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Jewish History (1) All this happens during the time of Beit Hamikdash II when Bnei Yisrael was together, action in their own land. A few dates: -Assyria (Assure) came in 719 B. C. E. -Babylonia (Bavel) came in 586 B.
C. E. -Beit Hamikdash Ideas built in 516 B. C. E. Alexander the Great (Alexander Monday-Macedonia) captured Eretz Yisrael in 332 B.
C. E. He captured everything from the Middle East through India. He introduced Hellenistic culture into the land (Paganism, importance of the body, Greek literature, Philosophy). The importance of the body was the most important thing in Hellenism- sports were a religious thing. Polis- (city state) a Greek city with Greek citizens (conquered by Alexander) and special people dwell there.
They built gymnasiums, ephebe ums (schools where they learned about sports and their bodies). The Greeks loved money and business. We know this because of the Zenon Papyrii. Zenon waste agent to the Greek treasurer. He wrote letters to someone and they found several thousand of those letters. In them he only spoke of money and business-not of culture and religion.
Alexanders Meeting With the Jews: The sources are Josephus and the Talmud (You and Taanit) There are plenty of contradictions in the stories of Josephus and the Talmud. Tcherikowerdidn t believe the story was right according to Josephus. His problems: A. Talmud 1. At the time Shimon the Tzaddik was the Cohen Gadol 2.
It says they media Antipatrus Josephus: 1. At the time Yaduahwas the Cohen Gadol 2. It says they media Yerushalaim B. If he did go to Yerushalaim, then that would be way out of the way of where he was coming format where he had to go. He had to do this al in 7 days, which did not give him enough time to go to Yerushalaim, which was out of his way. C.
Tcherikower was a secular philosopher so he says that if the Jews showed Alexander Sefer Daniel couldn t be possible because that was written later than the time he came. D. Also Josephus says that the Chaldeans (Chasidim) came with Alexander but at the time that he came he had not yet captured Bavel where the Chaldeans lived. E.
Another problemi's that Alexander s meeting with the Jews is not mentioned in the stories ofthe Greeks Historians. So Tcherikowercomes to a few conclusions: 1. Alexanderdefinitely did meet with the Jews 2. Alexanderdefinitely did give the Jews the right to live according to the laws of their fathers 3. There was adequate between the Shomranim. [The Shomranim were Jews who had their Mikdash on Har Gerizim and it says in the Talmud, Taanit, that you cannot fast on that Yom Har Gerizim. ] The DiadochiPeriod 323 - 301 B. C.
E. In 323 B. C. E. Alexander died. The Diadoci were those who wanted to rule after Alexander seat: Ptolemy (Talmud) - Egypt Seleucid (Selekus) - Syria [Antigonus- Greece-but not that important] Ptolemy and Seleucid fought over Eretz Yisrael- it was a very chaotic period in Jewish history.
The Ptolemaic Rule over Eretz Yisrael 301 B. C. E. - Ptolemy I captured Eretz Yisrael Sources: Hecataeus says that there were good relations between the Jews and Ptolemy Agatharchides says that there were bad relations between them Answer- some Jewsliked Ptolemy and some Jews liked Seleucid, so both sources could be right. (We know that the Jews guarding the gate in Yerushalaim supported Seleucid. ) So there were twig families: The Oniadfamily (Choniah) - they were the Cohanim Gedolim- (prost asia- the spiritual and political leadership privilege given to the Cohen Gadol) The Tobiadfamily (Tuviah) Choniah did not like Ptolemy because he made the taxes too high, and he refused to pay them. Someone from the Tuviah family, Yosef ben Tuviah, said to Ptolemy Ifyou give me the prost asia, I will get Choniah to pay you taxes. Ptolemy said OK. In 205 B.
C. E. Ptolemy IV died and the next in line was too young to rule so the Seleucidfamily comes to rule. The Seleucid Rule over Eretz Yisrael- 198 B.
C. E. When the Seleucidfamily came into power and wanted to start a new calendar to mark this occasion. The Jews used this calendar for a long time and it was called MinyanShetarot. They gave the Jews the privilege to live according to the laws of their fathers. According to that calendar 312 B.
C. E. = 0 in the Minyan She tarot Septuagint- Targum Shivim Sources: Gemarah Aristeas- the letter of Aristeas They both say that 70 elders came together to translate the Torah from Hebrew to Greek. Why? Ptolemy II had a library and had every book in the world in it and also wanted Hebrew books to add to the collection so the Torah was translated. Our Rabbis say that the day that the translated the Torah was like the day that Bnei Yisraelsinned with the Golden Calf, because the holy Torah is being translated into an unholy language. However, this was good for the Jews in Alexandria who were beginning to assimilate and were forgetting Hebrew.
Secular Books- not from Tanach and were written during the time of Beit II These were the Apocrypha, books that were supposedly prophecies yet were not written in Reach Hakodesh. Their content: History- Macabee's Aand B, The Letter of Aristeas Mussar- Ben Torah Halachot- Bavel (Jubilees) Prophecies for the future which was the apocalypse- an ugly, bloody and violent end to the world- Revelations. In the Genizah inthe attic in an old Shul in Cairo they found many important things. One of thomas a Mussar book called Ben Torah- this is the only book mentioned inthe Gemarah, and they found it in the original Hebrew.
Pseudopigrepha- were secular books supposedly written by famous prophets or rulers- but they were really written by anonymous phony people. Our Rabbis knew the truth and knew they were phony. Some of the secular books were put in the Christian Bible- New Testament. Gerousia counsel of elders who were there to greet Antiochus III when he came. The Hasmonaean's- The Story of Chanukah (2) So we ended outlast time saying that Antiochus III was a good king for the Jews and helped them build up Yerushalaim. (The Gerousia, the counsel of elders, greeted Antiochus III when he came to Yerushalaim, showing that they liked him).
A. So now Antiochus IV comes along and he is horrible (he s the Antiochus from Chanukah) - Why did decree such bad things against the Jews? (We ll find out later what the reasons were) At the time there were different political parties in the nation: 1) The Bnei- Choniah family (Oniads) - they writhe traditional Jews and the Cohanim Gedolim of the nation. 2) The Bnei- Tuviah family (Tobias) - they were moderate Hellenisers. 3) The 3 Brothers (Gimmel Achim) - Simon, Lysimachus, and Menelaeus. They were radical Hellenisers and were very evil. B. The Sources: 1. The Gemarah 2.
Macabee's A and B (Apocrypha) We prefer to go according to Macabee's A. Why? a. A is a real source by someone who lived during the time, while B is only a summary of what Jason of Cyrene said b. A is in Hebrew, while B is in Greek c.
A is orderly and neat, while B is confusing and mixed around d. A includes more information while B only discusses Yehudah the Macabee 3. Josephus- Jew who lived during the time of Beit Hamikdash II- and after the destruction, was captured and taken to Rome His works included: Antiquities- The story of the Jews fromthe creation of the world until the days of Josephus Contra Apion- Apion was a Greek anti-Semite so this work was against him Bellum Iudoreum- The war of the Jews-goes into horrible detail about the suffering of the Jews during the time the destruction of Beit II Vitae- Josephus autobiography So back to the story: Jason, the brother Choniah (NO connection to the one in Macabee's B) wanted to be the Cohen Gadol and wanted to introduce Hellenistic culture into Yerushalaim. He tells Seleucid that if he gets the prost asia, he will give Seleucid money. Now why would Seleucid want money from a puny little Jew? Because this money goes this military so he needs it.
This story shows how much the Jews, unfortunately, hated each other back then and shows how the non- Jews mixed in with state affairs and religious affairs. Jason built a gymnasium and an ephebic in Yerushalaim and made the city a Polis called Antioch (Antioch is also act in Syria). Though the Jews weren t thrilled, they stayed put because Jason let them practice their religion. Now Simon (one ofthe 3 brothers) told Seleucid that there are treasures in the Beit Hamikdash so Seleucid sent Heliodorus to take those treasures- not good.
Now Menelaeus went Antiochus and said he d give him more money than Jason for the prost asia, and in order to pay the king that money, he took out precious treasures fromthe Beit Hamikdash. He puts statues all over Yerushalaim. Another thing: He snot from the right family of Cohanim Gedolim. He arranged the death of Choniah, the Cohen Gadol. So the Jews are really mad at him but theban t just kick him out because then Antiochus would be upset that they kicked out the guy he chose. A rumor spread tothe Jews of Yerushalaim that Antiochus was killed so they kicked Menelaeus out.
Jason wanted to be leader now, but the Jews chased him out. Antiochus was noted and he comes back from war and he s really upset at the Jews. The year is 168 B. C. E. and he builds an Akra (tower) in Yerushalaim and puts Katoikia (soldiers) to watch over the Jews (Apolonius was the head military guy who was charge of building the Akra).
These soldiers were horrible to the Jews romans of them ran away. The first people to rebel were the Chasidim, against the Greeks (Menelaeus), but they weren t successful because they didn t fight on Shabbat, didn t have good strategies, and only fought for religious independence. In 168 - 167 B. C.
E. Antiochus started decreeing horrible things against the Jews and Judaism- they couldn t: Do Brit Mila Make sacrifices (Korbanot) to Hashem, and were forced to use the alter (Miz beach) for idol worshipping and paganism Keep Shabbat Keep Kashrut Keep holidays (Cohanim) In Modern livedMattityahu (son of a Cohen) and he was willing to kill anybody that practiced paganism. He had 5 sons: Yehudah the Macabee (the most famous), Yochanan, Yonatan, Eliezer, and Simon. Yehudah was the leader of the rebellion. In the Talmud, ofcourse, theres the story of Change and her 7 sons.
Another story: Yehudah- she went to the head military guy Heliphornus, got him drunk, chopped off his head, and brought it out to show all. Now why did the Hasmonaeans win? They fought on Shabbat, which the Chasidim didn t do They used guerrilla warfare and hardwood strategies, which the Chasidim didn t have They fought for both religious AND political reasons, while the Chasidim only fought for religious. Also note that the Jewish Hellenisers fought for the Greeks. Another Big Question- WHY did Antiochus give the decrees? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Polybius (a historian during Greek times) - He says that Antiochus was a Meshugenah, he was nuts and irrational Tcherikower- He says he made the decrees for political reasons.
He says first the Jews revolted and then have the decrees because he wanted to strengthen his empire and show Rome has power. In order to do this he must have RELIGIOUS UNITY in his empire. Hence the reason he tried to force the Jews to stop being Jewish. It wasn t against the Jews specifically; rather it was for his own political reasons. Bickerman (a Jewish Historian) - He says that the Jewish Hellenists went to Antiochus and asked them to put the decrees on the Jews. (He says, contradicting Tcherikower, that the decrees were given first and then they revolted. ) Bickerman also says that he made the decrees because he loved Hellenistic culture and wanted to spread it and wanted everyone to be a part of it- even the Jews. The Chain of Events of the Revolt: First, Yehudah the Macabee (with the Chasidim) fought against Apolonius Herod was sent by Antiochus.
After Yehudah killed Apolonius and Herod, many more Jews came to fight in their Two head military guys were sent by Antiochus- Nicanor and Gorgias- they ran away from the Jews like cowards Lysias was sent next. Yehudah won against him but sometime during this Eliezer the Macabee died Yehudah captured all of Yerushalaim except for the Akra. And they took out all of the idols and purified the Mikdash and the whole story of Chanukah happened. However, therefore still soldiers in the Akra. In 164 B. C.
E. Lysias placed a siege around Yerushalaim, so the Jewish victory wasn t so victorious. Antiochus IV died and Antiochus V is too young to take over as ruler of the Seleucid family so helen back to Syria. As of now the Chasidim accomplished what they wanted to in the war- religious independence. The Hasmonaean's, however, weren t done yet and they wanted to punish their enemies and there was a dispute- whether to continue fighting or to stop now.
Another problems- who s going to be the Cohen Gadol? The Chasidim wanted Alcimus to be Cohen Gadol but the Hasmonaean's didn t want him Lysias now wants take peace with the Jews. Since he wants to be king he doesn t have time tonight with the Jews. He sends messengers to the Jews telling them that underlie rule they live according to the laws of their fathers, and they can worship freely in Beit Hamikdash. He commands Menelaeus (whom the Jews hate) to billed. The Chasidim liked this but the Hasmonaean's didn t because they wanted political independence as well.
Demetrius and Lysias fight for the crown and Demetrius wins- so now he is the new king of Syria. Demetriussends Nicanor to fight and Yehudah kills Nicanor. He killed him on 13 Adar- so in Megilat Taanit it says you can t fast because it s Yom Nicanor (13 Adar is Taanit Esther) Yehudah wants take peace with the Romans saying that if enemies come against Rome, the Jews will help and vice versa. (This is a bad thing and because eventually the Romans want to capture Eretz Yisrael. In 161 B. C. E.
Bachides comes from Syriaand kills Yehudah. So now Yonatan is the new leader. Yonatan captures then- Jews on the coast of Eretz Yisrael and either kills them or forces them to convert. This is a means of revenge against them because they helped Syria. In Syria there is acidic war going on between Demetrius and Alexander Balas. Both sent messengers to Yonatan for his help.
Yonatan chose Alexander Balas and in the end Alexander won. Alexander, however, was very evil and tricked Yonatan into coming to a victory party- and he killed Yonatan there. In 140 B. C. E. Simon came into power.
He was the most successful of all the brothers: he captured almost all of Eretz Yisrael and the Akra. A gathering of Rabbis appointed Simon be president and Cohen Gadol. Signs of independence came from Simon s time. They found coins in Eretz Yisrael from his time that said Year 1 to the redemption Yerushalaim. / The Sects in the Time of Beit Hamikdash II (3) (Sorry about the really bad transliterations) A sect is a minority group amongst the majority. There were 2 major ones at this time: The Pharisees (Prushim) and The Sadducees (Sdukim) The sources: Talmud, Josephus, Roman Historians, and the Apocrypha The Pharisees: Believed in Torah Shebichtav and Torah She Baal Per (written and oral) b. What s the meaning of Prushim?
Push- meaning they wrote the Prushim on the Torah L Hafreesh- means to separate, meaning they separated themselves form the rest of the nation to make sure not to become impure They were the leaders of the nation Believed in the revival of the dead (Techiat Hametim) Believed in reward and punishment inthe world to come (Olam Rabah) Believed in Divine Intervention (Hashgachat Profit) The Sadducees: They only believed in Torah Shebichtav (written) and read the Torah literally They were the Aristocrats Believed to have come from SadokHaCohen (I think) Didn t believe in the revival of thread Didn t believe in reward and punishment in the world to come Didn t believe in Divine Intervention There was also another sect called the Essenes: Sources for them: Josephus, Pliny the Elder, Philo from Alexandria (He was a Jewish Philosopher who wanted to make a fusion between philosophy and Judaism. ) What is the meaning Essenes? (You have to see the words in Hebrew in order to understand) One interpretation says it comes from a word in Hebrew meaning hidden, and they were a hidden group Another explanation is a word in Hebrew that means healers- they were faith healers The Essenes were close to the Prushim in their beliefs just they didn t believe in BechirahChofshit (that you can choose what you want to do in life). The Essenes: The Essenes lived in the desert, andKumran (where the Dead Sea Sect lived) is in the desert Wore white clothes and believed in purification and going into the Mikvah They believed in shared property- no private property (like an early Kibbutz) Believed in celibacy (where they didn the married) Didn t have any pleasures from this world They didn t believe in the holiness ofthe Beit Hamikdash and didn t accept authority of the Cohanim in Yerushalaim. With the Dead Sea Scrolls they found the full Tanach (except Megilat Esther) and some of theses own Megilat, which described a bloody end of days- they were an Apocalyptic Group. Essential Socioeconomic differences Between the Sects (according to Josephus): The Pharisees were poor, farmers and lived in little villages (not many in cities). The Sadducees were rich, aristocrats, lived in the city, and were Cohanim. The Essenes lived the desert (5, 000 people), were a closed off group (from everyone else), started their own calendar, and they didn t have slaves.
Political differences Between the Sects: The Phariseesemphasized religion above everything (including politics). The Sadducees were very involved in politics, were obsessed with power, and believed the most important thing were the state and the Mikdash (Temple). The Essenesrejected all authority of Yerushalaim, the center, and believed it was corrupt. They had no part in political life at the time.
Our big question: Was the Dead Sea Sect the Essenes? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? A little history: The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947 in Kumran, by a Bedouin shepherd who went to look for his goat. Near that area they also found a whole civilization and several Mikvah's. Most historians identify the Dead Sea Sect with the Essenes. Proofs: 1. The place: both lived in the desert 2.
Their way of life, beliefs are the same: they didn t marry, had shared property, wore white clothes, were ascetic (rejected physical things) 3. The time: 140 B. C. E. - 70 C. E. (the Essenesdisappeared in 70 C. E.
after the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash II). The Dead Sea Scrolls: The Content: It mentions a war between the Sons of Light (Bnei Ha Or- who were the members ofthe sect) and the Sons of Darkness (Bnei Ha Choshech- who were everybody else). It says (in a thing called the Habakkuk Document) that the leader of the Sponsor Light was righteous leader, while the leader of the Sons of Darkness was Cohen Harasha- the evil Cohen (The historian Verses said that the Cohen Harashawas Yonatan the Hasmonaeans). There is a little contradiction between two documents: The Manual of Discipline (the rules these had to abide by which says that they couldn t marry and there was no private property) and the Damascus Document (which said that there was private property and they could marry). Josephus solves this by saying that there were simply different groups of the Essenes. Other historians have different opinions on who the Dead Sea Sect were: They were Sdukim because it mentions the words Bnei Gadol (Sons of Gadol) in the Dead Sea Scrolls They were Prushim because they separated themselves from the rest of the nation They were non- Jews.
The Origin ofthe Sects: Where did the whole Prushim/Sdukim thing come from? Started in the time of Beit Hamikdash Cohen Shlomo was king- there was on argument between Gadol the Cohen Gadol (Sdukim) and Evyatar (Prushim) Started also in the time of Beit I-there was an argument between the Cohanim (Sdukim) and the Prophets (Prushim) According to Mantel it started at theme of Ezra and Nechemia- there was and argument between several groups of Jews- the Cohanim (Sdukim) and the Shomranim (Prushim). How does Mantelprove this (that the Prushim started during that time)? He says that the Jews that returned to Eretz Yisrael from Babylonia were called Bnei Hagolah another were the Prushim- their leaders were Ezra and Nechemia. (A side note: the Prushim were also called Sofrim, Chaverim, and some call them Chasidim. ) The whole Oral Torah thing started attract time The fact that they started reading the Torah not literally anymore The Prushim had a more universalistic view towards humans- all were equal and ready to learn Torah- even the ignorant people The smart big Rabbis were the leaders of the nation- the Prushim The Torah was not only commanded forthe Beit Hamikdash- while the Sdukim believed the whole Judaism was the Beit Hamikdash The Prushim worked for the good of thecommunityAlso the Essenes started their own calendar and the Prushim didn t like that. THERE IS NO REVIEW # 4 YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN WITH THAT TOPIC Herod and Rome (5) Antipater was the advisor to Horkenus (he was an Edomite). Herod was Antipaters son.
Herod was first a governor in the Galilee. His job, for Rome, in the Galilee was to watch overtime Zealots (transliterated- Kanaim they were Jews that wanted to throw out Rome from Eretz Yisrael and make the country a Jewish State. The head of the Zealots at that time was Chezkiah). Herod's was to make sure the Zealots didnt rebel against Rome.
He killed many Zealots therefore the Jews did not like him at all. Herod captured 30 Zealots and their leader, Chezkiah, and killed them without a trial. The country was outraged. An announcement was made saying that Herod must come before the Sanhedrin.
He came to the court with a lot of ammunition and soldiers to show the Sanhedrin that he was strong and to scare them. He did scare them and they didnt sentence him. The president (Nasi) at the time was either Shamaior Shmayah. He called out to the men in the Sanhedrin: If you dont judge Herod today then there will come a day when he will judge you!
This was almost like prophecy because in the end thats what indeed happened. Herod was scared that the Sanhedrin would listen to the president so he took his soldiers and ran away to Rome. He told Marc Anthony (the Caesar at the time) how he fought against the terrorists in Eretz Yisrael who hate Rome (the Zealots). His intention was to be king of the Jews in Israel. Anthony appointed him king. Herod tried hard to keep the Romans happy with him but he knew the Jews didnt like him so he married a Jewish woman from the Hasmonaeans family, Mariamne (Miriam) thinking that now the Jews will accept him.
Herod also does something very dramatic to find favor in the Jews eyes: During his reign, the Seleucid family (Selekus) was trouble. The Parthians (Pratim) came and captured the family and part of Eretz Yisrael. They also seized the Cohen Gadol, Horkenus, whom the Jews loved. Herod sees this as a great opportunity to improve his image with the Jews. Hetakes his soldiers and kicks out the Parthians, negotiates a peace treaty with them and gets them to return Horkenus. (The Parthians, however, had chopped office of Horkenus ears therefore giving him a More (defect) so he cant be the Cohen Gadol anymore). Marc Anthony gave permission to Herod to fight with the Parthians.
Why does Marc Anthony care if Horkenus comes back or not? Because inthe Jews didnt have Horkenus they would be upset and they would want to rebel against Rome with the Parthians. (The Parthians are enemies of Rome. ) Herod the Bad (37 - 4 B. C. E) The Jews called him Have HaEdomi-the Edomite slave. What bad things did he do? 1) He made changes in the Cohen Gadol- Herod was scared the Jews would stick with the Cohen Gadol, and not him, if he picked a Hasmonaean to be Cohen Gadol. So he picked a Jew from Babylon instead to be the Cohen Gadol- Channel Me Bavel.
He weakened the Yehudah. The people are really upset that he picked Channel. (Horkenus, the former Cohen Gadol, had a daughter, Alexandra, and she had 2 children- Mariamne (Miriam) and Aristobolus. ) Herod picked Aristobolus. But Herod was very paranoid and was afraid of Aristobolus and his power so he commanded him to a pool party in one his palaces in Yericho. He commanded his soldiers to drown Aristobolus inthe pool, which they did. Herod tried to cover the death up so that he would seem innocent but the Jews knew the truth and knew that Herod did indeed kill Aristobolus.
So Herod put Channel back as the Cohen Gadol. Herod told Marc Anthony that the reason Aristobolus was killed was because he rebelled against the king. 2) He brought changes into the Sanhedrin He killed all members of the Sanhedrin he didnt like He put his friends and his family in the Sanhedrin (nepotism) He put non-Jews in the Sanhedrin He out himself as the head of the Sanhedrin 3) He was a very paranoid man and was scared everyone hated him- even his family. Because of that he killed Horkenus, Miriam, Alexandra (his mother-in-law), his sons with Miriam (Hasmonaean's), and killed all the Hasmonaean's left. With these killings is the end of the Hasmonaeans 3) When he died he wanted people to mourn his death. To make sure they would, he ordered that Jewish leaders be killed on they he died so that the country will definitely mourn and no one will celebrate 4) His army was a non-Jewish army because he didnt like to spend time with the Jews 5) He locked up his wife in the palace on Masada.
Herod the Great 1) Herod beautified and enlarged the Beit Hamikdash. There is a saying: If youve never seen a building of Herod's, then youve never seen a beautiful building. On the gate of the Beit Hamikdash he put a golden eagle- an eagle was the symbol of Rome. 2) He built his palace on Masada. The Hasmonaeanshad already built up Masada and Herod built a palace on it. 3) He built Caesarea in honor of the Caesar.
Note that he built all this stuff for the Romans and not for the Jews. 4) He helped the Jews after an earthquake. He gave them money to help rebuild homes, buy clothing and food, etc. 5) He helped Jews not living in Eretz Yisrael-those living in Babylon, Syria, Asia Minor. 6) He had good relations with the Pharisees (Prushim) who were the majority of the Jews and the leaders of the Jews. He waiver paranoid and didnt want any enemies. (the President at the time wasShmayah, and the Av Beit Din was Avtaliyon). 7) He never decreed anything bad against the Jews and let them live according to the laws of their fathers. The Prushim understood that he was directly connected to Rome and they were very cautious.
They knew rebelling against him would mean rebelling against Rome and they would all die in that case (because Rome is so strong and powerful). 8) Cleopatra, queen of Egypt was Anthonysgirlfriend but she was also Herod's greatest enemy. She was a Femme Fatale. She wanted to return the power to the Ptolemy family (Talmud). Before we said the Herod was in favor of the Seleucid family. She wanted Marc Anthony to give holland in Eretz Yisrael. Later on Augustus Octavius killed Marc Anthony and became Caesar.
Herod liked Augustus. Augustus nephew, Agrippa, was good friends with Herod. So Octavius gave back land in Eretz Yisrael that Cleopatra took from Rome in the times of Marc Anthony. Herod had lots of connections.
One was Agrippa whois a friend of Rome. His advisor was Nicholas of Damascus. Octavius saw how bad Herod really was and said that was better to be a dog in Herod's palace than to be Herod's son. One thing Octavius was not happy about was the fact that Herod went to war with Rome without permission from Rome (and Octavius). Herod reigned from 37 B. C.
E 4 B. C. E. Before he died he chose his sons Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Phillip to rule after him. He wanted Archelaus to be king. The Roman Senate, however, chose him as only an ethnarch (a kind of governor) showing that the real power is in the hands of Rome.
Bythe year 6 C. E. his sons are done ruling. Rome picked procurators (non-Jewish Roman governors) to be leaders. They were cruel ad decreed horrible decrees against the Jews. Jesus and Christianity (6) The Sources: Antiquities, by Josephus- In Antiquities it only mentions a small paragraph on Jesus and calls him The Messiah of the Jews.
Historians say it s a forgery written by Eusibius (among in the 5 th century) who put it in because he wanted trove to the Jews that he was really the Messiah and that they believed it. Historians (in particular, Zeitlin) know it s a forgery because in Eusibius book on Jesus there is a paragraph strikingly similar to the one Antiquities, so they ve come to a conclusion that Eusibius stuck intent paragraph in Antiquities. The New Testament- there are 4 gospels that talk about Jesus and his life: John, Mark, Matthew, and Luke. Mark, Matthew, and Luke are the Synoptic Gospels who agree on most of their facts. However between the Gospels there s a huge contradiction on where Jesus was born, what year, and what he called himself.
Another huge problem is that we don t have any primary sources from Jesus time. Not only did the gospels live almost 60 years after his death, but also they wrote what they believed- not facts. c. The Talmud and Midrash im- In them it mentions a few sentences and stories about Jesus. But the Talmud was compiled in almost 200 years after Jesus death in 34 C. E. - so it s not really accurate.
In the Talmud they wrote some really nasty things about Jesus but it had to be censored so the Christians could accept the Talmud. When was Jesus born? a. According to Matthew he was born in the days of Herod- 37 - 4 B. C.
E. - that means he would have to have been born at least 4 years before when is said to have been born. b. According to John he was born in the days of the procurators- 6 C. E. - which means he would have to have been born 6 years after he is said thane been born. Where was Jesus born?
a. Matthew and Luke say he was born in Bethlehem because it says the Torah the Messiah will come form Bethlehem, and they believed Jesus waste Messiah. b. Mark says he was born in Nazareth and John says he was born inthe Galil- but there s no contradiction here because Nazareth is in the Galil. Problem: If Jesus had no father (G-d was his father) then how can he be from a human family- Beit David?
The Christians say that Mary and G-d immaculately conceived him. Who was Jesus father? a. Mary was his mother and she was engaged to Joseph the Carpenter- meaning she had a baby out of wedlock b.
According to the Talmud Jesus is a Member- he was the son of a Roman soldier Mary slept with According to the New Testament Jesus was born in a barn with 3 wise men who came bearing gifts forthe miraculous messiah. One fundamental belief in Christianity: Mary was the wife of G-d- if they don t believe that then Marywas just an unwed mother. Another thing is that Christians use our Bible to try to prove their beliefs of Jesus- one example issue misinterpretation of the Hebrew in Isaiah 53. Jesus Life When Jesus was young he wasa folk healer and went to the poor, the hungry, and the lepers and healed them. Once he encountered John the Baptist- Yonatan HaMatbil (who was a preacher that went around telling people repent). His name- He was a member of the Essenes because they were big on baptizing (the Mikvah).
Jesus had Essene tendencies. So when they met, Jesus bowed down to John and said he was holy and John answered, No, you, Jesus, are holier than I am. Jesus was: a. A healer of the sick b. A preacher (gave sermons) - His most famous sermon was called Sermon on the Mount in which he told Jews to repent because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
c. A miracle worker: 1) He walked on water, 2) He performed admirable by feeding hundreds of people with 2 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Jesus found followers and listeners among the poor and suffering- most Jews laughed at him and called him crazy. He assembled 12 Apostles (like the 12 Shevat im) and Peter was the teacher of the 12 Apostles.
Question: Was Jesus a good Jew? - Was he Some Mitzvot? a. In Matthew it states that Jesus said: I did not come to grid of the Mitzvot- which implies he kept the Mitzvot b. [Possibly in John] it says that Jesus students were in afield on Shabbat and they were cutting down corn stalks. When a few Prushimcame and screamed at them for not keeping Shabbat, Jesus defended them- which means he was not keep the Mitzvot. Jesus and the Jews In 34 C.
E. Jesus ran around Israel saying he was the King of the Jews. This sounded like he was rebelling against Rome. Last Supper: On Eretz Pesach, in front ofthe Beit Hamikdash there would be money changers (Prushim) for people to give money in Shekalim to the Mikdash. Jesus came up to them and turned over their tables and called them corrupt and said they only cared about money. Judas Iscariot turned Jesus into Rome.
Here s where there are contradictions: a. According to John- Judas turned Jesus in because Satan entered his heart and caused him to do evil. According to Synoptic Gospels- Judas turned Jesus in for money (silver) = bribe. b. According to John- Jesus was captured on Eretz Pesach- 14 Nissan- which means Jesus was the Korean (sacrifice) and accepted upon himself the sins of humanity (because Korbanot were given on Eretz Pesach). According to Synoptic Gospels- Jesus was captured on the night of Pesach which means Jesus was the savior and the redeemer.
c. According to John- He committed a political crime because jews endangering an entire Jewish people. According to the Synoptic Gospels- Heis a blasphemer and curses G-d. According to the New Testament the Romans captured Jesus and he had 2 court trials: First they brought him in front of Caiphas, and second in front of Pontius Pilate (the procurator at the time) who condemned him to death.
But, it says in the New Testament that on the same day they captured a robber, Barrabas. Pontius gazette Jews a choice and said, I ll give you Jews permission to free one captive and kill the other (either Barbara or Jesus). And the Jews chose to kill Jesus. This makes no sense however. Pontius supposedly said, The blood of Jesus is in your hands, Jews, but he wouldn t say that because Jesus was already condemned to death by ROME, meaning this was a fabricated saying. The whole story of his death full of holes: a.
It says he died on Pesach- the Sanhedrin would never judge people on a holiday! b. Even if they had mad an exception for him- they would never give the death penalty on a holiday! c. Jesus was crucified- Jews NEVER crucified d. It says Jesus was captured, judged and buried in Yerushalaim-but nobody is buried in Yerushalaim because it is a holy place e.
Jesus was supposedly killed on a Friday (Good Friday) - but iou look on the calendar- Pesach did not fall out on a Friday. If Jesus hadn t died- there wouldn t be Christianity because he died for other people s sins. Back to the story: Jesus was killed on a Friday. Three women (who were cured by him) came on Sunday to prayer his grave. They saw the grave was open and nothing was in there.
One explanation to this is that because Yerushalaim is so holy, the Jews took theory out of the city and buried it somewhere else. Saul of Tarsus is really the person who is responsible for Christianity. He s the one that started running around telling the story of the resurrection. The Jews didn t listen to him some changed his name to Paul. He left Eretz Yisrael to go convert non- Jews to Christianity. (After the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash there were Jews who converted to Christianity. ) In Shmoneh Erev the Beach VeLamalshinim is interpreted by some as VeLaminim (Apikorsim) - written about those Jews trying to convert everyone to Christianity. Christianity was supposed to be the religion of the Jews- but it never took off with them.
The Revolt and Destruction of the Beit Hamikdash (7) A little timeline: 6 CE&# 64979; The procurators come in; Coponius the Caesar forced the Jews to count themselves 14 &# 64979; 34 CE&# 64979; Pontius Pilate is procurator 14 &# 64979; 37 CE&# 64979; Tiberius is Caesar 37 &# 64979; 41 CE&# 64979; Gaius Caligula is Caesar; there were arguments between Egyptians and Jesus&# 64979; he sides with Egyptians; he wanted to put a statue of himself in Yerushalaim; he waiver anti&# 64979; Semitic 41 &# 64979; 54 CE&# 64979; Claudius is Caesar and he picks Agripas, who s Jewish, to be king from 41 &# 64979; 44 CE 44 &# 64979; 46 CE&# 64979; CaspiasFedas is procurator&# 64979; he was horrible and took away the clothes of the Cohen Gadol just to be mean to the Jews 54 &# 64979; 68 CE&# 64979; Nero is Caesar (he was king at the beginning at the revolt) 64 &# 64979; 68 CE&# 64979; Florus procurator&# 64979; he was the last one and the worst one (took treasures form the Beit Hamikdash) 70 CE&# 64979; The Destruction of Beit Hamikdash II The Results of the Revolt and Destruction: 1. The Burning of the Beit Hamikdash 2. Many Jews killed (according to Josephus&# 64979; 1 million) 3. Galut = Exile&# 64979; More Jews in Babylon than Eretz Yisrael 4. They took Jews as prisoners and made many other slaves&# 64979; tortured the leaders of the revolt&# 64979; made them fight against lions, etc. 5. They took treasures from the Mikdash&# 64979; The Arch of Titus celebrates Rome s victory and depicts a large homecoming parade with the treasures of the Mikdash in hand and Jews in chains 6.
For the first time, the Jews lost every kingdom independence 7. Eretz Yisrael no longer physically belongs to the Jews&# 64979; it s Roman land 8. Fiscus Iudaicus &# 64979; the Romans taxed Jewseverywhere in the Roman world&# 64979; made then pay + Shekel to humiliate them and show them they re not paying the Mikdash rather Rome Sources: 1. Josephus 2. Talmud 3.
Tacitus&# 64979; he was anti&# 64979; Semitic 4. Eusibius&# 64979; Roman Historian 5. Josephus Natan&# 64979; a Jew in Italy in the middle ages&# 64979; wrote a kind of Cliffs Notes of Josephus work, some believe it really is Josephus work The Revolt: (begin 66 CE) The Causes of the Revolt: 1. Immediate Cause&# 64979; Florus is procurator, Nero is Caesar. The Goyim in port cities hated the Jews so they rioted against them and Florus never stopped them.
Also, Florus wanted to build a new sewer system and to pay for it he took money from the Beit Hamikdash. He came to Yerushalaim with soldiers to do so and the Jews (really the Zealots, who were the leaders of the revolt) threw rocks at them so he runaway. Florus returned to Syria with his soldiers. Agripas II was the king and was popular and loved by the Jews and he made a huge mistake. He made a speech to the Jews calling for peace to stop a revolt and he tells them that fighting isn t worth it and blah blah blah. One thing that was a horrible mistake to say was his requesting the Jews to take Florus back&# 64979; the Jews hated Florus so he shouldn t have said that.
If he wouldn t have said that, they might have listened to him but instead they started the revolt. 2. Social Cause&# 64979; Corrupt Cohanim, oppressors 3. Economic Causes&# 64979; a. Many poor people in Yerushalaim, high taxes&# 64979; which the rich (Aristocrats) were exempt from Class struggle&# 64979; the Zealots burnt money receipts of debts of Jews 4. Socio&# 64979; economic Cause&# 64979; Rich Jews are friends with the Romans. The leader of the Zealots, Shimon Bar Giyorah freed slaves cause he wanted them to help fight.
The Zealots burnt Agripas palace and the receipts for debt 5. Religious [and Political] Cause&# 64979; Auerbach&# 64979; 10 % of the Roman Empire was Jewish and 20 % of the Middle East was Jewish. Morgan more Romans were converting to Judaism&# 64979; Christianity was not adopted yet, and they found stability in Judaism because it was ethical and not corrupt. The Romans were afraid that the Jews would take over the world so they were hartland cruel to the Jews in their rule of Eretz Yisrael, which lead to the revolt.
Who s fault is the revolt? ? ? 1. Josephus&# 64979; the Zealots and the procurators&# 64979; the procurators provoked the Zealots to revolt; Problem&# 64979; the procurators did everything under the order of Rome&# 64979; so why isn t Rome blamed? One answer&# 64979; Josephus was captured, freed and then became friends with Roman Empire&# 64979; so he cannot start blaming Rome in his works 2. Tacitus&# 64979; the procurators&# 64979; this is probably true because Tacitus doesn t blame the Jews even though he is an anti&# 64979; Semite 3. Eusibius&# 64979; the Jews&# 64979; because they didn tackett Jesus so they were punished 4. The Gemarah&# 64979; Sinat China&# 64979; hatred between the Jews for no reason&# 64979; example is the story of Kamtzah Bar Kamtzah The Sequence of Events of the Revolt: 1.
The moderates were the Prushim, and the nationalists were the Zealots (Shaman) &# 64979; The Zealots didn t ask for help because they are nationalists and did not ask for help from other Roman enemies. They said Hashem helped the Jews on Chanukah and he ll help them now. Florus is in Syria now with his soldiers and he sent a few thousand of them to Eretz Yisrael. The Jews fought them hard and won.
The Romans saw this and knew this was a serious revolt. 2. The Roman general, Vespasian, was sent by Rome from the North. Jews pick Josephus Flavius (our favorite source guy) to bethe Jewish general. He was a Cohen when he was young and spent a lot of time in Rome and appreciated Roman culture&# 64979; most important he knew Roman ways.
He comeback to Eretz Yisrael and was considered a moderate. City after city fell in the hands of Rome until there was one city left&# 64979; Yod fat. Accordingto Josephus, the Romans seized the city to starve the Jews in it and it was about to fall in the hands of Rome. The leaders (including Josephus) go into hiding in a cave. In the cave there was a big debate&# 64979; to give up and themselves in to Rome or to kills themselves. Josephus says to give up, and they wereready to kill him for that.
They decided on a lottery system&# 64979; for every two Jews one would kill the other. Josephus was the last Jew left and gave himself into the hands of Rome. At the time there was a power struggle in Rome concerning who would be Caesar. Josephus goes to Vespasian and tells him You re going to be Caesar and he didn t believe him. All of a sudden a messenger comes and tells Vespasian he s Caesar. 3. The Romans came and made a siege onYerushlaim.
The Jews had many resources in the city to last a while but the Zealots burnt the food and resources so the Jews would be desperate and not want to make peace with Romans and they would fight. The leaders of the Zealots were Shimon Bar Giyorah and Yochanan Minus Chalav (or something like that). Just note&# 64979; Amongst the Zealots were the extreme radicals called the Sicarii&# 64979; who killed Romans andy Jews who even said hi to the Romans (this was before the revolt. ) The Romans bring Josephus to Yerushalaim and he tried to make peace but he didn t succeed. Thereason they didn t accept was because the Cohan Gadol&# 64979; Eliezer was a Zealot and refused to sacrifice the offerings of the Romans and the Caesar.
Vespasian s son was Titus (cruel guy) and he was the one who commanded the burning of the Beit Hamikdash. Now Josephus said that Titus didn t command that rather while they were arguing what to do a soldier came and threw a torch in the Mikdash and it burnt&# 64979; this is NOT true&# 64979; Josephus only wrote this cause he wanted Titus to like him, and he wouldn t get in trouble with Rome. Titus really did burn down the Beit Hamikdash. Titus punishment was that a fly entered his head and buzzed around and made him go crazy.
Beit Hamikdash burnt from the 9 th of Av until midday of the 10 the Av. Whoever was left was captured by Rome and taken into captivity. The situation is horrible and there are literally pools of blood in the streets of Yerushalaim, and Bnei Yisrael are in Galut. Bar Cochvah s Revolt (132 &# 64979; 135 C. E. ) (8) After the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash the situation island but Jewish life is still going on. Approximately 60 years after the destruction came the revolt&# 64979; why now?
So the big question to answer this is which came first&# 64979; the revolt other decrees? And why did Hadrian, the Caesar (Adrianus) even decree these decrees? A. The Sources: 1.
Dio Cassius&# 64979; Hadrian made Yerushalaim into a Pagan city&# 64979; a temple for the god Jupiter and called it Aelia Capitolina; when he did that, the Jews revolted 2. Spartianus&# 64979; Hadrian decreed that Brit Milah was forbidden, site Jews revolted 3. Breshit (1 st book of Torah) Rabah&# 64979; Hadrian had promised the Jews he would rebuild the Beit Hamikdash and he didn t keep his promise so he revolted 4. Eusibius&# 64979; he is an anti&# 64979; Semite, and he agrees with Mantel thatthe Jews revolted first and then Hadrian made the decrees. He says the Jews were naturally violent people looking for fights. B.
Hugo Mantel s opinion&# 64979; he says first the Jews revolted and then there came the decrees (he agrees with Eusibius) &# 64979; Why does Mantel think this? His problem with the other sources: 1. Mantel says that Dio Cassius got his information on Hadrian and his proof from Hadrian s autobiography&# 64979; which is not reliable because it s probably half true and exaggerated 2. Spartianus also used the autobiography, but in additional that in his previous works he is not to be trusted and is know to be unfaithful to history and mixes legend and fact, truth and fiction 3. The problem with Breshit Rabah is that to Mantel it just sounds ridiculous, bizarre and not logical (it s a Midrash, by the way) His problems with the king: Hadrian was a tolerant king! Mantel brings proof from other sources where it refers to Hadrian as a Man of Peace and Tolerant of Religion.
If a revolt started in another part of the empire he would send gifts instead of soldiers. We have 2 proofs: Hadrian visited Egypt, and he sacrificed offerings to Egyptian gods&# 64979; which he didn t even believe in. Also, areola started in the city of Mauritania and he sent them presents instead of sending them soldiers. So how does Mantel answer the question why the Jews revolution the first place?
He says it was 60 years after the destruction and they thought Mashiach was around the corner and coming really soon (like after theirs destruction). They revolted kinda to get things started. His problem with the time: 1. Mantel says the Jews started revolting in either 120 C. E. or 127 C.
E. which was way before the revolt. They found coins, in Israel, with Hadrian s face&# 64979; from the 120 s&# 64979; and he s dressed in his general attire, which means Hadrian, a tolerant guy, is now portrayed as a war person = he was fighting with the Jews in Israel 2. They found a Roman military road between cities in Israel dated from 127 C. E. which is proof the revolt started before 132 C.
E. 3. A whole military legion of soldiers came to Israel in the 120 s proving that there was turmoil = revolt. There was also a letter from the soldiers asking for more uniforms and supplies from Rome&# 64979; meaning they were fighting and working hard in Israel. 4. Bar Cochvah succeeded in capturing Yerushalaim and there wouldn t have been enough time to do everything he had to do, and set up a kingdom from the short time period of 132 &# 64979; 135 C. E. &# 64979; he had to have started much earlier! His problems with Brit Milah (Spartianus): Mantel says that Hadrian would never forbid Brit Milah&# 64979; jews a tolerant king!
It was a punishment for them revolting. Historians answer him&# 64979; Shalit says Hadrian did forbid Brit Milah because it was similar to castration which was forbidden in the Roman Empire. The Romans didn t know Jewish culture and didn t understand what Brit Milah really was. Mantel answers Shalit saying Hadrian knew the Jews andrew and knew their customs and they knew that Brit Milah was not castration. Another historian says Brit Milah was barbaric according to Hadrian and heidi t know what it was because it s a private ceremony done in Shul. To that Mantel answers the same thing as he did to Shalit.
His problem with the place&# 64979; Yerushalaim: Mantel says Dio Cassius is wrong because Hadrian is religiously tolerant. Historians answer him saying that he turned Yerushalaiminto a Pagan city for his soldiers&# 64979; it was the center so it was the perfect place&# 64979; it was a center where he had many soldiers. Why Yerushalaim? Maybe also was a network of many strategic cities of the Romans so they had to set up Paganism for this major city.
It wasn t a punishment for the Jews rather it washer his benefit. Mantel answers&# 64979; WRONG! Firstly, Hadrian knew the Jews andrew what a Pagan temple meant in their holy city&# 64979; he wouldn t do that to them. Secondly, we have no proof that Yerushalaim was part of a network of strategic cities and was strategically located for the Romans. We now prove Mantel wrong: 1. In the Gemarah there s a Pasuk&# 64979; In the days of Bar Cochvahthousands of children were given Brit Milah &# 64979; this means that before his days, kids weren t getting Brit Milah's = there were decrees that stopped them. 2.
Coins&# 64979; They found coins with the image of Bar Cochvah on them&# 64979; these words and images were superimposed on other words and images&# 64979; a pictures Hadrian with the words Aelia Capitolina meaning he switched Yerushalaim into Pagan city before the revolt and Bar Cochvah The Gemarah tells us about the course of the revolt. Theycall Shimon Bar Cochvah&# 64979; Shimon Bar Cozibah = the liar&# 64979; the Gemarah didn t like him because everyone thought he was Mashiach (even Rabbi Akiva thought he was Mashiach) but he wasn t. The Cochvah part came from a Pasuk talking about Yaakov it says Yaakov was a star so they used that for his name. Another question&# 64979; the Jews had suffered so much so far&# 64979; where they willing to fight again?
During the time of Bar Cochvah there was unity in the nation (Achdut) and everyone wanted to fight (unlike the before the destruction where not everyone wanted to fight). One answer: the decrees were so horrible and they were being pushed to a limit and couldn t take it anymore, so they fought. Another answer: they thought the Galut would only last 70 years&# 64979; no more&# 64979; just like after the 1 st Mikdash. Every Jewbelieved this&# 64979; they never imagined the Galut would last this long.
Now where did Bar Cochvah get all the weapons, materials from&# 64979; they were right under the Romans noses! ? ! ? The Jews had been forced into labor and one of those jobs was repairing weapons for the Romans. When the Romans gave them weapons to repair they would tell them the weapons were beyond repair and they would fix them and save them to use and built up a collection. The Romans did win but they suffered a tremendous defeat.
For 2 years there was victory for the Jews and a Jewish independent kingdom waste up in Yerushalaim, and Bar Cochvah is the prince. Proof: They found coins that said Year one to the freedom of Jerusalem, Year one to the redemption Jerusalem, and Shimon the President of Israel. In the end the Romans recaptured the city. How do we know they suffered great losses? 1. They lost a lot of men&# 64979; proof: they needed constant reinforcement (legions from elsewhere) because the Jews kept killing these soldiers 2. Hadrian didn t sign his letters from 132 &# 64979; 135 C.
E. with the words Peace unto me and my army because there wasn t peace and they were in trouble The Romans captured Yerushalaim and the Jews fled to the city Beit&# 64979; the last city left. (this happened all in the month of Av) The Romans captured Beit and were cruel to those in the city. They slaughtered many Jews and there were rivers of blood in Beit. The Romans also mutilated the dead bodies and didn t allow them to be buried.
He took the bodies of Bar Cochvah and his warriors and hung them symbolically at the gates of Beit. According to the Gemarah the Romans found one body with a snake coiled around its head&# 64979; this was Bar Cochvah because he was a liar and called Bar Cozibah. The Decrees of Hadrian: 1. Brit Milah was forbidden 2.
Shabbat and Holidays were forbidden to be observed 3. Learning Torah was forbidden 4. Doing Smichah (to be a Rabbi) was forbidden 5. It was forbidden to enter Yerushalaim The Jews didn t listen to the decrees, even though there wasa death penalty&# 64979; there were 10 famous Rabbis killed (the first 2 were RavYishmael and Roman Shimon Ben Gamliel). Elisha Ben Avooyah (I think that s howto pronounce it) was a traitor and helped the Romans. In the Gemarah they callie After &# 64979; Other meaning he was different and was bad.
The decrees lasted until Hadrian died, when Antonius came&# 64979; he buried the bodies of Beit. Results of the Revolt: 1. They switched the name Yehudah into Syria Palestine southern would be no more connection to the Jews and the land 2. Yerushalaim turned into a city of idols and was called Aelia Capitolina&# 64979; Jews were only allowed in on 9 Av 3. The Goyim hate the Jews, their culture, their G&# 64979; d, etc. 4.
There was great Kiddush Hashem because many people died in his name 5. The Jews no longer have a land. The Romans took it and also collected taxes from them 6. The Jews lost hope&# 64979; they thought Hashem left them and they lost everything Eretz Yisrael in the Time of the Talmud (Talmud refers tothe time of the Mishnah and the Gemarah) A.
So from the revolt over half a million Jews died, many Jews are prisoners, many went to Babylonia, for the first time history the Jews are a minority in their own land, and Jewish influence in Babylonia increased greatly. Also Rabbi Akiva s students were killed. Accordingto the Gemarah, they were killed because of Sinat China (unnecessary hatred). Other historians believe that they were killed in the revolt (they were rebels) &# 64979; which is logical because Rabbi Akiva believed that Bar Cochvah was Mashiach. B. The Compromise In 138 C.
E. Hadrian died and Anthony (Antoninus) became the new Caesar. He cancelled the decrees of Hadrian. Question: Why NOWare the Romans living in peace with the Jews? ?
The Romans suffered in the revolt and didn t need any fights The Parthians and the Barbarians&# 64979; the Romans had to fight with them and they didn t have time to fight with the Jews. They re also afraid of the Jews because maybe the Jews will bellies with the Parthians, Rome s enemy. There were many converts of the Roman Empire to Judaism, even after the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash. Many Romans respect the Jews or even observe the Mitzvot&# 64979; those non&# 64979; Jews a recalled G&# 64979; d Fearers The Jews were strong and courageous inthe revolt and the Romans respected them for that The Romans feared more losses of men The Romans: Wereready to give up: They cancelled the decrees against the Jews (Jews were granted religious freedom) Jews were not drafted into the Roman army The religious center went from Yavnehto Ushah (Ushah) in the Galil&# 64979; there was a new Sanhedrin, new Jewish leadership, and a new Jewish centerWerenot ready to give up: Fiscus Iudaicus&# 64979; the Jews still had today the tax Brit Milah for NON&# 64979; JEWS&# 64979; there was no conversion to Judaism and if they caught you&# 64979; death penalty Entrance into Yerushalaim was forbidden except on 9 Av&# 64979; Yerushalaim was now a temple to the god Jupiter TheJews: Wereready to give up: Paying taxes&# 64979; they had no problem paying them They took in Hellenistic culture thatthe Romans got from the Greeks (Ex: On the floors of some Synagogues therefore Hellenistic images, and in the Gemarah there are names of Rabbis and words in Greek) They accepted the rule of Rome&# 64979; they accepted the idea of Galut. Because of this the Rabbis said that you cannot figure out when the end of the Galut will come&# 64979; they didn t want target the Jews hopes upWerenot ready to give up: Brit Milah&# 64979; there were still converts despite the penalty Entrance into Yerushalaim&# 64979; there isere proof that there were Yeshivas in YerushalaimAfterthe destruction all the cities in Yerushalaim were destroyed on behalf of the Romans. The situation is so bleak that the power switched onto the people in Babylonia and there is an argument between the Rabbis of Babylonia and Israel concerning who has the power to decide what day is Rosh Codes.
C. Things are fairly good. There were 3 attitudes / approaches towards the Romans: Moderates&# 64979; they saw some good in the Romans&# 64979; Rav Yehudah Bar Ebay Neutral&# 64979; didn t care&# 64979; didn t favor ornate the Romans&# 64979; Rav Yossi Ben Chalafta Zealots&# 64979; hated the Romans greatly&# 64979; Shimon Bar YochaiStory: The 3 were sitting down and a conversation started and Rav Yehudah said how great the Romans were&# 64979; they built bridges and marketplaces, etc. Rav Yossi said nothing.
Shimon replied to Rav Yehudah that they only built it for their own good&# 64979; the bridges and marketplaces are to transport and sell their prostitutes. Someone heard this and tattled on the Rabbis. The Romans rewarded Rav Yehudah, did nothing to Rav Yossi and wanted to kill Shimon. He ran away to a cave within son. He was a Kabbalist in the cave and wrote the Zohar. He came out of thecae with eyes and a face so bright that that he burnt people there.
He didn t understand how people could live such ordinary lives. He went back in the cave, learned, came out and understood how people could live such plain, worldly lives. D. The Sanhedrin and the President in Ushah: &# 64979; Rav Shimon Ben Gamliel II (Rashbag II) is the President &# 64979; Rav Natan is the Av Beit Din. &# 64979; And Rav Meir is the Chacham (smart one). There s a pasuk talking about him and inlays he only learned the essence, or the good stuff, and discarded with the bad stuff because he learned from Elisha&# 64979; an Apikores.
Window return to a time where there s both a President and an Av Beit Din. So Rav Yehudah Ben Bavel dies cause he gives too many people Smichah (Rav Natan and Rav Meir also did that). Rav Natan and Rav Meir didn t like Rashbag II and didn t give him much respect and thought he was not qualified to for his position. He didn t know MasechetOoksin. Rav Meir and Rav Natan knew this and wanted to embarrass Rashbag whether Sanhedrin got together and they d ask him to explain it and he wouldn throw it. A student of Rashbag heard this and one day and he sat next to Rashbagand learned it out loud.
He went to the Sanhedrin, and answered the questions. Rav Natan and Rav Meir were punished&# 64979; that any Halachah in the Gemarah thatcher said their names were not mentioned. Rashbagstrengthened the Presidency (Patriarchate): He demanded that you must stand up forthe President until he is seated (you were not required to do this for the Av Beit Din or the Chacham) The President had to agree on whomever the Sanhedrin appointed or else it s not a legitimate appointment. But the President could appoint and the Sanhedrin would have to accept him Rashbagalso said that it was forbidden to export fruit outside of Israel because Israel was still rebuilding itself and needed those fruit.
Rashbag so was Rav Yehudah Hands&# 64979; he organized the Mishnah at circa 200 C. E. He was called Rabbi. The power of the presidency reached its highpoint in his time. He was not only smart and great but he was also very rich.
The Jobs of Rabbi: Head of the Sanhedrin Was responsible for the calendar Was the represent
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