4. Geography
• lies at the eastern end of the
Mediterranean Sea. It is
bordered by Egypt on the
west, Syria and Jordan on the
east, and Lebanon on the
north
7. The southern Negev region, which
comprises almost half the total area, is
largely a desert.
8. The Jordan, the only important river, flows from the north
through Lake Hule (Waters of Merom) and Lake Kinneret (also
called Sea of Galilee or Sea of Tiberias), finally entering the Dead
Sea 1,349 ft (411 m) below sea level—the world's lowest land
elevation.
9. Etymology
• According to the Hebrew Bible the name "Israel" was
given to the patriarch Jacob ("persevere with God")
after he successfully wrestled with an angel of God.
• Jacob's twelve sons became the ancestors of
the Israelites, also known as the Twelve Tribes of
Israel or Children of Israel.
• Jacob and his sons had lived in Canaan but were
forced by famine to go into Egypt for four generations
until Moses, a great-great grandson of Jacob, led the
Israelites back into Canaan in the "Exodus".
10.
11. Info:
• Land area: 7,849 sq mi (20,329 sq
km); total area: 8,019 sq mi (20,770 sq
km)
• Population (2010 est.): 7,353,985
(growth rate: 1.6%); birth rate:
19.5/1000; infant mortality rate:
4.1/1000; life expectancy: 80.8; density
per sq km: 319
16. Palestine, considered
a holy land by Jews,
Muslims, and
Christians, and
homeland of the
modern state of
Israel, was known as
Canaan to the
ancient Hebrews.
17. • A Hebrew kingdom established in
1000 B.C. was later split into the kingdoms of
Judah and Israel; they were subsequently
invaded by Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians,
Persians, Romans, and Alexander the Great of
Macedonia.
• By A.D. 135, few Jews were left in Palestine;
most lived in the scattered and tenacious
communities of the Diaspora, communities
formed outside Palestine after the Babylonian
exile.
18. • The Arabs took Palestine from the
Byzantine empire in 634–640.
• Interrupted only by Christian Crusaders,
Muslims ruled Palestine until the 20th
century.
• During World War I, British forces
defeated the Turks in Palestine and
governed the area under a League of
Nations mandate from 1923.
21. THE HEBREWS
• Believed in Jehovah, an unseen God who
was never identified with images or
sacrifices
• The worship of Jehovah was tied with
right behavior in compliance with the Ten
Commandments.
• First rulers were the patriarchs.
27. Mishna
• The Mishna, com
piled around 200
CE, is the primary
rabbinic
codification of
laws as derived
from the Torah.
28. Talmud
• Collection of treatises which are chiefly
dedicated to the laws and legends of the Jews
• Form is precise terminology and strict logic
• Regarded as an extensive commentary on the
Bible
• Discussion is its hallmark.
30. Biblical Period
• Ancient Hebrew historiography
• Greater part of the Bible is history.
• Written in rhythmic prose
• Prophecy is written on the parallelistic form of
poetry.
31. Post-Biblical Period
• Extension of the Biblical Period
• Many apocryphal and apocalyptic books were
patterned after the Biblical prototype.
• SEPTUAGINT, Greek translation of the Bible, is the
cornerstone of the literature of the Jews.
• Most popular literature is the HALAKAH, from the
Hebrew Halak, meaning to go or a rule to go by.
• Another is the HAGGADAH, from higgid, to
tell, talks about folklore, ethics, poetry, and
science.
