THE BACKGROUND OF THE JEWISH HISTORY

- It helps us to understand the person and message of Jesus. Jesus was born during the rule of the Roman emperor.

- To know the world of Jesus, in which context the Gospel was written? To know it to know something more about Jesus.

- Our faith is indeed a historical faith b/c it was revealed in the core of history and history is part of revolution. Ex: Jesus became human in the womb of Mary, crucified under Pontus Pilate. We link our faith into the event of history b/c:

HISTORICAL EVENT + FAITH INTEPRETATION = REVELATION

- Jewish links their faith into the event of history to understand God and history

- This Jewish history is the history of Jesus: How he prayed, and his tradition…

JEWISH HISTORY

Christian = historical religion

Herod the Great

Mariame Malth Cleopatra

Herod Philip Archelaus Herod Antipas Philip

(Herodias) married Herod Antipas

(Salome) married Philip (her father half brother)

· SYNOPSIS OF JEWISH HISTORY LEADING TO THE BIRTH OF JESUS (xem tai lieu)

· SYNOPSIS OF THE ROMAN HISTORY IN RELATION TO JESUS

There are three major periods:

1. The period of Kings (753-510 BC)

2. Period of the Republic (509- 27 BC)

3. Period of imperial Rome (27 BC- 475-76 AD)

But for our study we will focus on the last yrs of the Republic and the first yrs of the empire (look handout pg 4 – Roman History II)

WHAT WAS THE IMPACT OF PALESTINE TO THE ROMAN WORLD?

They were under the foreign dominant controls, many forces and liberation, so in this context when Jesus became popular JB asked him “are you the one to come?” B/c they are expected a political revolution. This is in the background of many people as we saw in the NT

Herod the great rule in 37 BC- 4BC: Palestine was under his control and at this time JESUS WAS BORN around the yrs 6-4 BC, under the period of Augustus (Lk 2,1) (Dionysius made a mistake in calculating that why we said that Jesus was born in the yrs1

Mt 2,16-18: the slaughter of the innocents and the flight to Egypt

Herod was half Jew nad half Roman- people didn’t like him, he had 10 wives: immoral life, if S.O was against him he would kill even his own wife and children (Mariamne)- so the slaughter of the innocent is very understandable in this context.

Herod the great built many temple, sports…his greatest ambitious achievement was the reconstructing the temple, he completed in the yr 66 AD. It took 48-49 yrs to finish- to win the favor of the Jewish people. It was 17 bigger than the Solomon temple. Jn 23, “destroy this temple and built in three day!”? (linking the Roman and history). This temple was destroyed totally in the yrs 70 AD.

He died of cancer in 4 AD and his territory was divided into three of his sons

1. Archelaus: (4 BC- 6AD) (Samaria, Judea, Idumea): Archelaaus was exiled and this territory was given to the governor of Asyria. He himself did not go there to govern but appointed a procurator- Pontus Pilate (the 5^th procurator 26-36 AD) to take care of the material affair, this included Jerusalem.

2. Philip got some small territory in the North East of Cesarea Philippi (where Jesus asked his disciples who do you say that I am?)

3. Herod Antipas (4 BC- 34 AD) He ruled Galilee and Perea (Jesus ministry took place in Galilee. He built great city. Herod the Great had 10 wives, the three were important (the story about Herodias and her daughter Solome- the head of JB. Solome got married to Philip (her father half brother). This is a reality, to enter the life of Jesus, his relationship with JB: Jesus was baptized in Jordan and began his public ministry-> understand this relationship-> enter his death?

How did Jesus understand all the details of his own death?

- Did he know all what would happen to him? (Jesus and John) Jesus would have a strong suspicious, supernatural knowledge to know that this faith could be very much the same with JB. (John was a prophet, so Jesus was also a prophet?)

- Jesus fulfilled the prophetic is to speak the truth to power ( the same thing would happen to him like John!) and John also spoke the truth to power (not to get married with this own brother’s wife)-> the same parallel between Jesus and John may happen the same.

When we look at the historical Jesus in the 3^rd quest (1980) is to understand the Jewishness of Jesus. Many scholars have written about this such as Senior Ch 2 “ the world of Jesus” and Rausch Ch3&4 “ The Jewish background” “Jesus and his movement”

The Jewish understood that Jesus challenge their system (up side down in the Temple)- the Roman did also any body try to revolve : the Zealot

Who caught Jesus’ death? The Roman or the Jew? Jesus’ death in term of salvation “he died for our sin”- we see it as eschatological. Jesus’ death was not just as one more Jewish revolutionist – but for the coming of the KDG.

The reality of Rome in Palestine:

- Rome took away Palestine the capital sentence-> the Jew brought Jesus to Pilate to declare the death sentence to Jesus, b/c they can ‘t do this by themselves

- The supreme High Priest, Rome took away also, Caipha was the High Priest: Jesus was sent to him during the trial.

- Taxes in Palestine: was spent in Palestine. Ex: If you collected 20 for tax, 10 is for yourself. That was the system- Jewish people NT: Tax corrupted ( collect a greater amount for their own at the service of the Roman) Tax collectors = prostitutes b/c they don’t follow the law)

- Jesus reached out to the context of the Jew and invited so like Matthew (tax collector) and Simon (Zealot party) for his disciples => the contradiction and absolutely extreme.

- The Zealot believed that they should not be under the Roman rule.

- The Roman’s influent in Palestine: Roman currency is considered as dirty money, if that money go to the temple, they have to exchange it into the temple money- >> Jesus turned up side down…. at the temple >> open up a great amount of corruption.

- Geography:

- Sea of Galilee (in the North)

Storm at the sea (Jesus and his disciples)

Samaria (Half Jew, half pagan) Jn 4: Samaritan woman, Parable of the good Samaritan

- Judea is the true Jew.

- The people Perea don’t follow the Laws and Jewish tradition- very dangerous to go there

- Language: Jesus spoke Aramia and some Hebrew (classic language: OT), the language of business was Greek, the officer in Palestine speaks Latin. So when Pilate write on the top of the Cross, it was written in three languages: INRI (Iesus, Nazareth, Rex, Iudaeorum)

- NT was written in Greek, ABBA is Aramic word (daddy), AMEN is Hebrew word ( certainly agree)

- The Sanhedrin: 72 members (during the time of Jesus, the High Priest was appointed by the Roman. It includes:

- The Elder: from the Prominent family

- The High Priest (Levi tribe): minister of the temple

- Supreme High Priest: hold office for life (Jewish tradition but the Roman deposed it)

- 2^nd High Priest: in charge of Religion and Worship (Zachariah)

- 3^rd High Priest: treasurer of the temple

- The Scribe

Jewish historian by Josephus:

- All Jew at the age of 12 has to pay annual temple tax = 2 day of work.

- Pay 10% tithe on their harvest for maintain the temple (Mt23,23)

- Temple received gifts (Mk 7, 11)

- Receive abundant arm from the rich (Mk 12, 41)

- Life stock exchange, currency exchange (Mk 11, 15)

- Many visitors and pilgrims come to Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacle, Passover, Thanksgiving for the harvest (Jn 12,30)

ð A huge amount of money that the temple received during the time of Jesus->> clear out the temple >> Jesus was strongly against this religion for profit.

July 11^th 2005

THE RELIGIOUS AND NON-RELIGIOUS GROUPS IN JESUS’ DAYS

I. RELIGIOUS GROUPS: (xem them in handout)

1. The Pharisees

2. Sadducees

3. Essenes (The event of Masada and Qumran: the Dead Sea Scroll)

4. Zealots

II. OTHER NON-RELIGIOUS GROUPS:

1. Scribes

2. Samaritans

3. Publicans

4. People of the land (pg 45 Seniors)

5. Herodians

6. Diaspera: Jewish who lives out side the community

7. Sanhedrin: Jewish Great Council

The QUMRAN: The Dead Sea Scroll

The Essene gave a great contribution was the preservation of the Dead Sea Scroll

- It is given the 3^rd quest for the historical Jesus forward (in Pg 1 –Senior: 4 reasons for the renewal of the historical Jesus- one of them was the Dead Sea Scrolls

- In 1947, a young shepherd boy named: Muhammad Adh-dhib got the bks by ran into the cave to find the goats, he throw a stone into the dark cave, heard sthing broke inside-….- they found several jars with scrolls… sold in Jerusalem.

- In 1948-1949 some of these were sold in the market of Jerusalem

- Pere Roland De Vaux, OP, the very excellent Biblical Scholar (Biblicum: Rome)- from the Ecole Biblique Biblical School in Jerusalem, realized that these were something very special and precious… he had no authority for that so he contacted to Geral Harding ( Head of the Jordan Department Antique) a political authority to declare a certain area in archaelagia b/c they were afraid st will be lost. They went back to the cave and found 70 pieces of scrolls in 11 caves (1956). There were about 600 documents ( all OT except Mac, Esther and Wisdom)

- The Qumran Scrolls were hidden from 70-1946 >> the Essense was very committed in preservation of the Scripture b/c for the Jew the true and most activity you can do and pleasing to Yahweh is to study the Scripture and prayer

The theory of Roland De Vaux:

- They was Scrolls (Lk: the Scroll of Isaiah 61)

- The Qumran cmty would have had an entire library. The Roman attracted the Jew and destroy the monastery.

- The Qumran cmty kept the Scroll, in order to preserve, they kept with oil, sock with soft cloths, put in a huge jar and hid them around 2km away in a high mountain cave that is why they were preserved for almost 1800 yrs

Why is it so important?

- There were many documents found in the caves

- They are not all Scripture but bks of prayer, cmty rules, chemical hisotry… (11 Scrolls with more than 600 documents, found every bks of the OT except Esther, Mac and Wisdom.

- The most complete was the bk of Isaiah (unroll it 24 feet= 8 meters)

- They bring life elements of Juadism’s influence in Xtn development, give text that we know it existed, valuable manuacript long ago…

What happen to the Dead Sea Scrolls?

- The Israel built a Museum for their Scrolls and its shape like a scroll, the center of the Museum is the Bk of Isaiah, the original were kept separated >>> help us to appreciate the life of Jesus.

- The Essenses are not mention in the NT but the importance is the scroll

- It helps us confirm the documents we use for long time ago is truly authentic- there is no conflict with the Gospel and the Scroll

How many BKs of NT were found in Qumran? Nothing, b/c the NT was written after the destroy Qumran. There is no evidence that Jesus’ connection with the Qumran but obviously is JB.

What is Jesus relationship with these groups?

- Jesus identified himself with non of these groups.

- Jesus called and invited all to the KD and Salvation (for every body)

- He doesn’t link himself with one group or others

- Jesus’ vision is unique. It was a vision of calling people to a new reform vision of life, new way of understanding God. Ex: Sermon on the Mount

- The teaching of Jesus is the call to the KDG, allowing God to do in our life, so we should be opened to the uniqueness of Jesus.

- The society of the world of the Jew is extremely complex>> we are called to be Xtn in the messiness of life in any situations.

What is the historical evidence of the existence of Jesus?

1. Non believers (Pagan)

a. The Pagan Roman sources:

- Why would they be interested in a man call Jesus that lived faraway from them- a remote town of Nazareth? The Roman empire greatly expanded to many areas.

- The Roman writer spoke about Jesus only when Xtnity began to expand to Greek territory and as far as Rome. There were three Roman writers:

- Suetonius: a Roman author compiled biography of the 1^st twelve of Roman Emperors (120 AD). He is a careful historian, when he wrote about the 1^st twelve Emperors… Emperor Claudius (41-54 AD) (pg 11 Senior) he refers to the expulsion of the Jew from Rome in 49AD on the account of the riots in which they were constantly indulging, at the instigation of Chrestus. (acts 18,2)

- Tacitus: a Roman historian (115-117AD) wrote about the great fire in Rome by Nero. Nero was a Roman Emperor (64-68 AD) properly he wanted to clear a certain section of Rome- burn them all and blame it to the Xtn (the 1^st martyr in Rome June 31^st ) “ they got the name from Christ, who was executed by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius…” (Senior, pg 11)

- Pliny: (111) was appointed legate to the Roman province of Bithynia, wrote many letters to the Emperor Trajan. He concerns the proper method for dealing with XTn, twice he refers to Christ, he advice the Trajan to force the Xtn to reject Xt, if they persisted to their faith, put them to death… the sign is they come together on a fix day of a week to celebrate the meal

- These three writers gave us a testimony of the existence of Jesus.

b. Jewish sources (pg 13- Senior)

- Josephus (37-38 AD), a remarkable character, born and raised a Palestian Jew, deserted his countrymen during the Jewish revolve. He was captured by the Roman. He convinced the Roman to pardon him and wrote a history of a Jewish people. He gave accurate details of Jesus. “Jesus is a wise man, if it is lawful to call him man, he does wonderful works, a teacher… He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was The Christ. And Pilate condemned Him on a cross…” (Senior pg 13) The point is: there is true evidence of the existence of Jesus.

2. The believers: (Gospels)

- The Bibles are not biography but at the foundation is the historical reality of the person of Jesus. It is also interpreted history of Jesus.

- We don’t look at the Gospels as the same way of the Roman or Jewish sources but at the same time we don’t say that they are historical events.

- Biblical gives significant meaning of Jesus, for a particular people: the XTn, his followers those who believe in Him.

- The historical of Jesus is true and for us Xtn: the historical Jesus and the Christ of faith are one, the same person.