This lecture focused on Byzantine Jerusalem, which was the time after the Romans ban Jews from the city and converted it to a Christian city. Paul goes on a missionary journey off to Rome and there is increasing western expansion of this Jewish sect that eventually became Christianity. We then began talking about how Jesus was a Jew from Jerusalem, who moved to Rome. There was no new testament at the time of Jesus. Before, the Jesus followers referred to themselves as “The Way”, yet later in Antioch once they began to notice a great schism between Judaism and their beliefs, they began to call themselves Christians.
Within Judaism, there was a spiritualization of the faith. It was now portable again and doesn’t have to be tied to a city. Jerusalem and the temple were both destroyed. Jesus predicted the temple destruction. Paul took this new faith, Christianity, to people who weren’t Jews, which caused problems. They faced controversy over issues such as Kosher regulations and had to answer questions such as, must Christians be first circumcised? Paul said no- you don’t have to become a Jew first to then become a Christian. There was also a big debate- did Jesus make the prediction or was it a prediction that was placed into his mouth by the authors of the bible?
Jerusalem is important to Christians because Jesus was said to have been crucified, buried, and raised again from the dead in Jerusalem for the forgiveness of sins of people all over the world. Christian faith became spiritualized away from the temple in Jerusalem – Jesus’s body is a “Temple” that he will rebuild in 3 days (not the physical temple) We then discussed the Tetrarchy and Constantius and his son, Constantine the Great. He realized could use Christianity to unify his entire kingdom. He turned the pacifist, spiritualized religion that did not worry about worldly possessions into a religion that kills/ conquers people in the name of Jesus. He fundamentally changes the way Christianity was practiced.
In 313, the Edict of Milan- Constantine the Great legalizes Christianity
meets with leaders all around uses his influence to come up with a standard orthodox set of beliefs. In 324- holds the Council of Nicaea- created the doctrine of the trinity, theological construct to grapple with the notion that Jesus was fully God and fully Human called the Nicean Creed. C the G made the bishops figure out one right way to have a religious philosophy (which may be why we have so many Christian sects right now). Greco Roman philosophy had an influence and it was an invention of something else, different than what Jesus had taught. Did C the Great “use” Christianity to unite the empire and for his own political gain??? Are the changes he made to the fundamental ideology irreparable? Did he seal doctrines so that it can never be changed such that everybody that doesn’t follow this creed is “not a Christian”?
Jerusalem the Holy City
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Jerusalem in Revolt
Harold the Great dies, this is how we knew Jesus was born BC, and his kingdom was divided into 3 parts:
Archelaus- got the lions share of Harold’s kingdom, he was his son. They refused to call him King. He got samaria. He was highly ineffective and was sent into exile after ruling for less than 10 years
Herod Antipas- became tetrarch (ruler) of Perea and Galilee, he was also exiled.
Herod Philip – he got the worst parts, Iturea and Trachonitis, way up in the north. He ruled from 4 BCE- 34 CE, till his death. On the coins, he put his own picture on the coins and also put the tetrus style temple on there. It was a temple honoring Cesear Agustus.
As Archelaus and Antipas dissapear, they were replaced by Roman procurators (direct Roman rule took over) one of whom was named Pontius Pilate- resided over the trial of Jesus and ordered his execution. He was the governor of Judea from 25-36/7 CE and was ineffective and provoked the jews. He was so bad that the romans called him back to Rome. He put pagean symbols on the coin. Not very sensitive. They found the Pilate Inscription that mentions two people- Pilate that talked about what he did so that is good evidence that he did exist.
Roman Governors were inexperienced and inept, they used the east (where there were lots of riots) as a training round to see if they’d do well. By 66 CE, jewish militants (terrorists or nationalists) open revolt against roman soldiers that were trying to fight for a free Jerusalem The romans would then persecute a lot of jewish people in return
Jews begin to mint their own coins, trying to assert their authority and declare independence. Printing your own money allows you to have a statement of propaganda and independence. This is also propaganda.
After the destruction of the Jewish Temple- physical structure is now not possible!! This caused the same problem as 586. How will we worship god if we cant have those promises fulfilled? What does it mean to be Jewish if you cant offer sacrafice in the temple? Where will god go? This is an example of Cognitive dissonance! THe Vespasians said- every jew had to pay a half sheckle temple tax. After the temple is destroyed, you have a fiscal incentive to give up your faith, but you still have to pay the tax!!! The taxes went to Rome and made it stronger- religious problem
There are things you could do to remain Jewish without the temple- adaptations, those jewish sects that survived the destruction of the temple, had ways to survive without the temple. It was spiritualized. It becomes a spiritual or philosophical way of being a jew. It’s a way to reinterpret the promise or the faith. You don’t need to offer a sacrafice to be a good worshiper. You can say prayers, or eat or not eat foods, live a good life, etc. Modified forms of judiasm. What/ who survived the destruction of the jewish temple? It has to have regional local places of worship. Of a spiritialized god not tied to a city. Identity revolves on the way you live, pray, eat, etc. what you wear. Religion is highly personalized.
Who survived? Christians and ribitic- a transformative event for judiasm
We then learned about the Arch of Titus. Titus builds a big arch in Rome to celebrate his victory over the Jews, the minora is being led off into captivity in the arch, he then made Judea Catpta Coins- to rub it in the faces of the Jews that they were captured! Picture of a jewish woman (Judea) crying at the bottom of the tree with a roman soldier standing next to her. So that way , every time they want to buy something they are reminded of their capture.
Archelaus- got the lions share of Harold’s kingdom, he was his son. They refused to call him King. He got samaria. He was highly ineffective and was sent into exile after ruling for less than 10 years
Herod Antipas- became tetrarch (ruler) of Perea and Galilee, he was also exiled.
Herod Philip – he got the worst parts, Iturea and Trachonitis, way up in the north. He ruled from 4 BCE- 34 CE, till his death. On the coins, he put his own picture on the coins and also put the tetrus style temple on there. It was a temple honoring Cesear Agustus.
As Archelaus and Antipas dissapear, they were replaced by Roman procurators (direct Roman rule took over) one of whom was named Pontius Pilate- resided over the trial of Jesus and ordered his execution. He was the governor of Judea from 25-36/7 CE and was ineffective and provoked the jews. He was so bad that the romans called him back to Rome. He put pagean symbols on the coin. Not very sensitive. They found the Pilate Inscription that mentions two people- Pilate that talked about what he did so that is good evidence that he did exist.
Roman Governors were inexperienced and inept, they used the east (where there were lots of riots) as a training round to see if they’d do well. By 66 CE, jewish militants (terrorists or nationalists) open revolt against roman soldiers that were trying to fight for a free Jerusalem The romans would then persecute a lot of jewish people in return
Jews begin to mint their own coins, trying to assert their authority and declare independence. Printing your own money allows you to have a statement of propaganda and independence. This is also propaganda.
After the destruction of the Jewish Temple- physical structure is now not possible!! This caused the same problem as 586. How will we worship god if we cant have those promises fulfilled? What does it mean to be Jewish if you cant offer sacrafice in the temple? Where will god go? This is an example of Cognitive dissonance! THe Vespasians said- every jew had to pay a half sheckle temple tax. After the temple is destroyed, you have a fiscal incentive to give up your faith, but you still have to pay the tax!!! The taxes went to Rome and made it stronger- religious problem
There are things you could do to remain Jewish without the temple- adaptations, those jewish sects that survived the destruction of the temple, had ways to survive without the temple. It was spiritualized. It becomes a spiritual or philosophical way of being a jew. It’s a way to reinterpret the promise or the faith. You don’t need to offer a sacrafice to be a good worshiper. You can say prayers, or eat or not eat foods, live a good life, etc. Modified forms of judiasm. What/ who survived the destruction of the jewish temple? It has to have regional local places of worship. Of a spiritialized god not tied to a city. Identity revolves on the way you live, pray, eat, etc. what you wear. Religion is highly personalized.
Who survived? Christians and ribitic- a transformative event for judiasm
We then learned about the Arch of Titus. Titus builds a big arch in Rome to celebrate his victory over the Jews, the minora is being led off into captivity in the arch, he then made Judea Catpta Coins- to rub it in the faces of the Jews that they were captured! Picture of a jewish woman (Judea) crying at the bottom of the tree with a roman soldier standing next to her. So that way , every time they want to buy something they are reminded of their capture.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
2/15
At the end of last class, we left off at the end of the Hasmonean dynasty. The Romans started ruling in 63 BCE after the Hasmonean’s became corrupt and insensitive to the Jewish traditions. This time period, Jerusalem under Roman rule, was called the reign of Herod, or Jesus' Jerusalem because, Herod the Great ruled over Jerusalem. He was crowned the ethnarch, or the ruler of the Jew’s which was rare because he was only a half- Jew. In fact, his parents were forcibly turned Jewish by the Hasmoneons. While Herod is depicted in the Bible as being harsh and tyranistic, he nonetheless, he was known to be a good ruler who was a good politian- sensitive to Jews and collected taxes for the Romans. However, Herod became paranoid and impulsive, which was good for Rome, but made Herod hated by Jews because he took the negative publicity from the Jewish people.
He ruled from 37-4 BCE. He economically and religiously supported Jerusalem. He expanded the Jewish holy site, rebuilt the Temple, improved Jerusalem's economic welfare, improved the water system, provided a place of refuge with the Citadel of David, built Herodin (a huge hill with a palace on it) and also somewhat respected all religious Jewish views. He was definitely not believed to be the true messiah. Herod is also believed to have ordered the death of all children two years old and under to protect his power from a new "king of the Jews." This baby king was believed in the Bible to be Jesus. Yet, there is no evidence for the belief that Jesus was the Son of God or that he actually existed.
He ruled from 37-4 BCE. He economically and religiously supported Jerusalem. He expanded the Jewish holy site, rebuilt the Temple, improved Jerusalem's economic welfare, improved the water system, provided a place of refuge with the Citadel of David, built Herodin (a huge hill with a palace on it) and also somewhat respected all religious Jewish views. He was definitely not believed to be the true messiah. Herod is also believed to have ordered the death of all children two years old and under to protect his power from a new "king of the Jews." This baby king was believed in the Bible to be Jesus. Yet, there is no evidence for the belief that Jesus was the Son of God or that he actually existed.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
2/10
This lecture focused on Hellenitic Jerusalem and Hasmonean Jerusalem. Hellenism was started by Alexander the Great, a greek ruler that ruled from 336-323 BCE. Alexander conquers the majority of the modern middle east, including Jerusalem in 332 BCE. He utilizes coins as propaganda for his greatness. When Alexander the Great dies, his kingdom was divided amoung the leaders into two groups: Prolemies (Egyptians) and Seleucias (Syrians). The Hellenization began when the Seleucids took Jerusalem from the Ptolemies and tried to impose the Greek tradition on the Jews, thinking this would create unity. They attempted to make Greece the main language. While some embraced it, others rejected it. Nevertheless, Greek stories entered the Jewish homes and traditions like circumcision were outlawed.
Those opposing Hellenization, mostly conservative Jews, revolted against Seleucias in the Maccabean Revolt. Even though the Jews were disadvantaged, they won and regained control of Jerusalem. They celebrated this victory with the start of Hanukka and the beginning of the Hasmoneon dynasty. It was ruled for around 100 years until the rulers became corrupt dictators. When the romans came in 63 BCE, they easily conquered Jerusalem.
Those opposing Hellenization, mostly conservative Jews, revolted against Seleucias in the Maccabean Revolt. Even though the Jews were disadvantaged, they won and regained control of Jerusalem. They celebrated this victory with the start of Hanukka and the beginning of the Hasmoneon dynasty. It was ruled for around 100 years until the rulers became corrupt dictators. When the romans came in 63 BCE, they easily conquered Jerusalem.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Persian Jerusalem
This lecture discussed Persian Jerusalem which took place during the second temple period (539-333 BCE) up until the rise of Alexander the Great and the Hellenization of Jerusalem. During this time, Aramaic was the dominant spoken language for Jews. Besides the Bible, there are no other texts about Jerusalem at the time.
We once again talked about the feeling of cognitive dissonance. Specifically, prophet Ezekiel had a vision of God as a mobile entity. The prophecy showed a vision of the throne of God that looked like the Ark of he Covenant on concentric wheels. Although nobody knows the location of the ark of the covenant, and it may even be destroyed, Yet, some people in Jerusalem still did not like the idea of God being mobile again and thus did not want to build the second temple.
We once again talked about the feeling of cognitive dissonance. Specifically, prophet Ezekiel had a vision of God as a mobile entity. The prophecy showed a vision of the throne of God that looked like the Ark of he Covenant on concentric wheels. Although nobody knows the location of the ark of the covenant, and it may even be destroyed, Yet, some people in Jerusalem still did not like the idea of God being mobile again and thus did not want to build the second temple.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
2/1/2011
LAST LECTURE BEFORE MIDTERM!!!
Today a topic that really interested me was cognitive dissonance. This is a concept that, in my opinion, can be interpreted by different people to mean different things. Basically it means that people reinterpret things in a way that makes sense with their religious beliefs and reality. In other words, people rationalize findings to keep their faith. For example, after the great temple was destroyed, people began to say that God's name was in the temple instead of God actually living in the temple. This is a concept of religion that I don't fully agree with. Although I admit that I may not fully understand the topic, it seems ignorant to ignore or reinterpret facts just so that they fit your original understanding. If everyone in the world thought this way, we would never have any new discoveries or critical thinking to advance our world. Then again, I also realize that I am probably thinking about this idea too literally and realize that this is a very extreme way of understanding cognitive dissonance.
Today a topic that really interested me was cognitive dissonance. This is a concept that, in my opinion, can be interpreted by different people to mean different things. Basically it means that people reinterpret things in a way that makes sense with their religious beliefs and reality. In other words, people rationalize findings to keep their faith. For example, after the great temple was destroyed, people began to say that God's name was in the temple instead of God actually living in the temple. This is a concept of religion that I don't fully agree with. Although I admit that I may not fully understand the topic, it seems ignorant to ignore or reinterpret facts just so that they fit your original understanding. If everyone in the world thought this way, we would never have any new discoveries or critical thinking to advance our world. Then again, I also realize that I am probably thinking about this idea too literally and realize that this is a very extreme way of understanding cognitive dissonance.
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