A Look at the Roots of Judaism in the Middle East
The beginnings of Judaism and other early Western religious beliefs date back to before 1000BC. For many thousands of years before the calendered importance of Christ's birth, the Middle East was inhabited by groups of people including ancient Pharaohs and serfs of Egypt, nomadic tribesman, and settled agrarian societies of which all took a various shape depending on a specific time period. The region references much of Palestine, Syria and Babylon references much of what we know today as the Arab Peninsula.
For the entirety of civilization prior to the arrival of the prophet Mohammad, their was a loose, undetermined landscape for religion of various forms to take shape in the region. Consideration began to emphasize aspects of monotheism around the millennial before Christ. One of the first of such non pagan beliefs was introduced by the prophetic man named Zoroaster, whose teachings incorporated philosophical principles of morality and justice into some basic constructs of religion at the time. Central to the Zoroastrian belief was the idea of divinity and evil as embodied by the figures Ahura Mazda, the creator-god of truth and Ahriman, the ill spirited nemesis. Borrowing from several of the mythical gods of pagan belief at the time, Zoroastrianism recognized known deities such as Mithra, a sun god.
The main separation of the monotheistic belief from cult or paganism was the notion of free will, that living virtuously in favor of divine tendencies rather than a path of darkness was an admirable purpose to gain heavenly acceptance. The priesthood who ardently pursued the emulation of the God Ahura Mazda's doctrine were called the Magi. Their tradition of being a scholarly, pious people had existed prior to the teachings of Zoroaster but as has been true of other clergy men, they would adopt some popular societal views to convey their religious message. The acceptance of written manuscripts by the area's rulers during the hundreds of years B.C. was rarely, if ever practiced as it was viewed as demonic and contrary to the spoken ritual as was then the norm.
Broader introduction of the Mazdaen belief continued to advance as the many centuries b.c experienced shifts in dynastic rule, conquests and invasions by various formidable groups who notably included the Persians, Roman, and Greek/Macedonian leaders.
Of another expanding religion around the same time was Judaism which derives it's name from the Hebrew term "goy" meaning nation and used in the Torah as a reference to it's community of worshipers. The patriarchs or divine descendants are said to have spawned originally from the land of Israel. The inception of Judaism is of the story told in the Torah religious texts as follows in it's summarized form.
Around 1800bc there lived Abram, the son of a local merchant in a Babylonian town. As the people of that era commonly held the belief of the idol gods who maintained supernatural force over life's activity, Abram envisioned just one creator god and proselytized this idea to his family and peers.
While working alone in his father's shop one day, he took a hammer to a large selection of idol statues only to leave one unscathed, the largest of all the others. When his father returned, Abram was left to further defend his position of believing in a single creator. The story explains that God spoke to Abram and led him to move away from home. For in return, the boy would be provided a great nation and God's blessings. The agreement traditionally has been referred to as "b'rit" or "covenant" that recognized the obligations for God and his people. Based upon the locations of his ancestry from an area name "Eber", Abram was referred to as a Hebrew.
After the departure from his home he traveled the land that was given to him. He married a beloved wife Sarai but as their age grew beyond the point of Sarai's fertility, she offered their maidservant, Hagar, to copulate. Hagar was the daughter of a Pharaoh who had been an honorary gift to Abram years earlier during his travels to Egypt. Hagar bore Abram a son Ishmael who came to be known as the ancestor of the Arabs.
God extended a promise to Abram and Sarai's well into their later years that Sarai would bear Abram a son. Accordingly she retained fertility to conceive Isaac, who came to be known as the ancestor of the Jewish people. As a series of ten pivotal tests assigned by God to Abram during his life, his final and most difficult was the sacrifice of son Isaac. Honoring the command, he proceeded albeit with an expected submission from his son. But before the act was committed, God intervened, saving Issac and blessing Abram for his adherence to faith. The practice of child sacrifice at the time is said to have occurred and this has been provided as evidence that the Jewish culture condemned such customs.
Isaac happily lived with his wife Rebeca who bore twins Jacob and Esau. The boys disagreed over many instances. Esau was a more aggressive persona who hunted while Jacob related more to his mother's wisdom and intellect. At a young age Esau is said to have traded his duty of spiritual leadership to Jacob for a bowl of lentil soup. Jacob's fondness for his motherly character eventually paid off, for Rebeca tricked their father Isaac in his old age to praise upon Jacob a blessing that was intended for Esau. Exasperated from the unhappiness of brother Esau over the mother's favoritism, Jacob voluntarily left home to live with an Uncle. There he fell in love with Rachael but was deceived into marrying her older sister. But soon after Jacob married Rachael as intended then also wed two maid servants Bilhal and Zilphah. Among his four wives Jacob had 12 sons and 1 daughter.
After many years Jacob returned to his childhood home to attempt a restoration of peace with Esau and he brought with him his wives and children One evening the story holds that he was wrestling in the night with an unknown man. In a lengthy grueling competition, Jacob defeated his opponent. In return for the victory, Jacob asked of the man for his blessing which his opponent was quickly responded that Jacob take the name of Ysrael meaning the one who wrestled God.
The large family of Ysrael provided were made to be the region's tribesman. Each of his twelve sons presided over their own provenance each of which were named after the son who oversaw it. Jacob, "Ysrael" though governed over two named Manasseh and Ephraim.
An obvious favoritism by father Ysrael for his oldest oldest son Joseph was a cause for great dissatisfaction among the brothers. It was as God had intended it though and Joseph went to Egypt where his visionary abilities were highly regarded by the Pharaohs court, who quickly allowed him to establish his family there.
Centuries later, the descendant of Israel became slaves of the pharaohs but restitution was eventually given by God who sent the leader Moses to bring them out of Egypt and to Mr.Sinai. There amidst the high ground, God revealed himself and offered a pact to the Children of Israel that if they obey God's holy covenant then he would in return bless them as the most favored nation. The oral and written Torah was given to them and the joyous response was "Everything that the Lord has spoken, We Will Do." The tradition subscribes to the story that every Jewish man and women to be born in the future had their soul revealed during the encounter. And their acknowledgement of the agreement to honor the covenant is said to have occurred.