In the summer of 587 BC, Jerusalem was reduced to rubble by Nebuchadnezzar. Many Israelites were forcibly marched in shame to Babylon where they endured a paltry existence far from home. This darkest moment proved to be richly productive theologically, as much of the Bible's most profound literature was produced in the face of this disaster. But Israel as a nation was no more, and would never be again.
After Babylon fell, the cluster of Jews who tried to hang together as a people survived - barely. The faithful gamely returned home and rebuilt, yet were never more than a small pawn in the Persian empire. Other powers romped through the Middle East: first the Greeks under Alexander the Great; then his successors, such as Antiochus Epiphanes IV (who treated the Jews brutally and set up an idol to himself in the Jerusalem temple!) and Cleopatra of Egypt; then the Romans, first Pompey, then Caesar Augustus (when Jesus was born), who ruled with an iron fist, delegating power to petty local tyrants like Herod the Great, and Pontius Pilate. Further down the chain of command were cruelly efficient tax collectors and military thugs, agents of Rome who frightened the people into submission.
There were a few glorious moments when the Jews fought back. Guerilla fighters (Judas and the Maccabeans) drove the Seleucids out of Jerusalem, their short-lived victory still celebrated today as Hanukkah. But Judaism was endangered, the faith in grave peril. The questions faithful Jews asked during the time between the Testaments were How can we be God's people in an alien culture ruled by pagans? Do we fit in and get along? Do we fight? Start a revolution? Just blend in? Become Romans ourselves? Not surprisingly, various movements within Judaism answered these questions in different ways. Sadducees were the fairly well-placed traditional conservatives, Pharisees were a growing movement determined to interpret God's law for a new day, the Essenes withdrew from society in search of purity, the Zealots organized to fight back with physical force. There was no uniform "Judaism" when Jesus was born! With Jerusalem under pagan rule, and given the mobility of Jews who were finding jobs and homes far from their ancient homeland, the Temple became more of a symbolic center, with the center of gravity in Jewish lives shifting to the synagogue - local places of worship, such as those in Nazareth and Capernaum where Jesus worshipped.
Marvelous and strange writings have come to us from this period between the Testaments: the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Apocrypha (books written in Greek that are included in the Catholic Bible), the Mishnah and much more. Fascinating figures appeared during these centuries. Wise rabbis (like Hillel and Shammai) taught in depth regarding the meaning of God's revealed Word. Several warriors (such as Simon ben-Giora) claimed to be the Messiah and drew huge followings, only to disappoint. Jesus, then, was born into a world of considerable chaos. Politically and theologically the environment was volatile; and although the need for a Messiah was immense, Jesus was not exactly what anyone was looking for...
James
james@mpumc.org
OK - last time I referred to an article on the afterlife in Judaism, but the link was erroneous... Sorry about that! To read Jim Tabor's assessment, click here.
Coming up:
eBibleQuestions25 - When and how was the New Testament written? eBibleQuestions26 - What is a Gospel? and why are there four?
eBibleQuestions27 - Was Mary a virgin? and did she have other children?eBibleQuestions28 - Are angels real?eBibleQuestions29 - Did Jesus' miracles really happen?
The full eBibleQuestions series may be viewed online by clicking here.
