Hebrew Religion and Ethics                       Prof. Horowitz

                    

 

1. Historic Language.    Hebrew      Hebrew Bible, Babylonian Talmud (parts in Aramaic)

                  Language of Jewish religious instruction in medieval period, revived in 19^th

                  by immigrants to Palestine, official language of modern state of Israel (1948-)

 

2. Sense of History       Hebrew Bible composed of Torah (5 books of Moses), historical works such as Judges and Chronicles; Prophets; and Psalms     Some biblical books discussing specific events in parentheses below.

            Other historical works : Books of Maccabees,  Book of Esther, Josephus

             Hebrew arrival in Canaan, ca. 1200 BCE  (Book of Joshua)

              King Saul (Judges, 1 Samuel)

             King David subdued Philistines ca 1000 BCE, ruled to 962 BCE  (2 Samuel, I Kings, I Chronicles)

             King Solomon 962-922 BCE, built Temple to contain Ark of Covenant                 

                 Northern Kingdom of Israel, Southern kingdom of Judah   (I Kings)

               727-722 BCE Assyrians destroyed Kingdom of Israel     (II Kings) (prophet Isaiah late 8^th c. BCE)

       597 BCE Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and Temple, deported Jewish people of Judah to Babylon   (II Chronicles)

         late 7^th, early 6^th c. BCE Prophets Nahum, Zephaniah, Habbakuk, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and sage Daniel

                 538  BCE When Babylon under Persian Cyrus, some Jews return to Judah.  (Second Isaiah)

              Persian, then Greek, then Roman domination of Judah

                 515 BCE Completion of Second Temple

               around 458 BCE scribe Ezra compile parts of Torah (Orthodox Jews and Christian Fundamentalists think Torah God-given.  Liberal scholars investigating when individual parts first written down)

               333 BCE Alexander conquer Judah,

                    Diaspora:  Spread of Jews to Egypt, North Africa, Arabian peninsula, Asia

                        Minor, and  some to Europe

                        2^nd c. BCE Translation of Hebrew Bible into Greek: the Septuagint

                    Under Seleucids, 2^nd c. BCE,  Antiochus IV’s Hellenizing opposed by

                         Maccabees (celebration of cleaning the Temple in holiday of Hanukkah) (Books of Maccabees)

                     Jewish High Priests in Judah come under political dominion of Romans

                  63 BCE Roman control of Judaea, called by Romans province of “Palestine”

                  Diaspora:  Spread of Jews to European cities: Athens, Corinth, Roman, Milan,                      

                            Cordoba, Marseilles,  Lyons, Cologne

                  Roman Converts to Judaism  (Philo of Alexandria’s philosophy known in Greek-speaking areas of Roman

                            Empire)

                 70 C.E. Destruction of second temple.   73 CE Masada

       

 3. Beliefs     God: One despite different peoples’ different names for God

                             Creator of world, plants, animals, humans

                             Not bodily

                             Providential history

                    Divine Covenant with Hebrew people

 

                    First Century C.E. Sadducees-value rituals in Temple & written Torah

                      Pharisees, value oral tradition, develop worship in synagogues, talked of

                         afterlife as resurrection of body, talk of future leader to bring divine

                          justice on earth (a messiah).

                      Sadducees and high priests disappeared.

                      Rabbis, read and commented on Torah, continued work of Pharisees.

                       Rabbis discuss list of 36 books of canonic Hebrew Bible (Torah, Prophets

                     and other works, Wisdom Literature)

 

                      Essenes, ascetic sects of Jews living in isolated communities. Left

                        Records in Dead Sea Scrolls (sections of Hebrew Bible found

                           in 1947)

 

4. Mitzvahs     Ethical Life—Ten Commandments primary

                            Laws as commandments of God

                        Religious Observance –

Sabbath as oldest most sacred holiday (7^th day of creation, 7 day week with l day of rest)

Rosh Hashanah (Start calendar year) followed by Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement in Leviticus XV), 

3 Agricultural Harvest Festivals: Passover (Exodus from Egypt), Shavuot (Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai), Succot (Leviticus, Lived in huts during wandering after exodus)

   

     ca. 500 C.E. Babylonian Talmud gave rabbinical discussion on ethics and religious observance.  Law (halachah) and Folklore  (agadah)  In the medieval period, the Babylonian Talmud was authoritative for individual rabbi’s interpretation of law and custom in scattered Jewish communities. It gave guidance for living as Jews in states dominated by other religions. Both the Hellenistic philosophers and the rabbis of the Talmud tried to provide answers to the question of how to live well within a world ruled by others. The Babylonian Talmud, trans. in English with Index, in Occidental College Library.