Second Temple Judaism

Ezra-Nehemiah to the Maccabees

Approximate Timeline (1)

• 540 Cyrus

• 520 Rebuilding Temple

• 458 Traditional date of Ezra

• 445 Nehemiah

• 333 Alexander the Great

Approximate Timeline (2)

• 323 Division of the Empire

• 200 Seleucids take Judah

• 175 Antiochus Epiphanes reigns

• 168 Maccabees Revolt

• 164 Rededication of Temple

• 63 Roman rule begins

Ezra 1-6

The Book Ezra

• In Hebrew, includes Ezra and Nehemiah– Ezr 1-6 Rebuilding temple– Ezr 7 – Neh 13 Rebuilding Wall and

Community

• Variant book (1 Esdras)– Eliminates Nehemiah story– Emphasizes Zerubbabel over Jeshua– Ties to 2 Chronicles

Building the Temple

• Decree of Cyrus [1:1-4; 6:1-5]• Opposition of “enemies” [4:1-5]• Confusion of temple and walls – and of

kings [4:6-24]• Haggai and Zechariah [5:1; 6:14]

– Encourage wall-building– No evidence of support for rebellion– Last positive reference to current prophets

Ezra 7-10; Nehemiah 9

Ezra in His Book (1)

• Mission from Artaxerxes– Ezra 7:11-26

• Trip home– Praise [Ezra 7:27-28]– Completing community [Ezra 8:15-20]– Fasting preparation [Ezra 8:21-25]

Ezra in His Book (2)

• Crisis of foreign wives– Ezra 9:1-4; 10:9-17

• Reading the law– Nehemiah 8:1-8

• Feast of booths– Nehemiah 8:13-18

Nehemiah 1-7; 12-13

Nehemiah in His Memoirs (1)

• Mission from Artaxerxes– Nehemiah 2:1-10

• Rebuilding walls– Nehemiah 2:17-20

• Righting economic injustice– Nehemiah 5:1-13

Nehemiah in His Memoirs (2)

• Settling of Jerusalem– Nehemiah 7:4-5

• [Nehemiah 11:1-2]

• Keeping Sabbath– Nehemiah 13:15-22

• Crisis of foreign marriages– Nehemiah 13:23-28

A Different View

• Third Isaiah– [See previous class notes]

• Jonah– Forgiveness for the oppressors

• Elephantine– Lost Jewish colony

• Ruth– David’s Moabite ancestry

Daniel 1-6

The Stories

• Daniel 1: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah prosper

• Daniel 2: Nebuchadnezzar’s statue dream

• Daniel 3: The fiery furnace

• Daniel 4: Nebuchadnezzar with the beasts

• Daniel 5: Belshazzar’s banquet

• Daniel 6: Darius and the lion’s den

Other Stories

• Additions to Greek Daniel– Susanna– Bel and the dragon– Prayer of Azariah and Song of the three

• Esther– Hebrew and Greek

• Tobit– Story of “Jewish” exiles from Israel

Daniel 7-12

Historical Cast of Characters

• Antiochus Epiphanes– “Epimanes”

• Mattathias – Priest in the village of Modin

• Judas– Maccabeus [The Hammer]

• Jonathan and Simon– His brothers

Daniel’s Visions

• The four beasts [Daniel 7]• The ram and he-goat [Daniel 8]• Daniel’s prayer – and 70 weeks [Daniel 9]• Vision of the man who predicts fall of

Persia and battles among Greeks, until they lose in battle against Michael [Daniel 10-12]– Daniel 12:5-13

Related Works

• 1 and 2 Maccabees [partisan histories]• 3 Maccabees [in Egypt]• Judith

– Fictional battle won by resourceful woman

• Apocalyptic– 2 Esdras– Revelation– 1 Enoch

Legacy for the Future

• Models of witness / martyrdom• Divisions in the community

– Sadducees, Samaritans, Pharisees, Essenes, People of the Land

• Hope– Community rebirth– Individual resurrection