Judges, Kings, Prophets

• Israelites were nomadic people in the Sinai for 40 years• Lead by people known as shofetim (translated as

judges)• They were charismatic leaders that led Israel out of

times of crisis

Judges, Kings, Prophets

•Around 1000 BCE, the Hebrew people felt began to want a king, God is reluctant• Eventually gave them their first king Saul because of

the Philistine threat

Judges, Kings, Prophet

• Saul was succeeded by David• Triumphs over the Philistines as a military leader and

establishes Jerusalem as the capital•His son Solomon builds the temple that would serve

as the center of worship for the Jewish people

Judges, Kings, Prophets

•After the death of the Solomon, the kingdom divides• The northern tribe is known as Israel and the

southern tribe with Jerusalem is Judah• The end of the reign and era of the kings occurs soon

after this

Judges, Kings, Prophets

• The end of the reign of the kings was fortold by the prophets•Prophets can be one of two things in modern usage:• People who speak on behalf of God• People who tell the future• In the Bible, Prophets normally receive God’s message

and deliver it to His people

Judges, Kings, Prophets

• In the Bible, Hebrew prophets warned of coming crises based on infidelity to God and his covenants•Prophetic tradition that is shared between Christianity

and Judaism•Belief that God uses specific people to deliver his

message to people

Judges, Kings, Prophets

•Word of God through the prophets survive in the Jewish Scriptures such as the Tanakh•Prophetic writings are a combination of practical

advice, social criticism, and poetic beauty

The Exile

• The Jewish independence was altered by two military conquests• In 721 BCE, the Assyrians invaded and captured Israel

and its people• In 586 BCE, the Babylonians captured Judah and

destroyed Solomon’s temple

The Exile

• Jewish leaders were captured and sent into exile in Babylon• This event is known as the Exile or the Babylonian

Captivity• This would remain until in 538 BCE the Persian King

Cyrus the great freed them

The Exile

•With Solomon’s temple destroyed, the Jewish people needed to find a new method of worship• During the exile, places for congregational worship,

synagogues, were created• Also began the studying of the scripture by people known as

rabbis

The Exile

•Rabbis tried to interpret scripture so the average person could understand• The period of the exile also called the development of

the of a belief in a divine kingship• This was characterized by the Messiah, or “the

anointed one”

The Exile

•After the Babylonians were conquered by Cyrus, the Jewish people were set free •Under the leadership of the Ezra and Nehemiah, they

rebuilt the temple in 515 BCE•During the Exile, the Jewish people evolved from a

tribal faith to a world faith

The Diaspora

• The Diaspora is the Greek word meaning “sowing of the seed” or “dispersal”• Term used to refer to the Jewish population living

outside of Israel•By the third century BCE, most Jewish people lived in

the Diaspora

The Diaspora

• For the Jews that did not return from Exile they created a new set of standards of faith•Practical worship centered around the synagogue,

and scholarly analysis by the rabbis continued•More Jewish communities started up around the

Mediterranean Sea

The Diaspora

• In 332 BCE, Alexander the Great conquered much of the known world•At this time, the Jewish people fell under Greek

influence, known as the Hellenization• The Jewish people embraced Greek culture and for

the first time translated the Scripture to Greek

The Diaspora

• The scripture, when re-translated, was called the Septuagint• This supported the Jewish community living in the

Diaspora for centuries

The Maccabean Revolt

• The next significant event was in 168 BCE• The temple was converted into a shrine for Zeus by

Antiochus IV Epiphanes•A group Maccabees used the general public

sentiments against the Greeks

The Maccabean Revolt

•By 164 BCE, the Maccabees regained control of the temple and Jerusalem• The temple was rededicated to God and the dynasty

endured until the Roman Empire

The Roman Empire• In 64 BCE, the Roman General Pompey entered

Jerusalem as a campaign to expand the Roman Empire• The Jewish people were subject to foreign domination• Several distinct Jewish sects emerged, as well as a

sophistication of the Jewish belief• This led to the emphasis of the coming of the

Messiah, the anointed one of God to deliver them from opression

Rabbinic Judaism

• The Jewish people endured hardships under the Romans which challenged their faith• Taxation, unfair administration of justice, and Roman

control of the temple and priest was excessive• In 66 CE, the Jewish people revolted and gained

power over the Temple Mount (The Second Temple)

Rabbinic Judaism

• In 70 CE, the Romans responded with force and a five-month siege occurred• Jerusalem is taken, the temple is destroyed• The temple was never rebuilt, and the only surviving

part was the Western Wall, which is a place of prayer and devotion for the Jews today

Rabbinic Judaism

•After the Jewish rebellion was supressed, the Jewish faith faced reformation or destruction•Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai convinced the Romans to

allow the Sanhedrin to relocate into Yavneh• In Yavneh they maintained their scriptures, wrote

commentaries on the law, and developed a Jewish calendar

Rabbinic Judaism

•Rabbinic Judaism was ready to emerge after these events• The Sadduccees were a priestly caste without a

temple• The Pharisees were in need of a restructuring

Rabbinic Judaism

• The old priests were replaced by Rabbis, synagogues became the central places of worship•Prayer practices, which were part of temple practices

became home and synagogue practices

Rabbinic Judaism

• The most significant contribution to the rabbinic movement was the Judaism of Dual laws• They were found in the written Torah, the interpretive

tradition of the Mishnah, and the Talmud later• The rabbis eventually compiled a substantial body of

commentary on the Bible known as the Midrash• The Midrash looks at puzzling Biblical situations and

poses explanations for these problems

Rabbinic Judaism

•Rabbinic interpretation was extended to the law• The rabbis, through continuous studying could write

commentaries on the law•By the middle Ages, Judaism had established deep

intellectual and spiritual roots