The World

Jesus Lived In

Presented by Randy Broberg

Your Instructor, in his

archaeology days French

Beret

Long

Hair

Jesus Didn’t Live ―Once Upon a Time‖

• You Need to Know the History

– For Interpretation

– For Apologetics

• Luke 1:1-5

– Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things

accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those

who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it

seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully

from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most

excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the

things you have been taught. In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there

was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife

from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

The ―World‖ as They Knew It

―Come On, Knock it Off, I dare you.‖

• Matthew 2:1

• Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king….

• Luke 2:1-2

• Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

Luke 3:1-2

•Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.

So When did Jesus Live?

“The Time of the Second Temple”

• When discussing the history of Judaism, scholars refer to this period as the period of the “Second Temple.”

• The period dates from rebuilding of “second” temple in 538 BC to destruction of that temple in 70 AD. Likely location of ―money changers‖

So When Did Jesus Live?

The Time of the Pax Romana

• Jesus was born in the Roman Empire during the rule of Augustus, the first emperor

• Jesus died and rose again under emperor Tiberius, the second emperor.

• The Church first grew under Emperor Gaius(aka Caligula).

• Paul was in Corinth under Emperor Claudius

• Paul and Peter martyred under Emperor Nero

• John writes Revelation under Emperor Domitian.

Augustus Caesar,

a.k.a. “Octavian”,

nephew of Julius Caesar

Romans Acquire

Judea 63 BC

• Romans Invited to resolve dynastic

dispute!

• Pompey captures Palestine in 63

B.C. desecrates the Temple!

Roman General

Pompey who added

Judea to Roman

Empire

This is the same guy whose head was

given to Julius Caesar in a basket in

the movie ―Cleopatra‖ starring

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton

Romans Appoint Herod as King (37-4 BC)

• Idumean, family forcibly circumcised by Maccabees

• Ruled by terror and brutality

• violation of Jewish laws (theatre, gymnasium,)

• oppressive taxation

• fortresses & palaces

• Rebuilt Jewish Temple

Herod the Great’s

Buildings

cistern

Herodium Fortress

Megiddo fortress

Herod’s Temple

Herod’s kingdom

divided among

three sons • Antipas - Galilee and Perea

• Philip - Golan Heights

• Archelaus - Judea - after 6 CE ruled by procurators. *Pontius Pilate 26-36 CE

• Independent Greek Cities

Current Jordan

Current

Lebanon Current

Syria

Modern

Israel

Does Not

Match the

―Holy

Land‖

Palestine Scenery

Mount of Olives

Geography, Scenery and Climate

a lot like San Diego’s!

“Jesus went up”

and “Jesus went

down”

Sea of Galilee

Jews, Hellenized Jews and Gentiles

Living Together

• Palestine thickly populated – est 700,000

• In some areas there are more Gentiles than

Jews (e.g., ―Decapolis‖ in Galilee)

Languages

• Hebrew –Language of Liturgy

– Loss of knowledge of Hebrew outside a few Rabbis

• Aramaic – Syrian/Babylonian language of the common people

• Koine Greek --Language of the marketplace

• Latin --Language of government

Sophisticated Culture on Trade Cross

Roads

Jerusalem as it was in Herod’s reign.

Model, Holy Land Hotel, Jerusalem

Jerusalem as it was in Herod’s reign.

Model, Holy Land Hotel, Jerusalem

Alexander’s Empire

Divided after his Death

• Ptolemies secured control of Egypt

– Took possession of Jerusalem

– held it until 198

• Seleucus obtained Syria and Asia

Minor

– Antiochus III incorporated

Judea into Seleucid kingdom in

198

– Law of Moses: status of royal

law in Judea

Antiochus III

Hellenization &

End Times Mania• “Hellenization”--From name of

Greeks, “Hellenes”

• Greek language, thought & culture

• Antiochus IV:

– Forbids the observance of the Mosaic Law

– Forbids circumcisions

– Rededicates the Temple to Zeus

– Slaughters a pig on the now pagan altar

• Daniel’s prophecy “Abomination of Desolation” fulfilled?

• Was Antiochus IV the ―prince‖ in Daniel?

• Looking for the Messiah under every bed.

Now You Know Why they

Call them Nikes! Swoosh!

―Nike‖-- the

Winged

Victory

Zenith of Hellenism

within a few miles of Nazareth

The ―Mona Lisa‖ of Galilee

Greek

Amphitheater in

Caesaria

John 12:20-21

•Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks so these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

Temple Profaned by Antiochus

Maccabees outside of priestly line

Temple Polluted by Romans

Herod’s appointed priests not in priestly

line

Competing Temples !! (Egypt, Samaria)

Second Temple Worship

Development of Synagogues

• Developed during the Exile Event

• Means “assembly”

• Pattern of worship

– Reading of the Shema (Deut.

6:4ff)

– Prayer

– Singing of Psalms

– Reading from the Law and

Prophets

– Homily/Interpretation

– Blessing/Benediction

• Bema White Synagogue in Capernaum

Synagogue Meetings

• Reading of the Shema (Deut. 6:4ff)

• Prayer

– there was room for free prayer -- generally prayed standing with face toward Jerusalem

or Temple. One prayed and the whole congregation said Amen.

• Singing of Psalms

– Philo (DeVita Contemplativa) mentions the responsive singing of the Psalms by the Essenes.

• Reading from the Law and Prophets

• Homily/Interpretation

– After the reading of the law and the prophets, and exposition or work of exhortation was

given by some qualified person locally or by a distinguished visitor (as Christ in Nazareth

and Paul and Barnabas at Antioch).

– Rabbi stood to read. Sat to preach

• Blessing/Benediction

Synagogue Buildings • Rectangular

Meeting Room

with benches

forming a U

shape

• Kitchens and

Eating Areas

• Libraries and

Meeting Rooms

Judaism• Monotheism-- the shema

• Images of God forbidden

• Anticipation of a Messiah,

political deliverer.

• Law (Torah) practice, not

doctrine or ―theology‖

• Mishna (Oral Traditions,

regulations)

• Temple (Ceremony, Ritual)

Jewish worship

• Jewish worship on the Sabbath -- whatever its origin -- is upheld by its antiquity, while their other customs, which are ill-omened and disgusting, gain strength from their depravity. They sit apart at meals, and have adopted circumcision in order to make manifest their difference from other men, and converts to their religion accept this custom. It is a crime to kill any superfluous children...and their burial customs are similar to those of the Egyptians, as is their belief about the underworld. But their faith about things divine is very different. While the Egyptians worship many animals and images mixing men and beasts, the Jews have a mental conception of their God as a single essence.–Tacitus Histories, 5.5

Jewish Holidays• Passover & Unleavened Bread (March-April)

– Commemorates the Exodus Event

• Pentecost (April-May)

– Marks the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai

• New Year (Rosh Hashanah) (September-October) Lev.15

• Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) (September-October)

– national repentance, fasting, and atonement

• Festival Tabernacles/Booths (October-November)

– Commemorates the wilderness wanderings

• Festival of Lights/Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) (December)

– Commemorates the rededication of the temple during the Maccabean revolt

• Feast of Purim (January-February)

– Commemorates the deliverance of Israel during the time of Esther

John 10:22-24

• At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon so the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

Initiation

Rites

• Circumcision

• baptism

Jewish Baptisms

• Jews performed ritual immersion

("mikveh―) for purification purposes and

imitation of converts.

• Mikveh in Hebrew literally means any

gathering of waters, but is specifically

used in Jewish law for the waters or

bath for the ritual immersion.

• Baptism was a term used in the Old

Testament to indicate the practice of

washing according to the Mosaic laws

of purification (Ex. 30:17-21; cf. Mark

7:4

• The concept of immersion in rabbinic

literature is referred to as a new birth

[Yeb. 22a; 48b; 97b; Mass. Ger. c.ii].

Mikveh in Jerusalem near Temple

Whom the Jews

Baptized

• According to Jewish law

Immersion is required for

both men and women

when converting to

Judaism.

• The person being baptized

made special preparations

by undressing completely

and made a fresh

profession of faith before

the designated "fathers of

the baptism" [Kethub.

11a; Erub 15a].

How the Jews Baptized

• There are six descending orders of ritual baths in the Mishnah [Oral Laws of how to accomplish the written Law] and the highest order is that of a spring or flowing river, called Living Water.

• The candidate would totally immerse himself in the water.

• Immersion was accompanied by exhortations and benedictions [Maimonides Hilkh. Milah iii.4; Hilkh. Iss, Biah Xiv.6].

• A convert would reaffirm his acceptance of the Torah by declaring, "I will do and I will hear" [Deuteronomy 29:9-14].

• Jewish baptism was to be performed in the presence of witnesses in whose name he was immersed [Yebam. 47b].

The Jewish Passover Meal

• Cup—reading of Gen 1:31b-

2:3;

• blessing+ sanctification of the

Sabbath

• Bread blessed, broken,

distributed

• Meal

• Birkat ha-Mazon cup blessed

on feast days.

Olive Tree in Garden of

Gesthemene

Groups: Zealots: Zionists

• Very nationalistic

• Opposed Hellenization

• Opposed Herod’s high taxes

and tax collectors

• Opposed Roman Control.

• Revolts of 70 AD and Bar

Kochba

• Wasn’t a religious

movement, was a political

movement.

• Who are today’s Zealots?Candelabra, NOT STAR OF DAVID, was the universal Jewish symbol

Groups: Pharisees:

Orthodox and Self

Righteous

• Name means “separated ones”

• Developed after the Maccabean revolt

• Opposed to Hellenization

• Developed the synagogues

• Very legalistic

• Avoid ―sinners‖

• Afterlife, Resurrection

• Awaited Messiah

• Hostile towards Jesus’ teachings & ministry

• Who are the Pharisees today?

Recreation of Sanhedrin Scene

Matthew 9:11

•And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Matthew 23:15

•Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

Groups: Scribes: Legalists

• A professional group that interpreted/taught the Old Testament law

• Gave judicial opinions on cases brought to them

• Developed after the exile

• Synonymous with ―lawyer,‖ ―scribe,‖ ―teacher of the law,‖ and ―rabbi‖

• Jesus condemned the scribes in the same manner he condemned the Pharisees

• scribes unified in opposition to Jesus

• Who are the Scribes today?

Second Temple (model). Destroyed in 70 A.D.

Separationism

• Sabbath (39 classes of work forbidden)

• purity laws

• Dietary laws

Fear of a gentile infiltrating the

Temple• When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, who

had seen him [Paul] in the Temple, stirred up all the crowd, and laid hands on him, crying out, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching men everywhere against the people and the law and this place; moreover he also brought Greeks into the Temple, and he has defiled this holy place." For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the Temple. Then all the city was aroused, and the people ran together; they seized Paul and dragged him out of the Temple, and at once the gates were shut. And as they were trying to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. He at once took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them; and when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

• Acts 21.27-32

The Messiah

• Zealots expected a Revolutionary

• Sadducees did not believe in a coming Messiah.

• Essenes expected two separate figures.

– King and Priest

• Jesus did not fulfill expectations

– Did not restore the lands of Israel, didn’t free his

people, no universal peace, terrible death.

Groups:

Sadducees:Preserving Dead

Ritual But Denying

Truth of Faith

• value rituals in Temple

• Accepted only 5 books of Moses

• Do not believe in: Resurrection, Afterlife, Final Judgment, Angels/Spirits, Divine Providence, Messiah

• Relationship with Jesus

– Sought to discredit Jesus’ teachings & ministry

– Jesus had little in common with the Sadducees

• Josephus - says that they deny fate and compares them with Epicureans

– deny immortality of the soul and resurrection

• Sadducees had little political power

• Who are the Sadducees today?

Groups: Essenes: End Times Maniacs

• founded by ―Teacher of Righteousness‖

• Established very strict communities similar to monasteries

• Rejected Temple worship

• sect would be vindicated when temple purged of evil

• Massacred by Romans in 68 AD.

• Left Dead Sea Scrolls (found in 1947)

• Who are the Essenes today?

Samaritans

• Distinctive Jewish group between Judea and Galilee

• Regarded as an alien people who practiced a false

form of Judaism.

• Worshipped on Mount Gerizim instead of

Jerusalem.

• Viewed favorably in NT.

• Continue to exist today.

Josephus Describes John the Baptist

• But to some Jews the destruction of Herod's army seemed to be divine vengeance, and certainly a just vengeance, for his treatment of John, surnamed the Baptist. For Herod had put him to death, though he was a good man and had exhorted the Jews to lead righteous lives, to practice justice towards their fellows and piety towards God, and so doing to join in baptism. In his view this was a necessary preliminary if baptism was to be acceptable to God. They must not employ it to gain pardon for whatever sins they committed, but as a consecration of the body implying that the soul was already thoroughly cleansed by righteousness.

• Josephus's Antiquities (18.116-118).

Mikveh in Jerusalem

near Temple

Josephus’

Account of JesusAbout this time arose Jesus, a wise man, if indeed it

be lawful to call him a man. For he was a doer

of wonderful deeds, and a teacher of men who

gladly receive the truth. He drew to himself

many both of the Jews and of the Gentiles. He

was the Christ; and when Pilate, on the

indictment of the principal men among us, had

condemned him to the cross, those who had

loved him at the first did not cease to do so, for

he appeared to them again alive on the third

day, the divine prophets having foretold these

and ten thousand other wonderful things about

him. And even to this day the race of

Christians, who are named from him, has not

died out.‖

--Antiquities xviii 63f. Map of Jerusalem