Sunday 18 October
Jesus:Messiah Or Zealot?
Exploring the messianic claims in the first centuries - Timeline
BCE722Northern kingdom of Israel falls to Assyrians – many taken into captivity
605People of southern kingdom of Judah taken into exile in Babylon
586Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians (The Exile)
~515Persians overrun Babylon and allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem
Isaiah anoints King Cyrus ‘Messiah’ (Is 45:1)
~350Greeks, under Alexandra the Great, overrun the region
~323Upon his death, power moves to Egypt under Ptolemy
198Selucid king Antiochus the Great takes Jerusalem.
His son Antiochus Epiphanes, named as ‘God Incarnate’, strove to remove worship of the Jewish God Yahweh, provoking rebellion.
164Following years of guerrilla warfare, the sons of Mattathias the Hasmonaean (the Maccabees) are crowned ‘King of the Jews’ and also ‘High Priest’, removing the old Levitic priestly line, and creating a ruling priestly elite.
~66Civil war between two descendent brothers Hyrcanus and Aristobulus – both invited Rome to support their cause . . .
63Pompey takes Palestine as a protectorateand appoints Hyrcanus as High Priest; the ruling class is aligned to Roman ideals.
Two bulls and a lamb slaughtered daily in the temple for the Emperor’s good health.
As long as tributes are paid, the Jews can keep their God.
Small family farms bought up by large estates awash with new Roman coinage.
Tithes, taxes and tributes took 50% of income.
Famine loans default slavery / tenant farmers; landless peasants now farming their own land for others. This led to urbanisation and a feudal system, with a wealthy (priestly) ruling class.
Freedom fighters or bandits (lestai) spring up in revolt; one is known as Hezekiah who claims to be the Messiah; they target the ruling classes.
Unrest compounded by Roman civil war between Pompey and Julius Caesar.
48Antipater, a Jewish nobleman, supports Caesar and is then made a Roman citizen and appointed Governor of Judea.
His sons were Phasael (Governor of Jerusalem) and Herod (Governor of Galilee).
40With the help of the Parthians, Antigonus, son of Aristobulus, takesJerusalem.
37Herod made client king and retakesJerusalem; wiped out the Hasmonaean dynasty and became ‘King of the Jews’. He was a tyrant, massacred the Sanhedrin, killed most of his own family over time, embarked on a huge programme of public works building gymnasia, amphitheatres and baths, and ‘Romanised’ (ie Hellenised!) everything, with Greek as the official language. This is paid with crushing taxes on the population. He rules over a region larger than Solomon. Even though not a Jew by birth (he came from Idumeana), he rebuilt the Templewith a golden eagle over the main gate and two daily sacrifices for Caesar. His reign of 33 years was a period of oppressive stability.
4Herod had three sons: Herod Antipas (the Fox – Luke 13:31) was not as strong as his father, and many bandits roamed the countryside.
Simon of Peraea, a former slave, son of Hezejiah, was an itinerant teacher; claimed to be the Messiah and took his followers to Jericho. All were killed.
Athronges,a shepherd, also claimed to be the Messiah. Crucified.
Jesus born around this time in Nazareth, a small hamlet on a hillside about a day’s walk from Sepphoris, the capital city of Galilee.
Judas the Galileanwas another bandit leader. He raided the armoury in Sepphoris and led a guerrilla war against the wealthy ruling class. He claimed he was the Messiah. His following grew and Josephus refers to them as the ‘Fourth Philosophy’ known as Zealots (the other three being Pharisees, Sadducees and the Essenes).
6CEJudas led an anti-census (Quirinius’) campaign (Acts 5:37) in Jerusalem.
Rome retakes power; in retaliation Sepphoris is razed and over 2000 men are crucified; all women and children taken into slavery.
Herod Antipas has it rebuilt - much work for an illiterate day labourer (tekton).
18Caiaphas becomes High Priest (his father-in-law is Ananus who has already had five sons follow him in the role)
26Pontius Pilate becomes Prefect. Ruthless. Known for his depravity - Jewish leaders complain to Rome.
28John the Baptistpreaching the imminent coming of the Kingdom of God, and is seen as a threat.
30Herod Antipas has him executed
33Jesus of Nazareth executed as ‘King of the Jews’ (Josephus - Antiquities c94CE).
36The ‘Samaritan’ and his followers slaughtered on MountGerizim. This excessive use of force triggered Pilate’s recall to Rome and exile in Gaul. Caiaphas dismissed.
44Theudus a wonder-working prophet crowns himself ‘Messiah’. Killed.
46Jacob and Simon (both sons of Judas the Galilean) launch their own revolutionary campaign. Both crucified for sedition.
Over the next twenty years, a series of inept Governors cannot control the situation.
One group of Zealots, known as Sicarii (the Daggermen) who have an apocalyptic world view, start a programme of assassinations of the ‘enemies of God’, murdering the wealthyruling class and non-Jews. They murder the High Priest Jonanthan.
Jesus son of Ananius, a holy man, prophesies the imminent return of the Messiah.
The Egyptain, a ‘sorceror’, proclaims himself ‘King of the Jews’, gathers thousands of followers who are all massacred on the Mount of Olives.
66The Jewish Revolt: Governor Florus demanded unpaid tax be taken from the Temple funds and riots ensued; Roman soldiers kill at will throughout Jerusalem.
Eleazar, Captain of the TempleGuard takes control of the Temple, then lower Jerusalem, and finally expels all Romans and non-Jews. All Temple archives burnt so there is no record of rich or poor.
Menahen, leader of the Sicarii and grandson of Judas the Galilean and great grandson of Hezekiah, claims to be ‘King of the Jews’. In the ensuing struggle for power, Menahen is killed by Eleazar and the Sicarii withdraw toMasada.
Roman turmoil with Nero dead. Jewish turmoil in Jerusalem. Zealot Party take over.
Simon son of Giora claims to be the Messiah and King
70Titus, son of Emperor Vespasain, built a wall aroundJerusalem and starved the inhabitants, and then razed it killing most and removing the rest. Temple treasures and Torah taken to Rome. Law passed that all Jews pay a tax to rebuild the temple of Jupiter.
73Remaining Sicarii commit mass suicide at Masada
Thereafter, the remnant of the Jews toned down their nationalism to be able to live under Roman rule.Rabbinic Judaism emerges and early Christians distance themselves from Jesus’ revolutionary zeal. Jesus becomes ‘meek and mild’.
The majority of this information comes from: Zealot – The Life And Times Of Jesus Of Nazareth by Reza Aslan published by The Westbourne Press 2013.
steve amos 15- 18/10/2015