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An Ancient Revolution: The Written Word
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| Female figurines from the 9th to the 7th c. BCE (Zev Radovan) |
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Learning Activity 2:
The Essence of Judaism: Monotheism and the Torah
Session 1 - The Concept of Monotheism
- Explain to students that while most religions today believe in only one god, ancient civilizations believed in many gods. The introduction of monotheism, the worship of a single god, was a revolution in religious thought. Ask the students for their hypotheses as to why most ancient civilizations believed in many gods while most modern religions believe only in one god.
- OPTIONAL: Show the multimedia presentation
 Universal God (the short text in "Explore Topic"), which explains the development of the concept of a single, all-powerful god (monotheism). Show the historical document The Universal God and its accompanying text to help demonstrate this, and discuss how this document portrays a god that has power over all peoples rather than just the Jewish people alone.
- Have students read the historical document A Prophecy of Exile. Tell them that this is a prophecy of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem and the Babylonian Exile, when most of the Jewish population was forced to spend seventy years in Babylon. Make them aware that this is the "tragedy" that Abba Eban speaks of in the next video segment.
- Distribute the handout Universal God (PDF). Show the video segment Universal God and ask students to consider the questions on the handout as they watch:
- What were the circumstances that led the ancient Hebrews to believe that there was a single god of all mankind?
- What standard of morality accompanied belief in the Hebrew god?
- How did early Israelites, or "Yehudim" in Hebrew, become known as the "Jews"?
Session 2 - The Bible and History
Tell students that we have now covered the belief that is central to the Jewish faith - monotheism. Now we will cover the text that is central to Judaism - the Torah, which also developed during the Babylonian Exile of the Israelites. The Torah was and is still the foundation of the identity and continuity of the Jewish people throughout history.
- Ask the class what Bible stories they believe might have a historical basis and which they think are legends. Suggest such Biblical stories as Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah's Ark, and the Exodus from Egypt. Allow for a brief discussion to give voice to a variety of ideas.
- Distribute the handout The Torah (PDF). As a class, read the text in "Explore Topic" for the video segment Torah. Then show the video segment Torah (be sure to stop when "Universal God" begins (after Abba Eban says "a new and larger vision of life"). Then show the video segment Judean Sacred Texts. Have the students form small groups and ask them to consider the following questions from the handout:
- What different sources went into the creation of the first five books of the Bible (known to Jews as the Torah)?
- The video segment Torah emphasizes that the Jews were in exile in Babylon when the Torah was written down. Why would it have been so important for the Jews to record their beliefs, history, and legends at that particular time?
- Have the students explore the multimedia presentation Archaeology and the Bible in their groups. Ask them to read and discuss the Sub-Topics at the end of the presentation and consider:
- How has archaeology shed new light on the historical validity of stories in the Bible? Ask a representative from each group to share their group's ideas with the rest of the class.
- Ask students to choose a part of the Bible and write about whether they believe it to be an accurate description of a historical event or a mythologized version of something that might have happened. Students should be as detailed as possible about what they think might have really occurred. They should be sure to support each hypothesis by using supporting evidence based on their prior knowledge as well as the material on the HERITAGE DVD-ROM. This assignment can be completed in class, or assigned as homework.
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 Continue to Learning Activity 3: Ancient Civilizations, Ancient Texts
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