History of Monotheism
Taught by Dr. Joe Reigel, PhD, covering Abraham to Solomon
Abraham
Abraham is commonly known as the father of Judaism. His original name was Abram, and was born about 2000 BCE, in Ur, Mesopotamia. He left Ur around 1950 BCE, and moved to Caanan, where they founded Israel in 1000 BCE. Abraham, at one point, was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, killing his son, but instead killed a ram. But I can't give that all away---pay the $12.00 admission and attend my seminar!
Moses
Moses was the leader of the Israelites. The Jewish bible, the Torah, tells of how Moses' people were slaves in Egypt, but he incurred the wrath of God on the Pharaoh, ergo the seven plagues of Egypt. The Pharaoh set them free. However the Egyptian army chased them out of their country, and Moses famously parted the Red Sea, letting the Israelites through but drowning the Egyptian soldiers. Two examples of the plagues would be rivers turning to blood, and clouds of destructive locusts.
King David
After their many travels in the vast wildernesses, the Israelites once again settled in Caanan. The Hebrew bible tells of how they founded the kingdom of Israel, and built the great First Temple, during the reign of Kings David and Solomon. Under David's rule, his new city, Jerusalem, became the place where the Ark of the Covenant, the chest containing the ten commandments, was kept. In one famous tale, King David, as a young man, was told by a people called the Philistines, who said they would be the Israelite's slaves if he could single-handedly beat their fiercest warrior, the massive Goliath. David struck down Goliath with a stone from his slingshot.
King Solomon
Solomon, the son of David, became the new king after David's death, in 965 BCE. Solomon built a huge temple in Jerusalem, where the Ark of the Covenant was stored. He created treaties with neighboring countries, and increased the rate of copper mining and metal working. The Book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes in the Writings in the Hebrew Bible are attributed to him. Both David and Solomon made great contributions to Judaism. Jerusalem is considered the holiest city on earth to the Jews, and a symbol of their faith.