Jewish history
Jewish History
Jewish history is an interesting blend of legend and fact. There is quite a bit that cannot be historically verified, and yet it is still widely accepted and believed. The Jewish people get some of their history from the Bible and other parts of history through legend and historic fact. By using all of the sources, they are able to piece their history together.
It is believed that Jewish people came from the ancient Israelites, or Hebrews. Their heritage was full of turmoil. They moved around quite a bit throughout their history before finally finding a place where they could settle.
Jewish people believe Abraham is their ancestor. More so, they believe they are the direct decedents of Abraham’s twelve sons. Abraham’s twelve sons ended up in Egypt, which is why they were also there for a period of time. While they were in Egypt, they ended up being a victim to slavery. However, they were finally liberated. They were led out of Egypt by Moses to Canaan. At that point, the Jewish people were working together and living as a nation for the first time.
However, the nation was still not a group of one set of people. While the Jewish people were together, there was still some division. That was because the Jewish people were divided into twelve tribes. Legend has it they were divided into twelve tribes for Abraham’s twelve sons.
Eventually, King David took over Jerusalem, and the Jewish people were able to inhabit the land. Still consisting of twelve tribes, the people were getting ready to go through another major change. The Jewish people were eventually split even further. Ten of the tribes made up Israel, and two tribes made up Judah.
Soon, Israel was conquered, and the ten tribes of Israel disappeared. There were only two left, and they became what was left of the Jewish people. The ten tribes were not documented while they were in existence, which is why historians are still not able to agree on them to this day.
There is quite a bit that goes into the history of the Jewish people. It is not a simple history, and it is not easy to understand. Jewish communities have undergone many transformations throughout the years, which is why Jewish history is rich with legend and fact.
-- The author, Adherents, runs the website adherents.com which collects and presents statistics and other information on religion. Adherents.com is the leading authority when referencing religious statistics for the TV news and print media. © 2008 http://www.adherents.com - All Rights Reserved
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