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Down in Egypt. Middle Kingdom 2025-1630 BCE Hyksos ca. 1600s BCE Semitic tribes Resurrection cults - Osiris / Isis - Ma’at. Old Kingdom 2700-2200 BCE. Old Pharaoh Maat ( ma’at ) - optimism / eternity 2. Bureaucracy. 3. Life and death
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Down in Egypt Middle Kingdom 2025-1630 BCE Hyksos ca. 1600s BCE Semitic tribes Resurrection cults- Osiris / Isis- Ma’at
Old Kingdom 2700-2200 BCE • Old PharaohMaat(ma’at) - optimism / eternity 2. Bureaucracy
3. Life and death - Nation-building “out of many, one”- orderly universeDjoser / Imhotep 2650 BCE
Land of the Nile • Ecological stability • Semi-isolation • Early Dynasties3100-2700 BCEgod-kingsless innovative
Imperial Egypt 1550-1075 • Beyond the Nile- Hittites- Phoenicians- Hebrews- Assyrians- Greeks Thutmose I 1504-1492 BCE New Kingdom
3. Limits to power - Amenhotep IV / Nefertiti (ca. 1350s BCE) - Aten Cult “Sky god”? King Tutcultural lethargy
The Ancient Hebrews History & the Evolution of Western Ethics
A. God of Abraham • History, not nature- not of this world - God is “free will”, historical - progress, not cycles - our choices matter * Not bound by fixed laws – “free will manifests itself”
B. Grand Design • “History” – narrative revealing God- meaning, purpose • Chosen people- “pre-Hebrew” timeGarden, snake, Ark, Flood, Tower - Sumerian, Babylonian- Abraham
A. Nomads • Trade or raid- Aramaeans, Semitic language “Ur of the Chaldeans” Curse of Cain
Patriarchs- Abraham Isaac, Jacob, Joseph (ca. 2000 BCE) Apiru / Habiru [Hebrews] “dwell in tents”
B. The Exodus • Mosesca. 1200s/1300s BCE- Semitic clans • Finding God- Yahweh (Midianites)- Abrahamic tradition and god (El) 10 Commandments
3. Ethical Monotheism- “thou shalt not…” - ethical monotheism - internal morality Personal god; free will; “right thinking”
C. Davidic Kingdom • Holy War- Canaanites- Phoenicians- Philistines
Judges- Shiloh / Ark of the Covenant • “A king like all the nations” - Saul, David, Solomon (ca. 1020-922)- tribe to monarchy
A. The Babylonian Exile 1. Sins of a nation- Tyranny- Division- 721 BCE Assyria “Lost Tribes” of Israel - 587 BCE Chaldeans “New Babylonians” Nebuchadnezzar II
2. Return- Cyrus the Great 539 BCE 3. Prophets and poets- Ezra, Nehemiah- Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel Reconcile justice w/ mercyRe-establish the CovenantSeparatism / Cultural identity
C. Identity & Faith • Belief, not land- Tanakh = scriptures Torah = 1st 5 books- Observance of law (Pharisees) - Messiah complex
D. Legacy • Obligation to transcendent, “higher” law- social “contract”- God is active in history / personal • Humanistic - free moral agents - “I matter” * Adds to Western humanistic tradition