The Jewish Historical Narrative

The Jewish Historical Narrative

From Abraham to Aelia Capitolina4 kingdom pic

IsraelSmall Land of Large

Conflicts

ExileNorthern Kingdom - Assyria

722 BC

Southern Kingdom - Babylon 586 BC

Palestine Under Persian Rule

538–332 BC

Cyrus the Great - conquered Babylon allowed Israel to return to land

Isa 45:1 - the Anointed One

• Temple–515 BC

• Law

• Wall–444 BC

• Beginnings of....

• Oral law

• Aramaic

• Synagogues

Palestine Under Greek

Rule332–167 BC

•Philip of Macedon

•Alexander the Great -

conquered land from Greece to India

•culture

•philosophy

•education

•buildings

•language

•religion

•Philip of Macedon

•Alexander the Great -

conquered land from Greece to India

•culture

•philosophy

•education

•buildings

•language

•religion

Alexander’s Empire

From Greece to India

Palestine Under Greek Rule

• Ptolemies (320–198 BC)

• Taxation

• Septuagint (LXX)

Palestine under Greek Rule

• Seleucids (198–167 BC)

• Antiochus III

• Antiochus IV Epiphanies

• High Priesthood

• Jason

• Menelaus

• Problems

• Jason

• Rumor of Death

• Abomination (167)

Palestine Under Maccabean Rule

167–63 BC

•Mattathias•Hasidim - pious

•Judas Maccabeus•Temple 164•Alliance with Rome 161

• Jonathan (160–143 BC)• no taxes• control of High Priesthood

• Simon (143–134 BC)• complete autonomy• general, king, High Priest

• John Hyrcanus (135-104 BC)• expansion

• Alexander Janneaus (103–76 BC)• trouble with Pharisees

• Salome (76–67 BC)• Aristobulus vs. Hyrcanus II • Pompey chooses Hyrcanus II (63 BC)

These coins followed the iconoclastic laws of Judaism by avoidingrepresentations of people, animals, or deities. Instead, they featured symbolslike palm trees, pomegranates, stars, cornucopias, and representations of thetemple. This coin from the reign of the Hasmonean King AlexanderJannaeus features an anchor and an eight pointed star, both common motifsfor Judean coins.

Alexander Jannaeus coin, ca. 103-76 BC

Antipater - Idumean•Supports Hyrcanus II•Supports Julius Ceasar•made Chief Tax Magistrate of Judea•appoints sons as governors: Phasel over Jerusalem, Herod over Galilee

Parthian Invasion

Herod the Great

Archelaus, Philip, Antipas

The Herods -

Palestine under Roman Rule(63 BC–135 AD)

Palestine under Roman Rule(63 BC–135 AD)

Herod the Great

•Declared King by Rome in 40 BC•Takes Jerusalem in 37 BC•Negatives•Positives

Sons of Herod the Great

•Archelaus - King from 4 BC to 6

AD (green)

•Philip - Tetrarch in the

Northeast (orange)

•Antipas - Tetrarch of Galilee

and Perea (purple)

Left: Coin of Herod Archelaus, ca. 4 BC- 6 AD.This coin depicts a cluster of grapes and amilitary helmet. The Greek text reads “Herodthe Ethnarch.” Grapes are a common Jewishsymbol depicting the fertility of the land, but thehelmet is a Hellenistic symbol.

Left: Coin of Herod Archelaus, ca. 4 BC- 6 AD.This coin depicts a cluster of grapes and amilitary helmet. The Greek text reads “Herodthe Ethnarch.” Grapes are a common Jewishsymbol depicting the fertility of the land, but thehelmet is a Hellenistic symbol.

Right: Coin of Pontius Pilate, ca. 29-32 AD. Thiscoin depicts the lituus, a wooden staff used byRoman priests to invoke the gods. The otherside depicts a laurel wreath, which is a sign ofvictory and power. The iconography of thiscoin demonstrates a shift from Jewishiconography to Roman symbols

Right: Coin of Pontius Pilate, ca. 29-32 AD. Thiscoin depicts the lituus, a wooden staff used byRoman priests to invoke the gods. The otherside depicts a laurel wreath, which is a sign ofvictory and power. The iconography of thiscoin demonstrates a shift from Jewishiconography to Roman symbols

Roman Governors

6 – 66 AD

•Pontius Pilate (26–36 AD)

•Cumanus (48–52 AD)

•Florus (64–66 AD)

First Jewish Revolt:Pathway to War

Stop sacrifice for the Emperor

Gain control of Temple complex and Antonia fortress

Defeat Cestius, General in Syria

Nero chooses Vespasian as General

Conquers the North by 67

Becomes Emperor in 69

Rebels vs. Aristocrats

Factions: John of Gishgala, Simon Bar Giora, and Eleazar

Titus takes his father’s place

Tisha B’Av in 70 AD the Temple falls

Masada captured in 74 AD

The First Jewish Revolt66 – 70 AD

Under Emperor Hadrian

• Simon bar Kosiba/ Simon bar

Kochba defeated by Romans

• Aelia Capitolina

• Jews outlawed from

Jerusalem

Second Jewish Revolt132 –135 AD

BibliographyVanderKam, James C. An Introduction to Early Judaism. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2001.

Smallwood, Mary. The Jews Under Roman Rule: From Pompey to Diocletian: A Study in Political Relations. Boston: Brill, 2001.

Cohen, Shayne J. D. From the Maccabees to the Mishnah. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1987.