Judaism And The Nt - Midterm

Front 1

Three objectives of the Jews (Hasidim)

Back 1

1. Living according to Torah.
2. Purification of the nation.
3. Only believers in one God dwelled in the land.

Front 2

Features of Hellenism that affected Judaism

Back 2

1. Religion has become individualistic.

2. Theocrasis - Fusion of gods. Myrionomy.

3. Attempts of other religious traditions to interpret and write about their traditions.

4. The Hellenistic world was intellectually schizophrenic.

5. Deepening sense of alienation.

6. Helenism became fashionable.

Front 3

Three pillars of Judaism

Back 3

Canon, Synagogue, and Rabbis (Ps. 74)

Front 4

Targum

Back 4

Nehemiah 8 describes the reading of the Scripture on the 1st day of Tishri. People spoke primarily Aramaic. So, the Scribes were translating the Torah into Aramaic orally (Targum). After the time of Jesus it was written down. Targum took liberty in contextualization of the message.

Front 5

Midrash

Back 5

Midrash (search out, seek, examine, investigate) is exegesis or commentary. There are midrashim in the form of homilies or synagogue sermons; some are contained in rabbinic collections like the Mishnah.

Front 6

Death of Herod (Division of Israel)

Back 6

1. Archelaus: Idumaea, Judea, Samaria. Ethnarch

2. Herod Antipas: Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea

3. Philip I: Tetrarch of the northern part of Herod’s kingdom: Iturea and Trachonitis

(4) Luke to Lysanias, tetrarch of Abilene, (Luke 3:1)

Front 7

Titus Flavius Josephus

Back 7

Joseph ben Matityahu (37AD - 100AD)

Front 8

The importance of the works of Josephus

Back 8

1. Testimonium Flavianum: Jesus (Antiq 18:2.3), John the Baptist (Antiq 116-118), James (Antiq 20)

2. Record how the prophecy of Jesus on Mt. Olives.

3. Record how the Gospels and the book of Acts are fulfilled.

4. Fill in the history between the testaments.

Front 9

Works of Philo (20BC-50AD)

Back 9

1. Historical Text Books.

2. Questions and Answers to Genesis and Exodus.

3. Exposition on the Law

4. Allegory of the Law

5. Philosophical works

Front 10

Jewish Hellenism of Philo

Back 10

1. The Bible was the Septuagint.

2. Inherited an allegorical method of interpretation. (cf. Gal. 4:20-24)

3. Logos doctrine.

Front 11

Three markers of the Judaism

Back 11

1. Circumcision

2. No Pork

3. Sabbath

Front 12

63BC?

Back 12

Pompei captured Jerusalem and the independence ended

Front 13

Bar Kochba rebellion (132-135AD)

Back 13

The Jewish religion was prohibited after the Bar Kochba rebellion by Hadrian.

Front 14

Three markers of the Judaism

Back 14

1. Circumcision

2. No Pork

3. Sabbath

Front 15

The Birkat ha-Minim

Back 15

A Jewish prayer of blessing on heretics in general, and sometimes Christians, though in this context "blessing" may also be a euphemism for a curse. The blessing is the 12th of the Eighteen Benedictions or Amidah.

Front 16

Reasons for Diaspora

Back 16

- Pompei conquered Jerusalem and took some of the Jews to Alexandria, etc.

- Voluntarily immigration

- Inducements by friendly governments in Egypt, etc.

- Power of Hellenism.

Front 17

Privileges of the Jews

Back 17

1. The law against private associations was relaxed.
2. Secure the religious freedom and their rights.
3. Was acknowledged as religio ligita.
4. Were excused from participating in imperial cult.
5. Excused from the military service
6. Could not be summoned before the court on Sabbath.
7. The Jews were receiving their pay on the next day then Sabbath.
8. The Jews were allowed to have their own courts and have their own rules/laws.
9. Were allowed to have their own funds. Collect funds.

Front 18

Nasi

Back 18

Nasi was the highest-ranking member and president of the Sanhedrin or Assembly, including when it sat as a criminal court. The position was created in c. 191 BCE when the Sanhedrin lost confidence in the ability of the High Priest to serve as its head.

Front 19

Shaliach

Back 19

A shaliach (Hebrew: שליח) is a member of the Chabad Hasidic movement who is sent out to promulgate Judaism and Hasidism in locations around the world.

Front 20

Synagogues

Back 20

1. Where 10 or more males are gathered. (Ex 18:25)

2. Was the cradle of Christianity.

3. In Acts 8 we read that they stood in the synagogues in Diaspora, mimicking Greek Philosophers.

4. Physical remains were only found in Herodium and Masada.

Front 21

Attractive elements of Judaism

Back 21

- Monotheism

- Ethics

- Holy Book

Front 22

Tevilah

Back 22

Tevilah is the Biblical act of immersing oneself in a natural water source

Front 23

LXX

Back 23

The Letter Of Aristeas (c. 30BC) describes the legendary composition of LXX.

Was ordered by Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285– 246 B.C.)

Torah was translated in 3rd century BC.

Neviim and Ketuvim were translated in 100BC.

Front 24

Am haAretz

Back 24

The Talmud applies "the people of Land" to uneducated Jews, who were deemed likely to be negligent in their observance of the commandments due to their ignorance, and the term combines the meanings of "rustic" with those of "boorish, uncivilized, ignorant”.

Jesus directed his ministry to the lost sheep of Israel (Mat. 10:6)

“This crowd, which does not know the law— they are accursed” (John 7: 49).

Front 25

Haber

Back 25

Haber were contrasted with Am haAretz.

Front 26

Notzrim

Back 26

Notzrim were Christians who left Jerusalem when they had a window of opportunities and they settled in the town of Pella.

Front 27

Chaburah

Back 27

(cf. Heb. , ‘friend’). In Jewish practice a group of friends formed for religious purposes. They often shared a common weekly meal, usually on the eves of sabbaths or holy days. It has been argued that Christ and His disciples formed such a chaburah and that the Last Supper was a chaburah meal.

Front 28

Prozbul

Back 28

The Prozbul (Hebrew: פרוזבול of Greek origin) is an example of legal fiction in Judaism. It was established in the waning years of the Second Temple of Jerusalem by Hillel the Elder. The writ, issued historically by rabbis, technically changed the status of individual private loans into the public administration, allowing the poor to receive interest-free loans before the Sabbatical year while protecting the investments of the lenders.

Front 29

Talmud consists of...

Back 29

Mishnah and Gemara

Front 30

Mishnah

Back 30

The Mishnah or Mishna (Hebrew: מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition"), from the verb shanah שנה, or "to study and review", also "secondary;" is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions known as the "Oral Torah".

Front 31

Gemara

Back 31

The Gemara (from Aramaic גמרא gamar; literally, "[to] study" or "learning by tradition") is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah.

Front 32

Jamnia (Yavneh)

Back 32

1. Adopted position of Beth Hillel

2. Reaffirmed the Pharisaic canon of the Bible.

3. Rejected the LXX (Christians made a use of it).

4. Rejected the Apocryphal books.

5. Rejeted Christians Books

6. Added the prayer of Birkhat Hamenim

7. Prohibited discussions with Christians and the use of Christian healers.

Front 33

Sopherim

Back 33

Jewish scholar and teacher (called in Hebrew, Soferim) of law as based upon the Old Testament and accumulated traditions. The work of the scribes laid the basis for the Oral Law, as distinct from the Written Law of the Torah. The period of their activity is in doubt. They may have been active from the time of Ezra (c.444 B.C.) to that of Simeon the Just. In Talmudic literature, the term may be applied to any interpreter of the Law from Moses to the period just before the compilation of the Mishna.

Front 34

Zugoth

Back 34

refers to the period during the time of the Second Temple (515 BCE – 70 CE), in which the spiritual leadership of the Jewish people was in the hands of five successive generations of zugot ("pairs") of religious teachers.

Front 35

Tannaim

Back 35

Tanna "repeaters", "teachers" were the Rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 10-220 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 210 years.

Front 36

Ab Beth Din

Back 36

Was the second-highest-ranking member of the Sanhedrin during the Second Commonwealth period. The president, who bore the title Nasi, was in a way the supervisor, but not a member of the court, which consisted of seventy members. The most learned and important of these seventy members was called Av Beit Din, a title similar to that of vice-president.

Front 37

Qal wa-homer

Back 37

“Light to heavy” (Qal wa-homer): inferences may be made on the assumption that whatever applies in a less important situation applies all the more in a more important case. Jesus uses this principle in Matthew 6:26: if God cares for birds, how much more does he care for people.

Front 38

Pikuach Nefesh

Back 38

Pikuach Nefesh (Hebrew: פיקוח נפש) describes the principle in Jewish law that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious consideration. When the life of a specific person is in danger, almost any mitzvah lo ta'aseh (command to not do an action) of the Torah becomes inapplicable.

Front 39

Yochanan ben Zakkai

Back 39

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai was the youngest and most distinguished disciple of Rabbi Hillel. He has been called the "father of wisdom and the father of generations (of scholars)" because he ensured the continuation of Jewish scholarship in Jamnia (Yavneh) after Jerusalem fell to Rome in 70 C.E.

Front 40

Eliezer b. Hyrcanus

Back 40

(Circa 45-117 CE) Mishnaic sage, studied under Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai, who compared his memory to a “cemented pit, which loses not one drop of water.” Married the daughter of the Nassi, Rabbi Simeon ben Gamaliel I, established an academy in Lod, and authored the Midrashic work, Pirkei D'Rabbi Eliezer. Teacher of Rabbi Akiba. Was embroiled in a halachic dispute with the sages of his generation, and was excommunicated when he refused to accept the majority opinion.

Front 41

Joshua ben Hananiah

Back 41

(Circa 50-130 CE) Mishnaic sage, headed a Torah academy in Bekiin, one of Johanan ben Zakkai's most prominent disciples and his successor as head of the Sanhedrin, and teacher of Rabbi Akiba. A needle maker by trade, he lived in extreme poverty. The Talmud records many discussions and debates Rabbi Joshua held with non-believers, including the Emperor Hadrian and his daughter.

Front 42

Akiba b. Joseph

Back 42

(c. 50-c.135 CE) Among the greatest of the Mishnaic sages. Unless otherwise stated, all Mishnayos are presumed to be in accordance with the Rabbi Akiva's view. He was the son of converts, and an unlearned shepherd. At the age of 40, at the insistence of his wife, he began studying Torah,under Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, Joshua ben Hananiah, andNahum Ish Gamzu ultimately attracting 24,000 students including Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai, Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Judah ben Ilai. He supported Bar Kochba's revolt. He was imprisoned and savagely murdered by the Romans for teaching Torah (he is one of the Ten Martyrs).

Front 43

Hillel

Back 43

Hillel: (d. 9 CE) Mishnaic sage, native of Babylon, student of Shemaiah and Abtalion, teacher of Jonathan ben Uzziel andJohanan ben Zakkai, Nasi of the Sanhedrin. He is well known for his statement, "What is hateful to you, do not do unto your fellow man." His Torah academy was known as the “House of Hillel.”

Front 44

Shammai

Back 44

(1st century BCE) Mishnaic sage, student of Shemaiah and Abtalion, served as the head of the Sanhedrin underHillel. Known for his quick temper and strict interpretation of the Torah. His Torah academy was known as the “House of Shammai.”

Front 45

Four major trade routes ran through Israel

Back 45

1. Via Maris - way by the sea.
2. The Ridge Route, also known as the Way of the Patriarchs.
3. Alongside the Jordan.
4. The Highway of the Kings, began at Damascus and continued through Transjordan territory.

Front 46

Tosephta

Back 46

The Tosefta (Talmudic Aramaic: תוספתא. Additions, Supplements) is a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the late 2nd century period, the period of the Mishnah.

Front 47

Five Major Types of Sacrifices

Back 47

1. The burnt offering

2. The peace offering

3. Sin offering

4. Trespass (guilt) offering

5. The grain (meal, cereal, food) offering

Front 48

Jewish Festivals

Back 48

1. Sabbath.
2. Passover (Nissan 14-21).
3. Shavuot (Pentecost) (Sivan 6)
4. Rosh Hashana (Feast of Trumpets) (Tishri 1)

5. Yom Kippur (Tishri 10)
6. Sukkot (Tishri 15-21)
7. Sabbatical Year and the Year of Jubilee.

8. Hannukah (Kislev 25 - Tevet 2)

9. Purim (Adar 14,15)

Front 49

Northern Kingdom

Back 49

Israel; 931-722BC; 19 kings; 10 tribes

Front 50

Southern Kingdom

Back 50

Judah; 931-586BC; 20 kings (8 Righteous: Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah); 2.5 tribes

Front 51

Four trips to Judah

Back 51

1. Led by Zerubbabel and Sheshbazzar (538BC; Ezra 1:8)
2. Led by Ezra the scribe.
3. Led by Nehemiah (445BC; Neh. 1– 2).

4. Led by Nehemiah (432BC; Neh. 13).

Front 52

Central beliefs and convictions of Israel’s religious life and experience

Back 52

1. Monotheism.
2. Creation. God made all things out of nothing.
3. Unique status of the nation Israel.
4. Torah-law.

Front 53

Information about Persians

Back 53

1. 1 and 2 Chronicles

2. Ezra-Nehemiah (possibly Ezra himself)

3. Book of Esther

4. Some Psalms

5. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi

6. Archaeology, occasional inscriptions

7. The artifacts and writings from Elephantine in Egypt

8. The Wadi Daliyeh cave near Jericho

Front 54

The Great Synagogue

Back 54

Was founded by Ezra, who was its first president. It is said to have been composed of either 85 or 120 men who controlled Jewish affairs, especially religious ones, between 450 and 200 B.C.

Front 55

The Elephantine Papyri

Back 55

The Elephantine Papyri are a collection of ancient Jewish manuscripts dating from the 5th century BC. They come from a Jewish community at Elephantine, then called Yeb, the island in the Nile at the border of Nubia, which was probably founded as a military installation in about 650 BC during Manasseh's reign to assist Pharaoh Psammetichus I in his Nubian campaign.

Front 56

Alexander the Great

Back 56

Son of Philip, Macedonian King.
Came to power in 334BC.
333BC defeated Darius III Condomannus (336-330BC)

Died in Babylon at the age of 33 in 323BC.

Front 57

Ptolemaic Period

Back 57

320-198BC

1. Ptolemy I (323– 285) settled many Jews in Alexandria.

2. Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285– 246) ordered the LXX

3. Oniads and the Tobiads, struggled for both political influence and control of the priesthood.

4. In 198 B.C. Antiochus III the Great (223– 187) defeated Ptolemy V Epiphanes (203– 181) at Paneas (later Caesarea Philippi) near the headwaters of the Jordan River.

Front 58

Seleucid Period

Back 58

198-164

1. Antiochus III the Great (223-187) confirmed Jewish privileges, reduced tribute, and made contributions to the temple.

2. Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163) promoted Hellenism.

3. Tobiads and Oniads:

a. Onias III lost his high-priesthood to his brother Jason, who promoted Hellenism, even built a gymnasium in Jerusalem.

b. Menelaus the Tobiad outbid Jason and became the high priest.

4. 168BC Antiochus attempted to illuminate Judaism.

5. Maccabean Revolt 168-164

Front 59

Hasidim (Pious Ones)

Back 59

They seem to have resisted Hellenism. They were appalled at the transfer of the priesthood from Onias to Jason, and horrified when it left the clan of Aaron and particularly the family of Zadok— the legitimacy of the Zadokite priesthood was later a prominent issue for the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Front 60

Judas the Maccabee (Hasmon)

Back 60

164-160BC. The older of five sons of Matathias, who was the leader of the guerrilla struggle. He rededicated the Temple in 164BC on Kislev 25 - Tevet 2. Was killed in a battle at Beth-horon in 160BC.

Front 61

Jonathan the Maccabee (Hasmon)

Back 61

160-143BC. In 152 Jonathan became high priest; the position was to remain in the family until Roman occupation. Jonathan was eventually murdered by the Seleucids in 143. Josephus mentions Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes writing about this period.

Front 62

Simon the Maccabee (Hasmon)

Back 62

143-134BC. During the rule of Simon, Demetrius II Nicator freed the Jews from payment of tribute. “The yoke of the Gentiles was removed from Israel” (1 Macc. 13: 41).

Simon entered into Jerusalem... Both political and religious leadership were given to Simon and his descendants: “The Jews and their priests have resolved that Simon should be their leader and high priest forever, until a trustworthy prophet should arise” (1 Macc. 14: 41– 43; see also 13: 42).

Front 63

John Hyrcanus

Back 63

134-104BC. Simon the Maccabee's son. He added areas east of the Jordan, Idumea to the south, and the Samaritan lands as far as Scythopolis (Beth-shan) to the north. Idumeans were forced to accept circumcision and live under Jewish law.

At first Hyrcanus favored the Pharisees, but turned from them to the Sadducees when one of the Pharisees, Eleazer, urged him to give up the high priesthood and be content with political and military power.

The Pharisees were enemies of the Hasmonean dynasty; there grew a strong relationship between the Hasmoneans and the Sadducees.

Israel was as strong as in the time of united kingdom (during David and Solomon).

Front 64

Aristobulus I

Back 64

104-103BC. Came to power by imprisoning his relatives, including mother, who was starved to death. Added Galilee and Iturea in the North. Claimed the title King. Josephus calls him Philhellene (Lover of things Greek)

Front 65

Alexander Jannaeus

Back 65

103-76BC. Was freed from prison by Salome Alexandra, Aristobulus' widow. Married Salome Alexandra. Loved everything Greek: name, coin. Was defeated by Egyptians and Nabateans. While officiating in the temple, he was pelted with fruit by worshipers who disapproved of the way he carried out a part of the ritual for the Feast of Tabernacles. Was a hellenized Asian Despot.

Front 66

Salome Alexandra

Back 66

76-67BC. Was in close allegiance with Pharisees. A golden age according to the rabbinic tradition.

Front 67

Hyrcanus II, Aristobulus II, Antipater

Back 67

Aristobulus II defeated his brother Hyrcanus II, who was a high priest at that time. Antipater convinced Hyrcanus II to seek help from Nabatean king Aretas and they defeated Aristobulus. Aristobulus fled in the temple area in 65BC. In 63 Pompey conquered the Temple and Jerusalem was claimed by the Romans. Pompey entered into the Most Holy place.

Front 68

Three Roman Emperors mentioned in the NT

Back 68

Augustus (27 B.C.– A.D. 14), who ruled when Jesus was born (Luke 2: 1);

Tiberius (14–37), who ruled when John the Baptist and Jesus began their ministries (Luke 3: 1);

Claudius (41– 54)— Acts 11:28 mentions a worldwide famine during the reign of Claudius, and Acts 18:2 notes that Aquila and Priscilla had left Rome because of an edict of Claudius expelling Jews from that city.

Front 69

High Priests

Back 69

Josephus mentions 28 high priests 37BC-70AD.

Annas (6-15AD)

Caiaphas (18-36AD) (John 18:13,24; Acts 4:6; John 11:51)

Ananias (Acts 23:2; 24:1) His house was burned and he was killed.

Phineas, son of Samuel (68-70) was the last high priest.

Front 70

Sanhedrin

Back 70

In sources which come from the Persian and Seleucid periods the body is customarily called the gerousia. From the Maccabean period onward its name is usually Sanhedrin.

While in the wilderness during the exodus, seventy or seventy-two elders were appointed to assist Moses (Num. 11:10–17).

The Sanhedrin is said to have consisted of seventy or seventy-one members (the number probably depends on whether or not the presiding officer was counted).

In general, its responsibilities were both religious and civil. Of course it supervised the established national religion, had oversight of the temple, and carried out such religious duties as fixing the date of the new moon and inserting an extra month into the lunar year. It had legislative duties as well as executive-administrative and judiciary; it also was an academic institution.

Front 71

Herod the Great

Back 71

King of all the land of Israel (37-4BC). Three parts of Herod's rule: the periods of (1) consolidation of power (37– 25), (2) prosperity (25– 13), and (3) domestic strife (13– 4). Built the Temple, Caesarea Maritima, Samaria, Herodium, Massada. Herod died in Jericho.

Front 72

Pontius Pilate

Back 72

26-36AD.

Front 73

Archelaus

Back 73

Because of his incompetence and the severity of his rule Jewish and Samaritan officials appealed to Caesar for relief. Archelaus was deposed in A.D. 6 and the area placed under procurators appointed by the emperor.

Front 74

Philip

Back 74

Philip received lands northeast of the Sea of Galilee and the title of tetrarch (Luke 3: 1). He was a just and conscientious ruler. After his death in A.D. 34 his territory was briefly added to the province of Syria and then given to Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great.

Front 75

Herod Antipas

Back 75

Herod Antipas, Herod the tetrarch, as he is called in the New Testament, received Galilee in the north and Perea, the region east of the Jordan River. Like his father he carried on ambitious building projects, including the cities of Sepphoris and Tiberias. Antipas became infatuated with Herod Philip’s wife Herodias, daughter of another half brother, Aristobulus, and mother of Herod Philip’s daughter Salome (Mark 6: 22– 28). Was exiled to Gaul in 39AD.

Front 76

Herod Agrippa I

Back 76

Ruled as king over all the land of Israel until his death in 44. Had financial problems. Agrippa’s fortunes changed with the accession of his friend Caligula to the imperial throne in 37.

Agrippa held the same territory and the same title as had his grandfather Herod the Great; hence in Acts 12: 1 Agrippa is called “King Herod.”

Extended the boundaries of Jerusalem by erecting a third wall to protect its northern limits, killed James, and imprisoned Peter (Acts 12: 1– 3).

Agrippa’s zeal for Judaism could have been a reason for the persecution of Christians described in Acts 12.

Front 77

Antonius Felix

Back 77

52-59. Paul’s judge (Acts 23:23-26:32).
Felix, whose third wife was Agrippa I’s daughter Drusilla, faced increasing insurgent activity, including the appearance of the infamous sicarii (dagger men or assassins). Paul was mistaken for one of them, an Egyptian who had led a group to the Mount of Olives and announced that the walls of Jerusalem would fall to permit his entrance (Acts 21: 38). Paul remained in prison in Caesarea when Festus replaced Felix (Acts 24: 27).

Front 78

Porcius Festus

Back 78

59-62. Festus died in office. Before his successor arrived, Annas II, the high priest, took the opportunity to dispose of a number of his enemies in Jerusalem. One of them was James the Just, the brother of Jesus.

Front 79

Herod Agrippa II

Back 79

In 53 the tetrarchy of Philip and later Galilee and Perea were given to Agrippa II, who ruled with the title of king.

When revolt broke out, Agrippa sided with the Romans. Afterwards he was confirmed in his kingship and given additional territories to govern. He moved to Rome in 75. With his death around the year 100, the Herodian dynasty came to an end.

Front 80

Three major facets of Jewish life

Back 80

1. The land (Gen. 12:1; 13:15; 17:8)

2. The monarchy (2 Sam. 7:12–16)

3. Jerusalem and the Temple (Psalm 48; Lam 1:1)

Front 81

Three areas of Hellenism

Back 81

(1) government,

(2) the life of the citizens, and

(3) the Greek spirit.

Front 82

The Gymnasium

Back 82

The gymnasium was of special importance; indeed it was a necessity in a Hellenistic city. The gymnasium was the center of communal life, business, and learning, as well as a place for exercise and bathing. Hence the significance of building a gymnasium in Jerusalem in the days just prior to the Maccabean revolt (1 Macc. 1: 14; 2 Macc. 4: 12; 4 Macc. 4: 9). The director or ruler of a gymnasium (gymnasiarchos) enjoyed great prestige.

Front 83

Epicureans

Back 83

Epicurus (c. 341– 270 B.C.) assumed no supernatural being or future human existence. Consequently he sought to attain undisturbed peace of mind and soul with freedom and pleasure in the present. For Epicurus, pleasure meant friendship, mental serenity, and the absence of fear and pain; his followers defined pleasure more materially and sensually.

Front 84

Stoics

Back 84

Stoicism seems to have been the dominant philosophy of the Hellenistic world. It was founded by Zeno (c. 335– 265 B.C.), a Phoenician, whose outlook has been summarized as “Live according to nature.” He assumed that the natural world consists in two forms: (1) the outward and visible, and (2) the breath or spirit (logos) which permeates reality.

Front 85

Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy

Back 85

Whereas Christianity frequently stresses the importance of orthodoxy (right doctrine or belief), Judaism is more concerned with orthopraxy (correct and proper behavior, actions, practice).

Front 86

Three pillars of Judaism

Back 86

1. Monotheism

2. Covenant

3. The Law

Front 87

Covenantal Nomism

Back 87

E. P. Sanders insists that Judaism, especially of the Intertestamental Era, is essentially a religion of covenantal nomism, that law keeping is a response to God’s gracious offer of the covenant.

Front 88

Jewish Cultural Distictives

Back 88

1. Particularism, Exclusivism, and Superiority

2. Circumcision, Sabbath keeping, and observance of kosher regulations

Front 89

Pesher

Back 89

In pesher the original historical-cultural situation of the writer and often the plain meaning of the words of the text count for nothing.

The Commentary (Pesher) on Habakkuk, for an example, transforms the prophet’s message into a description of the life and faith of the Dead Sea community and their leader.

Front 90

Allegory

Back 90

Allegory is an interpretive method which assumes that the writer is attempting to communicate something other than that which he is actually saying.

Front 91

Typology

Back 91

A typology is an understanding of the history of salvation where persons, events, and institutions are believed to be divinely ordained in such a way that they correspond to their counterparts. For instance, Paul calls Christ the second and last Adam (Rom. 5:12–17; 1 Cor. 15:45–47), and likewise Melchizedek foreshadows Christ, according to the Letter to the Hebrews.

Front 92

Apocalyptic

Back 92

Apocalyptic is first and foremost a worldview and a literary form. It is also a hermeneutic, an attempt to make the Bible speak to the interpreter’s own day. Hence the apocalyptist, like the writer of pesher, often read the biblical past in terms of his own present.

Front 93

Aquila of Sinope

Back 93

(2nd century CE) was a native of Pontus, celebrated for a very literal and accurate translation of the Old Testament into Greek.

Aquila had become the official version to be read in synagogues whenever a Greek translation was appropriate.

Front 94

Hebrew Bible vs. LXX

Back 94

1. The order of books

2. The content of the books

3. Larger number of books

Front 95

LXX in the NT

Back 95

Eighty percent of the Old Testament quotations in the New Testament are taken from the Septuagint.

Front 96

Canon of the OT

Back 96

Traditionally the final canonization of the whole Bible was accomplished by the men of the Great Synagogue (Assembly) in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. Orthodox Judaism in Palestine after 400 B.C. always knew what was scripture and what was not.”

Front 97

Service in the Synagogue

Back 97

The principal parts of the service included recitation of the Shema, the daily prayer (Shemoneh ‘Esreh), and reading of the Law and the Prophets.

Front 98

Hazzan

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The hazzan (minister or attendant) was, in Jewish areas, an executive officer for the town as well as the synagogue. He received pay from community and synagogue. The hazzan was in actual charge of much of the service and the activity of the synagogue.

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Five Reactions to Hellenism

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1. Allegiance with the Greco-Roman world

2. Those who attempted to reestablish the institutions of the past—monarchy, priesthood, and temple worship.

3. The scribes sought to adjust to the changed situation by developing the oral law, which they passed on to following generations through a succession of teachers

4. The apocalyptic movement, which had its own worldview, literary form, and hermeneutical methodology.

5. The sectarian movement included the various groups just mentioned: people seeking to restore the past, scribes who developed the oral tradition, and apocalyptists

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Substitutes for sacrifices after the destruction of the Temple

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(1) reading of the law, (2) fasting, (3) prayer, and (4) deeds of charity and justice.

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Scribes

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The descriptions of Ezra in the book bearing his name are significant. He is called priest, scribe, and scholar (7:11).
They became the zealous guardians of the law, the real teachers and directors of spiritual life.

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The Tractate Aboth

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With the rest of the Mishnah it was compiled between A.D. 90 and 200. It contains some of the oldest teachings in the Mishnah. While its precise date is uncertain, it seems to contain material from a number of sources dating from the third century B.C. to the second century A.D. Aboth is a collection of sayings by a number of rabbis, some sixty-five of whom are named.
The purpose of the tractate is to establish the divine (Sinaitic) origin of the law, both oral and written, and the reliability of its transmission by humans.

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Four Steps of Aboth

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1. careful study of the law by all.

2. teaching of the law to students, a process that included transmitting the law along with the opinions of past and present teachers.

3. expansion of the law by adding new laws and interpretations.

4. application of the law to specific situations.

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Simon the Just

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Simeon the Just (Hebrew: שמעון הצדיק‎) was a Jewish High Priest during the time of the Second Temple (c. 200BC). He is also known for some of his views which are recorded in the Mishnah

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2 Esdras

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At the heart of this book is an apocalypse written at the end of the first century A.D. by a Jewish writer who identifies himself as the biblical Ezra and Shealtiel. In a series of revelations or visions (chs. 3– 14) he struggles with the nations defeat by Rome, which he refers to as Babylon.

We see here (1) the importance of an appointed leader, (2) the primacy of the written Scriptures, and (3) the necessity of again making the law available.

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Apocalyptic eschatology

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“Apocalyptic eschatology” refers to the description of the divine events and actions through which God will be victorious and vindicate his own when the symbolic universe of the apocalyptists’ visions is transformed into a new, perfect, and glorious reality.

“(1) A revelation is given by God, (2) through a mediator (here Jesus Christ or an angel), (3) to a seer concerning (4) future events.”