40 years of wandering through the desert , after the exodus.
4.2 The Bible
The word Bible comes from the Greek word biblos, which means book. Indeed, the Bible is the set of Sacred Books or Sacred Scriptures of the Jewish people and of the Christian religions. Due to its deep religious, philosophical and literary content, it is considered the most beautiful work of humanity. It is forming various books, all gathered in one body. It is divided into two parts:the Old and the New Testament .
4.2.1 The Old Testament
The Old Testament is the history of the civilization and culture of the Hebrew people, as chosen by God and depositary of his messianic promises of salvation for the world. Includes the following books:
The Pentateuch :It is the first part and includes five books:
- The Genesis, where the creation of the world, the flood and the history of the patriarchs are recounted.
- The Exodus, which explains the departure of the Hebrew people from Egypt and the reception of the Law of Moses.
- Leviticus, which refers to the tribe of Levi and contains the prescriptions of the cult.
- The Numbers, where the march of the Hebrews from Sinai to Palestine is narrated.
- Deuteronomy, which contains the second law, referring to justice and love.
The Prophetic :It is the second part of the Old Testament, consisting of twenty-one books that detail the predictions of the prophets.
The Hagiographers :It is the third part of the Old Testament, made up of fifteen books of a religious, moral and poetic character.
The Talmud :It is the book written by the Jews, several centuries after the captivity, to affirm and preserve their beliefs, threatened by contact with foreigners.
The New Testament
The New Testament is, for Christians, the history of the realization and fulfillment, in the person of Christ, of the ancient messianic prophecies.
This part of the Bible was written by the apostles of Jesus and includes the four Gospels - the "good news or good news" - of Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, Saint Luke and Saint John, which narrate the life, passion and death of Jesus Christ . It also contains "The Acts of the Apostles", "The Epistles" and the "Apocalypse" of Saint John.
The Decalogue
The Decalogue contains the ten rules or commandments, which according to biblical tradition, were given to Moses on Mount Sinai. These rules are as follows:
- I am the LORD your God who has delivered you from slavery in Egypt. You will have no gods before me.
- You shall not make carved images (idols); neither shall you bow down to them, nor honor them.
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
- You will remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; you will work for six days, but on the seventh you will not do any work.
- You shall honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged on earth.
- You shall not kill.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness to your neighbor.
- You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; nor her house, nor anything that belongs to her.