Judaism Covenant made with G-d

Jewish History Before and After the destruction of the Second Temple

The Two Periods

Period One l Part One l Biblical Judaism Nomadic people established a nation with Jerusalem as capital. Great development First temple destroyed and people exiled l Part two Temple rebuilt Hebrew Bible created Study of Scriptures and prayer Synagogue life developed

Period Two l Part One l Rabbinical Judaism Judaism evolved Traditional Jewish life established Occurred 100 C.E. to 1800 C.E. l Part Two Questions were raised in response to the new thinking-- Enlightenment The REFORM movement developed It modernized traditional Judaism It helped produce diverse branches within Judaism

Period 1 Part 1

Biblical History (Period 1 - Part 1) l In the Beginning: The Stories of Origins l Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, the Great Flood, Abraham, Canaan, Covenant, Jacob...

Adam and Eve Before the Fall – After the Fall

Other Events l Cain and Abel, the Great Flood l The Call of Abraham, Passover, Moses and the Law, Judges and Kings, Prophets, Babylonian exile, first temple destruction, Sabbath, Second Temple built.

Cain and Abel l In a fit of jealous rage Cain murders his brother Abel l “Am I My Brother’s Keeper?”

Noah and the Great Flood l Destruction l Promise

Abraham l The Father of Many Nations Jews Christians Muslims

Abram l Judaism starts with the Patriarch Abraham whose name was changed from Abram. It is to him that God made a promise that he would be the father of many nations.

Abraham l Called by God

Abraham’s journey l Abraham moved to Palestine around 4000 BCE. This was part of God’s promise.moved

The Mighty Nation l The descendents of Abraham settled in Egypt where they had become slaves. l They cried to God for deliverance from bondage of slavery. l God called Moses to lead them.

Moses l Moses is a main figure in Jewish history. l Born to a Jew he was rescued from the Nile by the daughter of the Pharaoh of Egypt.

Moses l He grew up probably as both an Egyptian and a Jew. Although he was in the house of Pharaoh he was "nursed/raised" by his birth mother. l He was raised to be a leader and became second in command of Egypt.

Moses Flees l It was discovered that he was a Jew and had to leave because he murdered an Egyptian.

The Call of Moses l He later returns to Egypt after the burning bush experience to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

Moses Before Pharaoh l Moses comes before Pharaoh and tells Pharaoh to let God’s people go.

Pharaoh’s Response l Pharaoh refuses. l Moses then issues forth the ten plagues.

Final Plague l When the Pharaoh refused Moses’ last request the final plague was issued-- the death of every firstborn male.

The Passover l The Jews were instructed to put blood on their doorposts. l When the Angel of Death came it “passed over” the homes with blood on the doorposts.

Haste l Pharaoh relented and let the Israelites leave. They had to make preparations to leave quickly.

Change l Pharaoh changed his mind and decided to chase the Israelites. l According the the Hebrew Bible as the Israelites, lead by Moses, stood at the Red Sea or the Sea of Reeds, God acted on their behalf and parted the waters.

The Deliverance l According to the Jews in the deliverance three things were affirmed. Yahweh is the creator of the universe Yahweh chose the Israelites The Jews are to reveal Yahweh to the rest of the world.

God’s Deliverance l God, by way of Moses, led the descendents of Abraham out of slavery. A covenant was established by way of the Ten Commandments and the Laws of Moses.

Results of the Covenant l Yahweh is the the God not only of all creation but The Israelites l The Israelites are God’s people. l Jewish communal life was established l The Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) tells the history and regulates the community.

The New Land: Canaan

The Judges l Deborah was a woman judge. She rend judgment for the people.

Kings and Dynasties King Saul King David King Solomon

Period 1 Part 2

Exile and Captivity (Period 1 - Part 2) “By the rivers of Babylon-- there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion.”

A People in Exile l Nebuchadnezzar II, in 586 B.C.E., destroyed Solomon’s temple and took the “aristocracy” and a large part of the population out of Jerusalem to Babylonia. l During this exile Jews began to meet, to talk about the scriptures and to pray. l The Sabbath service developed during this time.

The Sabbath l Sabbath service included worship study sermon psalms l These were performed at a synagogue. l The oral Hebrew religious traditions were written down.

Transition in the Exile l The Jews began to assimilate various influences into their way of life from the Babylonians. l Knowledge of Hebrew declined and Aramaic became the common tongue. l The sense of an active evil spirit called “Satan” and the cosmic battle between good and evil emerged.

Period 2 Part 1

Second Temple Era (Period 2 - Part 1) Intercultural Conflict

Returning Home and the Second Temple l The Persian overthrew the Babylonians and in 540 B.C.E. Cyrus came to the throne and allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem. l The returned exiles rebuilt their temple.

The Second Temple l This started a new era, called the period of the Second Temple. l The Temple played a prominent role in Jewish life both at home and abroad. l The role of the priest became more prominent.

Greeks attempted to rule the Jews.

The Seleucid Period l Antiochus IV took over the temple in 167 B.C.E. l Jews rebelled lead by a family called the Maccabees (Hasmoneans) and took control of the temple and rededicated it. l The festival of Hanukkah is a celebration of the event.

Conflicts l There was much antagonism between the Jewish culture and Greek (Hellenistic) culture. l Jews were not easily absorbed into the dominant culture. e.g. males were circumcised, dietary restrictions, Sabbath prohibitions.

Responses In response to Hellenistic culture major factions emerged.

4 Major Responses l The Sadducees Priestly families in charge of the temples and its activities. Traditional who accepted the Torah. l The Pharisees They wanted to preserve tradition and primarily focussed on keeping the law and emphasized daily religious practice. They accepted more of the books as canonical and they valued the oral tradition of Moses.

4 Major Responses l The Zealots They opposed foreign rule and did anything in their power to remove foreign influence. They sometimes used violence to achieve their goals. l Essenes There were several thousand, lived a communal, celibate life in the desert n ear the Dead Sea, rejected animal sacrifice, and avoided meat and wine.

The Development of Rabbinical Judaism The Rabbis rise to the occasion

Destruction of the Second Temple l In 70 B.C.E. the Romans destroyed the Second Temple; this greatly changed Jewish life. l It did two things It ended the power of the priesthood. It forced Judaism to move from the Temple being the center to a central focus on scripture and ceremony.

Sources l Slide 12 – am-pray.jpg am-pray.jpg l Slide 19 – l Slide 32 – 16/OldTest/pix/54.jpg

Sources l Slide 35 – chapter26.php chapter26.php l Slide 37 – jr/School/JUDAISM/history/Tower_of_BabelTN.JPG Slide 40 – Slide 43 – udas.gif

Sources l Slide 46 – t.gif t.gif aining/pharisees.gif Slide 47 – /is19sm.jpg /is19sm.jpg shows/religion/portrait/essenes.html