Religion Test 3 - Grant

Zealots

Jews that rose up in armed rebellion against Rome in 66ce; unsuccessful, and Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. According to Josephus, the extreme revolutionary party, the _____ , virtually forced General Titus (later emperor) to destroy the sanctuary by their refusal to surrender. brought an end to animal sacrifice.

Hasideans

Jews who oppose the paganization of their culture; "pious people"; "puritans"; religiously minded; formerly supported Hamonians but parted because of policy; Pharisees and Essenes spirit from them.

Psalms

150 Poems of songs used as praise and worship to the Lord, poets mostly from Davidic heritage but diverse in religious feeling. Explores the heights and depths of Israel's troubled relationship with Yahweh. meant to be accompanied by music

Samaritan (2 kings)

ethnically mixed group in Samaria. Worshiped Yahweh devotedly after Yahweh sent plague and lion attacks on Samaria by Assyria and Sargon II. sent exiled priest to show people how to properly sacrifice to Yahweh

Festival Scrolls

The Books of Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, and Esther

445 b.c.e (Nehemiah)

When Nehemiah leads 3rd group of Jews back to Jerusalem, completes walls in 443

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel)

3 wise friends of Daniel who are thrown into furnace and come out unharmed.

allegory (Psalms)

a narrative in which one object or action functions as a symbol of something else.

Essenes

an ascetic Jewish group that fl ourished in Palestine from about 140 bce until 68 ce , when it was destroyed or dispersed by Roman armies. found Dead Sea Scrolls and lived in Qumran

Ruth (Ruth)

narrative is its focus on the lives of two obscure women who, beset by misfortune, cling together for mutual support and hope. Ruth's profession of loyalty to Naomi has become a classic expression of love and devotion between two people. the story first focuses on the struggles that Naomi and Ruth endure on their journey from Moab to Bethlehem and their adjustment to life there. The book's second part focuses on the unfolding relationship of Ruth and Boaz and its happy consummation. The unstated premise of both parts of this narrative is that, although Yahweh has taken away, he can also restore. What Naomi and Ruth lost in Moab, they regain in Judah through the hesed of Israel's God and through their mutual devotion.

Samaritans (Ezra)

native Israelites of mixed descent whose offer to help rebuild the sanctuary Zerubbabel and Joshua bluntly reject

Early ministry (Jeremiah)

negative oracles delivered during the reigns of Josiah, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah (c. 623-587 bce) ( Jer. 1-25) did not want to be the one to do this, hated his life

postexilic (Ezra & Nehemiah)

of or relating to the period in Jewish history after 539 BC (after the Babylonian Captivity). Did not understand Hebrew for most part, spoke aramic

Nebuchadnezzar (2 kings)

the Egyptians are soon defeated by him, the king of Babylon, at the Battle of Carchemish (605 bce). The tiny state of Judah now must submit to the Babylonian yoke; its last kings are merely this king's tribute paying vassals.

Baruch (Jeremiah)

the actual writing of this scroll of jeremiah is done by a scribe, " son of Neriah," who served Jeremiah as both disciple and private secretary.

Ecclesiastes & skeptical wisdom

the author of ______ adopts an emotionally neutral position of ironic detachment. From his ivory-tower perspective, he coolly surveys the moral uncertainties of a world dominated by unpredictability and random injustice. An aloof observer of human folly, he derives a certain dry amusement from the human predicament. The book closes with a beautiful allegory in which human old age is compared to a decayed, crumbling house

721 b.c.e. (2 kings)

the fall of Israel. King Hoshea stoped payments to Assyria and Sargon II laid seige on Samaria. resulted from many offenses to yahweh

Jehoiachin (2 kings)

the first deportation to Babylon, 597 b.c.e. In 598/597 bce, he and his family are taken as prisoners by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon, the Temple is stripped of its treasures, and 10,000 members of Judah's ruling classes are deported to Mesopotamia (2 Kings 24). Nebuchadnezzar then appoints his uncle Zedekiah (ruled 597-587 bce) king in his place.

Palestine

the name greek geographers gave Judah

Proverbs "statements of truth" A. Common sense proverbs. B. Personfied Wisdom. C. Proverbs & the Instruction of Amenemope.

—short, memorable sayings summarizing traditional insights about life—emphasized observation and experience as a source of knowledge, they regarded wisdom as much a divine gift as the prophetic word. The book's underlying assumption is that the younger generation has much to learn from the collective experience of earlier generations.

Structure of Jeremiah

(1) oracles delivered during the reigns of Josiah, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah (c. 623-587 bce) ( Jer. 1-25), (2) biographical narratives combined with prophecies of redemption and restoration ( Jer. 26-45), (3) prophecies directed against the "nations" ( Jer. 46-51), and (4) a concluding historical postscript taken largely from 2 Kings 24-25 ( Jer. 52). Jeremiah 36 offers a clue about how this material may first have been gathered, and by whom, for in this chapter God instructs Jeremiah toThe "present day" is the fourth year of Jehoiakim's reign,

Maccabean Revolt

(167-164 b.c.e.), revolution led by Judas Maccabeus against the tyrannical reign of Antiochus Epiphanes after his pillaging of Jerusalem's temple during the outlaw of Judaism

Alexander the Great (Maccabees)

(356 BCE-323 BCE) He conquered most of the ancient world from Asia Minor to Egypt and India, which began the Hellenistic culture which was a blending of Greek, Persian, Indian, and Egyptian influences.

Second Isaiah (Isaiah)

(Deutero-Isaiah) Prophet of the Exile. Knew the Cyrus would return the Jews home. Preached the restoration of Isaiah. Announcing that Judah's time of punishment is fulfi lled, he proclaims that Yahweh has fully pardoned his people and now plans to grant them their freedom. Yahweh will guide them on a "new exodus" out of Babylon and back to the Promised Land. The prophet portrays Yahweh as without beginning or ending—or without divine rivals. Other gods simply do not exist. first to suggest monotheism. In Second Isaiah's vision, God is about to fulfi ll the ancient promise to Abraham that his descendants ultimately will be a source of universal blessing. For exiles unable to grasp the magnitude of God's pardon and redemption, Yahweh reminds him that his plan for Israel exceeds the limits of human imagination. ALSO Ch 40-55 of Isaiah.

Hanukkah

(Judaism) an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem in 165 BC

synagogue

(Judaism) the place of worship for a Jewish congregation

Jehoiakim (2 kings)

(ruled 609-598 bce), whom Nebuchadnezzar placed on Judah's throne, unwisely rebels but dies before the Babylonians can retaliate, leaving his son and successor, Jehoiachin, to suffer the consequences of the revolt.

Royal Psalms

Classifi ed by their content rather than their literary form, ____ deal with events and issues involving Davidic kings.

The Writings

A major component of the Writings, Hebrew poetry typically uses the techniques of metaphor and parallelism to convey its meaning. An anthology of devotional lyrics, the Book of Psalms encompasses a broad range of responses to Israel's ever-changing historical experience, particularly the extended theological crisis that followed Babylon's destruction of Judah in 587 BCE . The collection of 150 poems, traditionally divided into five separate books, represents a variety of poetic forms that are generally classifi ed according to their literary form and/or content, such as songs of praise, lament, and thanksgiving.

Mattathias (Maccabees)

A priest who touched off the Jewish revolt against Antiochus IV. He was the father of Judas Maccabeus. started with him killing Jewish royal commissioner who agreed to worship greek gods

Pharisees

A progressive, reforming group of Jewish lay scholars. Their name comes from the Aramaic perishaya, which means "the separated ones." In the years immediately after Jerusalem's fall, the _____ became the dominant force within Judaism and the chief spokesmen for the position that Jesus of Nazareth was not the expected Jewish Messiah. rival with sadduccees. rabbi led judaism which led to modern.

Zion (Psalms)

A subset of the psalms of praise, known as the "Songs of ____," centers on Jerusalem, the city made holy by God's invisibly dwelling in the Temple that stood on ___ . A prominent hill in Jerusalem that the psalmists endow with the qualities of Eden, this place was traditionally the original site of God's earthly visitations

Life in Captivity (second Isaiah)

After Diaspora, Jews live in captivity of Babylon for 190 years as slaves before returning to Judah.

b. Herod the Great (37-4 b.c.e.)

After the death of John Hyrcanus in 40 bce , the Roman Senate appointed ____ I king of Judea. Although he adopted a form of Judaism, ___ was not of Jewish descent; he was the son of Antipater (c. 100-43 bce), a powerful nobleman of Idumea, the Greco-Roman name for ancient Edom, a traditional enemy of the Jewish state. Unpopular with many Jews, He had to overcome armed resistance to gain his throne. By 37 bce ,three years after Rome made him king, _____had captured Jerusalem and begun a long reign (37-4 bce) marked by a strange combination of administrative skill, cruelty, and bloodshed. Politically, He was remarkably successful. Enjoying Roman support, he extended the boundaries of his kingdom almost to the limits of David's biblical realm. Under____ the Jewish state expanded to include the districts of Samaria and Galilee (the district where Jesus grew up) and territories east of the Jordan River. contstructed fortress, port city, and renovated the temple of Jerusalem. Despite his grandiose achievements, _____'s treachery and violence caused most of his Jewish subjects to hate him. He murdered his Hasmonean wife, Mariamne, and their two sons, Alexander and Aristobulus, as well as other family members. His fear that some conspirators might seize his crown, coupled with his ruthless elimination of any potential rival, provide the background for the Gospel story that____ massacred Bethlehem's children

Sanhedrin

Along with their opponents the Pharisees, the Sadducees dominated the Great Council, or _____, Judaism's highest court of religious law, where Jesus was brought to trial.

Psalms of Wisdom and Instruction

Although the world at large may not perceive Yahweh's kingship, several poets indicate the proper human response to divine rule. To some scholars, psalms that use words typical of Israel's teachers, such as "instruction," "teaching," and the "law of the Lord," seem to form an identifi able category

Hebrew Poetry

Approximately one-third of the Hebrew Bible is written in poetry. The Pentateuch and the Deuteronomistic History contain numerous short poems, ranging from Adam's heart-felt verse about Eve's creation (Gen. 2:23), to Miriam's song at the Reed Sea (Exod. 15:21), to Deborah's victory hymn ( Judg. 5:1-31), to David's lament over Jonathan's death (2 Sam. 1:19-27). Poems are also scattered intermittently throughout the prose narratives in Genesis through 2 Kings. And many books in the Latter Prophets and the Writings are composed almost entirely in poetry, including not only the oracles of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve but also Psalms, Proverbs, Lamentations, and Job.

Augustus

At the time of Jesus' birth, the emperor ______ (originally named Gaius Octavius, ruled 27 bce-14 ce) reigned over an empire even larger and more diverse than Alexander's (see Figure 28.1 ). Rome controlled not only the Near East but also all of North Africa and most of Europe. Military conquests had reduced the Mediterranean Sea to the status of a large Roman lake (see Figure 28.2 ). Located at the eastern margin of the empire, the Jewish homeland was only an insignifi cant, though politically troublesome, part of an international colossus. After the death of Augustus in 14 ce, his stepson Tiberius (14-37 ce ) became emperor, the ruler in power during Jesus' ministry (Luke 3:1). It was Tiberius's governmental appointee Pilate who found Jesus guilty of treason against Rome

Koheleth (Ecclesiastes)

Author of Ecclesiastes "teacher". The book's epilogue (12:9-14) contains several editorial reactions to this mans unorthodox teaching, possibly penned by his disciples. He is puzzled by Yahweh's apparent unwillingness to enforce ethical principles in human society, but he simply concludes that God chooses to operate with no coherent mortal plan—at least not one that human beings can perceive. He therefore advises his readers not to be taken in by the world's sham innovations. True wisdom lies in observing everything, knowing how little has genuine value, and refusing to become committed to the hopeless pursuits of wealth, power, fame or other goals to which most people blindly devote their lives. HUMAN WISDOM cannot discover the coherent meaning of life. claims finality of death to be assured. has some contradictory wisdom

Activity during the deportations (Jeremiah)

Babylonian armies slaughter Jerusalem's citizens, looting Yahweh's Temple, burning the holy city, and forcing the survivors, bound in chains, to march hundreds of miles to Babylon. Yahweh himself seems appalled by the extreme measures he has taken to punish Judah, speaking as if he had not been able to visualize beforehand the harsh reality of his people's suffering. Urging a group of survivors to remain amid Judah's desolation (and not flee to Egypt, where they hoped to be safe from (Nebuchadnezzar's anger), Yahweh admits that he may have made a mistake in smiting the people so severely. Jeremiah instructs the deported Judeans to "seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare" forced to flee to Egypt.

Battle of Carchemish (2 Kings)

Babylonian domination after this Battle in 605 b.c.e. , Battle between the Egyptians and Nebuchadnezzars Chaden Army over Canaan

Battle of Opis (second Isaiah)

Battle Between Cyrus and Babylon. he allows the enslaved Jews to return to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild their city and temple. In 538 a small group of Jews leave, led by Sheshbazzar - who first rebuilds altar

Sadducees

Because none of their writings survive, we know these people only through brief references in the New Testament and in other secondary sources, such as Josephus. Described as among Jesus' chief opponents, these people were typically members of the Jewish upper class, wealthy landowning aristocrats who largely controlled the priesthood and the Temple. Their name (Greek, Saddoukaioi , from the Hebrew, Zaddukim or tsaddiqim) means "righteous ones" and may be descriptive, or it may refl ect their claim to be the spiritual heirs of Zadok, the High Priest under David and Solomon (1 Kings 1:26). Because the prophet Ezekiel had stated that only the "descendants of Zadok . . . may come near to the Lo r d to minister to him" (Ezek. 40:46), these people, who offi ciated at the Jerusalem Temple, emphasized their inherited right to this role. Reaped benifits of Romans being in power and observed strict literal adherence to the torah.

ressurection (Ezekiel)

Beholding a long valley littered with human bones, he hears a voice ask, "Mortal, can these bones live?" Miraculously, the fragmented skeletons reassemble themselves and are again clothed in fl esh. Yahweh directs the winds to breathe life into them, and their resurrection is complete. In reading this section, it is important to remember that in this famous vision Ezekiel experiences a preview of Israel's rebirth: In 587 bce, the nation had perished, but now Yahweh was raising it to renewed life. It was not until the Book of Daniel was composed four centuries later that a biblical writer explicitly described a belief in the resurrection of individual humans

koine Greek

Both Hellenistic Jews and early Christians adopted a new form of the Greek language, the ____-(common) Greek spoken by Alexander's soldiers. Koine-became so widely spoken that the Jews of Alexandria, Egypt—the second-largest city of the Roman Empire—found it necessary to translate the Hebrew Bible into ____- Greek, beginning about 250 bce with the Torah and gradually adding other books. This Greek edition, the Septuagint, was used not only by Diaspora Jews but also by the early Christian movement, which produced its own Scripture, the New Testament, in koine-Greek.

142 B.C.E.

By 142 bce , the Jews have expelled the Syrian armies and established an independent state governed by Hasmonean (Maccabean) rulers.

538 b.c.e. (Ezra)

Cyrus Edict. permitting Judean exiles living in Babylon to return to Judah for the purpose of rebuilding their ruined Temple.

539 b.c.e. (second Isaiah)

Cyrus, King of Persia, defeated babylon at battle of Opis.

Amenemope (Proverbs)

Egyptian author of a wisdom document that was apparently modified for use in Proverbs 22-24

Pharaoh Neco (2 Kings)

Egyptian domination of Judah under this Pharaoh, controlled several kings of Judah. Wanted Assyrians to remain in control

Ezekiel (Ezekiel)

He and the unnamed prophet scholars call Second Isaiah speak to an audience of Judeans exiled in Babylon. Whereas he is both priest and prophet, initially focuses on Judah's sins and its pollution of Yahweh's sanctuary, after Judah's fall, he begins to predict a future time of restoration and a gloriously rebuilt Temple. By contrast, Second Isaiah (or Deutero-Isaiah) delivers enthusiastic oracles of encouragement to a group of exiles who soon will experience a wonderful "second exodus," journeying from Babylon back to Judah. Given to strange visions, 4 of which dominate the book in his name. Puts food over poop to symbolize people eating unclean food after siege, does not mourn wife's death as god will not mourn the loss of the temple, lies on side bound by ropes for 190 days to symbolize duration of exile, each day for a year. shaves off beard, divides into thirds, burns 1, chops other, and keeps the rest. shows 1/3 die of famine, other by sword, and 1/3 will be captives in Babylon.

divine justice (Ezekiel)

Ezekiel states that the concept in the torah of God punishing father's sins in his descendents is no longer true. He instead promotes ethical responsibility. generations will be judged by own merit.

Titus

Following a year of political chaos, the Roman legions acclaimed Vespasian as emperor, a move the Senate confi rmed. Leaving his son____ in charge of the Jewish War, ____ broke through Jerusalem's defenses, burned the city, and ordered the Temple, a center of rebel activity, to be demolished

kavod

God's glory and splendor

parallelism: synonymous antithetical synthetic

Hebrew poetry does not use rhyme or regular meter, although many lines have a strongly rhythmic quality. Instead, the biblical poetic line is notable for its brevity, repetition of key words or phrases, vivid imagery, and, above all, various kinds of parallelism. The most characteristic feature of Hebrew poetry, parallelism involves expressing similar ideas in similar verbal structures. In synonymous** parallelism, an idea presented in the fi rst line is repeated in slightly different words in the second, a device the psalmists frequently employ.In antithetical** parallelism, one line makes a statement, and the next line expresses its opposite. Proverbs offers many examples of this form. Symbolic or formal parallelism is not, strictly speaking, parallelism at all. In this poetic form, the fi rst line expresses a thought, the second adds a new idea, and the third completes the statement. David's lament over the fallen Saul and Jonathan illustrates this pattern.

Masada

Herod's extensive building programs matched his political ambitions. He constructed monumental fortresses, the best known of which is ____ on the western shore of the Dead Sea.

Hilkiah (2 kings)

High priest who discovered the Book of the Law in the Temple during its renovation under King Josiah

Prophetic Visions of Ezekial

In Chapters 1-3, "the heavens were opened" and the prophet "sees" Yahweh enthroned on a heavenly chariot with wheels of fi re, surrounded by grotesque beings who are part human, part animal, and part bird. In Chapters 8-10, Ezekiel—although located in Mesopotamia—sees Yahweh departing Jerusalem "by the east gate" and heading northeast toward Babylon. The vision's emphasis on Yahweh's mobility expresses Ezekiel's belief that henceforth God will be present with the exiles, not with the Judeans remaining in Judah. In his most famous vision, celebrated in a popular spiritual, he beholds a "valley of dry bones," disjointed skeletons that suddenly are reassembled, reclothed in flesh, and revived to live again (Ch. 37). In the book's final chapters, Ezekiel sees Yahweh eventually returning to Jerusalem to occupy a magnifi cently rebuilt Temple, from which healing freshwater streams flow to water lifegiving trees (Chs. 40-48).

Hymns or Songs of Praise (Psalms)

In composing _____, the poet typically cites specifi c reasons for which God deserves Israel's worship: his creation of the world and his saving actions in Israel's history.

servant songs (second Isaiah)

In most of the songs, Israel is explicitly identifi ed as God's "servant" (cf. 44:1-2; 49:3), a people commissioned to represent Yahweh in the world.

Suffering Servant (second Isaiah)

In one of the songs, however, the poet seems to describe an individual rather than the people as a whole (52:13-53:12), portraying him as one "despised and rejected of. men: a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief ". Known as the ____, the unidentifi ed fi gure in this poem is misunderstood, grouped with sinners, and condemned to an agonizing, humiliating defeat. the affl icted person, though guiltless, willingly accepts the punishment for others' wrongdoing, enduring pain on their behalf.

the reign of Hezekiah of Judah (2 kings)

Leads religious reform of Deuteronomy, favored in gods eyes. tries to rebel against Assyria and Senacherib but leads to higher fines. Advisor is Isaiah.

70 C.E.

Led by the Zealot party of dedicated revolutionaries, the Palestinian Jews revolt against Roman tyranny. Titus, son of the new emperor Vespasian, captures and destroys Jerusalem and its Temple (70 ce).

d. The Great Rebellion (66-73 c.e.)

Led by the Zealot party of dedicated revolutionaries, the Palestinian Jews revolt against Roman tyranny. Titus, son of the new emperor Vespasian, captures and destroys Jerusalem and its Temple (70 ce).

167 b.c.e. (Maccabees)

Maccabean revolt

Gedaliah (Jeremiah)

Man who was appointed governor of the Jews remaining in the land after the destruction of the temple, but he was assasinated by Judean nationalists leading to exile

Boaz (Ruth)

Married Moabite woman Ruth for her piety, had child Obed with her. his conduct embodies two of the book's main themes: (1) that rewards will come, sooner or later, to those who commit themselves to Yahweh's providence, and (2) the importance of hesed, or loving kindness in all relationships, whether human or divine.

Nebuzaradan (2 kings)

Nebuchadnezzar's military captain captured Zedekiah gave Jeremiah favorable treatment thanks to input from Daniel

Second Temple (Ezra)

Opposition to the rebuilding project comes from two sources: (1) native Israelites of mixed descent, later known as Samaritans, whose offer to help rebuild the sanctuary Zerubbabel and Joshua bluntly reject, and (2) the governor of the province "Beyond the River," an official named Tattenai. Tattenai, who may have viewed a restored Judean Temple (and, still later, rebuilt city walls) as the fi rst stage of a potential political rebellion, challenges the legality of the entire project.

Jehoiakim & the Temple (Jeremiah & 2 kings)

Rebels, leads temple to be stripped of treasures, 10000 members of ruling class are deported to mesopotamia, and son is left to suffer from his rebelion

Woman Wisdom (Proverbs)

Personification of divine attribute of creative intelligence Woman who mediates between God and humanityLeads away from folly

Laments (Psalms)

Poems that emphasize sorrow, grief, mourning, or regret or complaints and feature both individual and communal psalms.

63 B.C.E.

Pompey's legions occupy Palestine, annexing it as part of the Roman Empire.

Nehemiah (Nehemiah)

Reconstruction of the walls (445 b.c.e.) As an official cupbearer to Emperor Artaxerxes I in Susa, the Persian capital, this man sheds tears that draw the king's attention. Weeping over reports of the city's poverty and ruin, this man persuades Artaxerxes (ruled 464-423 bce) to commission his return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city. Further, the emperor gives him both an armed guard and an official letter to guarantee his safe passage back to Judah, as well as instructions to the region's governors to provide him with materials for the rebuilding of the Temple fortress gates and the city walls. But, as in the time of Zerubbabel, his plans for restoration are opposed by the very authorities who are supposed to assist him. This man arms his builders with both tools and military weapons, and the city's walls are reconstructed in record time. After Artaxerxes finally appoints him governor with a mandate to defend Jerusalem and to lighten the burdens of the common people, he institutes significant economic reforms, such as canceling debts and freeing slaves.After being called back to Artaxerxes' court for a time, he returns to Judah only to find that the people have, yet again, reverted to type and forgotten their covenant responsibilities. He acts swiftly to end widespread neglect of the Sabbath and the equally common practice of intermarriage. In true Deuteronomistic fashion, he reminds his fellow Judeans of the terrible consequences of torah disobedience that have already befallen them. He then proceeds to "cleanse" Judah of "everything foreign"

Hellenistic Period (333-142 b.c.e.).

Significantly, the rise of apocalyptic themes correlates closely with the introduction of Greek culture, which the conquests of Alexander the Great spread throughout the Near East and the eastern Mediterranean region during the last third of the fourth century bce (see Figure 26.1 ). Known as Hellenism (after the Greeks' name for their country, Hellas), the widespread diffusion of Greek language, literature, philosophy, art, social customs, and religion.

Manasseh (2 kings)

Son of Hezekiah and Hephzibah leads to dark days for Judah., evil (destroys father's reforms, massacres, human sacrifices, rebuilds high places, persecuted Jews, makes carved image of Asherah); enslaved when Assyrians attacked; converted and returned to Jerusalem to die peacefully. reigns for 55 years longer than any other Davidic ruler.

Scapegoat - suffering servant (second Isaiah)

Speculations about the identity of the Suffering Servant abound, ranging from the covenant people collectively to a single person who represents Israel, perhaps the prophet himself. The belief that sin and its penalty can be transferred from the community as a whole to a sacrifi cial object also appears in Leviticus 16. This passage prescribes an annual ritual in which the priest transmits the people's sins to a sacrificial goat, which is then sent away to die in the desert. Some scholars believe that this scapegoat ceremony may have given rise to a reevaluation of the meaning of suffering in which individual victims bear the consequences of communal guilt.

King Artaxerxes (Ezra)

Stated that all who wanted to go to Ezra to Jeruselum would be allowed to go. Sent him with tribute of Gold and Silver for the God of Israel and sent Ezra to rebuild sacrificial and judicial system that will ensure obedience of the laws of Yahweh and of Persia

Result of fall of Judah (Jeremiah)

Striving to understand God's intentions in having abandoned them to their enemies, Judean exiles in Babylon reworked Israel's ancient oral and written traditions about Abraham and his descendants to produce the remarkable epic of Israel's creation, growth, and death, Genesis through 2 Kings. In the crisis of God's apparent absence from his people, editors appended to Deuteronomy Yahweh's ominous warning, foreshadowing their suffering in exile: "I will hide my face from them; I will see what their end will be"

a. Pompey enters Palestine (63 b.c.e.)

Summoned as a peacekeeper, the Roman general Pompey, the great military rival of Julius Caesar, led his legions to overthrow Aristobulus and install John Hyrcanus as High Priest (63 bce). Instead of making Hyrcanus king, however, the Romans downgraded his rank to ethnarch (provincial governor), demonstrating that Hasmonean rulers were now only puppets of Rome and that the holy land was merely another province in the empire. Pompey's legions occupy Palestine, annexing it as part of the Roman Empire.

Megillot (Ruth)

The Five ____ are parts of the third major section of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), which is Ketuvim ("The Writings"). These five relatively short biblical books (scrolls) are grouped together in Jewish tradition.

Seleucids (Maccabees)

The Greek - Egyptian dynasty founded by Ptolemy of the eastern part of Alexander's empire. Their territory included Palestine

Sheol (Proverbs)

The Hebrew name for the underworld (hell)

Gabriel (Daniel)

The angel who serves as a supernatural interpreter of Daniel's dreams, clearly identifi es each of the past empires while keeping vague the part about Antiochus, who represents a contemporary threat.

Chaldeans (2 kings)

The new Babylonians, their king was king Nebuchadnezzar, they burned Nineveh destroying the Assyrian empire and were a combined army with the Medes

The new covenant (Jeremiah) AKA book of consolidation

The days are surely coming, says the Lord , when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the L ord. But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel . . . I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Third Isaiah (Isaiah)

The group of disciples of Second Isaiah who are credited with writing chapters 56-66 in the book of Isaiah. They are believed to have been writing from Jerusalem and the Diaspora after the Exile.

Naomi (Ruth)

The mother-in-law of Ruth whose story is told in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. bitter until birth of grandson. Wants to be called bitter (mara) after death of two sons.

Tyre (Ezekiel)

The oracles against this city, which take up three full chapters, are particularly harsh. A port city internationally famous for its wealth and far-flung trade network, this city occupied an island about half a mile. off the Mediterranean coast, a natural setting that made it difficult for foreign invaders to capture. According to Ezekiel, this city's merchants had rejoiced when Babylonian armies first sacked Jerusalem in 598/597 bce and thus weakened an important commercial rival. For this act, God resolves to destroy the city. Israel's neighbors, especially those who profi t economically or politically from Judah's sufferings. wasn't destroyed by Nebachaneser but Alexander the great which puzzled Ezekiel

Hananiah (Jeremiah)

The prophet who opposed Jeremiah's preaching and gave a message of hope for Judah against Jeremiah's message of judgement. causes Jeremiah to walk streets of Jerusalem with Wooden Yoke, symbol of coming slavery. he smashes the wooden yoke and Jeremiah returns wearing one of Iron

Characteristics of Wisdom literature. A. General nature. B. Israel's wisdom literature

These "elders" from whom "counsel" can be obtained are also referred to, in other texts, as "wise men" and "wise women." The wisdom (Hebrew, hochmah ) they dispense is a kind of ethical understanding that is fundamentally different from the revealed knowledge of prophets and priests. Even though the Book of Proverbs assures us that wisdom comes from Yahweh's "mouth" (Prov. 2:6), no wisdom writer of the Hebrew Bible claims to base his knowledge on a vision from God. Nor do authors of wisdom books claim that God has authorized them to speak or teach. Instead, Israel's wisdom writers—like their counterparts in Egypt and Mesopotamia—base their counsel on experience, on their own close observation of life and on the reflections of generations who preceded them."an understanding mind" and the ability to "discern between good and evil" Perhaps the most striking difference between wisdom literature and other forms of biblical writing, such as prophesy or history, is the absence in wisdom books of any reference to the Mosaic Covenant, the Exodus, or the exile. Except for God himself, wisdom writers do not appeal to any existing religious authority or social institution, only to a standard of rational observation and lived experience. Not concerened with events surrounding them or state of Israel but with ORDER, whether moral, physical, or social. The Books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes

Modein (Maccabees)

Village home to local priest Mattathias and his sons where rebellion started

Vespasian

When the rebellion began in 66 ce, the emperor N e r o sent a veteran military commander, _____ , to crush the rebels.Galilee fell easily to the Roman army, but before Vespasian could capture Jerusalem, a palace revolt in Rome drove Nero to commit suicide (68 ce ). Following a year of political chaos, the Roman legions acclaimed Vespasian as emperor, a move the Senate confi rmed. Leaving his son T i t u s in charge of the Jewish War,

sage (Proverbs)

a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics who is renowned for profound wisdom

Cyrus the Great (second Isaiah)

Yahweh's purpose in the changing political scene is to deliver his captive people, for which task he has chosen this man, king of Persia. Although his armies were then sweeping through the Near East, does not "know" Yahweh, the Persian leader is nonetheless God's chosen agent to restore Israel. After he wins a series of astonishing victories, he makes himself master of Media (549 bce )and Lydia (546 bce). Viewing his triumphs as proof of divine action, Second Isaiah declares that this man is the "shepherd" who fulfi lls God's purpose in returning the exiles to their land. messiah*. never ascribes his conquest to Yahweh but attributes his success to marduk. wanted to restore all exiled people to homelands and restore shrines.

73 C.E.

Zealots commit mass suicide in Masada

Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Maccabees)

a Seleucid ruler who tried to unify his people by enforcing a more Hellenic way of life. ought to exterminate the Jewish religion in the second century BCE by inflicting horrible atrocities upon anyone who professed or practiced the faith. Also attacked because he needed funds for his conquests of Egypt.

citadel

a fortress that overlooks and protects a city; any strong or commanding place

Psalms of thanksgiving

are typically prayers offered in gratitude for God's having saved or delivered the psalmist from danger

host of heaven (luke)

army of good angels

Jeremiah (Jeremiah)

becomes an object of public scorn for his apparent "disloyalty" in proclaiming that the Babylonians are nothing less than Yahweh's instrument of judgment, sent to punish Judah for its covenant breaking. At the risk of his life, he attempts to convince both king and commoner that the only realistic course of action open to Judah is submission to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon and new master of the Near East (see Figure 17.1 ). In spite of complaining that God has unfairly compelled him to deliver a deeply unpopular message, he boldly urges Jerusalem's leaders to renew their commitment to Yahweh. In graphic detail, he also specifies the disastrous consequences if they continue to alienate their covenant partner. Urges Zedekiah to just turn over Judah to avoid death and misery of all the Jews and then place all trust in Yahweh's power to save. hates hananiah and wears wooden yoke to symbolize slavery. later buys land in Ananthoth to demostrate his belief that landownership in Judah will someday again be profitable.

Judas Maccabeus (Maccabees)

began a guerrilla-style military campaign against Antiochus's numerically superior forces. After several decisive victories, he was able to retake most of Jerusalem and the Temple, three years to the day (according to Jewish tradition) after Antiochus had desecrated the sanctuary. It took many more years of fighting before the Maccabean rebels finally drove out the Seleucid troops and, eventually, established an independent Judean state in about 142 bce , the first period of Jewish political autonomy since Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Jerusalem more than 400 years earlier.

621 b.c.e. (2 kings)

book of law is discovered by Josiah during repairs to the Jerusalem Temple (book of Deuteronomy)

597 b.c.e. (2 kings)

first deportation, SIEGE OF JERUSALEM--NEBUCHADNEZZAR OF BABYLON INVADES THE CITY. IN THE NEVI'IM AND KETUVIM: THE START OF THE JEWISH DIASPORA (EXILE). involves Jehoiachin being taking prisoner

Sanballat

governor of Samaria who strongly opposes Nehemiah.

apocalyptic (Daniel)

is a revelation of dimensions or events ordinarily closed to human view, such as the invisible realm of heaven or the future course of human history.

Zerubbabel (Ezra)

rebuilding of the Temple in 515 bce. Descendant of David who helped lead the Israelites in their return from the Babylonian exile; was appointed governor of Judah. led attempt to rebuild second temple with Joshua.

515 b.c.e. (Ezra)

rebuilt and dedicated second temple

Ezra and Nehemiah

record the farreaching changes in social policy and self-perception that characterize the postexilic period, when no significant action could be undertaken without express approval of the Persian government. Persian court officials commission Ezra, a priest and scribe, to return to Jerusalem to teach the Judeans the Mosaic Torah, an edition of which he brings from the community of Babylonian exiles (Ezra 7:12-26). Like Zerubbabel and the High Priest Joshua before them, Ezra and Nehemiah (a Persian-appointed governor of Judea) insist that only the returned exiles form the true Israel and refuse to allow descendants of Judeans who did not go into exile to participate in rebuilding Jerusalem or administering Temple worship. Struggling to maintain Jewish identity without political self-rule, Ezra and Nehemiah vigorously oppose intermarriage with non-Jews, forcing Judean men to divorce their foreign-born wives.

Hasideans (Hasidim)

religious party at time of Maccabean revolt; means "pious ones"; initially joined with the Macabees, but eventually broke off because they didn't think the Macabees had the proper authority.

Sheshbazzar (Ezra)

returning Judeans are given back the sacred vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had looted from the Temple, and under the leadership of this man, a prince of the exiled royal family, more than 42,000 Judeans make the journey. Did not get far. No money, resources or capabilities. Only got the foundation laid,

587 b.c.e. (2 kings)

second deportation, Southern kingdom of Judah falls and is forced into exile by Babylon. involved Zedekiah

Ezra (Ezra & Nehemiah)

sent by Artaxerxes to restore sacrificial system at new temple and judicial system to ensure obedience of the laws. Disappointed by lack of faithfulness to native born Israel population and tells men to divorce foreign wives (hates intermarriage along with Nehemiah). book ends w list of men guilty of this sin to stress importance. Comes back in book of Nehemiah with book of the law of Moses. Addendum of his scrolls are thought to be most of modern day Pentateuch. Reads Book of Moses to large crowd at Jerusalem square*, he then delivers a long speech summarizing Israel's history with God, emphasizing Yahweh's patience with his people's many apostasies. He concludes by describing Judah's unhappy present, when the Persians claim not only the land's produce but also the "bodies" of Yahweh's covenant people, reducing them to the status of virtual slaves. lawgiver 2nd only to Moses. God inspires him to write 94 books, 24 which went in the torah. Abrubtly transitions into Nehemaih reading laws about intermarriage.

Josiah (2 kings)

son of Amon, Manasseh's Grandson. Revives Great Grandfather Hezekiah's reform and led Deuteronomic Reform, destroyed all work of Manessah (high places). Extends reform to Northern Kingdom taking advantage of weak Assyrians. Discovers the "book of the law."death at Battle of Megiddo, 609 b.c.e. left hands of Judah to weak and incompetent rulers.

Amon (2 kings)

son of Manessah, walked as his father did, servants conspired against him and killed him. People killed the servants and made his son Josiah king.

eschatology (Daniel)

speculations about "last things," such as the end of human history as we know it and the prophetic Day of Yahweh in which Israel's God judges the nations and vindicates his people.

Ptolomies (Maccabees)

successors of Alexander and the last pharoahs who led Egypt to become part of the Roman Empire. Seleucids formed this Ptolemaic dynasty. under dynasty, Jews and Greeks prospered and mixed.

Ebed Melech (jeremiah)

sympathetic Ethiopian who rescues Jeremiah during rath of Nebachanezzer

164 b.c.e. (Maccabees)

take back Judah

Darius I (Ezra)

takes over as king for Egypt after Cyrus, after he hears of Tattenai resistance to second temple, he makes Tattenai pay for it. threatens to punish anyone who interferes with resurrection efforts.

levirate marriage (Ruth)

the marriage of a widow to a near relative of her deceased husband; the first male child of a ____ marriage would be considered the legal son of the widow's first husband

Zedekiah (Jeremiah)

the second deportation, 587 b.c.e. Appointed king by Nebuchadnezzar in place of Jehoiachin who suffered from rebellion of his father Jehoiakim. Also rebels, leading to second deportation in 587 b.c.e where Nebuchadnezzar besieges and destroys Jerusalem and its Temple and drive out the remaining population. Urged by Jeremiah to turn over Judah and place faith in Yahweh to return when people are once again truly faithful

Septuagint

translation of the hebrew bible into greek

Gog and Magog (Ezekiel)

unidentified aggressors who symbolize potential enemies (Chs. 38-39). In this vision, Ezekiel sees Jerusalem's would-be attackers destroyed when Yahweh directly intervenes to rescue his people. Foreseeing a violent and bloody deliverance, Ezekiel states that Israel's slain enemies are so numerous that it takes seven months to bury their corpses.

Simon (Maccabees)

victory over the Seleucids (142 b.c.e.)

King Solomon (Proverbs)

who was credited with more than 3,000 proverbs (1 Kings 4:29-33), traditionally has been associated with the production of wise sayings