in which he first coined the term Christ killers. With laws being passed against them, the Jews started looking for new homes in North Africa, Spain and Russia. The Shepherd Akiva This spreading out of the Jewish nation threatened Judaism with disintegration. The laws, rituals and customs of the religion had never been written down. In the 2nd century AD, an illiterate 40-year-old shepherd named Akiva taught himself how to read and began to study the Hebrew Bible. Within a few years he became a leading sage and learned there was a vast storehouse of oral traditions from Hillel to Yochanan ben Zakai in addition to the written word. He started to organize and write these oral traditions down. Being a strong supporter of rebellion, he was arrested by the Romans who then flayed him alive as an example to other rebels. The Talmud Akiva's heirs continued with his work and formed the Talmud, which is a set of ethical commandments meant to complement the ritual commandments set forth in the Hebrew Bible. It's a how-to book for practicing the religion. With the Talmud, Jewish tradition could thrive in spite of the discrimination it faced. Gifts Invariably, the Christians and Muslims who lived among the Jews discovered they had unique gifts. One of the skills they introduced to country after country was glass blowing, played by Stuart Abelman. Other gifts included advanced knowledge of medicine and their strong desire to give every child an education. Undoubtedly, according to the documentary, their most important gift to us is monotheism and the written Word of God as expressed in their Bible, which became the Christian Old Testament. References Ancient Israel and Judah 2003 American television series debuts 2000s American documentary television series