Ezra-Nehemiah to the Maccabees Second Temple Judaism Ezra-Nehemiah to the Maccabees

Approximate Timeline (1) 540 Cyrus 520 Rebuilding Temple 458 Traditional date of Ezra 445 Nehemiah 333 Alexander the Great

Approximate Timeline (2) 323 Division of the Empire 200 Seleucids take Judah 175 Antiochus Epiphanes reigns 168 Maccabees Revolt 164 Rededication of Temple 63 Roman rule begins

Ezra 1-6 Beginning Again

The Book Ezra In Hebrew, includes Ezra and Nehemiah Ezr 1-6 Rebuilding temple Ezr 7 – Neh 13 Rebuilding Wall and Community Variant book (1 Esdras) Eliminates Nehemiah story Emphasizes Zerubbabel over Jeshua Ties to 2 Chronicles

Building the Temple Decree of Cyrus [1:1-4; 6:1-5] Opposition of “enemies” [4:1-5] Confusion of temple and walls – and of kings [4:6-24] Haggai and Zechariah [5:1; 6:14] Encourage wall-building No evidence of support for rebellion Last positive reference to current prophets

Ezra 7-10; Nehemiah 9 Ezra the Scribe

Ezra in His Book (1) Mission from Artaxerxes Trip home Ezra 7:11-26 Praise [Ezra 7:27-28] Completing community [Ezra 8:15-20] Fasting preparation [Ezra 8:21-25]

Ezra in His Book (2) Crisis of foreign wives Reading the law Nehemiah 8:1-8 Feast of booths Nehemiah 8:13-18

Nehemiah 1-7; 12-13 Nehemiah The Governor

Nehemiah in His Memoirs (1) Mission from Artaxerxes Nehemiah 2:1-10 Rebuilding walls Nehemiah 2:17-20 Righting economic injustice Nehemiah 5:1-13

Nehemiah in His Memoirs (2) Settling of Jerusalem Nehemiah 7:4-5 [Nehemiah 11:1-2] Keeping Sabbath Nehemiah 13:15-22 Crisis of foreign marriages Nehemiah 13:23-28

A Different View Third Isaiah Jonah Elephantine Ruth [See previous class notes] Jonah Forgiveness for the oppressors Elephantine Lost Jewish colony Ruth David’s Moabite ancestry

Living among Foreigners Daniel 1-6 Living among Foreigners

The Stories Daniel 1: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah prosper Daniel 2: Nebuchadnezzar’s statue dream Daniel 3: The fiery furnace Daniel 4: Nebuchadnezzar with the beasts Daniel 5: Belshazzar’s banquet Daniel 6: Darius and the lion’s den

Other Stories Additions to Greek Daniel Esther Tobit Susanna Bel and the dragon Prayer of Azariah and Song of the three Esther Hebrew and Greek Tobit Story of “Jewish” exiles from Israel

Daniel 7-12 Crisis and Liberation

Historical Cast of Characters Antiochus Epiphanes “Epimanes” Mattathias Priest in the village of Modin Judas Maccabeus [The Hammer] Jonathan and Simon His brothers

Daniel’s Visions The four beasts [Daniel 7] The ram and he-goat [Daniel 8] Daniel’s prayer – and 70 weeks [Daniel 9] Vision of the man who predicts fall of Persia and battles among Greeks, until they lose in battle against Michael [Daniel 10-12] Daniel 12:5-13

Related Works 1 and 2 Maccabees [partisan histories] 3 Maccabees [in Egypt] Judith Fictional battle won by resourceful woman Apocalyptic 2 Esdras Revelation 1 Enoch

Legacy for the Future Models of witness / martyrdom Divisions in the community Sadducees, Samaritans, Pharisees, Essenes, People of the Land Hope Community rebirth Individual resurrection