Transcript Judaism at Jesus’ time

The Judaic and Hellenistic
background for the New
Testament
Early history
The time between the testaments was filled with Jewish
struggle that encouraged apocalyptic ideas (speculation
about the end of human history).
• Temple desecration and rededication.
• Maccabean revolt (beginning around 168BCE)
• Persecution of Torah loyalists
• Many martyrs held up as examples
Apocalyptic speculation is a major theme in many books
including…
• Daniel
• Synoptic gospels
• Revelation
Herod “the
Great”
• Governor, king of Judea,
from 40-4 BCE.
• Half Jewish and not popular
• Elaborate building program
in Jerusalem, focusing on
Temple reconstruction
• Paranoid tyrant. Finally
executed three of his sons
and his favorite wife.
• Historical background for
Matthew’s story of Herod’s
slaughter of the innocents
(Mt 2:16-17)
Herod’s Temple
More about Herod’s temple: http://www.katapi.org.uk/Architecture/TempleMount30ce.html
Herod’s next generation
After Herod’s death, his kingdom was
divided among his three surviving
sons.
• Herod Archelaus: A tyrant who
was soon banished. Ruled Judea
and Samaria.
• Herod Antipas (4 BCE-39CE):
– Most often referred to in NT.
– Jesus called him a “that fox.”
– Ordered the beheading of John
the Baptist.
– Spoke with Jesus privately before
he was crucified. Inept and
unpopular. Ruled Galilee and
Perea.
•
Herod Philip II (4 BCE-35CE):
Most competent, but not
mentioned much. Northeast of
Galilee.
The last of the Herod’s
• Herod Agrippa I (41-44 CE)
– Grandson of Herod the great.
– Briefly reunited Palestine.
– He met an early death (Acts 12:20-23).
• Herod Agrippa II (circa 44-92CE)
– Famous for a long-lived affair with his sister, Bernice.
– Interrogated Paul (Acts 25:13-26:32)
– He was loyal to Rome during the first Jewish War.
• Jewish War against Rome (66-73CE).
– 70CE, Jerusalem was demolished, including the temple. Ended daily
sacrifices as prescribed by Moses’ Torah forever
• Final Jewish revolt (132-135CE).
– Final attempt for Jewish freedom was ruthlessly put down by Emperor
Hadrian, who built a shrine to Jupiter on the Temple site.
Last Days of
Jerusalem
Vespasian quelled the
Jewish revolt
Vespasian’s son, Titus
gave the order to destroy
the temple.
Jewish shekels
coined around 67CE.
The inscription says,
“Jerusalem is Holy”
Government
• Three sets of leaders compete to handle difficult
religious/political situation. They can all be seen in the
situation surrounding Jesus trial.
• Jewish: The Sanhedrin (Great Council) was a religious
council headed by the Sadducees. They condemned
Jesus but did not have the authority to put him to death.
• Roman: Pontius Pilate quizzed Jesus on his claim to be
king of the Jews (Treason against the Roman emperor).
He finally, gave the order to execute.
• Herodian: Pilate sent Jesus to see Herod Antipas, ruler
of Galilee since he was in Jerusalem at the time.
These images come from this helpful site: http://discipuluscripturae.wordpress.com/2009/01/03/esv-study-bible-review/
View of Jerusalem from the West
(Mount of Olives)
The Temple Mount today
Hellenistic thought, culture, and religion
• For 500 years Hellenistic thought dominated the area
(300 BCE-200CE) from Alexander to Marcus Aurelius.
• Greeks had a passion for learning, intense intellectual
curiosity, and confidence in the power of reason and
logic.
• Offered a language with a huge vocabulary of scientific,
religious, and philosophical terms
• Rich legacy of art, architecture, literature, and
speculative thought.
• The NT could be said to be a Greek book arising out of a
Hellenistic environment
– Inherited Jewish thought (especially biblical traditions)
– Inherited Greek thought (especially philosophical conceptspurpose of human life)
Socrates as a forerunner of
Jesus
Like Socrates, Jesus…
• Followed a divine calling
• Advocated cultivating spiritual values
• Gave up materialistic pleasures
• Neither left anything in writing (their teachings were reconstructed by
followers)
• Martyred for their beliefs.
Socrates (469-399BCE)
• Two distinct worlds, physical and invisible
• Our bodies belong to physical world and they will decay
• Our souls originate in the unseen spirit world and after death return
to it for judgment
• Education helps us understand how the spirit is superior to the body
• Ambitions of worldly power or riches are false.
• The wise seek the perfect justice of the unseen world.
Greek philosophy
Stoicism
• Emphasized order and moral purpose of universe
• Soul is immortal and there is a future world of punishments and
rewards
Epicureanism
• Everything is physical (body and soul)
• Gods may exist but don’t care about people
• Most important thing is to enjoy life.
• Pursue learning and truth because it is enjoyable and more lasting
Greco-Roman religion
• Polytheism as opposed to Hebrew monotheism
• Hymns to praise to Zeus have similarities with Hebrew Psalms
Asclepius
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(foreshadows Jesus’
compassionate nature)
The most humane and
compassionate of Greek heroes
The mortal son of Apollo and
Coronis (a human princess)
He had the divine gift of healing
When he healed someone from
the dead Zeus killed him with a
thunderbolt for interrupting the
natural order.
He became divine after death
People went to his temples to be
healed.
Sometimes called the world’s first
physician
Asclepius Cult worshippers
Dionysus of Thebes
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Divine father and human mother
Descended into Hades to retrieve
his mother.
Experienced an agonizing death
and journey to Hades’ realm, he
was the only major god to know
what it was like to die suffer and
die.
Inventor of winemaking—a twoedged sword. Liberating, but
overindulgence is bad.
Represented extremes of suffering
and joy (presided over drama)
Many parallels between his myth
and Jesus’ life
The panther is a symbol of
Dionysus’ savage nature.