The Hebrew civilization was one of the most influential civilizations in the west. The Hebrew bible or what the Christians call the Old Testament, their history has been disputed because most it has been drawn from oral and written sources. Deep rooted in their traditions with not having a centralized political power, they decided to go against the grain and decided that having a king would give them stronger leadership. Their first king was Saul, after twenty years David was named king.
During his rule, he defeated the Philistines and built a centralized kingdom with Jerusalem as its capital city. His son Solomon later took the reigns and helped raise Israel to its pinnacle of power and prosperity.The Hebrew religion brought about the religious worship of Yahweh (written as “Jehovah” or “the Lord” in English bibles). Their belief in Yahweh was a central theme to the Hebrew identity. The United Monarchy brought about the term syncretism, this is the practice of fusing foreign beliefs to an indigenous system, this remolded the Israelite religion.
With the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel, the Hebrews struggled with their past lessons and their faith. Then came a revolutionary acceptance of the divine. They came to see Yahweh as all knowing, not restricted by time and space, the one and only God. This would have a huge impact on the western civilization as we know it.Their legacy had many characteristics of how western civilization is now. Their beliefs shaped Christian theology.
Western cultures understanding of the law come from Hebrew ideals. The belief in one all powerful, all encompassing God. This concept also contributed to the realm of science. Their notions of God who transcends rather than permeates to the natural world, nature was not considered sacred and it could be studied to use it to our advantage.
