Monothesistic Religion

Nota:

• Judea is the birthplace of Christianity. Jesus was born in this area and it was once ruled by King David and King Solomon. In 63 B.C.E, the Romans attempted to conquer Judea but many Jews rebelled. Judea was mostly peaceful. According to sacred writings, God would sent a savior to restore David's kingdom. The savior is called a "Messiah". 

Nota:

• Historians believe that Jesus was born on 6 B.C.E in Bethlehem. 

1. Life and Death of Jesus

   Nota:

   • Jesus named a large number of his followers "disciples". He also based his teachings on traditional Jewish beliefs. One of his favorite ways of teaching was through parables which are short and simple stories that teach moral lessons. As his following grew, the Roman rulers were afraid that they would revolt so the Romans decided that Jesus would be executed.
   1. The Resurrection

      Nota:

      • According to the Gospels, Jesus rose from the dead and then appeared to a few of his disciples. The resurrection convinced Christians that Jesus was the son of God. After appearing to them, Jesus left to join his father in heaven.

Nota:

• Back then, very few historians wrote about Jesus. Instead, most of writings were from his followers. The Gospels are accounts of Jesus' life and they were written years after he passed.

1. The Gospel of Luke

   Nota:

   • Mary, Jesus' mother, lived in a town named Nazareth in the Roman territory. The Gospel of Luke says that an angel appeared to Mary and told her she would give birth to a child named Jesus. The Roman emperor Augustus ordered a head count of all the people in the Roman Empire so each man was supposed to return to the town of his birth to be counted. Joseph was Mary's husband. They headed out from Nazareth to his hometown in Bethlehem. Mary traveled with him and she gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem.

Nota:

• The ancient Israelites settled in the land of Canaan between 1300 and 1200 BC. They were led by a man named Abram who had migrated to Canaan from Mesopotamia. His descendants had then migrated to Egypt.

1. Abraham

   Nota:

   • Abraham was born in 2000 B.C.E and he was known as the "Father of the Jews". While other people worshipped many gods, Abraham only believed in one God. When Abraham was 75 years old, God spoke to him and said, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you." Abraham gathered his relatives and they traveled to Canaan. God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham's people. For Jews, Canaan became the “Promised Land.” 
2. Moses

   Nota:

   • Moses was a great leader of the Israelites. By 1300 B.C.E, a large group of Abraham's descendants lived in Egypt. The Israelites increased in number and the Pharaoh of Egypt feared their strength. All of the Israelites were forced into slavery. God told Moses, “I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” When the pharaoh refused to let go of the Israelites, Moses cursed Egypt with 10  plagues and the pharaoh finally gave in but soon changed his mind. Moses led his people out of Egypt and parted the Sea of Reeds, the Pharaoh gave the command for his soldiers to chase after them but the water closed in, drowning all of the soldiers. 
3. David

   Nota:

   • David was the King of Israel. In 1000 B.C.E,  Israelites were at war with the Philistines. According to the Hebrew Bible, the Philistines promised to be slaves if an Israelite could beat their strongest warrior. David struck the warrior with only a sling and stone. David was rewarded when he became King of the Israelites and he chose Jerusalem as the capital city. 
4. Solomon

   Nota:

   • Solomon was the son of David. After David's death, Solomon took over the throne in 965 B.C.E. To honor Jewish worship, he built a temple in Jerusalem. Besides this, Solomon also achieved some great things. He strengthened the Israel kingdom and signed agreements with other kingdoms.