1. The Journey Leads to the Time of Jesus and Beyond CHAPTER TEN

2. After the Babylonians, the Jews lived in Palestine under a succession of rulers: Introduction Persian Empire Alexander the Great Ptolmies Seleucids Roman Empire

3. - Although there were dangers with being a minority people, if the people remained faithful to God, survival was possible 1.) Nationalistic perspective: Wanted to throw off foreign rule 2.) Nonviolent resistance Foreign Rule

4. Daniel 1-6: - Cooperation with civil authorities combined with faithful prayer and obedience to God’s law will protect the Jews and allow them to survive even under foreign rule

5. Tobit: - Emphasizes benefits of traditional forms of Jewish piety - Message is that God will never abandon his people as long as they remain faithful to him Foreign Rule

6. Esther: - Says it is better for the Jews to negotiate with foreign kings and function under foreign rule than oppose them with military force Judith: - Actively stands up for her faith on behalf of God’s people - Proactive response Foreign Rule

7. Jewish History

8. - Persian period lasted over 200 years - Ezra and Nehemiah (most significant sources) tell little about the general living conditions - Official Persian religion was Zoroastrianism Jewish History

9. The Beginning of Hellenization: - Alexander the Great introduced Greek ideals,language, learning, and customs - Koine became the official language of the Near East The Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures and the entire NT were written in Greek Jewish History

10. http://members.ozemail.com.au/~ancientpersia/images/empire.gif The Persian Empire

11. Jewish History Ptolemies: - Known for retaining strong, centralized economic control of territories - Laid heavy tax on occupied people - Jews divided into factions over the issue of Greek influence

12. Seleucid Rule: - Roman Empire became a forbidding presence in religion - Internal turmoil among Jewish community -Lack of observing traditional Jewish practices Jewish History

13. Antiochus IV: - Believed the Jews were the cause of many of his problems - Forbid study of the Law, observance of the Sabbath, circumcision, and sacrifice -Reiteration of Hellenization Jewish History

14. Best Course for Jews

15. - Cooperation with Foreign Rule Adopting conqueror’s values, lifestyle, and religious views Choice of Modernists (Hellenists) No literature represents the position of total compromise Best Course for Jews

16. - Political and Military Resistance Adopted by Maccabean revolt and Hasmonean rulers Militant belief in the coming of a messiah was connected to the desire to recover Jewish independence as a nation

17. Best Course for Jews - Spiritual Resistance Maintain strong religious commitment despite political challenges Jews preferred death over defilement in the hope God would witness their suffering and rescue them

18. What happened?

19. - Rabbis rework Temple rituals - Jews spread to other regions - Synagogues were constructed as: 1. House of Prayer 2. House of Study 3. House of Assembly - State of Israel established in 1948 What happened?

20. - Zoroastrianism - Koine - Septuagint - Ptolemies - Dynasty Vocabulary - Dead Sea Scrolls - Hasidim - Pharisees - Essenes -Hasmonean -Sadduc -Synagogue -Rabbi -Zealots