The question that was on the minds of the Israelite people as Exodus 11 drew to a conclusion was simple, yet carried many implications; how would they avoid the consequences when the angel of the Lord carries out the recently delivered tenth plague. The tenth plague, or the Plague of the Firstborn, would soon be carried out against the people of Israel. A plague that would see all first born, both of man and animal, killed throughout the night. The reasons to celebrate the original Passover become quickly evident. How would this original event evolve in the years to come? Why celebrate it after the initial occurrence? This paper will endeavour to uncover why the Israelites had to engage in the first celebration, how they celebrated it, and why many people today still celebrate the sacred tradition.
Although the origins of the Passover may be debated among scholars , there is common thought that the festival celebrates the Israelite’s exodus from the land of Egypt. Modern day thinking tells us that Passover is known as a memorial of the original festival, rather than something that is still practiced today. This festival can be compared to the Lord’s Supper that Christians celebrate regularly today. Although the act may not be a necessary to sustain life, the celebration remains as a tribute to the graciousness of God.
During the Exodus, there were a number of plagues placed upon the people of Egypt. The final of these ten plagues was the Plague on the Firstborn. A plague that would see each of the firstborn son’s of every Egyptian family die. This curse would also be applied to the cattle of the Egyptians as well. This plague was placed upon the Egyptians as a result of their behaviours towards Moses and the Israelite people. ...
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In this essay, I will be talking about the plagues God sent against the Egyptian for the Hebrew to be release from their hands. There was not a struggle between God and the Egyptian power, but of God and the Egyptian Gods to show who the true God was. In Exodus 9:13-14, Yahweh told Moses to tell the Pharaoh of Egypt, “Yahweh, God of the Hebrews, says this: Let my people go and worship me. For this time, I am going to inflict all my plagues on you, on your officials and your subjects, so that you will know there is no one like me in the whole world. ‘The ten plagues made Yahweh evident among the Israelites and also to the stubborn Pharaoh and his Egyptian subjects. The plagues also demonstrated Yahweh powered and how much trouble he went through to free them.
The Exodus is the familiar story of the nation of Israel. Gods chosen people being taken out of slavery, after a series of plagues against Egypt and into the wilderness in search of the promise land. (Ex. 7-14) Throughout the Exodus, God reveals his character in two main themes, one through the constant redemption of his people (Ex. 14-30) and his power and superiority. The word Exodus means “departure” or “outgoing” and God continually provides a way of escape for his people throughout the Exodus ( Ex. 12 & 14) and throughout the entire bible into the New Testament (1 Cor. 10:1-13)
During the plague the christians and muslims both responded differently to the plague. The Christians may have been a feeling of no hope because of the plague and they may have thought that death was at every corner. The Muslims thought the plague was a divine act from God himself. Also, they prayed for the plague to stop. This paper should be about the general context of the plague, treatments, responses from the living, and causes or explanations for the plague.
Along the way Jewish religion took on new teachings and practices. But with the lengthy development of Judaism and its many changes it is incorrect to posit, as some have done, that Jewish history produced two separate religions: an OT religion of Israel and the postexilic religion of Judaism. Despite the shifting phases of its history, the essence of the religious teaching of Judaism has remained remarkably constant, firmly rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures (OT). Judaism is a religion of ethical monotheism. For centuries many Jews have sought to distill its essential features from one biblical verse that calls Israel "to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Mic. 6:8). The Babylonian exile brought certain modifications in Jewish religious life. Deprived of land, temple, and cultic priestly ministrations, Judaism began to adopt a nonsacrificial religion. Jews began to gather in homes for the reading of Scripture, for prayer and instruction. Here may be traced the earliest roots of the synagogue. Now "lip sacrifice" (prayer and penitence) rather than "blood sacrifice" (sheep and goats) became central to the life of piety.
Since the beginning of the Judaism, the Jewish people have been subject to hardships and discrimination. They have not been allowed to have a stabile place of worship and have also faced persecution and atrocities that most of us can not even imagine. Three events that have had a big impact on the Jewish faith were the building and destruction of the First Great Temple, the Second Great Temple and the events of the Holocaust. In this paper, I will discuss these three events and also explain and give examples as to why I feel that the Jewish people have always been discriminated against and not allowed the freedom of worship.
Grimm, V. (1996). From Feasting to Fasting, the Evolution of a Sin: Attributes to Food in Late Antinquity. New York.
The symbolic world of Jesus and his followers belonged with Israel, its history and its scriptures. The evangelists and the Early Chri...
1996. “Sacrifice: Preliminary Survey” in Community, Identity, and Ideology: Social Science approach to the Hebrew Bible., ed. Charles E. Carter.
Here in the United States of America on the forth Thursday in November each year we, as a nation and as individual families, celebrate Thanksgiving. For most Americans we bring out our best dishes and have an enormous meal with turkey, dressing, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie. Families gather together, we eat until we are stuffed, we play games and watch football, but why? Have we lost the true meaning behind the beginning our nation? We have our tradition but somehow we have lost them important meaning of the treacherous start of a nation. Like various other cultures that have a celebration of thanks the Jews have a Passover celebration with rich family meal inundated with tradition and meaning. They have not forgotten why they celebrate. The hardship that they endured and the pivotal point in the transformation of their freedom to a better life is vividly remembered with Passover each year and passed down from generation to generation. If we reincorporate the true story of thanksgiving into our celebrations, we should be able to ensure a change in ourselves and our families to come together and become a stronger nation.
The Jewish tradition of the Passover has been very important for the welfare and freedom of the Jews since the Old Testament. Each part of the Passover brings forth the knowledge of what God promises to his people. “The name “Passover” is derived from the Hebrew word Pesach which is based on the root “pass over” and refers to the fact that G-d “passed over” the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt during the last of the ten plagues.” The Christian belief is that the Last Supper fulfills the promise made to the Jews through Jesus Christ. The Passover and the Last Supper are important in understanding the relationship between the Jewish belief and Christian belief. They are also important to help grasp what it means to be free with a God.
Not all Jewish communities continued on their faith with YHWH. Before the exile, many communities began to scatter all over the Middle East, Egypt and Babylon; however, the exile...
The Hebrew Bible is studied, analyzed, and worshiped by millions each day, it gives insight into the teachings and laws of God. The article “Pentateuch”, obtained from The Zondervan Pictoral Encyclopedia of the Bible by Merrill C. Tenney, deeply examines the authorship of the Pentateuch and displays two compelling arguments of weather the Pentateuch is of Mosaic authorship, or written by authors other than Moses. The Pentateuch is the bases of the entire Bible, it contains the first five books, including Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, thus the literal meaning of “five volumes”. Theses five books make up the Old Testament and are roadmap to God’s teachings. The two views of Pentateuch authorship are Mosaic authorship
Carson, D.A., and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. 2nd Edition. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2005.