Critical Reading and Note Takingà Follow along in your text pages 55-76. See how the major ideas have been extracted and put in outline form:
Palestine: The Holy Land (recall map of the world… The small patch of land on the Eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea.)
I. The Holy Land à A.K.A. (also known as)
a. Palestine* L (called by Greeks b/c of Philistines that lived there. Jews & Philistines both claimed this land as their own so it’s been cause for war for basically all of history even to this day.)
b. Promised Land
c. Land of Israel
d. Land of Judah
e. “the Land”
II. Geographic influence
a. Makes it a center of international trading.
b. Crossroads for Egypt, Syria, Persia, Greece, & Rome in their expanding empires.
c. 4 terrains influence people who live there.
i. Coastal lands
ii. Fertile plain for crops/river valley
iii. Dry wilderness/desert
iv. Hilly region East of the Jordan R. and Dead Sea
III. Important Regions & Cities
a. Galilee
i. North… notable cities
1. Cana, Bethsaida, Capernaum, Nazareth
ii. Center of Jesus’ministry
b. Samaria
i. North Central
ii. Samaritans were descendents of foreigners who intermarried w/ the Jews, so they were “2nd class citizens.”
1. rival ethnicities
2. differing religious practices/beliefs
c. Judea
i. South
ii. Jewish leaders, main temple in Jerusalem
1. major cultural , economic, and religious center
2. many tradesman, merchants, and religious workers (scribes, law interpreters)
iii. Most people lived in Jerusalem or Jericho
1. other notable cities: Bethlehem, Bethany
IV. Languages & Dialects
a. Aramaic – common form of Hebrew
i. Spoken in Galilee time of Jesus
ii. Parallel statements
iii. comparisons
iv. Hyperbole
b. Latin – official language of Rome
i. Used to interact with Roman officials
ii. Unlikely that Jesus spoke this.
c. Hebrew – sacred language of the Jews
i. Law/Torah was in Hebrew
ii. Spoken in temple
iii. (often translated to common dialects)
d. Greek – common language of the Empire
i. Koine – main form of Greek used
ii. Business & education
V. Major Religious Feasts & practices
a. Synagogues
i. Local house of prayer & worship
ii. Different from town to town
iii. Local school
iv. Local court/meeting house (town hall)
b. Temple of Jerusalem
i. Unique & significant
ii. Place of pilgrimage
iii. Sacrifices to God
1. Holy of Holies – only High Priest allowed back there to offer the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
a. Most sacred space
b. Dwelling of God’s Presence on Earth
iv. 1st destroyed by Babylonians – 587BC
v. 2nd replaced by Herod the Great’s Magnificent Temple
vi. 3rd Temple began c.20BC and continued through Jesus’ Time
1. destroyed by Romans in c.70AD
c. Passover – feast of Jews freedom from Egypt
i. Sacrifice of paschal lamb
ii. Eat the seder meal in Jerusalem
1. commemorates the Exodus
iii. Jesus’ Last Supper – anticipation/foreshadowing of his sacrifice on the cross.
d. Pentecost – Giving of the Law to Moses (50days after Passover)
i. Nowadays, it is the birthday of the Christian church
ii. Signifies the coming of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles
e. Tabernacles (Booths) – Fall harvest celebration
f. Hanukkah – feast of the dedication of the temple
i. Nowadays, the festival of lights held in December
VI. Political Climate – Roman Empire
a. Pax Romana – period of time between major war conflicts
i. To keep crime like piracy to a minimum
ii. Have secure trading & communications
1. Common language
2. complex system of roads
3. Fair & just legal system
4. Strong military
b. Roman rule hated by most Jews
i. Foreign rulers
1. Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Seleucids, & now... Rome
ii. After Maccabean revolts, Jews had a short lived dynasty…
1. Hasmonean kings – although Jewish, they remained Hellenistic (“Greek-ish”)
2. Greek/Gentile – considered PAGAN & evil
iii. Conquered by Rome (Pompey in 63 BC)
c. Herod the Great
i. Not so “great” to the Jews
1. viewed as a pagan foreign “half Jew” ruler
2. cruel, cunning, bloodthirsty
3. killed several of his own family members paranoia about his rule…thought they’d try to overthrow him.
ii. 1+ àbuilt many buildings, although some were Pagan
1. **began the construction of the magnificent Temple of Jerusalem.
2. his son Herod Antipas took over rule of Galilee during Jesus’ life after Herod the Great was killed.
d. Roman Procurator – a regional leader that answered directly to the governor of the larger region (Syria)
i. Duties included:
1. tax collecting
2. approving death sentences
3. keeping the peace
4. reporting to Rome general status of the area
5. *also, given power to appoint the Jewish High Priest
a. (Roman influence that many Jews hated)
ii. Pontius Pilate – procurator of Palestine in Jesus’ time
1. cruel & stern
2. incident of slaughtering Jewish protesters
3. use of stolen temple funds for Roman aqueduct
4. put up military standards in Jerusalem
iii. Some freedom of religion given – BUT Jews longed for their Messiah.
e. Slavery –
i. Prisoners of war, kidnapping, child born of a slave, indebted
ii. Faithful service led to freedom
iii. Servants of the wealthy
iv. Protected by laws – no excessive hours, no Sabbath work
v. NT attacks the principle of INEQUALITY of OWNING A PERSON AS PROPERTY
VII. Jewish Beliefs & Practices –
a. Messiah – Yahweh’s anointed one, savior, deliverer
i. Anticipation was HIGH!
ii. EXPECTATIONS:
1. Apocalyptic – “revealing/unveiling”
2. accompanied by a dramatic event
3. Reestablish Israel as the great leading nation
4. Kingly… like King David of old
b. The Covenant & the Torah (Law)
i. God’s chosen people
ii. Lead others to the worship of the ONE TRUE GOD
iii. Law found in the Pentateuch
iv. “I will be your God and you will be My people.”
1. God blesses and protects, they follow His ways.
c. Judgment & Resurrection
i. Yahweh will reward the good, punish the wicked/evil
ii. Basically determined by how well the Law was followed
d. Spirit World
i. Angels – created beings, free will & intelligence high above humans, spiritual (no physical body)
ii. Roles:
1. *messengers* of God
2. can appear as humans
3. provide guidance
4. guard/protect
iii. Demons – fallen angels (used free will to disobey God’s Will.)
1. cause temptation
2. sources of sickness, pain, and sin
3. actively try to prevent the worship of God
4. at war with God and His people
5. **ultimately subject to God’s commands (they have to do what he says and can only do what He allows)
VIII. Religious Groups (Sects)
a. Sadducees –
i. Centered in Jerusalem
ii. Rich aristocrats/priests
1. charged with care of the Ark of the Covenant
a. contained the 10 commandments
iii. conservative
iv. believe in only the Torah
v. refused the oral traditions of scribes & teachings of Pharisees
vi. free will & personal responsibility
vii. most of the SANHEDRIN (Jewish Supreme Court) were Sadducees
b. Pharisees –scribes
i. Strictly followed the Law (“legalists”)
1. prevented sin
2. & from ‘lukewarm’ religious practice
ii. middle class lay-persons
iii. actively pursued holiness/purification
iv. accepted the writings of the prophets & other parts of our OT
v. other beliefs
1. resurrection of the body
2. divine judgment
3. prayer, almsgiving, and fasting were essential spiritual practices
vi. major influence in the synagogues
c. Essenes
i. Apocalyptic – believed God’s kingdom would come with a dramatic, perhaps cataclysmic event.
ii. Pure, strict behavior
iii. Studied scripture for signs of the apocalypse
iv. Most likely authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls
1. found accidentally in 1947
v. Founded by “the Teacher of Righteousness”
1. taught that most Jews had fallen from the true way
2. Jerusalem and its Temple was corrupt
vi. Many celibate, ritually pure, avoided luxuries, communal meals, common property…
vii. EXPECTED a new prophet, priest & king soon at the apocalypse
d. Zealots
i. Not an organized sect at the time of Jesus
1. individuals w/ small followings, minor protests & ‘revolutions’/uprisings against Roman rule.
ii. By time of 1st Jewish War 66-70, they were more active
iii. Marked by passionate fervor (zeal) for the Jewish traditions
iv. Rebels against Rome’s influence on Jewish culture.
v. “extremists”
1. c.73AD Zealots at Masada committed suicide rather than be taken prisoner to Rome.
e. Samaritans –
i. Accepted law of Moses (Torah)
ii. Rejected Jerusalem Temple
1. worshipped at Temple of Gerizim in Samaria
iii. despised by other Jews for being ‘half-Jews’ foreigners
iv. would often attack travelers
1. (probably bitter over the Jews’ destruction of their temple)
IX. Other significant groups
a. Tax collectors –
i. Despised by most Jews… Why?
1. ‘traitors’ – working for Rome
2. often took more than necessary – THIEVES!
b. Common people
i. Removed from the intellectual disputes of the other groups
ii. Just trying to survive
1. daily chores
2. basic worship practices
3. family life – town community life
4. typically ignorant of the Law
a. Pharisees thought it kept them from holiness.
c. Women – inferior to men in almost every way
i. Property
ii. Too weak to follow Law
iii. Segregated during worship
iv. Few political rights
v. *ran the household
vi. *child-bearing & rearing
vii. widow w/ children was a tough situation
* = highly respected/esteemed…
d. Gentiles – non Jews/foreigners
i. Often avoided
ii. Some converted (proselytes)
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game # 1386085353