Important Jewish Icons

Abraham

Between 1900-1750 B.C.E. Jewish history began; at that time Jews were simply part of a number of tribes collectively known as Hebrews.

Their history began with a religious experience from a man named Abram.

He lived in a time where most people were polytheistic. Polytheism- worshiping many gods.

God called him to a special type of personal relationship (or covenant). As a sign of their unique relationship, God gave him the name Abraham.

This covenant was the first in a series that God would establish with the Hebrew people.

Abraham’s covenant: the Hebrews were to be God’s people and be loyal and loving to Him and each other. Monotheism-worshiping of one god.

The unique sign of this promise was land and descendants.

Abraham migrated from the City-state Ur in southern Mesopotamia along to Fertile Crescent to Canaan.

Isaac and Jacob

Abraham and his wife Sarah gave birth to a son named Isaac.

Some years later Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his son as a sign of his loyalty to Him.

But God withdrew the commandment last minute. This was a sign of the strength of the covenant.

Later Isaac and his wife Rebecca gave birth to a son named Jacob.

The covenant was renewed in a dream. Jacob eventually fathered 12 sons, and was given a new name, Israel, as a sign of his special relationship with God.

Settlement in Egypt

One of Jacob’s sons, Joseph, was his favorite and because of this his brothers were jealous of him.

The brothers sold Joseph to slavery to some merchants on their way to Egypt.

But Joseph ended up serving as a steward in a rich Egyptian’s house and eventually worked his way up to the position of prime minister of the country.

Famine in Canaan forced the Israelites out of Canaan into Egypt

From that position of authority, he invited his father and brothers to live in Egypt. The Hebrews lived in prosperity in Egypt for 150 years.

The End of the Patriarchal Period

The settlement in Egypt ended the patriarchal period in Jewish history.

That period was dominated by three main patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Patriarchs- meaning “father and leader of a family.”

Matriarchs- founding mothers of the people of Israel, especially Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah.