Jewish Identity In Ancient World Summary

Jewish Identity In Ancient World Summary
On March 7, Dr. Lawrence Wills presented a lecture entitled "The Origin of the Jewish Identity in
Ancient World". The purpose of this lecture was to identify where the terms Jew and Judaism came
from. In his lecture, Dr. Wills also spoke on how the same term could be used as an insult or as
appreciation. However, in order to understand Dr. Lawrence Wills lecture, one must look at the
historical aspect of it first, especially if they are not familiar with the history. In order to understand
the origin of the Jewish Identity, it is important to look at the history behind the term. In the fourth
century BCE, Alexander the Great conquered Jerusalem. One of the provinces in Jerusalem was
called Yehud, the region was soon referred to as loudaia and the inhabitants were referred to as
loudaioi. Respectively, loudaia and loudaioi translate to Judea and Judeans. The inhabitants were
referred as such because of the tendency to name inhabitants after the area in which they lived; for
example, Egyptians live in ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The term became further complicate when Hasmonean kings conquered Samaria, Galilee, and
Idumea and imposed their law on the nations that they conquered. As a consequence, those with no
history of Judean rule became loudaioi. As a result of this new conquest, those that were now
loudaioi were still different from the original loudaios because they were original a part of a
different ethnic group. This also caused conflict when Herod the Great first came to rule; he was the
descendent of Idumeans, so there was much dispute of whether or not he was actually loudaioi. The
second source of confusion happened when people converted. The question of who was loudaioi and
who was not was a tricky topic. This varied between every new case and it depended on those in
question. Conversion was significant because it contributed to the translation of loudaioi into
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Masada Research Paper
Introduction The fortress of Masada plays a very large part of Jewish history. Masada comes from
the Hebrew word "mazuda". The translation for the word mazuda means stronghold or fortress. The
historical events that took place at the Masada help us understand the history, life and the deaths at
the Masada.
History of Masada The Masada was built by King Herod prior to the Zealots capturing it. King
Herod built this fortress which included palaces, swimming pools and bathhouses. The Masada is
located on a very steep and isolated mountaintop. Masada overlooked the Dead Sea. Galileo and
Jerusalem can be seen from within the walls of the Masada. Long after King Herod reign, in 73 AD,
the Romans and Jews were fighting. After the Romans destroyed the Jewish temples and the city of
Jerusalem, a group of Jewish people called the Zealots, captured and took over the Masada. The
Zealots were the first Jewish people to revolt against Roman rule. This is the first revolt of its kind.
Based on prophecies from the bible, if the Jewish people didn't follow Gods word, bad things would
happen. In Luke 19: 41–44 it states "Jesus prophesied that Jerusalem would be destroyed because of
the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah". Although some Jewish people did believe in the Messiah
most did not. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The Romans used battering rams to break through the Masada's defense. This method didn't not
work as well as they hoped. The Romans set fire to a wall the Zealots had built for extra protection.
Once the Romans breached the massive walls of the Masada, they found that all of the Zealots had
killed themselves, it was a gruesome site. The Romans also discovered that some of the ceilings
wooden beams were gingerly dismantled, most likely to be used as extra defense by the Zealots. The
Romans also discovered that the Jews left food out before they killed themselves to let the Romans
know that they did not die of

The Conquests Of Alexander The Great
Introduction The conquests of Alexander the Great ushered in a new era in the political and cultural
history of the Near East. In their wake, both the Jews of Judaea and their brethren in a rapidly
expanding diaspora were subjected to radical forces of social and cultural change. These changes,
effected by the introduction of Greek culture into the lands of the Near East that led to the
emergence of the phenomenon commonly known as Hellenism, greatly transcended the purely
political vicissitudes that were destined to envelop this part of the inhabited world. One of the
striking features of Second Temple history is the fact that most Jews, not only in the Diaspora but in
Palestine as well, never experienced complete Jewish sovereignty. The ... Show more content on
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A Jewish diaspora was already in existence from the late seventh century: Jews had been deported to
the Babylonian area at least as early as 597, and Jeremiah 52 speaks of two more deportations, in
587/586 and about 582 BCE. As for Egypt, at least one colony existed ay Elephantine, probably
from the seventh century. This continued, with Jews emigrating or being forcibly taken to Egypt in
the period of the Diadochi. The result is that by the early Hellenistic period a considerable Jewish
diaspora existed, with Jews living in Egypt and Mesopotamia and later in Asia Minor, as well as
Syria and Palestine. The people bore the name of 'Jews' (Greek) after their ancestral homeland of
Judah. The Ptolemaic Period 320 – 198 BC The 40 years of fighting after Alexander's death finally
came to an end with the death of the main protagonists by the year 280 BCE. Much of the third
century BCE was dominated by the Syrian wars. These constituted an ongoing conflict between the
Ptolemaic and Seleucid empires over Syro–Palestine. As noted in the previous chapter, the council
of visitors after the battle of Ipsus (301 BCE) had awarded this region to Seleucus because Ptolemy
had not participated in the battle; however, Ptolemy occupied the area up to the Eleutherus river,
north of Tripolis, and refused to concede the territory. In 301 BCE Ptolemy took Palestine once
more and this time Egypt retained it for the next

The Conflict Between Judaism And The Hellenistic And Roman...
As dissimilar as they were, the encounter between Judaism and the Hellenistic and Roman worlds –
with the latter taking on much of what the Greeks stood for – should not be considered as a clash
between civilizations. Doing so, I believe, would render a complex society and a dynamic process
into an absolute and a static one. The postexilic period had obviously brought Jews into contact and
in activity with the surrounding non–Jewish communities in which they now lived; however, this
social and commercial interaction with the non–Jews was enhanced, like never before, with the
emergence of the Greco–Roman eras. The Jews often managed to retain control over their own
internal affairs and found favor before various rulers, but pagan ritual, idolatry, and Greco–Roman
philosophies became almost impossible to avoid.
These new realities posed a serious challenge to Judaism and Alexander the Great's idea of uniting
the 'world' by pushing for a common language and culture, Homonoia, only served to accelerate and
intensify this challenge. Yet, the very nature of this Hellenic culture would, itself, allow the Judean
society to establish various paths of accommodation to the conquerors. Thus, in reality, Hellenism
was but a framework that enabled Judaism to flourish within a new setting without compromising its
indigenous and unique character. The translation of the Scriptures into Greek, precisely because the
Hellenized Jews were unable to read it in Hebrew, is an example of

Similarities And Differences Between Jews And Romans
1. Rome was the western gale that had been growing in power in the centuries prior to Jesus' birth.
Specifically, it grew dramatically after the republic fell and the Caesar led Empire took its place.
The emperors took on the title of son of god and the role of high priest. This "god" led empire
looked the Middle East, or, more specifically, to their grain, and decided to take the land and its
people for itself. Meanwhile the Jews, many of whom dwelt in this coveted land, believed that the
story that Yahweh had begun with Abraham was to moving forward. It was, to them, a story that was
reaching its climax. The Romans where in the midst of fabricating their own legacy and story of
triumph, which resulted in a clash of beliefs between the Jews and Romans. The Romans looked to
their past and knew that their history made they strong and worthy of admiration. The Jews looked
to their future with hope and confidence that the coming Messiah would bring them the honor and
stability promised to their ancestors. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
"This is where the hurricane of divine love met the cold might of empire and the overheated
aspirations of Israel." (39) The benefits and failures of the first two aspects of the storm provide the
perfect context of the success of the third. As cruel and terrible as the Roman Empire could be, it did
provide the stability and infrastructure that was helpful in Jesus' ministry and vital to the spread of
the early church. The emperor's claims of divinity also highlighted the difference between the ruler
of Rome and the Ruler of all. Additionally, that the history, legacy, and sense of promise that the
Jews held so close to their hearts put them in the position to care, for better or worse, about Jesus
and the claims that were made about

Alexander The Great Greek Influence
early church."
1
And though the Temple was rebuilt it never returned to the splendor of the first. It could not because
Israel had lost the treasures of the Frist Temple that God had bestowed upon them, namely the Ark
of the Covenant. Israel stayed a part of the Persian Empire for over two hundred years and during
this time the people saw Gods hand moving in their history. From the return of the exiles and the
prophets to Jerusalem to the protection of the people from utter destruction through the obedience of
a Jewish girl who became queen. God was always with his chosen people even though they may
have forgotten Him in their sufferings.
The Greek Period
The Persians where succeeded by the Greeks in 331 BC ending its control of Israel ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
Because Greek influences throughout the region, its influence can be seen through multiple periods
of history even though Greece was not directly in control of the region. After
Alexander the Great the Greek culture can still be seen within the Ptolemaic period and the
Syrian period.
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great succeeded to the rule of Macedonia from his father Phillip. With the
assumption of power he also took over a military that had already consolidated most Greek city–
states. "The Greek period officially began with the conquest of Palestine by Alexander the
Great."
2
Alexander was groomed at from a young age to prepare him to take the mantel of
1
Andreas J. Kostenberger, L. Scott Kellum, and Charles L. Quarles,
The Cradle, the Cross, and the
Crown
(Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2009), 59.
2
Ibid, 65.
3
leadership from his father. He was provided the best military and academic education of the time to
include Aristotle.
After his father's assassination Alexander became the king of Macedonia at the young age of twenty

and he demonstrated his charismatic but sometime brutal ability to lead. When
Alexander set out to campaign through Greece and in to the Near East his conquest was

Early Judaism: Messianic Claimants/Messianic Expectations...
A messiah is a rather ambiguous term. It mainly means an anointed one; usually a messiah is
considered to be a son of David and would reestablish Israel to what it once was. Because messiahs
are anointed ones they would typically be Jewish priests, prophets and kings. However, a Messiah
can also be a warrior, or a man of peace. (CITE) A messiah was to reestablish unity among the
Jewish people and navigate through the hardships and oppression that they went through during
early Judaism and bring a sense of freedom and relief. An array of messianic claimants came forth
during the two peaks of Jewish rebellion, the death of King Herod the Great and the first Jewish war
against the Romans.
The first search for a messiah started in the sixth ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
At this point the Jews believed a messiah would restore their unity and take away the Roman state of
oppression. Among the different sects, each one had a different messianic expectation or none at all,
the aristocratic Sadducees held no messianic expectations because they worried that a messianic
claimant would instigate friction with the Romans, therefor ridding the Sadducees of their lifestyle.
The Essenes predicted the coming of two messiahs, a priestly messiah and a Davidic King messiah.
Many of the leaders that appeared as messianic claimants came forth with numerous and creative
solutions to free the Jewish people from their social, political, and religious suffering. While some
of these leaders revolted for an immediate change, others rebelled just to fulfill their given or
claimed messianic role.
Flavius Josephus is the main source of information for messianic claimants, although he wrote to
defend Judaism, he is somewhat bias as a source of information because he is closer tied to Romans
and Hellenization than he is Judaism. Josephus was born into a Sadducee family with close
aristocratic roots and it is noted that he was extremely

How Did The Maccabees Influence The Jewish
The Jews shifted their allegiance to Alexander and in return Alexander allowed the Jews to observe
their own laws, gave them exemption from tribute tax during the Sabbath years. Alexander also
encouraged the Jewish people to live in Alexandria, Egypt and gave them privileges reserved for his
own Greek people. When Alexander died in 323 B. C., some of his generals divided the empire
among themselves: The Ptolemies of Egypt, the Seleucids of Persia and parts of Asia Minor, and the
Antigonids of Macedon. (Intertestamental Period & New Testament Background, 2001).
At first, the Egyptian Ptolemaic Empire controlled the Jews from 320–198 B. C., and then Seleucid
(Syrian) Empire, around 198 B. C., acquired control over the Jewish populace. While the Ptolemaic
Empire was tolerant of the Jewish culture and religion, the Seleucid Empire was not. The Seleucids
made determined efforts to force Hellenism on the Jews. Some accepted it, but most did not (Halley,
2000). The Greek Seleucid, Antiochus, severely punished the unaccepting Jews which eventually
provoked the Maccabees (Hasmonean Era) to revolt. By 164 B. C., the Maccabees controlled the
area around Jerusalem and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
"This shows how engrained the Hellenistic culture was and perhaps how it influenced the Apostle
Paul, within his Hellenistic–Jewish culture, to write as he did" (Russell, 1991–2016.). Eddy (2014)
confirms the time period of the Hellenistic influences that Russell discusses in his work. Two
cultures are residing side by side and a certain amount of melding is expected to take place. While
this is true about language, societal practices such as commerce, schooling and language occurring,
the Judean religious practices remained true to its tenets. The Jewish community in large retained its
customs and culture (Eddy

The Holy Land
The Holy Land. What comes to mind when those words are read? To those living in Palestine and
Israel 'The Holy Land' is the center of an ongoing and seemingly endless conflict. Two countries,
both unwilling to acknowledge the others existence, battling over land that holds a key role in their
extensive history. The topic of which country rightfully owns the land has been argued over for
years, all involved doing their best to validate their points. I personally believe that Israel is the
rightful owner of The Holy Land because the Jews were there before the Muslim's, archaeological
evidence of their ancient presence has been discovered, and the land was promised to them by God.
As it is stated in the bible, around 1738 BCE the first Jew and ... Show more content on
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The reason being that in the bible it is shown that God was the one to promise Abraham that the land
of Israel, including Jerusalem, belonged to him and his future descendants. Genesis 17:8 reads; "I
will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojourning, all the land of
Canaan, for an everlasting possession." This part of the Old Testament, accepted by both Islam and
Judaism has been read and re–read for centuries. This verse shows that the Jews were personally
promised the land by their God. Though something else that truly stands out is that in the original
Hebrew Scriptures 'I have given' is the single verb 'natati' the significance of this specific use is that
it was written as "I have given", as in past tense. This usage implies that this land had been given to
the Jews even earlier than this first encounter with Abraham. That single verse isn't the only one
sprouting evidence of their literal given right to the land. As written in Pslam 122:3–5, "Jerusalem–
built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which as the tribes go up, as the tribes of the lord, as
was decreed for Israel." These specific bible verses and many more all pay as proof that the Holy
Land has been rightfully belonging to Jews and those of Israel since biblical times as promised by
the almighty

The End of the Republic
Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus joined forces to form a triple leadership called the First Triumvirate.
The rulers of Rome's states and colonies suspected that one man would soon emerge as the complete
ruler. Antipater, ruler of Idumea, played one ruler against the other to seek favor. Crassus invaded
Jerusalem and stole the temple treasure while war broke out between Pompey and Caesar. Antipater
sided with Pompey until Pompey was defeated, and then switched his loyalty to Caesar. Caesar
abolished the five districts and named Antipater procurator of all. Caesar became governor of the
southern strip of Gaul, which Rome had annexed some sixty years earlier. He defeated the Celtic
Gauls, conquering a huge area corresponding to modern France ... Show more content on
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After new victories over former troops of Pompey in Asia Minor, North Africa, and Spain, he
returned to Rome in triumph. Less than a year later, on the Ides of March, he lay stabbed to death on
the floor of the Senate at the foot of Pompey's statue, the victim of sixty senators who thought of
themselves as heroic tyrannicides. Caesar's friend, Anthony, defeated Caesar's enemies in northern
Greece. He then named Antipater's sons, Herod and Phasael, as tetrarchs (rulers of fourths) of
Galilee. (Packer) When the Parthians invaded Syria and Palestine to aid a Hasmonean attempt to
regain power, Herod fled to his fortress at Masada on the western shore of the Dead Sea. His older
brother, Phasael, was captured and committed suicide. Herod traveled to Rome, where the Roman
Senate named him king of Judea. Anthony and his troops finally overpowered the Parthians and
their Seleucid allies, and Anthony settled in Jerusalem. The strain of imperial expansion was so great
that Rome took in no new territories for least fifty years after Caesar's birth. Rome ruled most of
Greece, Syria, Judea, and North Africa. Only one Greek–influenced nation remained intact. This
was Egypt, ruled by Queen Cleopatra. Cleopatra became Julius Caesar's friend after he defeated
Pompey. When Caesar was murdered, Cleopatra tried to pick the winner in the struggle for

Sadducees Research Paper
My selection is over a dispute that is happening between the Sadducees and the Pharisees on the
issue of false witnesses, those who had given false testimony, and when they should be executed.
The decision comes down to two choices whether should be executed after the trial or after the
accused had been executed. The Sadducees are arguing that the perjured witnesses should only be
executed if they successfully get the person they accused executed. It is the official action of
execution that should be the reason for the execution of the witnesses not just the intent and
premeditated false testimony. The Sadducees arguing this position based on the verse, in the Torah,
that states a "life for life" which essentially meant for the Sadducees that ... Show more content on
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The Pharisees stance would mean that the accused would be alive and the witness dead. The
Pharisees are trying to operate in this position based on two separate verses stated in the Torah. The
one verse being the "life for life" and the other verse being "you shall do to him as he schemed to do
to his fellow". The Pharisees use the second quote mainly for their stance. Overall, the balance of
these two verses would be that these false witnesses are not executed immediately after their
testimony. Furthermore, it did not mean that accused had to be executed for the witnesses to be
executed. In my understanding of the selection, three different decisions and events had to come
together in order for the execution of the perjured witnesses to take place. Witnesses would be
executed if the trial ended, the accused was found guilty, and the witnesses were proven to be false
witnesses. This selection is coming from the texts of Mishnah which is a collection of the oral
traditions of Jewish law that expand on Hebrew Scriptures and other aspects of Jewish thought and

What was the Temple Judaism Period?
Temple Judaism is the form of Judaism that took place mainly between 515 B.C. to 70 A.D and is
commonly referred to as "Second Temple Judaism" by plenty of academics. The primary sources of
research for this period of Judaism is often referred to in The Book Of Maccabees, The Dead Sea
Scrolls, and The New Testament. As far as key practices go for Temple Judaism, the fundamentals to
Judaism now where developed in this time period such as the seven laws of Noah, and the
establishment of maintaining the synagogue as the central place of worship. The Jewish community
was in a state of tension during this time period and the main communities consisted of the
Hasmonean family where Judah The Maccabee was a descendant of, and most especially the four
major sects were the Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, and the Zealots. However, what most
individuals familiar with the subject matter, truly feel about this time period is that it was also a time
of transition that unknowingly laid down the foundation for Christianity. The similarities between
Temple Judaism and Christianity can be found with the seven laws of Noah and Christianity's ten
commandments, the establishing of the synagogue as central to congregation in comparison to the
churches used for mass by Christians, and also that the Christian movement was born during the
time of Temple Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism, often referred to as Rabbinism, is the current popular
form of Judaism today and has been considered mainstream

Esther And Judith Essay
Scripture or Not: Esther and Judith
Esther, an early secular novel, never mentions God but is Scripture (included in the canon). A Jewish
historical novel that portrays Judith, who saves her people through honoring vows, praying and
creative action; has been rejected/accepted in Judaism and Christianity so that it is Scripture/not
Scripture depending on the applied canon (list of authoritative/sacred works). For Protestants' it is
not (Countryman; Coogan 8). Disparity in treatment of these works is attributable to the evolution of
the Hebrew/Old Testament canon. In fact, only the Torah has generally been accepted since Old
Testament times.
The Hebrew Bible included, along with the Torah, the closed sets of Neviim (prophets) and Ketuvim
(writings) together called the Tanakh (Coogan 3–4). These, including Esther, were upheld as canon
at Jamnia (AD 90) by agreement with three criteria: written prior to 399 BCE, in Hebrew (with
allowances made for Aramaic), and widely used (Schwab, Sharon; Coogan 5–6). Esther was set in
the Persian period and possibly written as early as the fifth century BCE (Crawford 855). It provided
etiology and the megillot used for a celebration not prescribed by the Torah; and was included for
this reason (Coogan 518, 6). Judith may have originally been ... Show more content on
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It contained all the intertestamental Greek deuterocanonical books including Judith (Marlowe). The
Latin Vulgate, a translation by St Jerome, a Biblical scholar, under Pope Damasus I, reduced the
Greek books in the canon, but retained Judith (Gonzalez 237; Marlowe). This translation eventually
was affirmed as the Roman Catholic canon in 1546 at the Council of Trent as Catholicism responded
to the Protestant Reformation (Coogan 7). Clearly, Judith was indeed part of the christian canon at
one

Essay on Jewish History
Jewish History
Throughout the history of the world, the Jewish people have been persecuted and oppressed because
of their religious beliefs and faith. Many groups of people have made Jews their scapegoat. Jews
have suffered from years of intolerance because people have not understood what the religion really
means. They do not understand where and why the religion began, nor the customs of it's people.
For one to understand the great hardships, triumphs, and history of the Jewish people one must
open–mindedly peruse a greater knowledge of the Jewish people and faith.
In the beginning, Judaism was founded by Abraham when he began to worship a figure called
"Elohim." There were twelve original tribes that were enslaved for ... Show more content on
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The prophets Ezekiel and Deutero–Isaiah believed that Yahweh had used the Babylonian Empire to
punish the Israelites for their sins, and he therefore had the power to redeem them from captivity if
they repented. The Babylonian exiles' messianic hope for a restored Judean kingdom under the
leadership of a scion of the royal house of David seemed to have been justified when Cyrus the
Great, after conquering Babylon in 539 BC, permitted a repatriation of subject populations and a
restoration of local temples. The restored Judean commonwealth did not fully realize this hope,
however, because the Persians did not allow the reestablishment of a Judean monarchy, but only a
temple–state with the high priest as its chief administrator. A truly monotheistic religion developed
as the God of Israel came to be seen as the God ruling universal history and the destiny of all nations
(Rich 2). As for a common thread throughout Judaism, the area of focus is the place associated with
the religion, Jerusalem, a place to call home. No other religion has ever been so attached to its
birthplace as Judaism. Perhaps this is because Jews have been exiled and restricted from this place
for most of their history. Jerusalem is not only home to Judaism, but to the Muslim and Christian
religions, as well. Historically, this has made it quite

The Conflict Between Judaism And The Hellenistic And Roman...
As dissimilar as they were, the encounter between Judaism and the Hellenistic and Roman worlds –
with the latter taking on much of what the Greeks stood for – should not be considered as a clash
between civilizations. Doing so, I believe, would render a complex society and a dynamic process
into an absolute and a static one. The postexilic period had obviously brought Jews into contact and
in activity with the surrounding non–Jewish communities in which they now lived; however, this
social and commercial interaction with the non–Jews was enhanced, like never before, with the
emergence of the Greco–Roman eras. The Jews often managed to retain control over their own
internal affairs and found favor before various rulers, but pagan ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
It would actually be fundamental for shaping and for preserving Jewish identity though out the
Greek speaking Diaspora.
This encounter was of significant importance, not only because it shaped the future of Jewish
history, but it also influenced and impinged on the monotheistic world; in fact Judaism is, in many
ways, the result of this Hellenisitic cultural phenomenon, which remained powerful in the East until
the time of the Muslim conquest. Further, Hellenization played a key role in defining Judaism as a
religion, for it was during this period that Judaism developed into an ethnic religious culture, rather
than depicting ethnic geographic peoples. In this sense, Judaism developed into a way of life,
placing emphasis on the laws of the Torah and observing what the Covenant dictated. As a result,
Judaism was no longer restricted to the Israelites, but converts could now strengthen Judaism, at
least in terms of numbers.
It is evident to me that the Greeks and Romans (before 70 CE), for whatever reason, had no qualms
about the Jews retaining their culture and customs; this, together with the belief that their religious
culture was in fact the only true Covenant of a people with God, allowed the Jews to negotiate with
the stronger religious cultures, thus introducing new elements into Judaism, and still remain a
unique and recognizable religion. In spite of taking on non–Jewish behavior, they

Intertestamental Paper
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
THE INTERTESTAMENTAL PAPER
A PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR. CHARLES E. POWELL
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
THE COURSE NBST 525
LIBERTY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
BY
RICHARD ASOMANING
AUGUST 12TH 2012
Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................3
Grecian Period..............................................................................................4
Ptolemaic Period............................................................................................5
Seleucid Period..............................................................................................7
Maccabean Period..........................................................................................8
Hasmonean Period..........................................................................................9
Roman Period...............................................................................................10
Conclusion...................................................................................................12 ... Show more content

on Helpwriting.net ...
Whenever his army marched into a land, it was not just an army of warriors; he brought an
entourage of scholars to spread the culture as well. Interspersed within the fighting battalions were
architects, philosophers, scribes, musicians, and educators whose whole duty was to spread the
culture to those who were conquered. Some of these strategies were the establishment of Greek
cities, Greek schools (Gymnasia), and commanding the Greek language as the official language for
government and the de facto language for commerce. Many people began to give their children
Greek names, and local styles of art and architecture began to imitate Greek models. Even some of
the Jewish High Priests took Greek names. All of this was not a good turn of events for Israel since
the Greek culture was very ungodly and humanistic. Despite the bright and promising future ahead
of him, Alexander met an unexpected death in Babylon at the age of 32 and though one will like to
believe that all that he stood for will now be in vain, the case was not so but rather what he initiated
had only just begun. After the death of Alexander his field marshals struggled for dominion of the
lands they had conquered.
Ptolemaic Period (198–167 BC)
After the death of Alexander was the appointment of his successor Ptolemy (one of Alexander
commanders), germinating conflict between four emerging generals.[7]

Maccabean Revolt Research Paper
The Maccabean Revolt and the Hasmonean Dynasty (167–63 BC) The Maccabean revolt started in
167 B.C. by the leadership of Mattathias' family, that is the Hasmonean Period (167–63 BC) , his
sons Judah , Jonathan , and Simon began a military campaign ,initially with disastrous results: one
thousand Jewish men, women, and children were killed by Seleucid troops because they refused to
fight, even in self–defense, on the Sabbath. In 164 BC, Judah captured Jerusalem and the Temple in
Jerusalem was freed and reconsecrated.The Maccabean revolt, like the events that led up to it,
intensified Jew–Gentile hatred to a degree not typically found in Old Testament times. This enmity,
with its accompanying Jewish nationalism. Maccabees (166 – 135 BC). The guerillas defeated the
Syrian army and liberated Jerusalem. The victory became memorialized in the Feast of Hanukkah or
the Feast of Lights. Hanukkah, the holiday that celebrates Judean independence, was tamed in later
years by focusing on its purely religious aspects.  A hereditary priesthood was formed which
became known as the Hasmoneans. Political power was passed on to the priests. ... Show more
During the reign of John Hyrcanus, two religious–political parties emerged: The Hasidim:
represented the conservative wing who wished to retain Jewish religious and national liberty and
resist the influence of Greek culture. Pharisees, Middle class, Oral law ,Talmud – oral tradition,
Belief in afterlife ,Synagogue Worship. The Sadducees: the Hellenizers who were willing to
surrender some of their Jewish distinctives to gain some desired qualities of the Greek way of life.
Hellenistic, Upper class, Rejected the oral law, Written Law only, Belief in no afterlife, Temple

The Four Literary Forms Of The New Testament
According to our text, the New Testament is comprised of four primary literary forms: Gospels,
History, Letters and Apocalyptic (Harris, 2014). The Gospels was made up of four books written by
four separate authors who tell of Jesus from four individual viewpoints based upon their
understanding of who Jesus was, yet it does not cover the lifespan of Jesus, only certain accounts.
Therefore, it is not considered historical or a biography but is defined as 'sui generis'. The historical
counts of the life of Christ is noted in the book of Acts. This book tells of the history of the early
church but by all accounts doesn't use traditional criteria most often noted in historical writings. The
Epistles are known as letters. These letters were thought to be written by Paul and his followers. The
letters were often written to the various churches rather than people or individuals. They were also
written to address issues, concerns or to offer praise for specific acts or behaviors. Thus, letters or
epistles addressing sin were more of the rebuking nature to bring correction and accountability in
the effort to restore the parishioners to appropriate, God–fearing behaviors. Whereas, other letters
may be to praise churches for exemplifying model behaviors that could be used for strong
witnessing. The latter form is known as the apocalyptic writings. This form tends to deal with the
End Times and was suspected to have been written during the time of church persecution. The book
of Revelation in particular, was written around the 1st century when Christians were said to have
been killed for their faith. It is during this time that the question was raised regarding God's role and
whether or not he would win. It was stated emphatically that God would win and would redeem his
people.ReferenceHarris, S. L., (2014). The New Testament: A Student's Introduction (8th ed.).
Dubuque:McGraw–Hill Education.
Student Answer: By all accounts, I and II Thessalonians were the first written books of the New
Testament. The author Paul scribed these books around 50 CE. Paul's letters are noted as the most
influential accounts of Jesus death. Paul emphasized that Jesus death by crucifixion was intentional
for the purpose of reconciling

Herod The Great Accomplishments
As a client king under the authority of Rome, Herod the Great lived up to his name in the political
and geographical sense. Though he was undoubtably a cruel and paranoid leader, he was also
remarkably successful in many different ways. If his accomplishments in the world leading up to the
first century were all that were focused on, he assuredly lived up to his title "Herod the Great." To
the Jews he is best known for the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem in 20 BC which was
considered one of the eight wonders of the ancient world [10]. Herod rebuilt this temple in
Jerusalem in part to gain the support of the Jews, but also, so that he might "have a capital city
worthy of his dignity and grandeur [11]." The temple whose great outer court was ... Show more
Josephus records that Antipater and his family converted to Judaism during the forced conversions
by the Sadducee–influenced Hasmonean leader John Hyrcanus. Hyrcanus threatened that any
Idumeaan who wished to maintain their land would need to be circumcised and enter into the
traditions of the Jews [15]. Therefore, by birth, Herod and his sons were Jews, yet they were
resented by most other Jews because of their Edomite background. Antigonus the Hasmonean
referred to Herod as "no more than a private man, and an Idumean, i.e. a half Jew.[16]" Herod's
reign, along with Philip, Archelaus, and Antipas, was spent both by infuriating and placating,
offending and appeasing the Jews. He built walls, the temple, and much in the city of Jerusalem to
appease the people but at the same time offended the orthodox Jews who bitterly hated his Greek
taste and his transgressions of the Mosaic law. He had the temple priests sacrifice on behalf of the
Roman Government and on the other hand taxed the people at somewhere between eight point six
per cent and ten point seven, an incredibly high rate for that day

Bible Summary
The Books of the Old Testament
The Pentateuch/ The Torah (5 books)
Genesis – Genesis, which means "beginnings," begins with the creation of the world and man. The
first half of the book also covers the early history of man, the story of Noah and the Flood, and the
Tower of Babel. The second half of the book is about the Patriarchs of God's chosen people ... from
Abraham to Isaac to Jacob. It ends with the story of Joseph and the Israelites moving to Egypt.
Exodus – Enslaved in Egypt for about 400 years, the Israelites call out to God for help. God brings
up Moses, who delivers the people out of bondage. The travel to Mt. Sinai, where Moses receives
the laws from God. The people make a covenant with Him ... so that He will ... Show more content
Happiness results from obedience to God.
Song of Solomon – This is a love poem, written by Solomon, expressing the affection between a
husband and wife.
The Major Prophets (5 books)
Isaiah – Isaiah, the great prophet of salvation, pleads with the people to stop their sinning and turn to
God. If they do, they'll be blessed; if they don't, they will be destroyed. He is also known for his
messianic prophecies that a 'suffering servant' will come to deliver the people.
Jeremiah – Jeremiah rebukes the people for their sins, and warns them that they must obey God.
After a while, he tells the people that 'it's too late.' God will punish them for their sins. He tried to
get them to understand that the Babylonians would be used by God to inflict this punishment.
Lamentations – Jeremiah, who is believed to have written the book, cries over the fall of Jerusalem.
The book is a series of funeral dirges for the city.
Ezekiel – Ezekiel, one of the exiled Jews in Babylon, has a series of visions. He is able to foretell
the restoration of the Jews to their Promised Land.
Daniel – Daniel, one of the Jews taken in the first Exile of 605 BC, becomes an important official in
the king's court. Daniel and his friends continue to show their captors of God's power and protection
of his chosen people. Daniel is also able to interpret the king's

Jesus Anthropology
Emily Xiomara Alvarado–Vela
Archeology and Biblical History
Doctor Jones
May 12th, 2015
Final: May 13th,2015
"Utilizing text and lecture discuss how archaeology illuminates the period of Jesus birth, life and
death? Include a discussion of the artifacts that help us understand the culture of the time of Jesus;
the possible impact of Sepphoris, and the archaeology of Galilean villages. What conclusions can
we draw regarding archaeological evidence for the figure of Jesus?"
There are many aspects of Jesus' birth and life that lay hidden within the folds of time, most of these
tend to bring about theories that to some degree cannot be proven or disproven. This vagueness
around the life of Jesus is offset by the works of the gospels in the ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
The illumination that occurs with the archeological data is a deeper understanding of the history of
those who were like Jesus–the lower–middle class, not so well off citizens. This deeper
understanding of the way in which life was lived, the structures in which they resided, the
consequences of outside Greco–Roman influence, and the overall culture of this place brings into
focus the birth, the life, and the death of Jesus. By understanding that Jesus was as Magness states,
"...Jesus likely was a native Galilean–that is, a person of mixed origins whose family had been
Judaized by the Hasmoneans approximately a century before his time," (Magness pg 194). Which is
to say that the fluidity of one culture i.e. Greco–roman... would be mixed with those around the area
and created a community of people with beliefs and ways of living that differed from those outside
the communities during this time and were shared–like urban centers today, such as Chicago with a
mixture of both standard American culture, outside cultures, and those who dwell within both. This
conclusion can be reached through the explanation of the varying gospel accounts of the birth of
Jesus and both the overt claim and lack of claim to his lineage. Magness goes on to describe a bit on
the theory that she has

Three Major Jewish Rebellions
In 70 AD the second temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, hence solidifying the
Roman rule over the Jewish Kingdom for the next 254 years. But first lets go back a couple of years
and see how the Jewish people where living before the Roman ruled. In 198 BCE the Seleucids
integrated the Jewish kingdom into theirs when the lands where divided. The Jews were pleasant at
first, however later on the relationship between the hellenized Jews and the religious Jews fell apart.
So the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes tried to prohibit certain Jewish religious rites and
traditions. As a result this created a national rebellion led by Judas Maccabeus. These rebels became
known as the Maccabees, or Hasmoneans. The Maccabean Revolt lasted from 174–135 BCE and the
story of how the Maccabees purified the temple of Jerusalem when they took it back was the start of
the Jewish holiday Hanukkah. For this part the story goes like this. Once the Maccabees had
regained control of the kingdom they returned to the Temple in Jerusalem. To their dismay they had
found that there temple had been defiled by being used for the worship of foreign gods and the
sacrificing of pigs. The Jewish troops where going to burn ritual oil in the Temple's menorah for
eight days to cleanse the temple of the unholy acts that had happened in there. However they
discovered that there was only one day's worth of oil left but they lit the menorah anyways and to
their surprise the small amount of oil lasted

Judaism And Christianity During The Roman Empire Summary
Judaism and Christianity During The Roman Empire
By: Deonna Weil Vance
History 111 World Civilization before 1650
Professor Joseph Esposito
August 20, 2014
In order to decorously portray the evolution of Judaism and Christianity the reader needs to know
how Israel was conquered by the Roman Empire. The reader also needs to know how Christianity
developed from the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Even though Christianity developed out of the
Jewish religion both religions have their differences. Both religions also faced bigotry,
discrimination, and hostility due to the Roman Empire. Christian and Judaic history is different in
many ways. The development, persecution, and characteristics of each religion are significant.
When the Jewish people left Egypt and settled in Israel they established the twelve tribes of Israel.
These twelve tribes were originally ruled by a series of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The first stage created Jewish Christians whom attended a Jewish synagogue with Jewish leadership.
The difference between the Jews and the Jewish Christians was that the Jewish Christians believed
Jesus was their savior. The second stage brought on changes to their belief system and biblical texts.
After branching out and away from Judaism, Christianity created the New Testament. This is very
different compared to what Judaism follows in the Old Testament. Christians veritably created their
own version of the Old Testament that utilizes their own theologies and ethical ideas. Christians
believe that only some parts of the Old Testament applied to them but some wanted to follow the
original ways from the Old Testament. This created different types of Christianity such as Roman
Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, etcetera. Christians believed Jesus was their savior, which separated
them from Judaism. Judaism does not recognize that their Messiah has come, and would not
recognize Jesus as G–ds Son. (Murray

How Did The Second Temple Period Affect The Jewish
Introduction The Second Temple Period was an extremely diverse time in history. Several changes
in kings bought about major change among the Jews. The changes were obvious in religion,
leaderships, and accomplishments of the period. The numerous different leaders changed the
foundation of the Jewish people down to the core. In this paper I will review the various transitions
that took place during the second time period. It is evident that the changes that took place
influenced the Jews in a variety of ways. This paper will highlight those influences. What was the
Second Temple Period? The Second Temple Period was a time in history that bought about a lot of
physical and spiritual changes. Often in history one is able to see the affect that new leadership has
on a particular area. The same can be said about the Jews and the Second Temple Period. "Formerly
called the "intertestamental period," most scholars now prefer the term "Second Temple Period" For
the time from the building of the Second temple in 515BC by Zerubbabel until its destruction by the
Romans in AD 70, including the time of Jesus and the early church" "The Second Temple Period is
comprised of five eras demarcated by a series of occupational forces of Palestine and punctuated by
five great crises for the Jewish people" The Persian Period (539–331 BC) "When Cyrus of Persia, a
former vassal of Media (from around 550 BC0, attacked Opis (an outlying city), Nabonidus king of
Babylon was busy quelling a bloody

How Did The King Nebuchadnezzar Symbolize Rome
Introduction
King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about a statue. Its head was made out of gold and it symbolized
Babylon. Its shoulders and torso were made of silver and it symbolized the Persians. Its lower body
was bronze and that symbolized the Greeks. Its feet were iron mixed baked clay and it symbolized
the Roman Empire. This statue was showing the kingdoms that were coming.
Babylonians
The Babylonian Empire lasted for 87 years, from 626–539 B.C. The army of Babylon took captives
from Jerusalem. Babylon was the kingdom where Nebuchadnezzar was king. He was the king who
had the dream. Daniel was the man who interpreted the King's dream in 605 B.C. In 586 B.C., the
temple was destroyed and Jerusalem was damaged. In 539 B.C., Babylon was destroyed ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
They withdrew from Roman law and went out into the desert. They wore white, shared everything.
They studied the Bible, copying it nad waiting for two messiahs. Waiting for a cosmic battle
between them, the sons of light, and the sons of darkness. Wanted to obey and stay true to God.
The Zealots' cause increased in popularity. Simon and Judes could have been zealots. They thought
the Messiah would be a political leader. Disliked the Greeks, Romans, Sadducees. King David and
the Maccabees were their role models. A new Jerusalem was coming soon, they thought that was
Heaven. They were actively destroying people.
The Pharisees continue to separate themselves from the influence of Hellenism, but still remained a
part of mainstream society. They thought God was punishing them with foreign governments. They
culturally and religiously separated themselves. They devoted themselves to the details of the law.
They taught in the synagogues. They kept the mishna (orally added on laws). They resisted
Hellenism by following all the laws and the mishna. During this time synagogues flourished and in
30 B.C., Herod began to rebuild the

Four Sects Essay
The Four Sects of the Jewish Population According to our textbook, A Brief Introduction to the New
Testament; during the time of the Hasmoneans, in reaction to their rule, a number of "Jewish sects
emerged" (37, Ehrman). In total, there were four million Jews divided among four sects. The four
sects were named Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots. Each had different rules and beliefs
that they went by. The Pharisees were a well–known group who followed both an oral law as well as
the written law. The followed God's word as closely as they could. The Sadducees were a group that
rejected all written law except for the five books of Moses and focused their worship on sacrifices.
The Essenes were a reclusive group, who separated themselves from others and followed a strict
form of rules and regulations. Lastly, the Zealots were a group that emerged to start a rebellion
against the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The Pharisees, in my opinion, would be sympathetic to Jesus. They loved God in every way. For His
son to help as many people all while teaching the word of God, I believe that the Pharisees would be
receptive to Him. The Sadducees, however, I do not think that they would be sympathetic to Jesus.
The Sadducees were a working group of people. They had many concerns in the political and
working world and didn't care much for the afterlife. One of Jesus' biggest messages was eternal life
after death, but I think the Sadducees took that message with a grain of salt. The Essenes sect would
take well to Jesus. They have worked very hard to live a pure life from the political mess in
Jerusalem. They followed God's word. They may have had their pre–existing ideas of what a
messiah should be, but I do not believe they would discredit Jesus. Lastly, I am not quite sure on
how receptive the Zealots would be of Jesus. I think they would want Jesus to help them fight
against the Roman Empire, but He would decline for more non–violent

Maccabean Revolt Research Paper
The Maccabean Revolt and the Hasmonean Dynasty (167–63 BC) The Maccabean revolt started in
167 B.C. by the leadership of the Mattathias' family, in this the Period, Antiochus' activity led to the
Maccabean revolt, 166 BC in which the priest Matthias and his sons Judah, Jonathan, and Simon
began a military campaign, defeated the Syrian army in a series of battles and liberated and brings
the spoils to Jerusalem, which ensured the independence of the province of Judea; meanwhile, with
disastrous miserable situation, more one thousand Jewish men, women, and children were killed by
Seleucid troops. The Maccabean revolt, exacerbated between Jew and Gentile hatred, and with its
accompanying Jewish nationalism. Hanukkah, is the holiday of celebration

Second Temple Period In Judaism
Introduction
The Second Temple Period as it related to the Jewish people was noticeable by the reconstruction of
the Temple in 538 BCE. This took place when the Jewish begun to enlarge this took place nearly six
hundred years, as of the late sixth century BCE to 70 CE when the Jerusalem temple was ruined by
the Romans. During this phase, Jews lived under foreign rule, during Judaism early development.
First to have rule was the Persians this begin in 538–332 BCE. After which came the Hellenistic
Kingdoms which were created after Alexander the Great's capture from 332–63 BCE and concluded
with the Romans from 63 BCE to 70 CE and beyond. This era also saw the development of the
Sadducees, Pharisees, Zealots and Essenes sects. Within this ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Under the headship of Zerubbabel who was a offspring from the House of David. Less than century
later the Second journey would take place to Israel, with Ezra the Scribe being the leader. The
subsequently four centuries also saw Jews of unstable degrees of self–rule under the Persians, and
the Hellenistic over lordship (Ptolemaic and Seleucid). Under Ezra's brilliant guidance they saw the
repatriation of the people as they began the erection of the Second Temple on the same site as the
First Temple. This would also include the refortification of the walls of Jerusalem a longer with the
establishment of the Great Assembly known as Knessel Hagedolah as the judicial body and the
ultimate religion of the Jewish people, which highlighted the Second Temple period. In the course of
the rule of the Persian Empire, the leadership of the inhabitants of Judah was entrusted to the high
priest, with the support of the ruling body of elders in Jerusalem. The Land also remained a Jewish
theocracy under the Syrian–based Seleucid leaders, as it was a part of the ancient world conquered
by Alexander the Great of Greece

Biblical Times: Pharisees And Their Role In Society
During biblical times, Pharisees have served different roles in society. Many scholars have classified
Pharisees as a political leadership group, an association or a sect, and religious scholars. In
Josephus's narrative, Pharisees appeared as a political interest group. This group has its own goals
for society and used politic to achieve such goals. Pharisees did not have a lot of power as a group
and they were not actually members of the governing class. They were member of an association
that supported the governing class during that time. Pharisees depended on the governing class and
the ruler to keep their place in society. They were above the peasants and other lowers classes. They
have part of a lot of history; they have been around

Who Is Paul The Most Influential Apostle Of Scripture?
Harris calls Paul "the most influential apostle and missionary of the mid–first–century CE church
and author of seven to nine New Testament letters" (H G–33). It would be quite an accolade to
receive such recognition, but what makes it even more remarkable is that Paul, or Saul, (Saul was
his Judean name and Paul was his Roman name (footnotes B 1943)) originally persecuted the
ekklesia or "church". Paul went from persecuting the ekklesia or "church" to being its "most
influential apostle and missionary". Why and how did Paul make such a drastic change? The answer
to the question can be found in various books of the New Testament including some of the letters
that Paul wrote. This answer also aids in the explanation of how and why Paul ... Show more content
He was on his way to Damascus, when he saw a light from heaven and heard a voice that claimed to
be "Jesus, whom [he] was persecuting" (Acts 9:5). This light caused him to lose his sight. Later in
Acts 9:15, YHWH tells Ananias that "he [Paul] is an instrument whom I [YHWH] chosen to bring
my name before Gentiles [ethne or "nations"] and kings and before the people of Israel". Ananias
went to Paul and stated, "The Lord [YHWH] Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent
me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:17). Paul received a
"prophetic calling" from the Lord [YHWH] Jesus and was now a missionary for God to all people,
including the Ioudaioi. As a missionary, Paul tried to persuade the Ioudaioi to believe and accept that
justice and salvation happen through Jesus Christ alone (Romans 5:12–21). Paul tried to persuade
them in person, via at least three mission trips (H G–33), and through letters when he was not able
to be there in person (H 434). The New Testament contains seven absolutely authentic Paul's letters
(at least according to Harris (H 435)). The Ioudaioi had their own view on the source of justice and
would therefore disagree with Paul. Subsequently, Paul had been forced to argue with them in order
to convince them that he was correct. This is shown in Paul's letter to the ekklesia in city of Rome.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul created an argument or dialogue between him and the "Ioudaioi"

Payday Lending Research Paper
Apocalyptic Thinking on Payday Lending Apocalyptic thinking has been going on for centuries.
Perhaps surprisingly, many manifestations of apocalyptic thinking derive from biblical texts. In fact,
several prominent theologians have argued that apocalyptic thought is the cornerstone of Christian
theology. However, the apocalypse isn't what you might think it is. It's real definition is a revealing,
or bringing forth of the truth. Really different than that thought of the general populace. In this paper
I hope to further look and reveal a truth about payday lenders, or at least convince you to do so.
Payday lending, or predatory lending is a business that is similar to what loan sharks do. Definition
of 'Payday Loan' A type of short–term borrowing where an individual borrows a small amount at a
very high rate of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In this story, we are met with imagery of a woman wearing a red and purple dress, sitting on a
monster with seven heads, which is sitting on seven mountains in Babylon. In Revelation 17:9 the
"seven mountains" is typically understood as the seven hills of Rome, this is because on some
Roman coins, minted under the Emperor Vespasian, depicts Rome as a woman sitting on seven hills.
Many Biblical scholars believe that "Babylon" is a metaphor for the pagan Roman Empire at the
time it persecuted Christians, before the Edict of Milan in 313: possibly referencing some aspect of
Rome's rule (brutality, greed, paganism). Some of these experts have interpreted the passage as a
severe critique to the people in Rome who do the Emperor's bidding, interpreting that the author of
Revelation was speaking of the Herodians, and later, corrupt Hasmoneans, where the ruler of
Jerusalem or Roman Judea exercised his power given to him by the Emperor, and was dependent on
Roman wealth and power, like Herod the Great in the Gospel according to

Cultural Assimilation In The United States
As the beginning the definition of Cultural Assimilation is when a community or a community are
integrated into a majority group (dominant) and have the opportunity to acquire the same
characteristics or habits. So, the community that integrates most end up losing or relegating its
specificity.
Other cultural assimilation is colonization, historically many of the world's cases occurred in several
nations of Europe in other continents. In modern times England, which has a high degree the genius
of colonization, and that work has done wonders in America, Asia and Oceania, unable to ever be
assimilated to other civilized peoples subject to his authority.
Cultural assimilation is a very hard process with the integration of ethnic minorities ... Show more
This process can be extremely complex because not all the time groups of people like these yearn to
assimilate the country where they are, for many of them is better defend the culture of their home,
something that can bring difficulties as marginalization and rejection. Others make the process of
assimilation of partial and pragmatic way, clarify, they assume the dominant cultural elements in
society and retain their own demonstrations in a very intimate level.Others demonstrate freedom to
take their host culture and forget their origins frequently and even manage to disown them. With
much logic I believe that children are much more open to cultural assimilation than others. If we talk
about loss of culture and values we approach immigrant assimilation, but if their own traits persist
and are at the break. The problem is that the theory does not leave between seeing the possibility of
maintaining loss and gain at the same time. The choices always move between the ordained and
exclusive poles integrated into the host society or relegating losing part of habitus, or conversely, to
resist and maintain original features above

Kidron Valley: Valley Of The King
Kidron Valley, also known as Valley of Jehoshaphat and Valley of the King is a deep ravine
streaching from eastern slope of Mount Moriah through the Judean Desert and continues for about
20 miles until it reaches the Dead Sea. For the most of the year Kidron Valley is a dry place except
when the seasonal rains create a stream that runs undrneath the surface.
The streach of Kidron Valley between the Temple Mount and Mount of Olives is reffered in BIble as
Valley of Jehoshaphat. Translated from Hebrew Jehoshaphat means "God will judge". It was named
after a righchess King of Judah who was encoreged by prophets to stand up against the aggression
of superior confederate army of Moab, Edom and Ammon.
According to Josephus, "Jehoshaphat placed ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
At times a sign with a curse was placed in the entrance to the tomb in order to ward off the potential
grave robbrers. In antiquity people took curses pretty seriously.
Tomb of Zechariah is an unfinished strucfure also curved out of the bedrock. The legend has it that
the Jewish priest Zechariah, son of Yehoyada the Priest, was scolding people in front of the temple
for not following God's ways and worshiping the pagan idols. Angry crowd has stoned him to death.
Because It does not contain a burial chamber some archeologists speculate that Zachariah's tomb is a
nefesh or a monument for a tomb of Bneiz Hezir. Situated right next to Zarchariah's tomb it is dated
back to the beginning of the 1BCE, during the Hasmonean rule over Jerusalem. The tomb is a burial
cave dug right into the cliff. At the entrance a Hebrew inscription reveals it to be a burial place for
Cohanim or priestly family by the name of Bnei Hezir.
According to the New Testament, Jesus passed through the Kidron Valley and the Golden Gate on
his way to Jerusalem during his Triumphal Entry. Jesus also traveled through Kidron on his way to
Bethany where he brought Lazarus back to

The Revolt Of The Maccabees Dynasty
Revolt of the Maccabees and the Rise of the Hasmonean Dynasty (165–163 BC) Alexander the
Great of Macedon died in 323 B.C.E., marking the beginnings of a great political transition both in
the region of Palestine as well as the Macedonian Empire as a whole. While the nation of Israel
experienced foreign dominance during the Persian period (538–322 B.C.E.), Alexander's death
brought a unique struggle for power in the region as his generals (the Diadochi) attempted to
maintain control of the fragmented empire. Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian general who ruled in
Egypt, defeated general Antigonus in 301 B.C.E, and as a result was given control of the region of
Palestine at the agreement of the Diadochi. Nevertheless, conflict arose between Ptolemy I Soter and
Seleucus I Nicator since the latter, a post–Alexander ruler of Syria, claimed the agreement between
the Diadochi and Ptolemy regarding Palestine was void. A series of military conflicts were then
waged over control of the Palestine region for the better part of a century, and yet the interior region
was largely left unaffected, leaving Jerusalem to thrive both financially and politically under
Ptolemaic rule. The Seleucid king, Antiochus III the Great, ended the Seleucid–Ptolemy conflict in
219 B.C.E., gaining decisive control of the region. Unfortunately for the Jews, Antiochus III was
defeated by the Romans at Magnesia in 190 B.C.E., and as a result, the Seleucids received a heavy
taxation at the hands of the Romans.

Intertestamental Period
INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD
NEW TESTAMENT ORIENTATION I
NBST 525
AN ANALYSIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTERS OF ARTS IN RELIGION
LIBERTY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
BY:
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2011
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................1
THE INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD...........................................1
HEROD THE GREAT'S PALESTINIAN RULE.................................7
CONCLUSION........................................................................9
INTRODUCTION
The Intertestamental period is the time between the last book in the Old Testament and the first book
in the New Testament. This period is said to be around two centuries or about 400 years long. This
particular timeframe dubbed the "Intertestamental period" is filled with ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
During the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus between 285–246 B.C. the entirety of the Old Testament
was translated into Greek and became known as the Septuagint, many Jews were becoming fluent in
Greek at this time as opposed to their native language of Hebrew. Also writers of the New Testament
quite often referred to the Septuagint when quoting the Old Testament.
Palestine once again changed rulers when Ptolemy V was defeated in battle by the Syrians. This
occurred in 198 B.C. and thus began the Syrian period over a nation that had been divided by war.

Half the nation gave support to Ptolemies of Egypt and the other half to Syria and because of this
power struggles between the two sides occurred for many years. Palestine had been taken over by a
man named Antiochus and many deemed him "Epimanes" meaning "mad man." Antiochus cared
little about Hellenistic religion but wanted to bring the kingdom together on a religious basis. He
also sought to control any offerings that came into the Jewish Temple and after this decree outlawed
the Sabbath and other religious festivities. Antiochus made it a capital offense to practice
circumcision and outlawed owning copies of the Old
4
Testament. This obviously angered and affected the Jewish community because they could no longer
practice rituals from their own religion. This was part of what drove many of them to eventually
revolt against Antiochus. The Jews

Period Of Self Rule Essay
The Period of Self Rule Israel and the Jewish people saw self–rule by an Israeli king for the first
since the exile from 167 BC to 63 BC. It began with the Maccabean revolt and lasted to the
occupation of by Roman Empire. There were two periods of self–rule during this time; first with the
Maccabean and then closely followed by the Hasmonean. Mattathias and his son's; who came from
the Hasmomean family; started the Jewish uprising would finally see the liberation of Israel from
Antiochus. The Maccabean period is named after Mattathias's son Judas whose nickname was
Maccabean which means hammer. Maccabeus was the leader of the guerilla war that the Jews wages
against the Seleucids which led to an attack to clear the temple of the foreign ... Show more content
During this time there was relative peace in the Empire that allowed unification of peoples that up to
this point in history had never happened. The peace afforded a time that saw the ability for roads to
be built that connected every corner of the known world that the Roman Empire held. This time of
peace can be attributed to Caesar Augustus (Octavian) due to his ability to manage the Roman
senate in a way that led to government policy to balance all aspects of life. Christ was born into this
time of peace and begins His earthly ministry in the Roman occupied land of Judea. And though it is
the Roman government that crucifies at the behest of the Sanhedrin, it is the Roman peace that helps
the fledgling Christian faith move throughout the known world. This was also due to the cultural
environment precipitated by the Roman peace and with the infrastructure established by the Roman

Semihazah Watchers
In the Book of Enoch, the Watchers are the fallen angels, also referred to as the "Sons of God," who
have sinned by giving false revelations and engaging into sexual relations with females. The
Watchers therefore, crossed the boundaries between the sacred and the profane, causing the creation
of the giants, Nephilim. The leaders of the Watchers who lead them into sins are Semihazah and
Azazel. Azazel was the leader of the improper revelations, of showing and telling the wrong
teachings. This is a sin because it is the providence of God to deliver revelations, not the job of the
fallen angels. This is critical because the false revelations would make it difficult for God's
followers to follow the right path to remaining pure. Semihaza was the ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Qumran was a settlement inhabited by the Essenes. The Essenes were a strict, isolationist, Judaism
group that believed themselves to be the "right" group and all other groups were wrong. This
resulted in their isolation from other groups because they were unsuccessful in convincing other
groups to live by their standards. The Essenes expected that the end was near. The Hasmoneans can
be viewed as Jewish terrorists or freedom fighters that wanted to establish a Jewish state. They were
successful in overthrowing Greek rule and establishing a Jewish state. The Hasmoneans also
claimed king and priestly roles. However, kings were only supposed to be from the line of David
and priestly roles were only to be fulfilled from the lineage of Zadok. Therefore, the Hasmonean
rule was breaking covenant rules because its rulers did not abide by the proper lineages. The Teacher
of Righteousness, who served as the official mediator of revelation, taught that what the
Hasmoneans were doing was wrong and that it would lead to the end. The Essenes viewed
themselves as the "Sons of Light," representing the community and goodness. They viewed all
outsiders as the "Sons of Darkness" because they were believed to be evil and demonic. The "Sons
of Darkness" were other Jews who did not follow the same rules of the Qumran community as well
as the Romans. The Dead Sea Scrolls differ in the apocalyptic view from

Hasmonean Dynasty
The Hasmonean Dynasty A story of Hanukkah and the Chanukah, was when the Hasmonean
Dynasty started. Hasmonean Dynasty was the ruling of Judea and the regions that were surrounded
during ancient times. In the year of 140 and 116 BCE, the dynasty was ruled from the Seleucids in
the region of Judea. This dynasty was also spelled as Hasmonaean of the descendants from the
Maccabee family. This name came from the ancestor Hasmoneus, and Asamonaios. "In 143 BC
Simon Maccabeus, son of Mattathias, which was the brother of Judas Maccabeus had succeeded, his
brother Johnathan as leader of the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid dynasty. He then became
of the Seleucids as high priest, ruler and ethnarch of Judaea; the offices were hereditary, and Simon
... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
His conquest from the Holy Land was placed under the control of Seleucid Greek rulers who ruled
the Hellenistic empire. "The Seleucids restricted the Torah study and desecated the Holy Temple, to
eradicate Jewish religion and culture" (Stand for Israel). These Greeks were controlling the Jews on
how they would do all things. The ways they would dress, eat and think like the Greeks did. They
were then rooted out Jews in still practicing their beliefs. "The Jewish people rebelled in 166 BCE.
They were led by the heroic Judah the Maccabee, of the Hasmonean family, the Jews were
successful in militarily repelling Greek rule. They entered the Temple and purified it, and found the
miraculous jug of oil. Legend tells that it had only been enough oil to light the Menorah for one
night, and lasted eight nights" (Stand for Israel). Eight nights went back to the celebration of the
Hanukkah for the Jewish culture. "After this triumphant return to Jerusalem, the period of
Hasmonean rule began. There were more Hasmonean victories, combined with a weakening of
Seleucid authority, led the Seleucids to return autonomy of Israel to the Jewish people. The
Hasmoneans had ruled the Holy Land for a century. The leaders believed that they were continuing
the reign of the Softim and Kings of early Israel, and they consolidated legal, religious, political and
military power. They had also

Second Temple Influence On The Old Testament
INTRODUCTION The Bible and its history are highly connected as we study the work of God
throughout the Old Testament. The Old Testament and the human history reflected the perfect plan
of God for humanity. Likewise, the New Testament; therefore, serves as an inevitable evidence of
God's grace. Though the voice of prophets was absent during the Second Temple period as it was
described as the "silent years," the work of God was still continued among His people. The LORD
revealed Himself throughout the time in different discourses. This paper will begin with the
definition of the terminology of Second Temple period. Then it will aim at the survey of the
influence by various relevant events, people, and groups during the Second Temple period in
chronological order, starting with the Persian period and Israel's return from exile to the destruction
of the Second Temple in AD 70. In addition, an attempt will be made to focus on the specific period
of the Roman Peace Period and its impact on the first–century world of the Jews and their
expectation of the Messiah. DEFINITION OF SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD Second Temple period
is formerly referred to the "intertestamental period," as it was the time between the last of the Old
Testament ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The existed variations can be proved by Coogan for he premises that the period began around 600
BC and lasted until 167 BC of the beginning of the Hasmonean period. Still others assume the end
of the period to AF 397 with the Third Synod held in Carthage in Northern Africa as the canonicity
of the New Testament. Despite all the assumptions varied, the most acceptable period of Second
Temple period offered by Kostenberger, Kellum, and Quarles begins with the end of the prophetic
era and ends with the destruction of the temple during the Roman ruling

Jewish Identity In Ancient World Summary

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