FREE ESSAY ON HEBREWS

HEBREWS

The Hebrews started out enslaved by the Egyptians until they were freed by Moses around
1250 BC. Then the Exodus began from Egypt to the promised land. Moses led the Hebrews to
Mt. Sinai to await the word of the lord. Moses dies and his successor Joshua, son of Nun,
comes to bring his people to attack east of the Jordan river in Jericho against the
Canaanites. Next, was the conquest of Hazor, one of the strongest towns in Canaan the
Isrealites took over Hazor and the most Canaanite empire. 
Before Israel had its first monarchy there was a system of tribal society. There were
twelve tribes who were led in times of peace by the elders and in times of war by the
judges. The Judges were more like the tribal chieftains several of the Judges were active
at the same time, each leading his own tribe into battle with a different foe. There was
war constantly with many different peoples: "the five lords of the Philistines, the
Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mt. Lebanon" (Judges,3:3) The
most fierce of all the people were the Philistines ,a sea people, who landed on the
shores of Canaan around the end of the thirteenth century BCE. By the eleventh century
the Philistines had five major kingdoms in Canaan (Gaza, Ashdod, Asshkelon, Eekron, and
Gath) and were constantly at war with the Israelites attempting to force them inland.
The last verse in the book of Judges "In those days there was no king in Israel and every
man did what was right in his own eyes" this proves that the Israelites needed a King.
Samuel last of the Judges was chosen to appoint a king. The first king of the Israelites
in 1029 BCE was Saul who came from the tribe of Benjamin which was between the northern
tribes of Ephriam and the southern tribes of Judah. Saul defeated 
the Ammonites in Gilead, the Moabites, the Amalekites, the Arameans, the Edomites. Saul
even held the advance of the Philistines. Despite Saul's victories he failed to push the
Philistines to the coastal plain and tension grew between Saul and the prophet Samuel.
Saul not performing up to par to the word of the lord according to Samuel; Saul was
ousted and a new king to be named. Saul would die in battle a short while after his
dethroning against the Philistines on Mt. Gilboa.
The Israelites would need a new king to rule the newly formed kingdom so Samuel chose
David of Bethlehem, the slayer of Goliath. For seven years a civil war was fought between
the tribes controlled by David the new king and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul. The civil war
ended when Ish-Bosheth was murdered and the people asked David to save them from the
Philistines. David not only maintained the empire left to him by Saul but fortified it to
a major political and religious power in that area. The new king defeated the Arameans
and annexed Aram-Damascus in the east he routed the Moabites, subjugated the state of
Edom, and defeated the Ammonites. In order to keep a secure northern border David made a
pact with Hiram, King of Tyre. David would not stop there he would go on to abolish all
Canaanite enclaves and took the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites fortifying a capital
for the strongest kingdom on the Fertile Crescent. 
David was getting old and his declining health started to cause fighting between the sons
and priests who the next king would be. The next king was Solomon who was appointed by
David before his death in 967 BCE. Solomon to show every one in the kingdom he was a
serious leader he began to strike out against all his enemies. Some were banished some
exiled. Solomon built temples and permanent towns. 
Solomon's kingdom did not outlive his death. The kingdom was immediately split in two
Rehoboam ruled the south and Jeroboam ruled the north. The two kingdoms fought a war for
decades over land, culture, and religion. The Israelites lost most of the kingdom due to
the internal fighting. Samiaria was founded in 877 BCE and Jehoshaphat was the ruler (of
Judah) from 870 BCE who ruled for twenty-five years. Under Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat the
two kingdoms were again unified. he also secure Edom in the south and established a safe
trade route through Negev. Uzziah came to power in 785 BCE and was the next ruler. He
built the city Elath and extend the rule left to him by Jehoshaphat.
In 722 BCE the Kingdom of Israel ceased to exist. The Assyrians captured Samaria and made
it one of there provinces. Tiglath-Pileser III who occupied Syria weakened the Israeli
empire with constant battles which allowed the Assyrians to take over. Twenty years after
the fall of the kingdom of Israel Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem in 701 BCE. The Assyrian
power quickly diminished by 598 BCE and was quickly taken over by the Babylonians under
the rule of Nebuchadnezzar who swiftly conquered Jerusalem and exiled 10,000 followers of
Judah. In 586 BCE the last king Zedekiah was captured and Jerusalem destroyed. Zedekiah
sons were slain in his presence and his eyes were taken out Zedekiah was in chains,
blind, and banished to Babylon.
The Persians under the rule of Cyrus in 539 BCE conquered the Babylonian empire and ruled
all of western Asia. Cyrus made a law that all conquered people could return to their
homeland and rebuild their temples. Cambyses comes to power of the Persian empire and
conquered Egypt 525 BCE. The people revolted and overthrew Cambyses three years later
Darius I comes into power. His dynasty would last until Alexander the Great in 331 BCE. 
The Jews begin to disperse throughout southern Egypt after Alexander the Great took over
in 332 BCE. In 301 BCE Ptolemy I attacks Palistine and sends all the Jews to Alexandria
The bible (the Septuagint) was translated into Greek in Alexandria circa 250 BCE. During
the fifth Syrian war Seleucid Antiochus III conquers all of Syria and Phoniciaexcept
Gazacirca 202 BCE. In 161 BCE Judah Maccabee's emissaries establish diplomatic relations
with the Roman Republic. The Romans forbid the Jews proselytize or build temples and are
banned from Rome in 139 BCE. Flaccus a Roman governor prevents Jews in his provience to
send contributions to Jerusalem. Julius Caesar death is mourned by Jews of Rome as a
benefactor of their people March 44 BCE. Augustus allows Jews to send shekel to the
Temple. In 19 ACE Tiberius' reign prohibited the spread of the Jewish faith by taking
four-thousand Jews of military age and sends them to fight in Sardinia the rest are
banished. Anti-Jewish riots break out in Alexandria during Galius Caligulas' reign. Many
Jews are killed and the rest leave their homes and form gettos in one quarter of the
city, Thirty-eight members of the Gerusia are arrested and flogged. The Jews were granted
a pardon by the next ruler however, Claudius said, "Because I believe they are worthy of
it for their loyalty and friendship to the Romans." Claudius affirms Jews rights to
Alexandria.
This however did not stop the hardships for the Jews. The land of Israel is made into a
Roman province governed by an official of equestrian rank circa 6 ACE. In 26 ACE Pontius
Pilate is appointed procurator and tensions mount between Romans and Jews. The death of
John the Baptist in 30 ACE the Romans accused Jesus of Nazareth of pretending to be King
of the Jews is crucified. The accession of Claudius wishing to appease the Jews and his
personal friendship with Agrippa, Claudius places for the first time in a half-century
all the lands of Palestine. Tensions rise between Greeks and Jews towards the end of the
50's ACE. The great revolt against Rome leaves Jerusalem into Roman hands once again.
Around 66 ACE scores of Jews in Damascus are taken to a gymnasium and massacred. Judea
becomes a Roman province again under the leadership of a Roman official. During 117 ACE
Judea becomes a property of Hadrian. He will visit in 129 ACE and disgrace the Jewish
people by building a pagan city on top of the cite of where Jerusalem had stood. From
that date until the Arab conquest the Jews are forbidden to live in the city.