1. THE LAW, MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF BIBLICAL PEOPLE GROUPS
JoLynn Gower
Fall 2018
Lesson 5

2. VERSE FOR THE JOURNEY
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
Bible scholars speak of “the silent years” between the writing of Malachi and the arrival of John the Baptist
This was approximately 400 years from 375 BC until 25 AD
During this time notable writing were composed:
1. The Dead Sea Scrolls: some written and hidden;
older manuscripts hidden
2. The Septuagint was commissioned in Egypt; this
is most likely the scriptures read by Jesus
3. Much of the Apocryphal and Pseudipigraphal
literature was written

4. JOSEPHUS A lot of biblical interpretation relies on the historical
writings of Josephus, so it is important to know
about him
Born about 38; family was part of priestly aristocracy
Jewish and Hellenistic education
Studied with Banus, the Essene, in Engedi for 3 years
Returning to Jerusalem, he became a Pharisee
Rumblings of rebellion caused Rome to arrest several
Jewish priests in about 63; in 64 Josephus went to
Rome to plead for their release
Met Nero’s consort who showed him favor; learned
of Rome’s power and hopelessness of revolt
Appointed governor of Galilee, where revolt would
first begin; Zealots realized he was a bad choice and
tried to remove him, then assassinate him To

5. DEFEAT OF JOSEPHUS
In May 67, Josephus and troops were besieged at Jotopata near the Sea of Gailee for 47 days until Titus came through and wiped them out
Josephus escaped to a cave, barely escaping death at the hands of his own troops
Brought before Vespasian, Josephus played on the former’s superstitious tendencies and ingratiated himself to that Vespasian liberated him
Because Josephus had been freed, he took the name of the former captor’s family as was Roman custom; he became Flavius Josephus after the Flavians
He made attempts to mediate between the Jews and Romans earning distrust from both
He was in or near Jerusalem at the time it fell
He lived the rest of his life in Rome, writing annals about the Jews and their history

6. ON THE SEPTUAGINT
Septuagint: translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek
Targums: translation of Hebrew scriptures, except Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel, into Aramaic
Mishnah: written version of the Jewish oral traditions; date: time of/after destruction of 2nd temple
Gemara: later rabbinical discussions aimed at harmonizing contradictory teachings in the Mishnah
Jerusalem Gemara compiled between AD in Tiberias; combination of Hebrew and Aramaic
Babylonian Gemara compiled between AD in Iraq; combination of Hebrew and Aramaic
Talmud: the Mishnah and Gemara bound together

7. SEPTUAGINT: OT to GREEK
According to Josephus, Ptolemy Philadelphus commissioned the Septuagint around 250 B.C. for the library at Alexandria
Many Jews lived in Egypt at the time having fled during the reign of the Seleucids (Kings of the North)
The Ptolemies were ruling in Egypt and Israel was in the tension between the Ptolemies and Seleucids
Eleazar, the High Priest at the time agreed to send 72 scholars to accomplish the translation work after receiving a promise that 120,000 enslaved Jews would be released and that the scholars and parchments would be returned
Philadelphus sent elaborate gifts for use in the temple; He oversaw their construction himself

8. THE TRANSLATION
The traditional position is that the Septuagint was translated by 70 (or 72) scholars and took only 70 days – hence the name.
The Septuagint is abbreviated in literature as the LXX
According to tradition, each scholar translated the first five books of the OT and after comparing, they were identical
This caused them to believe that the Septuagint was inspired by God
The Jews in Israel during the time of Christ were under Roman rule; but Greek culture was still prevailing
Most Jews who conducted business spoke Greek
Many others spoke Aramaic

9. RISE OF THE MACCABEES
Around 200 BC, the Seleucids gained control of Jerusalem from the Ptolemies
During this time, the Maccabees rose up in Israel
Antiochus IV Epiphanes was the most noted of the Seleucids; he rose to power in 175 B.C.
Antiochus forbade the reading of the Mosaic Law
He ended the rite of circumcision
In 165, he desecrated the Holy of Holies in the Temple and sacrificed pigs to Zeus on the altar
The Maccabees led the War for Independence in B.C.
Against all odds, the Maccabees took back the temple and rededicated in to God in 25 Kislev 164 B.C.

10. HANUKKAH
When the Maccabees took the Temple, they removed pagan influence and replaced temple furniture
They lacked the necessary consecrated oil for the lampstand; they were only able to find enough for the lamp to burn for one day
Miraculously, the lampstand burned for 8 days until additional oil could be procured
This miracle is called “Festival of Lights” or Hanukkah
The New Testament calls it the Feast of Dedication
John 10:22-24  At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."

11. USE OF THE SEPTUAGINT
The Septuagint was almost certainly the scripture used in most synagogues during the time of Christ
The Jews held it in high esteem for 300 years; but when Christians began to embrace it as part of their scriptures, the Jews began to reject it
The Jews began rewriting it in the 250’s A.D. to suit their purposes in composing the Mishnah
The Septuagint contained the Apocrypha; thus the Catholic church argued that Jesus read from the Septuagint and therefore ordained the Apocrypha as well
The Septuagint is, at best, a dynamic equivalent translation (like the NIV) and not a literal translation from the Hebrew