The World of the New Testament: Chapter 16

New Testament

Maccabees to Herod

  • Maccabean Revolt

VS the Selucids (Greeks who enforce strict Hellenization & had taken the ______)

164 BC The Maccabees won back the ______, purified it and rededicated it to Yahweh.

  • The Jews were united in their efforts against the ______, but shortly after their victory two sides emerged.

Hasmonean Dynasty (135-63BC)

  • Descendants of Asamonaeos, they were high priests and ______.
  • ______was high priest & ruler from 135-105bc

Strict campaign of Judiaizing – be ______or leave.

Conquered most of the land David had ruled 1000 years prior

______Samaritan Temple on Mt. Gerizim

Prophecies Fulfilled?

  • It may have seemed so to many

Israel was ______

There was a ______

There was a ______(Aristoblus, John Hyrcanus’ son declared himself king)

  • So what was the problem?

The promises & prophesies were about a king from the tribe of ______, a Son of David

Aristobulus was from the tribe of ______, not Judah.

Two Sides

  • Pharisees
  • Rid land and people of all things ______
  • Sadducees
  • Diplomatic dealings with ______without compromising essentials

Pharisees

  • Perushim is a Hebrew word meaning “______”
  • only way to preserve the Jewish faith was to be totally ______and isolated from all things ______
  • added more customs and traditions to the ______
  • made the Law a heavy ______on the people by requiring everyone to ______the ritualistic purity of the priests.
  • Matthew 11:30 – “______”
  • Shared beliefs with Jesus: Resurrection, ______, final judgment
  • Exaggerated outward signs of the ______
  • Problem with theology:by rejecting all things ______, they reject the promise of the ______Covenant, which maintains that Jerusalem would be the center of worship for ______.

Sadducees

  • Took the opposing side against the ______
  • Wealthy landowners & ______
  • Controlled ______worship
  • They thought cooperating with the ______would lead to their survival
  • Had most power in ______
  • ______hated them
  • Didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead, ______, or spirits

Herod the Great

  • “Great” because of his ______and architecture not holiness.
  • Persuadedthe______to give him the throne of Judea in 40b.c.
  • He besieged ______with 60,000 Roman soldiers.
  • He was insane…murdered ______of his own sons.
  • Crafty/clever…sent tribute to ______which helped ensure his position.
  • *He was an Edomitenot a Jew…But he called himself the Christ, ______
  • Romans expanded territory into ______
  • Modeled ______with many wives and rebuilding ______
  • paid off ______priests to receive their support
  • kingdom split into ______(Tetrarch) among living sons after his death

Fullness of Time

  1. The political state of the world was stable – ______
  2. ______was the easiest it had ever been
  3. Same ______
  4. Same______
  • Rome’s ______had become irrelevant to the people
  • The______faith was spreading throughout the empire.

Jewish Religion

  • Jewish neighborhoods appeared in every town of the ______
  • Hebrew Scriptures were translated into ______, common language of Eastern Empire
  • Our Liturgy of the Word comes from the ancient ______liturgy
  • Jews made up ______of Roman Empire population

Proselytes at the Gate

  • Even ______were coming to learn about the God of Israel
  • Proselyte = “______”
  • St. Paul called them ______
  • They know the Jewish faith but they haven’t been ______
  • Many eventually convert to ______because they saw Jesus as the fulfillment of the Scriptures

Geography: Judea & Galilee

  • Palestine was full of ______who tried to rise up vs the Romans
  • Jewish settlement after the Babylonian exile: ______and Galilee
  • Galilee

Adopted many ______

Fertile ______and lots of fish

Nazareth: Jesus grew in “wisdom, ______, and grace”

  • Judea

Jerusalem: location of Temple

Orthodox and nationalistic

Samaritans

  • Disliked by the ______
  • History: Assyria 722bc ______the northern kingdom of Israel & mixed poor Israelites with other peoples they conquered (____ nations)
  • They only accept the Pentateuch as ______
  • They worship ______on Mt. Gerizim not Zion
  • In Jesus’ time they were hated as ______

Minor groups

  1. ______
  • Interpreted and taught Law
  • Not religious; scholars
  • Reading and explaining Scriptures and the Mosaic Law
  1. ______
  • similar to Jewish monks; lived monastically by Dead sea
  1. ______
  • Rebellious / Extremists
  • prepared to deliver Israel using any means necessary including violence
  • believed Christ would be violent in order to overthrow Romans