1. Section Eight: Timeo Romanos Dona Ferentes (I fear the Romans especially when they are bearing gifts.)

2. Timeline Review (I) 323 BCEAlexander the Great died suddenly. His generals competed with each other to rule various regions of the lands that he conquered. General Ptolemy and his descendants ruled in Egypt as well as the lands that Judah and Samaria. General Seleucus and his descendants ruled in Persia, parts of India and Eastern Asia Minor. 200 BCEJudah and Samaria were lost to the Ptolemies in Egypt and came under the rule of the Seleucid Empire 167 BCEAntiochus IV committed the Abomination of Desolation and declared that the people of Judah must offer sacrifice to the gods of the Greek pantheon. A priest named Mattathias in the town of Modein refused. He killed the King’s emissary and, with his sons, led a revolt against the King 134 BCEThe sons of Mattathias starting with Judah the Hammer, continued the revolt and, taking advantage of an increasingly weakened and divided Seleucid Empire, finally gained freedom for the land of Judah when Simon Maccabee and his son, John Hyrcanus ruled an independent Jewish kingdom from Jerusalem 8.1

3. Timeline Review (II) 69 BCETwo grandsons of John Hyrcanus, Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II fought with each other to claim the throne in Judah. Hyrcanus II (the High Priest before the death of his mother, Queen Salome Alexandra), had the rightful claim to be named King. The Pharisees supported Hyrcanus II’s claim to the throne. Aristobulus II favored ruling Judah in a more Hellenistic manner and was supported by the Sadducees. He was also commander of the army and so was able to force Hyrcanus II to flee. Hyrcanus II fled to Idumea, a land that had come under the rule of Judah some decades earlier. The governor of Idumea supported Hyrcanus II and, allied with neighboring Nabatea, laid siege to Jerusalem to regain the throne for Hyrcanus II. Sensing defeat, Aristobulus II appealed to Judah’s Roman allies for help. The Roman general Pompey received that appeal. 8.2

4. Now a Bit About Rome (I) By the end of the Punic wars (against Carthage), Rome controlled Italy, and the East coast of the Adriatic having defeated Illyrian raiders. They held Western North Africa and parts of Spain formerly governed by the Carthaginians. They also held land in Asia Minor formerly owned by the Seleucid Syrians who were allies of Carthage. Judah remains under Seleucid control. Ptolemaic Egypt is free. 8.3

5. Now a Bit About Rome (II) By 121 BCE, Rome had extended her rule over the Iberian Peninsula. She ruled Greece and governed additional land in Asia Minor. Pontus, Armenia and Parthia had taken advantage of the weakened Seleucid Syria. Judah had gained her independence. Ptolemaic Egypt continued to be free. 8.4

6. Now a Bit About Rome (III) By 53 BCE, most of the lands around the Mediterranean were either governed by Rome or were allied to Rome. The Romans could begin to call the Mediterranean “Mare Nostrum” (Our Sea). Though allied with Rome, Judah remained an independent kingdom. That status was to soon change. Parthia remained outside the sphere of Roman influence 8.5

7. Hi. We’re from Rome and We’re Here to Help! By 64 BCE, the Roman Army had managed to defeat yet another enemy, Mithradates of Pontus putting them ever closer to Judah. The Kingdom of the Seleucid Syria was in disarray due to its constant civil wars. The Roman General, Pompey, who defeated Pontus, decided to bring Roman order to Syria. Rome became Judah’s next door neighbor Aristobulus appealed to Pompey to help him against his brother and his Idumean and Nabatean allies. Pompey rescued Aristobulus II but named Hyrcanus II as the rightful High Priest and Ethnarch (but did not name him King). A Roman General had named the temporal and religious leader of an allegedly independent kingdom of Judah Civil War then broke out in Rome between the Senate (Pompey’s loyalty) and Julius Caesar. Caesar defeated Pompey and the new proconsul in Syria, Aulus Gabinius divided the Hasmonean Kingdom into three regions; Galilee, Judea and Samaria. Gabinius established five councils to serve the regions. Each council (synedrion, the origin of the word sanhedrin) seemed to serve as a regional court Note: The fact that the words synagogue and sanhedrin are of Greek origin show the influence of Hellenism on Jewish life at this time. These 5 lesser synedria are not to be identified with the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, the “Supreme Court” of synedria 8.6

8. The Prelude to the End of the Hasmonean Dynasty Antipater (who supported Hyrcanus II) had been an ally of Pompey during an earlier war between Rome and the Kingdom of Pontus. When the Romans won that war, the Jewish kingdom was considered a friend of Rome Hyrcanus II, now Ethnarch and High Priest, held power but in name only. Antipater was named governor of Idumea and also ran the everyday affairs of Judah. When the civil war broke out among the Romans, Antipater was able to shift his allegiance away from Pompey and to Caesar. Antipater then aided Caesar in his later campaigns. For his help, Antipater was made a Roman citizen Aristobulus II and his son Alexander who opposed Hyrcanus II and Antipater were captured by the Proconsul Gabinius in 63 BCE. A man named Marc Antony led the cavalry unit that captured them. Both managed to escape the Romans in 57 BCE The Romans regained custody of Aristobulus II and Alexander, his son. In 49 BCE, Aristobulus was poisoned by the Romans and died. Alexander was beheaded. The Hasmonean family feud was almost over Hyrcanus II, now the only ruler in the line of the Hasmoneans, remained in authority in Judah even if his authority was more titular than real 8.7

9. One Last Try Antipater’s friendship with Rome made him unpopular among the non- Hellenized portion of the Jewish people. Antipater, who had married a Nabataean woman, named two of his sons, Phasael and Herod, to govern two districts of Judah. Phasael was named governor of Jerusalem while Herod was named governor of Galilee In Rome, Caesar was assassinated and civil war broke out again. Shortly afterwards, Antipater was poisoned The Parthians (from a land once ruled by Cyrus and, later, by the Seleucids) attempted to take advantage of the turmoil in Rome and waged war against Roman Syria. They encouraged Antigonus, a second son of Aristobulus II who managed to survive the Romans, to reclaim the throne from Hyrcanus II. Antigonus entered Jerusalem and proclaimed himself king. He mutilated the ears of Hyrcanus II making him ineligible to retain the post of High Priest. Antigonus claimed that title for himself as well. The Romans were not pleased 8.8

10. Salome Alexandra (r. 76-69 BCE) Q (d. 69 BCE) Aristobulus II (r. 69-63 BCE) HP,K (d. 49 BCE) Hyrcanus II (r. 47-41BCE) E (76-69 and 63-41) HP (d. 30 BCE) Alexandra (d. 27 BCE) ---- m ----- Alexander (d. 49 BCE) Antigonus (r. 40-37 BCE) HP, K (d. 37 BCE) The Last Hasmonean Antigonus managed to hold onto his kingship for three years. Phasael, a son of Antipater who had been named governor of Jerusalem by his father, was captured by Antigonus and took his own life. Herod, another son of Antipater, fled to Rome for protection In Rome, the Senate proclaimed Herod to be “King of the Jews” but Herod had to win over the kingdom on his own. In 37 BCE, Herod defeated Antigonus and gained the kingdom. Herod then offered Antigonus the chance to retain the position of High Priest. Antigonus accepted and returned to the court at Jerusalem. Shortly after, Herod had him killed. The Hasmonean family feud had finally come to an end. So, too, did the Hasmonean dynasty. The Herodian dynasty had begun 8.9

11. Salome Alexandra (r. 76-69 BCE) Q (d. 69 BCE) Aristobulus II (r. 69-63 BCE) HP,K (d. 49 BCE) Hyrcanus II (r. 47-41BCE) E (76-69 and 63-41) HP (d. 30 BCE) Alexandra (d. 27 BCE) ---- m ----- Alexander (d. 49 BCE) Antigonus (r. 40-37 BCE) HP, K (d. 37 BCE) Mariamne I: The Transition from Hasmonean to Herodian Dynasty Some years before Alexander and his father Aristobulus II died rebelling against the Roman decision in favor of Hyrcanus II and Herod’s father Antipater, Alexander and his wife Alexandra had two children; a son named Aristobulus III and a daughter named Mariamne When Herod became King, he made Aristobulus III the High Priest in Jerusalem. A year later, he had him drowned while bathing in a river. Herod had been betrothed to Mariamne even before he was made King but waited until after his ascent to the throne before marrying her Herod, an Idumean, hoped that his marriage to a Hasmonean bride who was popular among the people would give him some legitimacy to rule as “King of the Jews”. Aristobulus III Mariamne ---- m ------ Herod 8.10

12. Antipater (d. 43 BCE) --- m ---- Cypros of Nabataea Salome (d. 10 CE) Phasael (d. 40 BCE) Herod (r. 39-4 BCE) Joseph (d. 143 BCE) Pherorus (d. 5 BCE) Herod was one of five children born to Antipater. Herod was an Idumean like his father. Idumea (the former Edom?) was a land conquered by John Hyrcanus and its people were forcibly converted to Judaism. Herod’s mother, Cypros, was a Nabatean Idumeans were thought to be Edomite descendants of Esau. Many Jews considered Herod to be a half-Jew at best. If Herod was an Edomite and a descendant of Esau, one might say that Esau’s kin finally took back the birthright taken from him by his brother Jacob. Even the Torah (Deut. 23) indicated the Edomites were to have a special status among the Jewish people “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a stranger in his land. The children who are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.” Herod the Great 8.11

13. Herod the Great and the Jewish People Since Idumeans males were expected to be circumcised, it is likely that Herod had conformed at least to that tradition The fact that Herod’s mother was a Nabatean and not Jewish did not sit well with many of his subjects even though he had married a Hasmonean princess, Mariamne I, a woman he was said to have truly loved In 31 BCE, a severe earthquake hit Jerusalem. After the earthquake, Herod began a rebuilding program that included a new market, an amphitheater, a new building where the Sanhedrin could convene and a new royal palace. Most importantly, in 20 BCE he started to rebuild the Temple. There were other cities, such as Jericho and the city of Samaria where Herod ordered new buildings to be built. New fortresses in places such as Masada, served the security of both the Jewish people and their king. Herod's crowning achievement was the construction of a splendid new port, called Caesarea in honor of the emperor (the harbor of the port city was called Sebastos, the Greek translation of Augustus). It is said that Herod wanted Caesaria (Maritima) to be a new Alexandria Herod tried his best to please both his Roman masters and his Jewish subjects. He also worked hard on his own behalf 8.12

14. The Ten Wives of Herod the Great WifeChildren 1. DorisAntipater III 2. Mariamne IAlexander, Aristobulus IV, Salampsio (d), Cypros (d) 3. Mariamne IIHerod II (also called Herod Philip, 1 st Husband of Herodias) 4.MalthaceHerod Archelaus, Herod Antipas, Olympias (d) 5.Cleopatra of JerusalemPhilip the Tetrarch, Herod 6.PalasPhasael 7.PhaidraRoxanne (d) 8.ElpisSalome (d) 9.Cousin (name unknown) 10.Niece (name unknown) (d) = daughter green=important but died before NT times red=played a direct or indirect role in the NT Herod went well beyond the later exploits of Henry VIII of England and took ten wives to himself. He had children by eight of those wives. A number of these children play a role in the Christian New Testament. Herod planned to have one of his sons succeed him as King, however, when he died, the Romans divided up his kingdom among several sons. A number of Herod’s descendants which are mentioned in the New Testament are simply called “King Herod”. 8.13

15. The Sons of Herod’s First Two Wives Doris, Herod’s first wife, was a commoner and probably also an Idumean Herod had a son with Doris named Antipater (Antipater II), after Herod’s father. Herod divorced Doris sometime around 40 BCE to allow him to marry Mariamne I, who would prove to be the love of Herod’s life. Both Doris and Antipater II were sent into exile Mariamne I (Miriam), a very beautiful woman and much beloved by Herod, was resented by Herod’s sister Salome who was constantly plotting against her. After several incidents, Herod finally ordered Mariamne’s execution in 29 BCE. Salome also resented Mariamne’s two sons, Alexander and Aristobulus IV. They had been raised in the Imperial Court in Rome and Salome considered them haughty. In 7 BCE, Herod had both strangled. The death of two Hasmonean heirs to the throne caused the anger of the Jewish people toward Herod to rise dramatically Meanwhile Herod’s first wife, Doris, was called back from exile and her son Antipater II was officially named Herod’s heir. In 5 BCE, Antipater II, growing impatient, was charged with attempting to assassinate his father. He was found guilty and executed in 4 BCE just days before Herod’s own death 8.14

16. Caesar Augustus on Herod the Great A Roman named Macrobius wrote a compendium of ancient Roman lore that he called the Saturnalia In Book 2, Section 4, verse 11 of that book, Macrobius quotes Caesar Augustus saying the following about Herod the Great “It is better to be Herod’s pig than Herod’s son” Since, like many of the elite of Rome at that time, Caesar Augustus commonly spoke in Greek, there is a bit of a pun in that saying that comes across in Greek. “It is better to be Herod’s hus (the Greek word for pig. It rhymes with goose) than Herod’s huios” (the Greek word for son pronounced hoo-yos) The meaning, of course, is that as a Jew (at least a nominal Jew), Herod could not eat pork so any pig that belonged to Herod was safe. Not so safe were Herod’s sons, three of whom were condemned to death by their father Did Herod actually slaughter all the male children from 0-2 years of age in Bethlehem as the New Testament claims. There is no external source to verify that story. Was Herod bloodthirsty enough to do so? Even the Emperor of Rome seems to have thought so 8.15

17. The Kingdom of the Jews – Political Divisions at the Time of Herod the Great Josephus mentioned three sects in the Jewish Kingdom as the Romans brought the Kingdom of Judah under Roman rule. The three principle sects (haireiseis in Greek) described by Josephus were; Pharisees Sadducees Essenes The next slides will sum up each of these three groups. A fourth group of people, the Samaritans, will also be examined Under Roman rule, the Kingdom of Judah became known as the province of Judea, a satellite province of Roman Syria 8.16

18. The Pharisees Pharisaioi in Greek, perisaye in Aramaic and perushim in Hebrew having the basic meaning of “the separated ones”. They seemed to come from a group of scribes (lawyers) under Jonathan Maccabeus @ 150 BCE. They seem to have evolved from the Hassidim who supported the Maccabean revolt until the revolt took a secular turn The Pharisees believed that both the written Torah ( תורה שבכתב, torah se-biktav) as well as the oral Torah ( תורה שבעל פה tora se-be-al peh) were normative. Their love of the Torah and their meticulous observance of the Sabbath, ritual purity etc, helped keep Judaism intact in the face of Hellenistic polytheism and secularism. The Pharisees followed in the footsteps of King Josiah, and the priest/scribe Ezra and all those who believed that the best way to ensure a good and holy nation was to ensure that the youth of the nation would be educated in the Torah including the do’s and don’ts that comprise pious behavior 8.17

19. The Sadducees Saddoukaioi in Greek, sadduqaye in Aramaic and sadduqim in Hebrew. Their name brings to mind the Zadokite priesthood that began with Zadok who shared the position of High Priest with Abiathar under David before Solomon removed Abiathar from that position. Zadok and the prophet Nathan supported Solomon’s claim to succeed David as King of Israel and the descendants of Zadok continued to hold the position of High Priest until Menelaus gave his bribe to the Seleucid King Antiochus IV Despite the link between the name of their party with a line of High Priests who historically had supported faithfulness to the Torah and the customs, rituals and practices that it taught, the Sadducees were part of the the more recent version of the High Priest who was appointed by Hellenist rulers and who curried their favor. The Sadducees were therefore part of the Hellenist Jewish aristocracy of the kingdom. This put them at odds with the Pharisees and the Essenes The Sadducees did want to have any part of an oral tradition of the Torah. They felt that such interpretation came from laymen interfering with things best left to priests. Unlike the Pharisees, the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body, angels or spirits (Mark 12:18) 8.18

20. The Essenes Essenoi or essaioi in Greek, possibly hasayya in Aramaic. Their name either means “pious ones” or “healers” According to Pliny the Elder, they lived on the Western shore of the Dead Sea between Jericho and Engedi. Most take the site to be Khirbet Qumran Most people associate the monastic community at Qumran with the Essenes but there has been some recent debate about this Was John the Baptist an Essene? Was Jesus an Essene? Most of the information about the Essenes comes from the writings of Josephus. They are hardly mentioned in Scripture. - John the Baptist may have been an Essene in that, like the Essenes, he seemed to live apart from regular society - Jesus may well have known about the Essenes and the things that they taught and believed but He Himself was probably not an Essene. He lived as part of the general society. He drank wine. He ate with sinners etc. In the end, there is simply not enough information to draw a definitive conclusion concerning Jesus, John the Baptist and the Essenes 8.19

21. Other Jewish Sects Zealots -Considered by some to be the extreme right wing of the Pharisees -Josephus called them the fourth philosophy of Judaism (violence, murder) -Likely started by Judas the Galilean in 6 CE (Acts 5:37) and grew to political importance some years after Jesus’ crucifixion -They objected to paying tax (tribute) to a foreign, pagan king - They finally revolted against Rome in 66 CE and the final confrontation of that revolt took place at Masada -There is a question concerning one of Jesus’ apostles, Simon Zelotes. Was he “zealous” for the Torah (a Pharisee or one of the Hasidim) or was he a member of the group that became “the Zealots”? Herodians - Mentioned in Mark (3:6 and 12:13) and Matthew (22:16) as joined with the Pharisees in attempts to entrap Jesus -Completely opposite the Pharisees in philosophy but shared their concern about Jesus Zadokites -Shared the more fundamental views of the Sadducees (Written Torah only) -Felt the Sadducees were too worldly, too Hellenistic 8.20

22. The Samaritans Most historians hold to the idea that the name derives from Samaria, the capital city of the divided Kingdom of Israel. Others say the name derives from the Hebrew term שַׁמֶרִיִם (shamerim) meaning “keepers of the law” The Samaritans claimed that not all of the “Lost Tribes” of the Northern Kingdom of Israel were lost. Samaritans claim descent from Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph. The Jewish people called Samaritans Kuthim (Cuthians) referencing people brought from the land of Cutha (in modern Iraq) by the Assyrians to repopulate the Northern Kingdom after the conquest of Israel by Assyria Some historians believe that at least some of the Jewish inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel remained in the land after Israel was defeated by the Assyrians. The Samaritans who were supposed to have remained claimed that they represented the original faith of Israel. They believed that the Jewish people who returned from captivity in Babylon represented a change in Jewish beliefs. There is still a small community of Samaritans in Israel today. They believe that their version of the Torah is the only true version. They hold that Mount Gerizim is the proper place of sacrifice for Israel Recent DNA testing which shows that the mtDNA is consistent with people who inhabit portions of modern Iraq (Cutha?) the male DNA is consistent with Jewish descent 8.21

23. As We Transition From the Hebrew Scriptures… Recommended Paid Course on the Hebrew Scriptures The Old Testament Amy Jill Levine PhD from Duke University Currently teaches at Vanderbilt University http://www.thegreatcourses.comhttp://www.thegreatcourses.com Cource#653 Recommended Free Course on the Hebrew Scriptures Open Yale Courses RLST 145: Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) Christine Hayes, The Robert F. and Patricia Ross Weis Professor of Religious Studies at Yale University There is also an NT course available on this website http://oyc.yale.edu/religious-studies/rlst-145 8.22