Where was Judaism founded? This is a profound and essential question not just for Jews. It also impacts Christians, Muslims, and anyone impacted by the Middle East’s tensions today. The theology of geography is more relevant today than many believers fully understand.
The founding of Judaism is a story that unfolds over several generations. It begins with Abraham, then continues through figures like Moses and Joshua.
The Bible tells us that Abraham’s family originated in the land of Ur, a Chaldean territory in ancient Mesopotamia near the Euphrates River. At that time, Abraham was called Abram and lived with his father, Terah. After the death of his brother, Terah moved his family away from Ur. Terah intended to reach Canaan, but for unstated reasons, he stopped.
“Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.” (Genesis 11:31 NIV)
This geography is easy to picture if you remember that Mesopotamia is also known as “the Fertile Crescent.” Imagine the Arabian Desert as a crescent or a rounded, open triangle. Ur was east of the crescent, in the south (at the bottom of the crescent). Traveling north, at the crest of the crescent, is Harran. Leaving Harran and traveling southwest (almost completely opposite Ur on the western side of the Arabian Desert) is Canaan.
After Terah’s death, Abram left for Canaan. When he reached Canaan, Abram heard from God. Genesis 12:6 says he “traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.” (NIV).
Genesis 12:7-8 details the geography: “The LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’ So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD” (NIV).
Genesis 12 details what we know as the Abrahamic Covenant. The covenant laid the groundwork for Judaism. So, it can be argued that Judaism was originally founded in Shechem.
There was a famine in Canaan, so Abram traveled to Egypt. He didn’t return to Canaan until after the famine. Genesis 13:3-4 describes his return:
“From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.” (NIV)
Abram’s nephew, Lot, chose the plains of Zoar for his people. Abram and his people lived in the land of Canaan. In Genesis 13:14-18, God gave the land (again) to Abram and his descendants. Then Abram “went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents.” At that time, the Canaanites still lived in the land. Over the next few decades, God reaffirmed his covenant with Abram several times. Genesis 17 describes how God gave him a new name, Abraham, which highlighted that his family would become a nation (“Abraham means father of many”).
Hebron still exists today, even known by the same name. Hebron is one of Judaism’s holiest cities (along with Jerusalem, Tiberius, and Zefat) and one of Islam’s four holiest cities (along with Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem). This, according to Britannica. It is located in what is now known as the West Bank.
While both the twelve tribes of the Ishmaelites and the twelve tribes of the Israelites descended from Abraham, Isaac is the child identified by God as “the son of promise.” According to Jewish law, the Israelites are the only ones to whom God gave the land known as Israel.
At the end of Genesis, the 12 Israelite tribes returned to Egypt during another famine, eventually becoming enslaved by the Egyptian Pharaohs. Under Moses’ leadership, God delivered the Israelites from Egypt and safely brought them back to Canaan. This began the second progression in the founding of Judaism.
While the Israelites, newly delivered from slavery in Egypt, wandered in the wilderness for forty years, God gave Moses the commandments, promises, and traditions that would formalize the Jewish religion.
Mount Sinai is a significant location in the history of Judaism: God gave Moses the law there. In Exodus 20, Moses recorded his meeting with God on Mount Sinai. God then handed down the Ten Commandments that became the foundation of the formalized Jewish law. This became known as the Mosaic Covenant.
Like various other significant places in biblical history, Mount Sinai is revered by Jewish, Christian, and Islamic worshippers. Britannica says, “The mountain, which rises to 7,497 feet (2,285 metres) above sea level, was under Israeli administration from the Six-Day War of 1967 until 1979, when it was returned to Egypt. It has become an important pilgrim and tourist site.”
Some trace Judaism’s origins to this time and place because this was where the law and commandments were instituted. Moses and his entire generation died in the wilderness because of their sin (except Joshua and Caleb). Moses is credited with writing the Bible’s first five books, also called the Torah or the Pentateuch. Since the Torah includes a record of his death, his successor, Joshua, probably wrote the final sections. So, this phase in the founding of Judaism, the Mosaic Covenant being established, happened en route from Egypt to the promised land.
After Moses’ death, Joshua led the Israelites out of the wilderness and into the promised land.
Following Moses’ death, God recommitted to giving the land of Canaan to the Israelites. Joshua 1:1-4 describes God speaking to Joshua, who had served Moses and been at his side through everything. God told Joshua the following about what territory the Israelites would have:
“Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.’” (NIV)
To those who believe God gave this land to the Israelites, this passage gives a crucial picture of where they would live.
When Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land, they battled the Canaanites, eventually triumphing and settling the land. The fact that the Israelites conquered the Canaanites is a difficult topic. Mike Leake has written a powerful article to help readers understand the destruction of the Canaanites, titled, “Who Were the Canaanites, and Why Did God Order Their Destruction?”
Joshua and the Israelites had camped in the Valley of Shittim near the Jordan. When they crossed over the Jordan River (which God parted as He had the Red Sea to indicate He was also with Joshua), their first recorded battle was at Jericho, a city on the West Bank.
The Israelites battled through Canaan, distributing various territories to each tribe as they went, following the geography of the promise they received from God. They inhabited this land for generations.
However, as detailed in 2 Kings, God let the Assyrians and the Babylonians conquer the Israelites because of their idolatry.
Years later, a remnant of the Israelites returned and rebuilt Jerusalem. They lived in the land until the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. After this defeat by the Romans, the Jews wandered again until their return to Israel after WWII. On May 14, 1948, Israel became a recognized independent nation again.
Abraham is a foundational figure not only for the Jews but also for those who follow Christ and followers of Islam. Arabs, Jews, and Christians all revere Abraham as a patriarch of their faith. Muslims trace themselves to Abraham through Ishmael, his son with Hagar. Christians and Jews trace their lineage to Abraham through Isaac, his son with Sarah. Each son fathered a nation of 12 tribes—the Ishmaelites and the Israelites. Just as Abraham’s sons came together to bury their father (Genesis 25:9), so the peoples of these faiths can come together around Abraham. Beyond him, there is much dispute, especially over geography.
The Dome of the Rock, the oldest existing Islamic monument, provides the clearest example of the tension. The Dome was built in Jerusalem, and Muslims believe it was erected over the rock Mohammed stood on when he was transported into heaven to meet with God. Jews call the same location the Temple Mount (where the Jerusalem temple once stood). Christians also value the Temple Mount, particularly those who believe the temple must be rebuilt before Jesus’ coming occurs.
Three major faiths revere the same rock for different reasons. Each reason connects to the faith’s origin story. For Christians and Jews, that origin is recorded in the Old Testament.
So, the question, “where was Judaism founded?” is loaded with meaning.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/MarkRuben