12. The reaction of the rabbinic leaders and the Jews to Herod’s plan. The Rabbis and the Jews opposed the construction because Herod Wanted to integrate Hellenistic ideals into Judaism Jews weren’t happy about extra taxes levied to pay for the building The Jewish people and their Rabbis considered Herod as a destroyer of their traditional institutions They viewed him as a murderer of their kings and leaders and the representative of the foreign government. He angered those loyal to the Torah. The Rabbis feared that he would tear it down and not rebuild it
13. The rabbinic and Jewish reaction to the completed temple and to Herod. Jews thought it was objectively beautiful (as seen by quote above in Bava Basra) "One who did not see Herod's Temple missed seeing the most beautiful building in the world. It was constructed entirely of polished granite interspersed with dark-colored marble, with beveled edges, set in plaster. Herod even proposed to fill up the edges with gold; but the Rabbis advised him to abstain from doing so, as the white plaster combined with the granite and marble gave the Temple the appearance of waves of the sea" (Suk. 57b). Despite the positive reaction to the beauty of the Temple the Jews were not satisfied because: Herod put a pagan eagle from perched on the building He murdered many prominent Rabbis After Herod’s death the Jews were so angry that an open rebellion was started against his heir until the latter lost his throne.
14. Bibliography Jacobs, Joseph, and Judah David Eisenstein . "TEMPLE IN RABBINICAL LITERATURE." JewishEncyclopedia.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2010. <www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=127&letter=T#470#ixzz0dxmSAObU>. Schorr, Yisroel Simcha Schorr. Tractate Succah: The Gemara: The Classic Vilna Edition, . 2 ed. Brooklyn New York: Mesorah Publications, 2001. Print. Shimon, Shimon, and Fred Skolnik. "Herod." Encyclopedia Judaica 22 Volume Set. 2 ed. New York: Macmillan, 2006. 31-38. Print. Spiro , Rabbi Ken. "Crash Course in Jewish History Part 31 - Herod, the Great." Judaism - The Jewish Website . N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. <http://www.aish.com/jl/h/48942446.html>. Weiss, Yosaif Asher. Talmud Bavli: Tractate Bava Basra : The Gemara/the Schottenstein Edition (The Artscroll). 1st ed. New York: Artscroll, 1992. Print. “הורדוס, האיש ותקופתו“ lib.cet.ac.il. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. <http://lib.cet.ac.il/pages/item.asp?item=13012&str1=%D7%94%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%93%D7%95%D7%A1&x=0&y=0&str3=&find=1&ex=0&docs=1&pic=1&sites=1&title=&all=1>.