The call of Abraham and Moses
Abraham
Judaism began with the call of Abraham in Bronze AgeA prehistoric period where weapons and tools were made out of bronze. The Bronze Age began around 3,000 years before the birth of Jesus. times in the Middle EastGeographical area between Asia, Europe and North Africa. Contains countries such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq..
Before he was called by God, Abraham was polytheistic, which meant that he believed in many gods.
The story of the call of Abraham is found in chapters 11 and 12 of GenesisThe first book of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) describing the origins of humanity and humans鈥 relationship with God., and Abraham is considered the first patriarchThe male head of a family or group. of the Jewish people.
Before his call, Abram (as he was originally known) and his wife Sarai (who later became known as Sarah) were old and childless. Abraham was 75 when he left his home and he became the first to teach the idea of one God (monotheism). As a result of his response to God, he became 鈥楢产谤补丑补尘鈥 which means 鈥楩ather of the people鈥.
God promised Abraham that he would become the father of a great nation. This is known as the Abrahamic covenant (the promise God made to Abraham).
God鈥檚 promise to Abraham is recorded in Genesis:
Following this, at the age of 75, Abraham and his wife made the journey to Canaan (modern day Palestine, Syria and Israel). Here God blessed them with a child, Isaac.
Moses
The call of Moses is found in the book of ExodusThe second book of the Old Testament in the Bible and the second book of the five books of the Torah. It literally means 'departure'. It describes Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, where they had to endure slavery. and takes place over 1000 years after the call of Abraham. At the time, the IsraelitesThe descendants of the patriarchs who lived in the land of Canaan, which is also called the Land of Israel. were enslaved in Egypt under the PharaohAn ancient Egyptian ruler..
Moses was called by God to help the Israelites (who were Jewish) escape from Egypt. This is remembered in the Jewish faith today as the Passover.
The Jews were helped on their journey by God - the same God who had promised Abraham that He would look after the Jewish people. God parted the Red Sea to help them escape.
When they reached Mount Sinai, in present day Egypt, God spoke to Moses high on the mountain slopes. God made a deal (called a covenant) with the Jews that renewed the one He had made with Abraham.
As part of this covenant, the Jews received some rules from God in order to live as His people. These are known as the Ten CommandmentsThe list of rules, revealed by God to Moses, found in the Old Testament books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. Also known as the Decalogue..