Mesopotamia, Egypt and Hebrews

Mesopotamia and Egypt are known as the “place of the first civilization” followed by the Hebrews. These three societies traded extensively, but there was a difference in economic area. Mesopotamia was more productive of technological improvements, because their environment was more difficult to manage than the Nile valley. Trade contacts were more extensive, and the Mesopotamians gave attention to a merchant class and commercial law. Priests were part of the trades because they possessed surplus produce collected as rents from the farmers using temple land. Before merchants gained power as independent entrepreneurs; they used to serve the king and the temple priest. The Egyptian economy collapse …show more content…

Mesopotamians believed that life was given to them, so that “…they could execute on earth the will of the gods in heaven.” The Mesopotamian kings did not see themselves as gods. They always kept a place for their gods, and did not try to take their spot in creation. Mesopotamians believed that the higher you were from the ground, the closer they were going to be to the gods. Therefore they built a big size temple with stairs, so they could go upstairs and worship the gods from a higher place. “Experts maintain that it was never the goal of the originators of the story to explain how things came to be…” (Primary Source 5) Egyptians consider themselves gods. Like the Mesopotamians, religion was the basis for their entire lifestyle. The Mesopotamians did not have big expectations for their lives after their death. Egyptians believed in the afterlife. Many of the art forms that these two societies created were made in symbolism of religion beliefs and traditions. Although the Hebrews came from Mesopotamia and Egypt, these civilizations were not the “…spiritual ancestors of the West.” The Hebrew view of God changed though time. The Hebrew God was the only god, the owner of everything, he was omnipotent and since he was the only creator, Hebrews did not believe in other gods. Science did not take part in their religious belief, and their religion became a more spiritual and positive religion.
Unlike the eastern gods, Yahweh