History card on the topic "Assyrian power". History of the Jewish People Update The Meaning of the Ancient History of the Jews

1. 
   Gilgamesh.
2. 
   Ishtar.
3. 
   Laws.
4. 
   Jerusalem.
5. 
   Iron.

1. 
   Mesopotamia.
2. 
   Euphrates.
3. 
   Hammurabi.
4. 
   Commandments.
5. 
   Ram.

The earliest (biblical) history of the Jewish people covers the period from the appearance of Jews on the stage of history in the time of Abraham, as the ancestor of the Jewish people, to the conquest of Judea by Alexander the Great.

The significance of the ancient history of the Jews

Some researchers see in the history of the ancient Jewish people only a natural historical process that developed according to general historical laws (the view of Jewish biblical scholars like Graetz and rationalists like Renan). Others, on the contrary, more or less recognize the point of view that constitutes a characteristic feature of the Bible itself and according to which the Jewish people were a “chosen” people, the exclusive custodian of the great religious truths, which were to find their fullest development and manifestation in Christianity, and therefore a people , on which, so to speak, the entire axis of world-historical development rotated and without which the history of mankind would have lost all meaning and would not have achieved its goal.

Migration to Egypt and Egyptian slavery (XVI-XIV centuries BC | 210 years)

According to the Pentateuch, the Jews follow Joseph into Egypt when he becomes the de facto ruler of Egypt, leaving only the highest symbols of power to the pharaoh. At the invitation of Yosef, his father Yaakov and his entire family - 67 people - go to Egypt.

The migration of Jews to Egypt coincided with the dominance there of the so-called Hyx dynasty, or shepherd kings. It belonged to a foreign people who forcibly invaded Egypt and seized the throne of the pharaohs. It is not known exactly where the conquerors came from and to which tribe they belonged; but one can think that these were nomads who lived in the Syrian steppes and constantly disturbed Egypt with their raids, so that it had to protect itself with a special stone wall stretching almost across the entire Isthmus of Suez. Taking advantage of the weakness of the government, the nomads conquered Egypt, and the first period of their rule was marked by all sorts of manifestations of wild barbarity, which, however, soon submitted to Egyptian civilization, so that after several generations the court of the Gik kings was no different from the court of the native pharaohs. Under one of the representatives of this dynasty, in all likelihood, Joseph ruled Egypt, since only under the pharaoh of the shepherd dynasty was it conceivable that an insignificant slave, coming from shepherds despised by the natural Egyptians, could be appointed to the post of the supreme ruler of the country. The name of this pharaoh is Apapi II. In order to strengthen their position, the Hyxes patronized foreigners and gave them the best lands in order to find loyal allies in them in case of need. This policy can also explain the fact that Apapi II gave one of the richest districts of the country to the newly arrived Jewish settlers.

Settled on rich soil, surrounded by all the influences of a highly developed culture, and taking advantage of the advantageous position of a tribe related to the first minister and benefactor of the country, the Jews began to multiply rapidly. Meanwhile, an important change took place in the life of Egypt. A liberation movement emerged from Thebes, which overthrew the Giks dynasty and the Giks were expelled from Egypt.

For the Jews, this political revolution was fatal. A new, native XVII dynasty reigned on the throne of the pharaohs. Under the influence of a long and persistent struggle with the Hykses, it developed a spirit of belligerence and conquest, hitherto unknown in Egypt, and at the same time developed extreme political suspicion of everything non-Egyptian and especially pastoral. In view of this, it is quite natural that the new dynasty not only had no inclination to preserve the former privileges and liberties of the Jewish people, but, on the contrary, due to its well-known connection with the Hykses, began to treat it with suspicion and hostility. Since he had already managed to increase significantly in number and represented an important political force, a system of oppression began against him, which became more severe with each new reign. The most difficult serf frontier work began, and the free labor of Jews was used for it. The pharaohs seemed to be trying to surpass each other with their military glory and the grandiose buildings and palaces with which their residences were decorated; but the more famous the pharaoh was, the more brilliant his reign, the more the people groaned under the weight of backbreaking work. Exhausted workers were taken in batches to the quarries, forced to carve out huge blocks of granite and drag them with incredible effort to the construction site; forced to dig and lay new canals, make bricks and knead clay and lime for the buildings being erected, lift water from the Nile into ditches to irrigate fields, under the blows of cruel overseers, as the Pentateuch clearly depicts: “ The Egyptians cruelly forced the children of Israel to work and made their life bitter from hard work on clay and bricks and from all field work."(Ex. 1:13,14).

According to the traditional view, Egyptian slavery lasted 210 years.

Exodus from Egypt and wanderings in the desert (XIV century BC | 40 years)

The living conditions of the Israelites in the years leading up to the Exodus become intolerable. When Pharaoh saw that the measures he had taken were not able to retard the growth of the young people, he issued a cruel command, first secretly and then openly, to kill the boys born from the tribe of the Israelites. And the groans and cries of mothers joined the groans of the people under the weight of exhausting work, but among these groans and cries of the Israeli people, their great savior Moses was born.

Moses, miraculously saved from the bloodthirsty rage of pharaoh's despotism, was raised at the royal court and, as the adopted son of the pharaoh's daughter (Hatasu, who independently ruled the country as regent and guardian of her younger brother, later the famous pharaoh - warrior Thothmes III) was dedicated by the Egyptian priests to " all the wisdom of Egypt” (Acts 7:22) and thus received brilliant preparation for his future destiny. Highly gifted by nature, he did not get lost in the bustle of court splendor and did not forget his origins from the oppressed people. He did not break ties with him, but on the contrary, from the luxurious chambers of the pharaoh’s palace it was even more painful for him to look at the humiliation and slavery in which his people were, and the groan of his brothers was heard more clearly. At the sight of the misfortunes of his people, Moses became disgusted with the splendor of the gilded palaces, and he went to the wretched hut of his parents to calm the storm of his indignant spirit. He " I would rather suffer with the people of God than have temporary, sinful pleasure"(Heb. 11:25) and therefore even" refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter"(Heb. 11:24).

Among his fellow tribesmen, Moses saw their suffering up close and one day, in a fit of indignation, he killed an Egyptian overseer who was cruelly punishing an Israeli slave. Moses buried the Egyptian in the sand, trying to hide the traces of his involuntary murder, but the rumor about this managed to spread, and he was threatened with the death penalty. As a result, he was forced to flee from Egypt to the mountainous, inaccessible Sinai Peninsula, to Midian, where he led a quiet shepherd's life for 40 years.

When the time came, Moses received a great calling from God to return to Egypt in order to lead his people out of the captivity of slavery and lead them to serve the God who had been revealed to him. Returning to Egypt as a messenger and prophet of God, Moses, in the name of God, demanded that Pharaoh release his people, demonstrating miracles designed to convince Pharaoh and his entourage of the divinity of his destiny. These miracles were called the ten plagues of Egypt due to the fact that each miracle demonstrated by Moses was accompanied by terrible disasters for the Egyptians. After a long and persistent struggle, Moses led the people out of Egypt. Just a week after the Exodus, Pharaoh's army overtook the Jews at the Red, or Red, Sea, where another miracle took place: the waters of the sea parted before the Israelites and closed over Pharaoh's army.

Wandering through the desert following the pillar of fire, the Israelites, seven weeks after the Exodus, approached Mount Sinai. At the foot of this mountain (identified by most researchers with Mount Sas-Safsafeh, and by others with Serbal), during the formidable phenomena of nature, the final Covenant (agreement) was concluded between God and the Jews as the chosen people, destined from now on to be the bearer of true religion and morality for their dissemination subsequently for all of humanity. The basis of the Covenant was the famous Ten Commandments (Decalogue), carved by Moses on the two Tablets of the Covenant after forty days of solitude on Mount Sinai. These commandments express the fundamental principles of religion and morality and to this day form the basis of all legislation. The religious and social organization of the people also took place there: the Tabernacle (camp Temple) was built, by the will of the Almighty, the tribe of Levi (Levites) was allocated for its maintenance, and from the tribe itself, the Kohanim were allocated - the descendants of Aaron, Moses' brother, for priestly service.

After a year-long stay at the sacred mountain, the people, numbering more than 600,000 people capable of bearing arms (which for the entire people would be more than 2,000,000 souls), moved on to the Promised Land, that is, to Canaan.

Despite the fact that the goal of the journey, the land of Canaan, was established even when leaving Egypt, the people spend 40 years on the road as punishment for the fact that 12 scouts sent to Canaan did not recommend that the Jews enter there. The Israelites' journey through the desert was accompanied by both difficulties and disasters, as well as divine miracles: the giving of manna from heaven, the appearance of water from a rock, and many others. The movement was slow, only after 40 years of wandering did a new generation approach the borders of Canaan north of the Dead Sea, where they made their last stop on the banks of the Jordan. There, from the top of Mount Nebo, Moses, with his eagle gaze, looked over the land of his hopes and, having made the necessary orders and appointing the courageous and experienced warrior Joshua as his successor, died without ever entering the Promised Land.

Conquest of Canaan (c. XIII century BC | 14 years)

Ancient history (XI-IV centuries BC)

The period of the “united kingdom” (XI-X centuries BC | 80 years)

Reign of Saul (c. 1029-1005 BC)

Samuel, yielding to the wishes of the people, anointed Saul (Shaul), who came from the tribe of Benjamin, which was distinguished for its belligerence, as king.

The new king, and after being elected to the kingdom with true patriarchy, continued to indulge in the peaceful work of a plowman, soon showed his military prowess and inflicted several defeats on the surrounding hostile peoples, especially the Philistines, who since the time of Samson had become the worst oppressors of Israel. But these exploits turned his head, and from initial simplicity he began to make a steep transition to arrogant autocracy, not embarrassed in his actions even by the instructions of the elderly prophet Samuel and the Law of Moses. Hence, a clash inevitably occurred between secular and spiritual power, and since everything showed that Saul would continue to go in the same direction, which directly threatened to undermine the basic principle of the historical life of the chosen people, it became sadly necessary to put an end to this royal line and he was chosen as his successor young David from the tribe of Judah, from the city of Bethlehem.

Reign of David

At the turn of the 2-1 thousand, the Kingdom of Israel of David arises. David, anointed king when he was still a shepherd, became the most famous king of Israel and the ancestor of a long line of kings of Judah almost until the end of the political existence of the people.

The new chosen one did not immediately ascend the throne, but had to spend his entire youth in various adventures, hiding from the bloodthirsty jealousy of the increasingly morally degraded King Saul.

During the first seven years of his reign, his residence was Hebron, and after the murder of Saul's son, Ishbosheth, all tribes recognized David as their king.

David came to the conviction that in order to establish royal power in the country, he needed a capital, which, not belonging to any tribe individually, could serve as a common capital for the entire people. For this purpose, he outlined one strong fortress on the border between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, which, despite all the efforts of the Israelites, defended its independence and previously belonged to the brave tribe of the Jebusites. This was Jerusalem, which, as can be seen from the latest discoveries, even before the Jews entered Canaan, occupied an important position among other cities of the country, having a kind of hegemony over them. This fortress was now about to fall before the power of the new king, and David founded his royal capital in it. The new capital, thanks to its magnificent position, began to quickly attract the Jewish population, soon flourished magnificently and richly, and Jerusalem became one of the most famous cities in the history of not only the Israeli people, but of all mankind.

With David, the rapid growth of the entire kingdom begins. Thanks to the extraordinary energy of this brilliant king, the affairs of internal improvement that had been upset at the end of his previous reign were soon put in order, and then a whole series of victorious wars began, during which the worst enemies of Israel were finally crushed - the Philistines, as well as the Moabites and Edomites, whose lands became the property of Israel. Thanks to these victories and conquests, the kingdom of the Israeli people became a powerful monarchy, which for a time ruled all of Western Asia and in whose hands lay the fate of numerous peoples who reverently brought their tribute to the formidable king. The Israelites entered into close friendly relations with the Phoenicians, and this friendship with a highly cultured people was very useful and beneficial to them in the development of their material culture. At the same time, spiritual life began to develop rapidly, and the richest flowering of ancient Jewish spiritual and religious poetry dates back to this time, which found especially remarkable expression in the Psalms of David himself and the singers close to him, marvelous in their depth and ardor of feelings. Towards the end of the reign, as a result of polygamy introduced by the king, various unrest began, which overshadowed the last years of the life of the great king, and after severe turmoil, the throne passed to the son of his most beloved wife, but at the same time the main culprit of all his disasters, Bathsheba, namely to young Solomon (around 1020 BC).

Reign of Solomon

Solomon (Shlomo) inherited from his father a vast state, stretching from " river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates" To govern such a state, a broad mind and proven wisdom were required, and, fortunately for the people, the young gift was naturally endowed with a bright mind and insight, which later gave him the glory of “the wisest king.” Taking advantage of the deep peace, Solomon turned all his attention to the cultural development of the state and in this regard achieved extraordinary results. The country became rich, and the welfare of the people increased to an unprecedented degree. Solomon's court was not inferior in its splendor to the courts of the greatest and most powerful rulers of the then civilized world. But the highest deed and glory of his reign was the construction of the majestic Temple in Jerusalem, which replaced the dilapidated Tabernacle, which from now on became the national pride of Israel, the soul of its not only religious, but also political life.

It was under him that poetry reached its highest development, and its most remarkable works are the famous “Song of Songs” (Shir ha-shirim), which in its external form is something like a lyrical drama, glorifying love in its deepest basis and purity. Under Solomon, the Jewish people reached the culminating point of their development, and from him the reverse movement began, which most noticeably affected the king himself. The end of his reign was overshadowed by various disappointments, the cause of which was mainly polygamy that had reached extraordinary proportions and the exorbitant expenses associated with it. The people began to be burdened by the rapidly increasing taxes, and Solomon ended his life with the conviction that “all is vanity and vexation of spirit,” and with fear for the future of his home, which was threatened by Jeroboam, who had already come out before him.

The era of the First Temple (IX-VII centuries BC | ~ 350 years)

Main article: First Temple era

Despite the battle between the great ancient powers of Egypt, Assyria, and then the Neo-Babylonian kingdom for hegemony in this region, despite the internal split that led to the creation of two Jewish kingdoms, sometimes at war with each other, the Jewish people, their political and religious leaders were able to strengthen the connection of Jews with this land and Jerusalem, that even the destruction of the Jewish state and