The Judeo-Christian Religious Tradition (C 50-73)

One religious tradition has placed no limits on the greatness of God or on God’s ability to fulfill our dreams, the Judeo-Christian tradition.

It begins with Abram, a native of Ur, an ancient city north of the Persian Gulf. In about 1900 B.C., Abram’s family migrated to Haran, a city near the present-day Turkish-Syrian border. (All dates in this chapter are B.C. unless otherwise noted) In Haran, Abram received a call from God to move to Canaan, present–day Palestine. God made a “covenant” (an agreement) with Abram, changing his name to Abraham and promising that he and his wife, Sarah, would have a son, the first in a long line of descendants. They did have a son. Isaac, who in turn became the father of Jacob. Jacob had twelve sons and with them moved to Egypt about 1750, where their descendants, the Hebrews, became slaves.

About 1250 a Hebrew named Moses heard God commanding him to lead his people from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. After escaping, the Hebrews (who became known as Israelites and later as Jews) wandered about in the desert for forty years. Moses died on the border of the Promised Land, and his lieutenant, Joshua, led the people into Canaan. There followed a period of conquest, with the twelve tribes (divisions of the Hebrew people named after the sons of Jacob) settling in various parts of Canaan. They fought with the inhabitants (Philistines and others) through a long “frontier period” called of the time of the Judges.

About 1020 Saul, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, began to bring the tribes together and was named king. He eventually went insane and was killed in a battle with the Philistines. Into the breach stepped a young military leader, David. Beginning about 1000, David united the tribes, set up Jerusalem as the center of his government, defeated the enemies of the Israelites, and made Israel a force to be reckoned with in the Middle East. His son, Solomon, succeeded him as a king and built a magnificent temple in Jerusalem. But in his later years Solomon became involved in the worship of false gods and alienated the people with heavy taxes and forced labor. Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, continued these policies, and in the 922 (some scholars say 927) a civil war split the people into two kingdoms-Israel in the north with its capital in Samaria, and Judah in the south with its capital in Jerusalem.

Both kingdom were plagued by poor leadership and by the people’s unfaithfulness to God. In 721 the northern kingdom was attacked by Assyria; its leading citizens were slaughtered or dragged into exile. Other captives from foreign lands were brought into Israel by the Assyrians; they intermarried with the few Israelites who had been left behind, forming the people known as the Samaritans. In 587 the southern kingdom was conquered by the Babylonians. Jerusalem was sacked, its wall destroyed, and its temple demolished. The survivors were taken into exile in Babylon.

A few decades later Cyrus, the king of Persia, conquered Babylon. He allowed the Israelites to return to their homeland in 539. Those who returned to Judah found their land devastated, their homes destroyed, and Jerusalem a heap of ruins. Harassed on every side by enemies, they managed to build a temple about 515 and to rebuild the city walls, completing the task in 445. Their hopes of regaining the glory of King David, however, were doomed to disappointment. Alexander the Great conquered Palestine in 332. After Alexander’s death, Egypt and Syria vied for control of the Jewish nation, and about 200 the Syrians launched a terrible Persecution of the Jews. In 167 a family of warriors, the Maccabees, led a revolt against the Syrians and succeeded in gaining independence in 142. This lasted until 63 when the Romans, under Pompey, conquered Jerusalem and made Palestine a vassal state. In 39 Herod the Great was set up by the Romans as king. A man who committed many horrible atrocities, he was also a tireless builder, constructive fortresses, palaces, and a magnificent temple which outshone that of Solomon. It was under his rule that Jesus Christ was born.

Not a very impressive history! Except for a brief period under King David, the Israelite nation had little political or military influence. But somehow they kept their belief in the God of Abraham. Somehow they kept alive a hope that God would intervene in history by sending a Savior. When God did send that Savior, there were Israelites ready to welcome Him.