...“Intertestamental period”, or the “Second Temple Period” represent a period within history, which upholds an interpretation for both Christianity and Judaism. According to Judaism, this era acknowledges the “Second Temple Period”, which exemplifies the Jewish Diaspora. First, “diaspora” simply means “dispersion” or “scattering.” This dispersion or scattering began through the efforts of the Assyrians when they defeated Israel in 722 B.C. In effect, the Jewish nation dispersed all over the Middle East, Egypt, and Babylon. These individuals literally disappeared from antiquity due to the results of the Jewish Diaspora. However, Nebuchadnezzar endured the Jewish populaces to inaugurate a cohesive group within Babylon around 597 B.C. Nevertheless, the subject of this essay will focus on the Christian assessment of the “Intertestamental Period.” For centuries, Christian intellectuals describe the era from the final quarter of the fifth century B.C. to the first century A.D. as the “Intertestamental Period.” This era arises with the reconstructing of the Jewish temple in the late sixth century, and terminating with its annihilation in A.D. 70. The “Intertestamental Period” represents a significant account of the supernatural hand of God throughout antiquity. The “Intertestamental Period” characterizes the period from the concluding of the Old Testament, the book of Malachi to the beginning of the New Testament, the book of Matthew. This era embraces about 400 “silent years”. The meaning...
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...differences. I will be discussing the history of Judaism, reviewing information from a synagogue visit called Temple Beth Hillel in Valley Village, CA along with an interview with a member from the synagogue Melanie Fine, and finally looking similarities and differences between Judaism and Christianity. During my research for this paper, along with the assignments in class, I have found Judaism that there was much about Judaism I did not know and many misconceptions I have had. I have learned a lot not only from this assignment but from the class in general. Judaism is based from many centuries of tradition and does not have an actual leader who makes decisions on how things are to be run nor does anyone decide if there are changes should be made. It is considered both a religious and ethnic group, which can be confusing for people who do not know very much about Judaism. Judaism was named as an ethnicity in the 1980s by the United States Supreme Court so they could be covered in the anti-discrimination laws that would protect them. Over the years the Jewish people have had many challenges and have been persecuted in many different ways. I often feel they are a minority group which has suffered the most and they are still being persecuted today in some countries. Judaism began in the Middle East; or more specifically it began in Israel, in the nomadic tribes about 3500 years ago. According to the sacred text of the Old Testament, Abraham was asked by God to...
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...September 9, 2009 Table of Contents The table of contents is empty because none of the paragraph styles selected in the Document Inspector are used in the document. Bibliography 25 Introduction Students of Church history are often puzzled by the sharp contrast between the Jewishness of the writers and events of the New Testament on one hand and the definitively non-Jewish character of the Early Church after the apostolic period on the other hand. An appreciation of the Jewish background of the Early Church and knowledge of the development of Jewish-Christian relations in the first three centuries of the Christian era is therefore crucial if one desires to understand the parting of ways between Judaism and Christianity. These two sister faiths would become bitter enemies within a few centuries after the emergence of the Christian faith. This paper, while heavily relying and interacting with primary sources of the time, will endeavor to highlight the Jewish origin of Christianity, trace its development within Judaism, and chronicle its inexorable divorce from its Jewish roots and sister faith. Setting the stage: the expansion of the Jewish Diaspora During the Persian occupation of Palestine (538-332 BC), many Jews decided to pass on the magnanimous offer of Cyrus allowing them to return to Palestine and chose to remain in Babylonia where subsequently, the Jewish population grew in influence over the centuries.1 Already during the Babylonian invasion and in the lifetime...
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...believed that Judaism originated in the year 1812 BC, this is during the Bronze Age. The main founder of Judaism is Moses. However, it is believed by many who practise the religion of Judaism that the history of the religion can be traced back to Abraham. The holy book in the religion of Judaism is the hebrew scriptures. This is also referred to as the old testament called the Tanakh. The Tanakh is make from the torah scroll and kipper, the pentateuch and the nevi’im....
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...Contents Introduction 1 History 1 Evolution of Judaism and Christianity 2 Practices of Judaism and Christian 2 Similarities between Judaism and Christianity 4 Differences between Judaism and Christianity 4 Conclusion 5 References 6 Introduction Religion is a sacred entity in many cultures. Throughout the history and even today we see the practice of religion in all the places of the world. Religion is defined as an organized system of belief, ceremonies, practices and worship that centers on one or more gods. Religion continues to be a dominant force around the world, affecting everything from what people wear to how they behave. There are thousands of religions in the world and from that Judaism is the religion of more than fourteen million Jews throughout the world and it was first major religion to teach the existence of only one god. The basic laws and teachings of Judaism come from Torah, the first five books of Hebrew Bible. Christianity is the largest religion in the world with about two billion followers. It is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Most of the Christians are member of one of the three groups: Roman Catholic, Protestant or Eastern Orthodox. The following pages concentrate on Judaism and Christianity and their history, practices, similarities and differences. History Judaism began about 4,000 years as the religion of small Middle Eastern group of people called Hebrews or Jews. Hebrew or Jews belief they were protected and...
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...EZRA AND HEROD THE GREAT Ezra and Herod the Great Ezra and Herod the Great, two important figures taking part in the history of the Jews. Who are they? What were their contributions to Jewish life? How did they affect the way of life of the Jews at the beginning of the Common Era? The object of the assignment is to discuss these events. Ezra was a man of great importance to the development of Judaism. He was known as Ezra the Scribe and Ezra the Priest (Hirsch, 2002). According to Niswonger, Ezra was one of the people who led the Jews back to their lands after the exile by the Persians (1988). Ezra stressed that marriages to pagan was deeply offensive. He taught that in order to establish and build the Jewish identity, Jew should only marry within their community (Niswonger, 1988). Niswonger states that Ezra was not only a scribe, but “a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses (1988, p.55). Ezra stresses the importance of the oral traditions of the Synagogues. The lecture teaches us that Ezra was an instrumental in the acceptance of the Torah, the Jewish bible as their cannon (Price, 2008). Because of the teachings of Ezra, the Jews became a people together who followed the book and the oral laws as interpreted by the scribes (Price, 2008). Niswonger teaches that these scribes were often referred to as “The Great Synagogue (1988, p. 73). Ezra was a very important part of the value that the Jews placed on the Law of the Torah and other teaching, but...
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...where his father was a bishop. He knew Christianity from an early age. History has it that he was a wealthy Christian in Rome whose trade was ship building; where he acquired his wealth . Walker, Williston noted that he came to Rome about 139 CE, Haunted by the problem of evil and suffering in the world, where he espoused dualism that distinguished the OT God and the NT God . The main sources for Marcion's life are Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Hippolytus . It is of importance to not that although his own works are not existing we know the position of Marcion and the Marcionites church through their writings. Legend has it that before moving to Rome, he disgraced himself by having affair with a woman, and was excommunicated by his father , but it is not clear if the excommunication was for the affair or for false teaching. He joined the Church in Rome and his aim was to call the Church back to what he deemed the original gospel of Jesus Christ. Possible Influence and Background By The second century there was a steady growth of Gentile Christianity, and also lots of oppornets at this time. A new generation of leaders succeeds the apostles. Nevertheless, expectation still runs high that the Lord may return at any time. The end must be close. The Gospel has been taken through a great portion of the known world of the Roman empire and even to regions beyond. New churches at first usually begin in Jewish synagogues around the empire and Christianity is seen at first as a part of Judaism...
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...They were responsible for bearing children and maintaining the house. Men were not allowed to greet women in the public eye. Philo was taught that women didn’t leave their homes unless they were going to the Synagogue or Temple. The man could divorce the wife, but the women couldn’t divorce. Usually the women were married young, and if she ended up being a widow, she was protective and authority of a man: like her father or male relative to her...
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...Judaism Introduction Judaism is an ancient religion that has an age-old history and tradition which was originally for the Jewish people. It is perhaps the oldest surviving monotheist religion in the world today. The two other popular monotheist religions – Christianity and Islam – being propagated today have so many of their beliefs and tenets borrowed or copied fro Judaism. Christianity is said to be an offshoot of Judaism since its founders and the early organizers who propagated the faith and spread its teachings during its early days were members of Judaism. The Arabian Prophet Mohammad who founded the Moslem faith was said to have copied or at least patterned some of the religious tenets to that of Judaism. Some of the texts in the Moslem Holy Book know as the Holy Koran are patterned or at least have some similar contents as are found in the Jewish Torah. The Christian Holy Bible contains both Old Testament which corresponds to the Jewish Torah and the New Testament. Brief History of Judaism The Jewish Religion, one of the oldest in the world today, spanned thousands of years – dating 4,000 years back. It is a religion with a unique tradition because of its monotheistic belief. The religion first started with simple act of worship and sacrifices to God by the Patriarch Abraham. The event of Abraham’s attempt to sacrifice his only son Isaac is well document in the Torah. From the questions Isaac posed to his father on why they had no lamb for sacrifice was an indication...
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...MB532 READING AND INTERPRETING THE NEW TESTAMENT ASSIGNMENT 1: SHORT STUDY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT WORLD KRISTINA TODD DR SARAH HARRIS DUE: 6 AUGUST 2015 WORD COUNT: 824 It is important to examine The Temple and Jerusalem’s past, to understand their significance to First Century Jewish People. Acknowledging what the temple meant before and after the diaspora, and the similarities and differences between the first and second temples, is vital to determine Herod’s Temples significance. Before the diaspora Judaism focused solely on using the Temple for sacrifices, festivals and honouring God. The Jews were a community who gathered to celebrate The Passover, Pentecost and Festival of Booths each year to remember their past and thankfulness to God . These festivals gave the Jews a sense of identity, illustrating where they came from and who they were. After the diaspora, when Solomon’s temple was destroyed in 586BC by the Babylonians, Jewish faith changed, to accommodate the lack of a temple and homeland. In their exile, Jews had to discover a way to repent and worship God without the Temple. Before its destruction, “God was inseparable from the Temple,” to the Jewish society. Synagogues were created during their exile to debate scripture and pray, as a substitute for the temple. It has been believed, that Jews dependence on the second temple spiritually speaking was not as strong as with the first temple. Many diaspora Jews chose not to attend festivals regularly...
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...History of Judaism until 164 BCE The Old Testament The history of Judaism is inseparable from the history of Jews themselves. The early part of the story is told in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). It describes how God chose the Jews to be an example to the world, and how God and his chosen people worked out their relationship. It was a stormy relationship much of the time, and one of the fascinating things about Jewish history is to watch God changing and developing alongside his people. The Bronze Age Jewish history begins during the Bronze age in the Middle East. The birth of the Jewish people and the start of Judaism is told in the first 5 books of the Bible. God chose Abraham to be the father of a people who would be special to God, and who would be an example of good behaviour and holiness to the rest of the world. God guided the Jewish people through many troubles, and at the time of Moses he gave them a set of rules by which they should live, including the Ten Commandments. The birth of Judaism This was the beginning of Judaism as a structured religion The Jews, under God’s guidance became a powerful people with kings such as Saul, David, and Solomon, who built the first great temple. From then on Jewish worship was focussed on the Temple, as it contained the Ark of the Covenant, and was the only place where certain rites could be carried out. Rebuilding a Jewish kingdom The Jews grew in strength throughout the next 300 years BCE, despite their lands...
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...Peggy Cobb Intro to the Old Testament Professor John Holk The Exodus Event and its Significance The following quote sums up the significance of the Exodus Event: “The exodus was the most important salvation event of the Old Testament. God rescued his people from Egyptian bondage by miraculous and extraordinary means. The crossing of the Sea is the climactic moment of their rescue [see Exodus 14]. They had no human means to escape Egypt, but God himself provided the way out. We should not be surprised that the significance of such an important event reverberates through the rest of the Old Testament and into the New Testament (Tremper Longman III, How to Read Exodus [Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic, 2009], 145).” Two great religions come from the Bible, which is from the word biblos which means book in Greek. The Old Testament has Judaism and in the New Testament we have Christianity. The Bible, while telling a story from beginning to end, explains the beliefs of the founders and early followers of the religions. Historical evidence such as written documents or archaeological remains, offer very few traces of the story in the Old Testament and none whatsoever of the New Testament events. Jewish Bibles are thought to have been written beginning in the 10th century BC, and by that time the Hebrews have settled in Canaan or Palestine. However, it is also believed that some events could go back to the 18th century BC; and many parts it is presumed the scribes are...
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...INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD NEW TESTAMENT ORIENTATION I NBST 525 AN ANALYSIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTERS OF ARTS IN RELIGION LIBERTY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY BY: LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………1 THE INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD…………………………………….1 HEROD THE GREAT’S PALESTINIAN RULE…………………………...7 CONCLUSION………………………………………….…………………..9 INTRODUCTION The Intertestamental period is the time between the last book in the Old Testament and the first book in the New Testament. This period is said to be around two centuries or about 400 years long. This particular timeframe dubbed the “Intertestamental period” is filled with numerous changes in power, war, struggles, treachery and events that changed religious record. This period is vastly rich in history and dramatically impacted the New Testament leading up to and during the time of Christ. This paper will explore the roughly 400 years that make up this era and examine the role that Herod the Great played in shaping the religious and political groups Jesus encountered. THE INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD The last sections of the Old Testament illustrate Darius the Persian as the ruler over Persia. At the time Judea was part of the Persian Empire. In 597 B.C. Judea was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar who was the King of Babylon this ended Jewish independence. Nebuchadnezzar had decided to take certain knowledgeable Jews...
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...PAUL'S JOURNEY FROM JERUSALEM TO ROME The Apostle Paul arrives in Jerusalem together with some of the disciples from Caesarea. He is lodged "with one of the early disciples, Mnason from Cyprus." The next day Paul goes to see James, and all the elders of the Jerusalem church are also present. Paul tells them "in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry." After hearing it they praise God and say to him: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the Law." These words indicate that it was the orthodox Jews of that time who had were better qualified than others to comprehend Jesus' Messiahship. And this is the way it is today, too. However, Paul had to remember that rumours were being spread about him that he teaches Jews to abandon Moses and forbids circumcision. Therefore he should take four men who "have made a vow." Now their Nazirite time had expired and therefore as a sign of this they had to have their hair cut and offer a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord.99 Paul "purified himself" with them, paid for their offering and took them into the Temple, so that people could conclude that Paul too lived according to the Law. And the elders assured them a second time that "as for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat from which the blood has not been drained and from sexual immorality." Thus they held fast...
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...overall themes of creation, the fall of man and redemption are clear throughout (Williams, 2002). Military historian Chauncy Sanders mentions three criteria scholars use in historiography (Williams, 2002). When applied to test whether the scriptures we have are the same as the original documents, that is to test their accuracy, these are manuscript evidence (textual), Biblical evidence (internal) and historical evidence (external) (Zuckeran 2003). First we need to examine the number of manuscripts available. The more ancient texts there are to support a particular wording or fact, the greater chance of accuracy. There are over 53,000 documented Greek manuscripts and thousands of Latin Vulgate and other versions or fragments of New Testament manuscripts...
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