History of Judaism

By connorando
  • 1750 BCE

    Abraham

    Around 1713 BCE, Abraham circumcises himself, and this act symbolizes the covenant between God and all his descendants. Under this covenant, God promises to make Abraham the father of a great nation, and to give his descendants the land that later becomes Israel. This is the basis for male circumcision in the Jewish faith.
  • Period: 1750 BCE to 1050 BCE

    The Bronze age of Judaism

    Birth of the Jewish people and start of the Jewish people in the first 5 books of the bible. Includes stories of Abraham and Moses.
  • 1650 BCE

    Joseph

    Sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, he rose to become vizier, the second most powerful man in Egypt next to Pharaoh, where his presence and office caused Israel to leave Canaan and settle in Egypt.
  • 1250 BCE

    Moses

    For several hundred years, the Jews are enslaved in Egypt. Moses, a Jewish man raised as an Egyptian prince, is appointed God's prophet. Around 1280 BCE he leads his people out of enslavement on a journey to Canaan known as the Exodus. During this time, Moses presents the Israelites with the Ten Commandments and forms a new covenant with God, which lays the foundation for the Jewish religion.
  • 1079 BCE

    Saul

    Saul, according to the Hebrew Bible, was the first king of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, marked a transition from a tribal society to statehood.
  • Period: 1050 BCE to 920 BCE

    Birth of Judaism

    This was the beginning of Judaism as a structured religion The Jews, under God’s guidance became a powerful people with kings such as Saul, David, and Solomon, who built the first great temple.
    From then on Jewish worship was focussed on the Temple, as it contained the Ark of the Covenant, and was the only place where certain rites could be carried out.
  • 1000 BCE

    David

    David is described in the Hebrew Bible as the second king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah after Saul and Ish-bosheth. In the biblical narrative, David is a young shepherd who gains fame first as a musician and later by killing the enemy champion Goliath.
  • 970 BCE

    Solomon

    King Solomon of Israel builds his crowning achievement, the First Temple, on Mount Moriah around 970 BCE. This temple houses the Ark of the Covenant, a holy relic that contains the Ten Commandments. Several hundred years later, the temple is destroyed by the Babylonians.
  • 920 BCE

    Israel is divided into two kingdoms

    When King Solomon dies around 920 BCE, northern tribes revolt, and the land of the Hebrews splits into two kingdoms: the kingdom of Israel in the north, and the kingdom of Judah in the south. They remain separate for over two hundred years, and the Hebrews begin to splinter into smaller groups.
  • Period: 900 BCE to 600 BCE

    Decline of the Jewish Kingdom

    Around 920 BCE, the kingdom fell apart, and the Jewish people split into groups.
    This was the time of the prophets.
    Around 600 BCE the temple was destroyed, and the Jewish leadership was killed.
    Many Jews were sent into exile in Babylon. Although the Jews were soon allowed to return home, many stayed in exile, beginning the Jewish tradition of the Diaspora - living away from Israel.
  • Period: 900 BCE to 63 BCE

    Rebuilding the Jewish Kingdom

    The Jews grew in strength throughout the next 300 years BCE, despite their lands being ruled by foreign powers. At the same time they became more able to practice their faith freely, led by scribes and teachers who explained and interpreted the Bible.
    In 175 BCE the King of Syria desecrated the temple and implemented a series of laws aiming to wipe out Judaism in favour of Zeus worship. There was a revolt (164 BCE) and the temple was restored.
  • 722 BCE

    Assyrian Conquest

    The Assyrians conquer the kingdom of Israel and force the ten tribes to resettle in other parts of the empire, according to Assyrian custom. The scattering of the tribes is the beginning of the Jewish diaspora, or living away from Israel.
  • 587 BCE

    Destruction of Solomon's Temple

    Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple, was the Holy Temple in ancient Jerusalem before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE.
  • 539 BCE

    End of Babylonian Captivity and Reconstruction of the temple

    Jews allowed to return to Jerusalem, by permission of Cyrus. Zerubbabel leads the first group of Jews from captivity back to Jerusalem (520 BCE). The second temple in Constructed (516 BCE).
  • 164 BCE

    The Maccabees regain control of Jerusalem

    Alexander the Great's successors launch a campaign of Hellenization in Israel, and they erect a statue of Zeus in the second Temple of Jerusalem and outlaw Jewish observances. The Jews revolt, led by a group known as the Maccabees, and in 164 BCE they regain control of Jerusalem and purify the Temple. This event forms the basis of the celebration of Hannukah.
  • 100 BCE

    Roman Control

    The Roman Empire gains control of Israel, and forms it into a client state. Jewish people are subject to Roman rule.
  • Period: 63 BCE to 70

    Roman Time

    For a period the Jewish people governed themselves again and were at peace with the Roman Empire. But internal divisions weakened the Jewish kingdom and allowed the Romans to establish control in 63 BCE.
    In the years that followed, the Jewish people were taxed and oppressed by a series of "puppet" rulers who neglected the practice of Judaism.
  • 66

    Destruction of Second Temple

    In 66 CE the Jews launch the Great Revolt against their Roman rulers, which becomes one of the great tragedies of the Jewish tradition. The Jews rebel in response to years of cruelty by Roman rulers, and the revolt culminates in a siege of Jerusalem. In 70 the Romans breach the walls of Jerusalem, destroy the second Temple, and kill an estimated one million Jews as they reassert authority.
  • Period: 70 to 200

    Destruction of Second Temple

    This was a period of great change - political, religious, cultural and social turmoil abounded in Palestine. The Jewish academies flourished but many Jews could not bear being ruled over by the Romans.
    During the first 150 years CE the Jews twice rebelled against their Roman leaders, both rebellions were brutally put down, and were followed by stern restrictions on Jewish freedom.
  • 131

    Jewish Expulsion and destruction from Israel

    The Roman emperor Hadrian, among other provocations, renames Jerusalem "Aelia Capitolina" and prohibits circumcision. Simon bar Kokhba (Bar Kosiba) leads a large Jewish revolt against Rome in response to Hadrian's actions. In the aftermath, most Jewish population is annihilated (about 580,000 killed) and Hadrian renames the province of Judea to Syria Palaestina, and attempts to root out Judaism.
  • Period: 200 to 700

    The Mishna and Talmund

    Between 200 and 700 CE Judaism developed rapidly.
    Following the twin religious and political traumas, the academies moved to new centres both in Palestine and in the Diaspora. A sense of urgency had taken hold and it was considered vital to write down the teachings of the Rabbis so that Judaism could continue.
    Around 200 CE, scholars compiled the Mishna, the collection of teachings, sayings and interpretations of the early Rabbis.
  • Period: 700 to 1090

    The Golden Age- Spanish Judaism

    The years either side of 1000 CE were the golden age of the Jews in Spain.
    Co-existing happily with the country’s Islamic rulers the Jews developed a flourishing study of Science, Hebrew literature and the Talmud.
    Despite an attempt to forcibly convert all Jews to Islam in 1086 CE, this golden age continued.