Hebrew Culture

Words: 1255
Pages: 6

Hebrew culture extends past almost every other civilization when it comes to age. The hebrews’ history shows great importance through its culture. The hebrews, a people that exist still today, have continued their civilization for so long, we cannot know completely what happened in the beginning of their rule. The hebrews came from Ur in Mesopotamia, held great power during Solomon’s reign, became weak after Solomon’s reign according to multiple steles, and became monotheistic after the destruction of the first temple.
Important and humble: both describe the origins of the hebrews. Multiple bible verses state how hebrews such as Abram came into the holy land. Genesis 11:31 explains how hebrews came to Canaan, as apparently “Terah took his
…show more content…
At around 1200 BCE, the Pharaoh over Egypt, Merneptah, conquered multiple areas of the middle east. Created and written in Thebes, Egypt lay the Merneptah Stele, where archaeologists discovered it. The stele dates back to around 1208 B.C.E. and provides the first evidence of Israel outside of the bible. This stele proves the power of Egypt at the time and shows how much more power it held compared to other countries: “Now that [Libya] has come to ruin, Hatti is pacified; The Canaan has been plundered into every sort of woe: Ashkelon has been overcome; Gezer has been captured; Yano'am is made non-existent. Israel is laid waste and his seed is not;” The inscriptions on the stele provide evidence that Egypt became the most powerful country in its area. Egypt conquered Canaan, present-day Libya, Israel and others. Israel’s power lessened during this period, and could have lost quickly in a battle. The Tel Dan Stele also contains information about Israel. Created at around 870-750 B.C.E., the Tel Dan Stele boasts the victories of the King of Aram, King Hazael. The Stele proves his triumph over Israel and the king of the “House of David.” This mention of David outside of the bible dates before anything else discovered. However, the conflict referenced by the Tel Dan Stele has mention in the Bible. 2 Kings 8:29 states “King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought against King Hazael of Aram. King Ahaziah son of Jehoram of Judah went down to see Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was wounded.” Hazael causes this conflict against multiple neighboring countries. His power expanded far greater than that of Israel, as they could not defend themselves against the invading army. The Mesha Stele provides even more physical evidence against Israel, as it celebrates King Mesha. It states victory against Israel as Mesha took