Hebrew Influence On Western Civilization

of the world and retreated into the heavens, leaving Shu to reign in his place.

The readings of Exodus explain the departure of the Israelites from Egypt and how the covenant was renewed. The rejuvenation made Israel a nation and formed a relationship between god and his teachings. The nature of god’s presence reveals how the Israelites were authentic and productive with how they reproduced and how the land became filled with Israelites. The reality demonstrates how the new king of Egypt stated that, “The Israelite people have multiplied and become more numerous than we are”(Exodus p. 16). This reality proposes how the Egyptians became resentful against the Israelites in order them to suffer brutal slavery and make life difficult for them with intense work and punishment. The texts in Exodus acknowledge the sacrifices Hebrew women had to make in order to live through nature and reality. It states “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. They are robust and give birth before the midwife arrives” (Exodus p. 16). Gods presence through nature and reality reveals how

Oswalt states that the Hebrew thought survived through the exilic period in Assyria and Babylon even though they were in direct conflict with the societies in which they were captive. Israel brought into these societies the thought that there was only one God and He was the creator of the world and humanity. In addition, Oswalt states the Israelites brought the unique ideas that God was not dependent upon humanity but himself and that God revealed himself to humanity and gave them specific understandings of what he expected from his people. It was only by God’s design that the people of Israel were able to maintain their religion in a foreign land.

Hebrew and Babylonian are two different versions of hot the earth was created. Even though there are perspective of how the world was created they do have some similarities. The broad point of the two views intertwine with each other because they are more the same than different.

The Hebrews believed that they had a special unique relationship with God; they called themselves “the chosen People”. Prophets played a dominant role in this history. They believe this because they were rescued from Egypt and God wanted them set the examples of righteousness behavior for all to follow. The Prophets are emergence of spiritually inspired people. The profits cared nothing for money or possessions and feared no one and preached without invitations. The prophet said that is was God’s wish to forgive human sins and to renew his relationship with a contrite Israel. The prophets aided in the modeling of the learning that is part of the Western Tradition. They also additional established the Hebrew idea of “moral individuality”. Rejecting parochialism for universalism, the prophets accomplished a profound alertness of human disposition, a conscious commitment to the Law. The prophets said that individuals are responsible for their own actions and this would be the key component to the Western thought.

Two cultures, Mesopotamians and Hebrew, despite being separated through time and geography, are very similar. Among these similarities were their flood stories. Both cultures felt they had displeased their God or gods, though either sin or clamor, and in anger these deities decided to flood and kill all of humankind. In both cases, the God or gods took pity on a single family, allowing them to live and prosper. Both Noah and Utnapishtim were instructed to take all animals on the boat. In the case of the Hebrews, there was a specific number of each animal that should be taken on the boat. This number was seven. The Mesopotamians emphasized this same number, but in relation to how long it rained. Obviously the dove is a sacred bird in both cultures

Evolutions of civilizations can occur because of differences in people’s religion, culture, or geographic setting of the settlement. The relationship between the world of the gods and that of men was perceived differently by the Sumerians, Egyptians, and Hebrew ancient civilizations. This is demonstrated by the way each group viewed the process of creation. They had different thoughts on the creation of their gods, the universe and of man. This essay will discuss the relationship between humans and their gods in three different ancient civilizations: Sumerian, Egyptian and Hebrew.

A defining characteristic of humanity is our unparalleled ability to reason, to see the world in new ways and to reinvent it within our minds. Yet, a human mind without knowledge, one ignorant to the workings of its surroundings, is limited in what it can achieve, and changed in how it will act. In humankind’s creation stories portrayed in the Hebrew Bible and the Popol Vuh, the gods utilize human ignorance in difference ways. I will argue that while ignorance is used as a tool by the gods to guarantee human worship and thus their own existence in the Popol Vuh, the god of the Hebrew Bible concedes that total ignorance is detrimental to the advancement of the human race and uses it rather as a tool to advance humanity’s own success.

The world of the ancient Near East believed in a creator deity as member within a plethora of deities; that is, there was no supreme being. Within this plethora, each deity held a specific responsibility, representing such matters as order, justice, love, and truth, to name but a few. Among ANE inhabitants, according to Philip J. Nel, “a normative principle of justice was maintained as part and parcel of the created universe. The human life-world and the order of nature were seen as inextricable entwined.” It is not surprising, therefore, how ancient civilizations understood justice to be a concomitant attribute of a deity within a pantheon of deities; a pantheon where members had origins and, in most instances, were familial in nature. According to their understanding of creation, ancient civilizations held views on social and economic justice as a means that would “facilitate the service of the community to the divine world.” Nel observes that, “The principle of justice was . . . not so much regarded as a system of moral order, but rather the assumption of an existing/created autonomous design/order which should be upheld and adhered to in all sectors of society.” The Sumerians, and the Egyptians, serve as examples.

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” God makes an extensive covenant to Abram, declaring that he will become a great nation. Little does Abram know, this is the dawn of the nation of Israel, God’s chosen

Joseph M. Bolton RELS 103-02 Online Old Testament Studies Spring Semester 2011 Session E May 8, 2011 to July 2, 2011 The Old Testament TimeLine Creation & Primeval History The Creation: * God creates the Heavens and the Earth * God creates man in his image. *

This essay will compare and contrast the Biblical creation myths with other creation myths from Greece and the Ancient Near East. It will first discuss the initial creation of the universe followed by the creation of mankind and finally the recreation of man whilst drawing parallels to Sumerian and Babylonian texts, The Old Testament and Hesiods Theogony. In paying particular attention to the chronology of each myth it will be shown that the creation myths regarding the universe and mankind evolved from as far back as the Sumerian stories.

When considering the greatest impact on Western Civilization, whether the Hebrew civilization had most to contribution. Even though the Sumerians and Egyptians civilization also contributed greatly to the development of Western Civilization, the Hebrew civilization had a unique characteristic which made them have strong power over other civilizations. The Hebrews saw God as creator and believed that God is in control of His creation. I will demonstrate the argument by comparison of these three civilizations.

There are many ways that the Jewish and Greco-Roman culture shaped and influenced the world of Jesus. In the early days, all Jews worshiped in a temple called a Synagogue which means “meeting.” They believed in Judaism which is the belief in the Law of Moses and monotheism, which is the belief in one God. Growing up Jewish Jesus was greatly influenced by this religious culture. He experienced everything the average Jewish child experienced.

Moreover, the Hebrews evolved from a polytheistic society into a monotheistic society. The consistency of one god and the incompetence of argument with other gods is marked as a benefit. This central divine is a more systemic form of developing