JH Test #2 Study Notes PDF

TEST: Part A = multiple choice Part B = short answer sources (highted things) Part C = long answers The Greek Period Hellenism: A mix of Greek and Eastern Persian culture. Alexander the Great: ​ Alexander the Great was from Macedonia. ​ Turned Greece into an empire by conquering Persia....

TEST: Part A = multiple choice Part B = short answer sources (highted things) Part C = long answers The Greek Period Hellenism: A mix of Greek and Eastern Persian culture. Alexander the Great: ​ Alexander the Great was from Macedonia. ​ Turned Greece into an empire by conquering Persia. ​ He helped spread Hellenistic culture by spreading the Greek language and culture to the lands he conquered. He also accepted the local practices of the lands he conquered. ​ Alexander conquered Judah in 332 BCE. He treated the Jews very kindly and gave them Autonomy. ​ After Alexander died in 323 BCE, his empire was sandwiched between the Seleucid kingdom based in Syria and the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt. The generals killed his three sons. Alexandria: Was one of the famous Polises that Alexander built. Ptolomy: The ruler who got the 72 scribes to translate the Torah. Septuagint: ​ Translation of the Torah from Hebrew to Greek. ○​ It was called the Septuagint because legend has it that the text was created by 72 Jewish elders. ​ The Jews of Alexandria needed the Septuagint because some of them did not speak Hebrew and only spoke Greek. ​ It was accessible to the Jews in the army and in future generations. Polis: Greek City State Selevcus: Antiochus brother, One of Alexander the Great’s generals who founded the Seleucid Empire, ruling over parts of Syria, Iraq, and Persia after Alexander’s death. The Great Synagogue in Alexandria: ​ The Great Synagogue was massive and covered in gold. They decorated their synagogue with Greek poles (colonnades). ​ It became the symbol of hellenism ○​ The Sexton (Chazan/Cantor) waved a scarf to tell the Jews when to say “Amen” because they were Hellenized and did not know how to pray and did not know the Hebrew language. The Maccabean Revolt Antiochus: ​ The brother of Selevcus and succeeded him once he passed away. He wanted to conquer Egypt and make his empire strong, large, and united. ​ Anitochus appointed Jason to be a high priest. He was the previous high Priest's brother except Jason was more Hellenized. He was brought to spread Hellenism throughout the Jews. ​ Antiochia: Jason turned Jerusalem into a Hellenistic city (polis) and built a gymnasium, bathhouse, and other facilities. He even changed the city's name to Antiochia. Antiochus Decrees: ​ They were so that the Jews become more Hellenized ​ Not studying the Torah ​ Not to keep Shabbat ​ No circumcision Jason: ​ Anitochus appointed Jason to be a high priest. He was the previous high Priest's brother except Jason was more Hellenized. He was brought to spread Hellenism throughout the Jews. ​ Jason turned Jerusalem into a Hellenistic city (polis) and built a gymnasium, bathhouse, and other facilities. He even changed the city's name to Antiochia. Menelaus: ​ Menelaus was a Hellenist and high priest that bribed Antiochus to become the high priest in Judah. ​ Menelaus needed money to pay Antiuochus the bribe that he promised him and decided to steal the gold from the Temple. The angry Jews started riots in Jerusalem. Riots in Jerusalem: ​ Antiochos heard about the riots in Jerusalem and sent his army to help Menelaus. ​ He also passed decrees against the Jewish religion 25th of Kislev 168 BCE: Antiochus placed the statue of Zeus in the temple and ordered the sacrifice of the sacrificed pigs in his honor. The Hassidim:  ​ Common people watched the events (the riot) with growing horror. ​ Extremely against Hellenism. Many had decided to leave Jerusalem, which became Hellenistic, and moved their families to live in remote villages all around Judah. Matitiahu: ​ Maititahu belonged to a priestly family in Jerusalem. ​ He had five sons: -​ John, Simon, Judah, Elazer, and Johnathan ​ Mattitiahu decided to leave Jerusalem because he did not want his sons to live in a Hellenized city. They moved into a village called Modein. The immediate cause of the revolt against the Greeks: ​ One day, Greek soldiers arrived in Modein, built an altar of Zeus, and ordered the Jews to sacrifice to the statue. Mattitihu refused to follow this order, and he killed one of the Jews who came forward to sacrifice, together with the Greek soldiers. ​ Acc. to the book of Maccabees Matitiahu called in a loud voice: ○​ “Let everyone who is Zealous for the law and who stands by the covenant - Follow me”! - Matitiahu Reasons for Revolt against Greeks Summary: 1.​ Antiochus demanded the Jews become Hellenized 2.​ Antiochus appointed priests and this caused damage to the Jewish autonomy 3.​ Menelaus entered the temple to steal gold 4.​ Antiochus decrees. (no circumcision, no celebrating holidays, no reading the Torah) 5.​ Antiochus built an altar to Zeus in the temple and sacrificed pigs. Guerilla Warfare ​ A small group fights against a bigger, stronger, and more equipped army ​ The Maccabees fought a Guerrilla warfare. The Greeks had a strong army, well equipped with horses and elephants. However, the Jews had some advantages. The Maccabees war tactics: ​ The Greeks had a strong army, well equipped with horses and elephants. ​ The Jews were familiar with the Geography of their country. 1)​ The Greeks used heavy armor and their elephants couldn’t make it up the mountains 2)​ The Maccabees enjoyed the support of the local population who helped them with supply and information 3)​ The Jews won because they fought for their existence and the continuation of their nation and their religion. This was the victory of the spirit over the might. Passive Resistance:  ​ 2 examples: ○​ The Jews removed the doors in their houses because they refused to write words against Hashem. ○​ The Jews sold their oxen because they refused to write words against Hashem. Kiddush HaShem: ​ 2 examples of Jews who died on Kiddush Hashem: ○​ Chana and her 7 sons ○​ The Hassidim (who refused to fight on Shabbat) Book of Maccabees: ​ The Book of Maccabees tells us about the miracle of Chanukah (the little jar of oil that lasted us 8 days). ​ Tells us about the cleaning and the dedication of the temple. ​ Apocrypha ○​ Stories that are not in the Torah. Resume of the War: ​ Judah resumed the war against the Greeks because the Greeks would not give them independence, or more land and autonomy wasn’t enough. ○​ The Greeks did not follow through with this demand and went to war with the Hassidim again. Judah died on the battlefield ​ The Hasidim refused to join him (in the war) because it was Shabbat. ○​ They would rather die in the name of God instead of fighting the Greek soldiers. They all died. (Kiddush Hashem\ 5 Reasons for the outbreak of the Maccabean Revolt: 1)​ Antiochus demanded the Jews become Hellenized 2)​ Antiochus appointed priests and this caused damage to the Jewish autonomy 3)​ Menelaus entered the temple to steal gold 4)​ Antiochus decrees. (no circumcision, no celebrating holidays, no reading the Torah) 5)​ Antiochus built an altar to Zeus in the temple and sacrificed pigs. The Hasmoneans + Roman Period Roman Period Timeline: 63 BCE - 73 CE 1)​ 63 BCE - Pompey, the famous Roman general conquered Judah.  2)​ 37 BCE - Herod became king 3)​ 4 CE - Herod died (his sons ruled after him) 4)​ 6 CE - Judah became a Roman province. (After a delegation of the Pharisees travelled to Rome and asked to remove Herod’s dynasty) 5)​ 6 CE - 26CE- twenty years of good procurators (didn't take high taxes and didn't interfere with the Jewish autonomy) 6)​ 26CE - 36 CE - Pontius Pilate (An example of the bad Roman procurators who ruled over Judah for the next 30 years. They took lots of taxes and didn’t respect the Jewish religion, he crucified Jesus) 7)​ 30 CE - Crucifixion of Jesus 8)​ 66 CE - The outbreak of the great revolt against the Romans 9)​ 70 CE- the destruction of the second temple 10)​73 CE - Fall of Masada Roman Empire Provinces: ​ Hispania ​ Gallia ​ Britannia ​ Germania ​ Aegypta ​ Judea Jonathan: ​ What did he gain for the Hasmonean Dynasty? ​ He was the brother of Judah ha-Maccabee ​ The Greek royal family of Syria appointed him as a high priest in Judah. ○​ Developed a good relationship with the royal family of Syria ​ Assassinated by the king of Syria Simon: ​ He was the leader and high priest over the Jewish people ​ Brother of Judah Ha-Maccabee (as well as Jonathan) ​ Started as a high priest ​ Elected as the president by the assembly of the 120 Jews. ​ He gained independence from the Greeks. John Hyrcan: ​ Involved in wars with the Seleucids, he gained full independence for the Jewish people and the entire land of Israel. ○​ He may have converted the pagans into Jews. ​ Son of Simon (second generation)  ​ Conquered many lands ​ Forced conversion of Idumeans ​ The Pharisees criticized/opposed him because of: ○​ forced conversion ○​ policy of conquest Aristobulus ​ Ruled for one year ○​ He also may have forcibly converted pagans to Jews. ​ Son of John Hyrcanus (3rd generation of Hasmoneans). ​ Was Hellenized and changed his name from Judah to Aristobulus. ​ Appointed himself as the first king of the Hasmoneans ​ Opposed by the Pharisees for: ○​ Being Hellenized (Pharisees were against hellenism) ○​ Making himself king despite not belonging to the house of David Alexander Yanai ​ Priest and a king ​ Conquered many non-Jewish cities. ​ Brother of Aristobulus (Son of John Hyrcanus) ​ Priest and a king ​ Supported by the Sadducees ​ He looked down on the Pharisees' practice with a negative attitude (Opposed by the Pharisees) Sectorial Judaism: Pharisees - Oral + Written Torah → Rabbis, Teachers, etc. The Temple during the Sukkot Festival: The Pharisees stoned Alexander Yanai with Etrogim while he led the Sukkot ceremony in the temple. Yanai’s advice: Before he passed, he advised his wife (Salome Alexandra) to make peace with the Pharisees. Salome-Alexandra: ​ Ruled from 76-67 BCE. ​ She was the ONLY female ruler (queen)at this period. ​ Wife of Alexander Janneus (Yannai). ​ She made peace with the Pharisees. ​ She ceased the conquests and the wars, the Pharisees changed her name to Shlomzion (Peace on Zion) ​ Two Sons: Hyracunaus II, and Aritsobulus II. Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II: ​ Salome Alexandra’s Two Sons  ​ Hyrcanaus 2nd - Appointed as the high priest by his mother ​ Aristublus 2nd - Appointed head of the army by his mother ​ Results of civil war between them: they both wanted to rule over Judah. Pharisees criticize the Hasmonean rulers: 1)​ The Hasmonean rulers became Hellenized. 2)​ They forced the Idumeans to convert 3)​ The Pharisees did not like the policy of conquest. 4)​ The Hasmonean rulers followed the customs of the Sadducees 5)​ They became high priests (although they did not belong to the family of Zadok) 6)​ They became kings (although they were not belonging to the house of David) 7)​ They combined the two positions of king and high priest. (Too Much power) Roman General who conquered Judah: In 63 BCE, Pompey conquered the land of Judah. 2. Why did the Romans decide to end the Hasmonean rule and appoint Herod as the king of Judah? Herod: ​ Herod was 25 when he was appointed a governor of Galilee. ​ Herod felt that the Romans wanted to get rid of the Hasmonean rulers because they had rebelled, so he decided to travel to Rome and persuade the senators there to appoint him king. ​ He developed paranoia and obsession because he was scared that someone was going to take his crown. ​ Herod built Masada near the dead sea as somewhere isolated so nobody could take his crown. Herod was a good king… Herod was a bad king… -​ He renovated the temple -​ Placed the Roman eagle on the temple's gate. -​ Built Port City in Caesarea (idol worship) -​ He married a Hasmonean princess, -​ Allowed only non-Jews, Jews to live there Miriami -​ Killed Miriami, her brother, and many other -​ Built and developed the country, there Hasmoneans (every baby under 2 years old). was a lot of employment for the Jews. -​ He took a lot of taxes to finance all of his building projects. Procurators: ​ Head Procurator: Florus ​ Pontius Pilot ​ A procurator has to collect taxes and the Romans used to send a procurator to all the provinces of the empire. ​ Government Reasons for the Great Revolt Against the Romans: 1)​ Religious reason: Bad procurators that didn’t respect the religious feelings of the Jews.  2)​ Economic reason: unemployment. (There were no more building projects after Herod.) The procurators demanded lots of taxes. 3)​ Political reasons: the Jews wanted independence. 4 Jewish Sect.’s: a group within Judaism with different beliefs, practices and political views than the jewish law. Pharisees ​ Lower/Middle class ​ Farmers, rabbis, teachers ​ Believed in the written and oral Torah ​ Against Hellenism ​ Successors of Hassidim ​ Opposed the revolt against the Romans they just wanted autonomy and they believed the Romans were too strong. Sadducees ​ Upper-class, rich Jews ​ Priests ​ Believed in ONLY Written Torah ​ Hellenized ​ Good relationship with the rulers ​ Opposed the revolt Essenes ​ Were Massnianic Sects. ​ Believed that only the messiah could redeem the Jews, not war. ​ They Were pacifists and opposed the revolt against Rome. ​ Believed that to hasten the coming of the Messiah, they should change their lifestyle and become pure. ​ They lived a modest life, gave up private property ​ They devoted their life to studying the Torah ​ Against Hellenism ​ Some communities of Essenes were celibate, they didn’t marry. Zealots ​ Extremist/fanatics groups ​ They supported the revolt against the Romans because they wanted independence for the Jews. ​ Their national pride was important for then ​ They said: “Freedom or Death” ​ Their stronghold was in the Galilee Essenes of Qumran + Dead Sea Scrolls: ​ Essenes sects that lived in Qumran, near the Dead Sea, wrote “Dead Sea scrolls” ○​ In 1947 Israeli archeologists found in caves the scrolls which they wrote and stored in jars. ​ They copied torah books and other literature, which are important historical sources about the era. ​ Some of their scrolls are kept in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Immediate cause that led to the outbreak of the Great Revolt: Florus tried to steal gold from the temple. Preparations Jews made to defend themselves from the Romans: ​ The Jews elected an emergency government to make preparations for war. ​ This was a government of Pharisees, and they started to fortify Jerusalem and store food and water. ​ They appointed Josephus Flavius to head the Jewish army in the Galilee. Josephus Flavius: ​ Jewish Historian ​ Head of the Jewish Army in Galilee ​ He was a traitor, he was a Source of information on Herod. ​ He was appointed as head of the Jewish army in Galilee. ○​ He had 40 warriors with him: traitor, one of the Pharisee leaders during the great revolt. Civil war in Jerusalem during the Roman siege: ​ A civil war broke out between the Pharisees, who were the majority in the city, and the Zealots. -​ The Zealots threatened to kill those leaders of the Pharisees who wanted to surrender to the Romans. (they wanted independence) ​ During the Civil War, the storages of food were burnt and a famine broke out in the city. 15. Why did Titus destroy the Temple and not Vespasian? Who were the Sicarii? Describe their fight in Masada: ​ The Sicarii were an extremist group of Zealots in Jerusalem during the siege. ​ Masada: The Sacarii fled to Masada, which was a remote fortress in the desert. After the destruction of the temple, the Romans sent troops to Masada, lit it on fire and left the food untouched because they wouldn't leave their possessions in the fortress. ​ Fought off bravely ​ Eventually decided to commit suicide so as not to fall into the hands of the Romans and become slaves. (Page 205) ​ They used to carry a short dagger under the garment and assassinate Pharisees Kamtza and Bar Kamtza: ​ The rich man had a party and hired servants to invite his friend Kamzta. Instead, they invited Bar Kamtza (the man's enemy). The rich man tried to kick Bar Kamtza out of his party, and Bar Kamtza offered to pay for half the party. The rich man refused the offer and kicked Bar Kamtza out of his party. The sages were bystanders and did not do anything about it. As revenge, Bar Kamtza went to Julius Cesar (the emperor) and warned him that the Jews were going to take over the romans. He claimed that the Jews would not accept a potential offering so Cesar decides to  test it and send one. Bar Kamtza slits the calf’s lip making it unkosher, so they don’t accept it. In the end, they wanted peace so they accepted the offering. ○​ Simpler: Bar Kamtza was mistakenly invited to a party, kicked out, and sought revenge by telling Julius Caesar the Jews were rebelling. To test this, Caesar sent an offering, but Bar Kamtza made it unkosher, causing a conflict that eventually led to the Jews accepting it to avoid further issues. ​ Moral of the story: ○​ All of the Baseless Hatred ○​ Unjustified hatred (hating on someone else without any reason) ○​ Be nice to everyone even if they are your enemy 3 reasons for the destruction of the second temple Acc. to Josephus: 1)​ Rome is a strong emperor and the Jews wouldn’t be able to win Rome. 2)​ The civil war and famine in Jerusalem 3)​ Josephus blames the zealots for refusing to stop the revolt. Hasmonean Dynasty: Jonathan ruled from 160-142 BCE -​ He became the leader and the high priest after Judah died -​ Brother of Judah the Maccabee -​ Greek royal family of Syria appointed him as a high priest in Judah, then developed a good relationship with them -​ Assassinated by the king of Syria. Simon ruled from 142-134 BCE -​ He was the leader and high priest over the Jewish people -​ Brother of Judah Ha-Maccabee -​ Gained independence from the Greeks -​ Started as a high priest -​ Elected as the president by the assembly of the 120 Jews. John Hyrcan ruled from 134-104 BCE -​ He was involved in wars with the Seleucids, he gained full independence for the Jewish people and the entire land of Israel. He may have converted the pagans into Jews. -​ Son of Simon (second generation) -​ Conquered many lands -​ Forced conversion of Idumeans -​ Opposed by the Pharisees for forced conversion policy of conquest Aristobulus ruled from 104-103 BCE -​ He only ruled for one year, and he also may have forcibly converted pagans to Jews. -​ Son of John Hyrcanus (3rd generation of Hasmoneans). -​ Was Hellenized and changed his name from Judah to Aristobulus. -​ Appointed himself as the first king of the Hasmoneans -​ Opposed by the Pharisees for being Hellenized and for making himself king despite not belonging to the house of David Alexander Yanai ruled from 103-76 BCE  -​ Alexander (Janneus) Yanai declared himself a high priest and king who conquered many non-Jewish cities. He looked down on the Pharisees' practice with a negative attitude. -​ Brother of Aristobulus -​ Priest and a king -​ Conquered many lands -​ Supported by the Sadducees -​ Opposed by the Pharisees stones him with the Sadducees. -​ On Sukkot, the Pharisees stoned him with Etrogim while he led the Sukkot ceremony in the temple. (p.143) -​ Sadducee - Priests -​ Sectorial Judaism = Pharisees - Oral + Written Torah → Rabbis, Teachers, etc. Salome Alexandra ruled from 76-67 BCE -​ She was the ONLY female ruler (queen) in Jewish history at this period. She was the wife of Alexander Janneus (Yannai). She made peace with the Pharisees. -​ On his deathbed, he advised her to make peace with the Pharisees -​ During her reign as queen, she ceased the conquests and the wars, the Pharisees changed her name to Shlomzion (Peace on Zion) -​ Two Sons: -​ Hyrcanaus 2nd - she appointed him as the high priest -​ Aristublus 2nd - Appointed him head of the army