The Jewish people made their appearance in history after 2000 BCE. They descend in part from the Amorites or Westerners who settled in Mesopotamia at the end of the third millennium. According to the Bible, the ancestors of Israel arrived in Egypt as free men but later became enslaved. Around 1260 BCE, thousands of them left Egypt led by the prophet Moses, whose name has Egyptian origins. They settled in Canaan, where they formed twelve tribes.
Around 1050 BCE, the judge and seer Samuel appointed Saul as the king of Israel to fight against the Philistines. After Saul’s death, the southern tribe of Judah appointed David as king, who pacified the region and transformed Jerusalem into a religious center, housing the Ark of the Covenant. David was succeeded on the throne by his son Solomon (961-922 BCE), a legendary king known for his wisdom, who ordered the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem to house the Ark.
The sacred Jewish scripture, contained in the Bible, is composed of three fundamental sections: the Law (Torah), the Prophets (Nevi’im), and the Writings (Ketuvim). These three sections are collectively referred to as the Tanakh. The oldest part of the Torah dates back to the 10th century BCE, and the most recent part of the Writings only goes back to the 2nd century BCE.
Source: Shiva Shambho
Books on Judaism
External Links: Judaism / Tanakh / Torah / Nevi’im / Ketuvim