First Temple Judaism
The First Temple period (ca. 1000–586 BCE) refers to the era of ancient Israelite religion centered on the Temple built by King Solomon in Jerusalem. It was a time when worship revolved around the sacrificial cult, priesthood, and festivals prescribed in the Torah.
THE LESSONS
Meet Your Instructor
Andre Moubarak
Andre Moubarak is the owner and founder of Twins Tours & Travel Ltd. in Israel. Born into a Christian family along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem’s Christian Quarter, Andre is a licensed tour guide and an ordained minister, leading numerous groups through the Holy Land each year and teaching them about the Aramaic/Jewish roots of Jesus.
The first video of this course is free, you can buy this course to see all the videos.
Cost
Key features of First Temple Judaism:
Centralized Worship: The Temple in Jerusalem became the primary place for offerings and pilgrimage feasts (Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot).
Monotheism in Formation: Israel’s faith in YHWH was affirmed, though the biblical record shows ongoing tension with surrounding polytheistic practices.
Priestly Role: Priests and Levites administered sacrifices, maintained purity laws, and mediated between the people and God.
Covenant Theology: Israel understood itself as bound to YHWH by covenant, with blessings for obedience and judgment for disobedience.
Prophetic Tradition: Prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos critiqued ritualism without justice and called for ethical covenant faithfulness.
The period ended in 586 BCE when the Babylonians destroyed the Temple, leading to exile and the beginning of major transformations in Jewish religious identity.
32:36