quick notes on herod.

Notes on Roman and Herodian Jerusalem:

-Pompey was a Roman General who annexed Jerusalem for Rome

-He assumes control in 63 BCE

-Antipater was the procurator/governor/overseer of Idumaeans 

-Idumaeans were forcibly circumcised

-Son of Pompey, Herod the Great, rises to prominence after his death

-He assists with expelling the Parthians who were invading from east in 40 BCE

-Goes back to Rome and becomes king

-Takes control of a lot of different places including Jerusalem

-Has coins depicting sensitivity to Jews & being a good king to Rome (Client King)

-He was from Idumaea which had been Judaized

-His knowledge allowed him to rule without provoking wrath of Jews

-But he still taxed them for Rome

-Generally people want a ruler who is going to stick with one side

-He terrorized people, and even executed his family when he thought necessary

-This is reflected in the New Testament, Matthew 2

-There was news of an astrological omen (meaning there is a new king)

-Herod was confused because he thought he was king

-This omen is referring to Jesus

-Herod sends out a search for Jesus because he wants to meet him

-The people trick Herod so he doesn't get to meet Jesus

-Herod demanded that all young boys in the kingdom be killed in hopes of one of them being Jesus

-Possibility this didn't happen, but it was very in character for him to do such a thing

-He was incredibly effective in brutality, which was great for Rome because he took all the blame

-Herod loved himself and would build things to outlast his time and become a legacy

-This guaranteed that people always had work (they'd construct these buildings or work at them)

-The Herodian temple is almost like the third temple; he expands on the previous one

-Reconstruction is like concentric circles of the holier & holier

-Herod created a lot of walls, gates, arches, etc. to expand

-Created the Miqvah, which is a Jewish ritual bath used to cleanse before rituals, since people needed to be pure

-These gave rise to baptism & affects of water in religion

-Josephus says: it's custom for a priest to sound trumpet at sundown announcing the time when people stopped working 

-Proof of it happening is written down

-Citadel of David: made in Hasmonean dynasty, towers added to by Herod, which represented different family members

-Herod used it to retreat when his own people were attempting to revolt

-He also had fortresses outside of Jerusalem to retreat to

-Reason for BCE/CE rather than BC/AD is because Herod died in 4 BCE, & Jesus was born within his lifetime

-So this would mean Jesus was born in 7 BC… doesn't make sense

-The people that were close to Herod were happy. Even if the people weren't close to him, at least they could get a job

-During his time, the Hippodrome was built for racing horses

-Inscription on Temple Mount says that “no man of another nation is to enter within the barrier” 

-It was only for the Jews, not for gentiles

-Herod also built a theatre at Caesarea 

-Built an aqueduct and created cement that hardened under water to make Caesarea Maritima

-This consisted of a lighthouse and a port in a harbor 

-Builds Herodian, which is his ultimate fortress 

-All in all, he actually was a great dictator, but the Bible paints him as evil

-He didn’t defile temple, meddle with high priesthood, or put his face on coins

-He offered relief during famine and employed the Jews

-He also didn’t make pagan temples in Jewish areas

-Only problems were that he was only half Jewish

-Also killed family & people around him

-Collected taxes on behalf of Rome and subdued people

-Basically, Herod was only economically and religiously good

km.

the hell of hellenism.

Hellenistic = Greek


What do we know about the Greeks? Alexander the Great conquered much of Europe from 336-323 BCE including places such as modern day Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Northern India. Because he was the "new boss in town," he minted coins that portrayed himself as a god.


Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, Zerubabbel is the new governor, and Joshua is the new high priest and civil administrator. There was no real kingship, so he was in charge of administrative and religious overviewing.

In 333 BCE, Alexander the Great defeats Persia’s king, Darius. When Alexander died in 323 BCE, his kingdom was divided. There were new successors, the Ptolemies from Egypt and the Seleucids from Syria. The Ptolemies took over Jerusalem, and the high priest agrees that they’ll now pay taxes to them, not the Persians. The Seleucid ruler, Antiochus III, defeats the Ptolemies in 201 BCE and annexes Jerusalem and Palestine. Here's a few things about each of the new successors:

Ptolemies:

-They invented and minted lots of coins that depicted the kings and their nicknames.

-They controlled Palestine from 300-201 BCE.

-They basically told the people that if they pay their taxes, don't revolt, then they could choose their own high priest and continue with their religious traditions. 

-They didn't impose much on their religious freedoms.

Seleucids:

-Jerusalem became a battle ground again when Antiochus III defeated the Ptolemies at the Battle of Paneas.

They really imposed on the Jewish people, which was called Hellenization.

Hellenization:

People were forced to learn to speak Greek, since it was considered more “civilized” than their barbaric Aramaic language.  The Greeks were superior in things like mathematics, arts, humanities, engineering, and athletics, and they made sure to make the Jewish feel inferior. The Greeks imposed their culture, exported their way of life, and created a democratic form of government. They were extremely aggressive and pushed linguistic and imperial unity, which was a huge conflict for the Jewish people since their religion is so based on text. The Greeks wanted to turn Jerusalem into a polis (“city”) that would be considered the center for Greek life and would emanate outwards to the more rural parts. The city was supposed to be where all the hype was. 

Polis: 

Greeks regarded the polis as the highest and most natural civil institution. In the 4th century BCE, Aristotle listed a few essential characteristics of a polis. Food, skills and crafts, military supplies. commerce, religion, and a system of justice were deemed as the most important aspects of a Greek city. His views were mostly based on the city and its culture. Pausanias listed his own essential characteristics 500 years later. He exclaimed that a polis is defined by a municipal office, gymnasium, theater, agora, and a water supply. His views were different in that he embraced the lifestyle of working your body and mind, expressing ideas, and learning to ask questions. The gymnasium was a way of showing appreciation for the human form, and they regularly performed sports in the nude. The agora was an open place of assembly to discuss philosophy like intellectuals do. The views of these highly regarded philosophers were very much Greek and strayed far from Jewish values.

Every aspect of Jewish life was affected by these changes. There was much political uncertainty in Jerusalem. But even worse than that was the affect of these changes on their religion and practices. Greek ideas like the soul being separated from the body were foreign to the people of Jerusalem. Now, new and old ideas were competing. In the Kidron Valley, Jewish tombs have been discovered that are based entirely off of Greek architecture. Their very old traditions were being transformed in to Greek traditions.  Even Jewish burial inscriptions were written in Greek, even though Jewish symbols were depicted. North of Jerusalem, there was a Jewish house that was even designed like a wealthy Greek house. A mosaic center piece (Sepphoris Mosaic) found inside the house consisted of panels and pictures that depict a drinking contest that Dionysis (the God of wine) participated in. Herakles is also shown, and with this, there is evidence that even Greek gods were beginning to seep into Jewish traditions. The Bet She'an furthered this notion. It was a Greek city that was laid out with Greek gods and goddesses shown in the form of figurines. It was a place of gathering and such. 

Language and literature of the time was even being hellenized. Greek was the most spoken language, and the bible was therefore translated into what is called the Septuagint (LXX). It is designated by the Roman numeral 70. Legend says that 70 authors were sent off for 70 days and came back with exact translations, and that is why we know it is exactly translated. However, we know this is not true because there were many corrections and deletions, and it wasn't a perfect copy. 

Meanwhile, the high priest of Jerusalem was resisting Greek power. Antiochus IV deposed of rebelling priests so that the Greeks could have it their way. To suppress Jewish resistance, their religious practices like circumcision were banned because they were considered barbaric. Antiochus IV even sacrificed a pig on the temple altar to make a point that the Jewish people should not resist. The temple was later converted to the Temple of Zeus as well. 

Reaction varied among the Jewish people. Some welcomed it and proclaimed that there should be no fighting. They accepted this suppression as a punishment from god, and they reasoned that obviously he wanted these things to happen. The conservative Jewish people resisted, however, and they didn't want conquerors telling them how to act. Open revolt began among the Jewish people, which leads us to Hasmonean Jerusalem. 

The tides had been turned, and the conservative Jewish people rebelled against the others. This was called the Maccabean revolt and was led by Judas Maccabaeus. They were guerilla warfare militants, and aimed to kill and attack foreign occupiers as well as sell outs and collaborators. The revolt was successful by 165 BCE, in which they were able to regain the temple, go back to priesthood, and reestablish their religion. They formed the Jewish holiday of Hanukah in celebration. After only having enough oil to light a lamp for one day, it ended up lasting for eight. They proclaimed that God was with them, and they began a period of self-rule for the first time since the 6th century. 

This is when the Hasmonean dynasty came about. They minted coins as well, but they were very traditionally Jewish with no human images since they don't worship idols or humans. They rebuilt the kingship based on the first rulers from many, many years ago. This succession of rulers was said to only be temporary, however, because they were still waiting for the messiah to come. Absolute power became a huge issue as the Hasmonean rulers became secular, corrupt, and even hellenized. They held onto their power and never gave it up. They were extremely hypocritical because part of the original rebellion was to fight against this sort of ruling. The were insensitive to tradition, provoked brutal expansion, hired foreigners for war, and forcibly Judaized the gentile regions. Jerusalem became an urban center, and the Hasmonean rulers tried to legitimize their monarchy and their roles as high priests. They were ultimately just as oppressive as David and Solomon, and their empire was built with all the same problems.

These rulers attempted to wipe out everything else around them, so the people would have no choice but to go to Jerusalem, and the kings could control and tax them. Religious sects thought this was all corrupt and tried to do their own thing. These sects were often defined by how they viewed the temple. 

All in all, the high priests were becoming dictators, and it was eventually bound to fall. There was great amounts of instability. With these conditions, the Romans were able to conquer Jerusalem in 63 BCE. The empire was so weak at this point that they took over with ease. After all attempts of the Hasmonean dynasty to take control of Jerusalem, they were unsuccessful, and that is what ended the Jewish self-rule.

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what next?

The period following the Jewish exile was a time of doubt and reassessment. People were unsure of where to turn next and exactly what to believe. The Second Temple Period began in 539 BCE and was documented by several biblical texts, even though there was little other texts and historical evidence to document this time. Chronicles, Haggai, Malachi, as well as Ezra, Nehemiah, and Second Isaiah dominated the time period, providing words of wisdom and signs of strength for the people of Jerusalem. 

Ezekiel was an especially important prophecy during this time. He had apocalyptic visions of the reemergence of God as a mobile entity, and explained his dream of a Utopian Jerusalem. His visions included the sight of water flowing from the temple once again and strange creatures protecting a new temple. These images were similar to things seen in the last temple that had just been destroyed. He concluded that since the temple was gone, there would be a mobile God among the people. Does this sound familiar? The Ark of the Covenant was considered a mobile entity of God and portrayed weird, protective creatures just as Ezekiel had envisioned. 

However, once the temple was built, it was deemed a solid ground for God's presence. And when that was destroyed, people doubted everything. They began to believe in a God that was somewhat removed and stayed within a cosmic distance of his people. So what happened when the people of Jerusalem were recovering from the exile and had hopes of constructing a new temple? Is God mobile...or not?!

First off, the people of Jerusalem were exiled to Persia by the Babylonians, but King Cyrus really didn't want these people in his land. He therefore re-exiled the people of Jerusalem back to their city. The stories of the Jerusalem re-exile differ between the Persian and biblical accounts.

Persian account:

Like most other rulers, King Cyrus kept document of his country.

He had a cylinder that he’d write his messages on.

On it, he announced the return of the people of Jerusalem to their homeland.

The Persians could continue to oppress the people of Jerusalem.

However, it’d be more beneficial to send them back home and make them pay taxes.

The Persians wanted to be portrayed as liberators, not conquerors.

Therefore, they fostered a friendship between themselves and the people of Jerusalem.

Biblical account:

Documented In Chronicles, Ezra, and Second Isaiah.

Their re-exile was solely due to the will of God.

King Cyrus is considered the anointed one for letting them return.

But how can this be if he's not part of the divine Davidic line?

The people were trying to rationalize history even if it involved someone unexpected.

The religions of Judah and Persia: Judaism and Zoroastrianism

After the re-exile, many people returned to Jerusalem with a different view of their religion. There were many similarities observed between Judaism and Zoroastrianism. Here are just a few:

Similar creation stories and commandments.

Judaism introduced the worship of angels.

Also, there was the introduction to dualism (the belief that there's an evil counterpart to God).

The controversy of resurrection became a principle of thought

Aramaic was introduced into the Hebrew Bible. 

So what’s life like when the people of Jerusalem get back?

Leading figures were reintroduced into the society. Kings, prophets, governors, and even a high priest were restored into the line of authority. A new temple was built between 520-515 BCE. The people worked really hard to earn the loyalty of Persia, as well as other neighboring countries and provinces. Some people were unhappy with the rebuilding of the temple. When the first one was initially destroyed, people either gave up or accommodated and redefined what it meant to be Jewish. When a temple was all of a sudden being imposed back on their lives, they had to again choose whether they believed in a stationary or mobile God. The latter was often preferred. People believed that following Jewish traditions such as praying, singing, celebrating holidays, interpreting the Torah, and following the laws of the religion were enough to show their devoutness. 

Around this same time, people from all over the region were requesting the construction of new temples. There was still this ongoing debate whether a temple was necessary, and many views could be expressed by means of writing. Scrolls and other texts were a common source of debate. These included documents such as the Elephantine Letter 30 and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Meanwhile...

The population of Jerusalem was growing, but was still small. 

Most people were unhappy with the new temple because it just wasn't the same as before. 

Heavy taxation was being imposed by the Persians.

There were conflicts with returning exiles from Persia & the people that were already there.

So much controversy; what's going to happen, and who will be in control?

km.

the fall.

During the reign of Josiah, there was a rapid increase in literacy. Here are some examples of literacy's effects during this time:

The Lachish Letters:
A soldier in the army proclaims his knowledge of reading and writing. His desire to express his literacy abilities shows that it was somewhat of an expectation during this time period.

Mezad Hashavyahu Ostracon:
References the taking of garments in pledge. The inscription was a complaint from a servant who had finished his work and was not given his garments back. He stated that there were witnesses and all.

Exodus:
Related to the Mezad Hashavyahu Ostracon, in stating the rules of taking a neighbors garment and having to return it before sunset. For example, if you're going to hire a worker for labor, you are allowed to keep one item of his clothing in order to ensure that he will get the job done and refrain from stealing your stuff. However, people began to abuse these powers and steal from the poor, hence the reason the Mezad Hashavyahu Ostracon was written.

But wait... there's really no way to tell which came first. Did the inscriber of the Mezad Hashavyahu Ostracon know Exodus? Is he citing a law that was later written down by Exodus? No one will ever know, but the fact is that literacy was growing.

Torah Amulets:
There were silver amulets found in rock carved caverns at Hinnom, just south of Jerusalem. These amulets were perceived to be a form of jewelry, usually worn around the neck. They were worn as a good luck charm, and inscribed on them was a blessing found in the Bible. Many sources seem to think that maybe the blessing was an oral tradition long before it was written in the Bible.

In general, writing gave oral tradition a semi-permanent place to be noted. It became a common form of communication, and was especially important in telling past stories. No longer did everyone involved in a certain oral story have to be present to tell it. The rise of text even seemed to dominate individuals such as the king. Once things were written down, they were pretty much set in stone, so rules and laws couldn't be argued with, taken advantage of, or taken back.

Josiah oversaw all these laws being put in place, and was seen as a very good ruler. So what happened when he died? Apparently Josiah might have taken side with the Babylonians during chaos that involved them, the Egyptian, and the Assyrians. He had gone against God's word so therefore God allowed Josiah to die. After this, Zedekiah came to the throne and Jerusalem's fall began then.

At this time, the Babylonians exiled the people of Jerusalem. In 586, the temple was destroyed, including all other great houses. The promise of the eternal king, temple, and city was diminished. At this point, people began to wrestle with the fact that God wasn't right. When reality doesn't match people's beliefs, they try to justify what went wrong. This is when the biblical book of Lamentations came about, which grieved the current tragedy. These songs, poems, and writings made excuses for the fall of the city. Perhaps we did something wrong, and God is punishing us. Or perhaps, this is all part of God's plan. People looked for the reason for these happenings, not ever accepting the fact that maybe God doesn't really exist. Psalm 137 expresses the importance of not giving up on Jerusalem. Because of this, people attempted to rationalize the lack of God's presence. This uncomfortable feeling of holding two contradictory beliefs and not knowing which way to go is known as cognitive dissonance, which became quite too familiar to the people of Jerusalem in 586.

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the importance of literacy.

So, I lagged a little bit during midterms, and now I'm having to play a little bit of catch up on my blog posts. This one goes back to the lecture from January 27th which was on the topic of Hezekiah and Josiah's Jerusalem. Here goes:

There was a split within Israel that separated the north from the south. The north remained Israel, while the south was deemed Judah. Judah sought help from Egypt, as the two separate countries prepared for battle against one another. Eventually Judah would get sick of paying tribute to Egypt so they'd rebel and then turn around and ask for help from Assyria. It was always a constant circle of asking for help from one country, rebelling, and then asking for help from another.

Literacy began to make its debut in this time. The Aramaic language was being adopted by many as a universal means of communication. Consistent rules for writing even began. Religions often were based on texts, so it was important to be able to read and understand the books. Eventually, written rules and laws became more authoritative than the king, and the whole society became rooted in text. Kings began to write down Proverbs as a way of making themselves sound wise and providing good wisdom for the ages.

We then talked about messiahs and what it exactly meant to be considered with such high regards. Literally, a messiah is someone with oil smeared about their forehead. This was a symbol of anointment. In a deeper context, the messiah was seen as someone who would bring good for the people. Many prophecies would even refer to the greatness of the messiah.

We went on to talk about Sennacherib's motives to destroy Jerusalem. The people called upon Isaiah to ask if they were going to be destroyed. Isaiah's prophecy told that a descendant of David would rise up to be king, and that he would save the people from harm and bring peace. It was at this time that the people of Jerusalem began to think that Jerusalem was inviable. However, soon after Hezekiah, the descendant of David, came to power, the Assyrian army began to lay siege on Jerusalem. Hezekiah prayed to God in hopes of finding the answers about what to do. God was supposed to protect the city, so they chose not to lean on help from other countries. Soon after, the angels came down from the heavens and struck the earth, causing the Assyrians to retreat.

In recording these events, the Assyrian accounts state that they had another battle to fight, and their retreat was not attributed to God. Jerusalem's accounts obviously stated that there was intervention by God. The only consistency was that Jerusalem did indeed survive the Assyrian onslaught. The people of Jerusalem did believe that God was protecting them because of his Eternal promise to David. All in all, this event gave Jerusalem the reputation as an inviable city.

Hezekiah then set out on a religious reform. After Israel was destroyed, people fled to Jerusalem. He declared that everyone would worship in one place. The temple was the chosen place, so Hezekiah destroyed all the shrines, pillars, and idols that were previously used as a way to worship. It was part of his preparation for revolt.

After Hezekiah died, Manasseh came up to the throne and undid all of Hezekiah's reforms. He was a bad king, and around the time of his reign, Deuteronomistic theology came about. This theology consisted of the fact that if bad things were happening, it was because you did bad things. So ultimately, Manasseh died and Josiah took the throne. Jerusalem is continuing to grow at this time, and Josiah is eight years old and not nearly adequate enough for this position. So the people around him had to find other ways to impose authority and provide credibility. Books and scrolls became the law of the land. Some of the reforms that came about during Josiah's reign included the fact that whenever someone wanted something, they'd have to act it out. For example, people seeking fertility (whether in bearing children or in growing crops) would act out sexual deeds to express their desires.

Though the religion of Jerusalem used to be based on oral tradition, the laws and reforms continued to build upon these texts, and their religion became something solely based on books. The increase of literacy rates played a huge role in the continuation of Jerusalem's history.

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