CST 130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: The Jewish War, Pharisees, Septuagint
10 Jun 2018
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Chapter 1
After returning from their exile in Babylon (587-539 BC), Jewish people began to build
synagogues as local places for worship and teaching, both in Palestine and Diaspora
Alexander the Great conquered the world (332-323 BC) and spread the Greek language and
culture (known as" Hellenism” even in Palestine among the Jewish people
Jewish people in Egypt translated their Hebrew scriptures (=OT) into a Greek language
translation known as the Septuagint
Antiochus 4 Epiphanes the Seleucid ruler from Antioch (175-164 BC), forced Hellenism on
the Jewish people and blatantly desecrated the Jerusalem temple (167 BC)
Judas the Maccabee led a successful revolt against the Greeks from Antioch
Under Judas the Maccabee leadership, the Jewish people RETOOK the JERUSALEM
TEMPLE in December 164BC restored the altar to Yahweh, and instituted the festival of
Hanukkah to commemorate the event
After the Maccabean revolt, their family known as the High Priests ruled the Jewish people
The Romans occupation of PALESTINE began in the year 63BC when the Roman general
Pompey entered Jerusalem with his troops
Herod the Great was appointed by Rome to rule as "King of the Jews"
Herod the Great was an imposing ruler with large building projects throughout the land,
including the renovation of Jerusalem temple
After Herod the Great died, his son Herod Antipas ruled Galilee and beheaded John the
Baptist
The Romans appointed their own prefects and procurators to govern Judea, including Pontius
Pilot who crucified Jesus, ca. 30AD
The first Jewish Revolt against Rome began in the year 66AD which led to the destruction of
Jerusalem and the Temple in the year 70AD and the fall of Masada in AD 73
Josephus was the Jewish historian who described all the events in detail in The Jewish Wars
and The Antiquities of the Jews
The Pharisees were a Jewish sect that were very pious and extremely legalistic
The Pharisees believed in a future resurrection of the righteous, recognized the existence of
angels & demands, and were usually found in rural settings
The Sadducees were a Jewish sect that were the "old school" Jewish aristocrats who held
only to the Torah as scripture, rejected the concept of a resurrection or spirits, and were very
influential in Jerusalem and the Temple
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