Old Testament 5th lesson

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Old Testament 5th lesson
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Return from the Exile

• Persia overtakes Babylon
• Cyrus, Persian King, allows return
• Jews (now called because of Judah) return
• 40,000 return over a period of years
• The people are different
• People learned God would not tolerate idolatry
• A purified people
• Rabbi/synagogue
• Much study of the law
• See exile as deserved punishment

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Return from the Exile

• Led by Zerubbabel and priest Joshua
• Three main tasks
• Rebuild Temple
• Rebuild Jerusalem and its walls
• Re-establish worship of Yahweh/Renew Mosaic
  covenant

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Obstacles

• Samaritans
• Had intermarried with Assyrians
• Worshipped at Dan and Bethel
• Wanted to help rebuild Temple
• Returning Jews did not want them
• Many exiles did not return
• Paid taxes to Jerusalem
• Looked for leadership there
• More Jews outside Jerusalem than inside

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Prophets of the Return

• Haggai
• Zechariah
• Malachi
• Ezra and Nehemiah

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Haggai

• 520 BC- 20 yrs after return
• Exhorts the people to rebuild temple
• Says droughts, poverty, etc the result of people
  rebuilding their own lives rather than Gods
  temple
• Haggai 15-11
• Temple is Gods place on earth
• Get going people!!

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Zechariah

• 2 parts- second half apocalyptic
• Urges people to rebuild the Temple
• Priestly
• Predicts a messianic age to come
• 99
• Again, get going people, there is hope
• Jerusalem center of the worlds destiny
• Purification of people, society, leadership
• There will be vindication

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Third Isaiah

• Hope in a revitalized Israel
• 6015
• Goal- glad tidings
• 611-3
• Yet, cold reality
• City a pale image of former self
• Stubborn people
• Samaritans
• Gods salvation will touch all people- not just
  chosen ones 567

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Joel

• Temple worship 18-9, 227, 416-17
• Very priestly
• Drought and locusts
• Yet God delivers 218-
• Message of repentance
• Jl 212-13
• Future day of the lord
• A new beginning

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Malachi

• Priests were offering bad sacrifices-
• Lame, blemished animals
• Denounces people- divorced their wives to marry
  rich gentile women
• Mal 215-16
• Prophesies a coming messenger- day of the lord-
  not soon, however
• Mal 323-24

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Ezra and Nehemiah

• Nehemiah- Persian appointed governor
• Rebuilt city
• Ezra- reformer-scribe
• Led to renewal of covenant
• Feasts
• Day of Atonement
• Religious celebrations

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Nehemiah

• Persian appointed governor
• Served from 445-433 and 430-417
• Temple already rebuilt
• Started in 535
• Fits and starts
• Completed in 515
• Not as splendid as Solomons
• Nehemiah- rebuilds city and walls

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Ezra

• Ezra 398- priest
• Expert in torah
• Forbade mixed marriages
• Dissolved marriages with non- Jews
• Promulgation of Torah
• Ezra-Torah is constitution of Judaism
• Acknowledges guilt of the people
• 97-12

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Persian Period

• After return-people struggle
• Stress on Priestly role
• Forge a new identity
• Take responsibility for their failures
• Renew covenant
• The Scriptures take on current form
• Ezra largely responsible
• Persian rule 538-334BC

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Greek Rule

• Alexander the Great
• Conquers area in 334BC
• Hellenization
• Imposition of Greek language- koine
• 275BC- Septuagint
• After death of Alexander
• Ptolemies and Selucids-fight over Palestine
• Ptolemies rule from 323-198BC
• Pretty benevolent- no major Hellenization

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Hellenization under Ptolemies

• Gentle
• Alexandria community
• Greek Philosophy
• Greek ideas
• In Israel- 2 factions
• Some Hellenized- Greek games, ideas
• Others- absolutely not

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Selucids

• 198BC- came to power in Palestine
• Things change radically
• Really want to impose Greek ways and unity
• Antiochus IV- forced things and wanted a big army

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Antiochus IV

• Loots Temple to pay for fort and military
• Forbids
• Circumcision
• Sabbath observance
• Temple sacrifice
• Dietary rules of Jews
• Desecrates Temple- installs statue of Zeus on
  altar
• Makes them choose- abandon Judaism or die

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The Maccabees

• Many did give up the faith, others not
• The Hammer
• Local priest Mattathias- 2 sons
• Simeon and Judas
• 1 and 2 Maccabees- originally written in Hebrew,
  only survives in Greek
• Written 100 BC
• Recapture and rededicate temple-164bc
• Hanukkah

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Hasmonean Dynasty

• Extended Jewish territory to Galilee and Negev
  desert- cleans up Samaria
• Judas rules,then his brother Jonathan
• Then Simon, then John Hyrcanus- Simons son
• The Hasmoneans rule Judea from Maccabeean wars to
  63BC
• This dynasty brought considerable glory, freedom
  and expanded land
• Roman conquest 63 BC- appoints own high priest,
  sets up puppet king

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1 and 2 Maccabees

• Story of Mattathias and sons
• Fidelity to law and faith in God schieves more
  than size of army
• This action created a nation and independence
• 2 Mac -strengthen Jewish faith by heroic example
  of persecuted brethren 631
• 1 Mac- Sadduccees ideas
• 2Mac- Pharisees-resurrection of the dead
• 2 Mac 1238-46- basis of purgatory

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BREAK
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Wisdom Literature

• Living a good human life will lead to happiness
  and success
• Good will be rewarded
• Evil will be punished
• Theory of retribution
• Yet-
• God is God and we are his creatures
• Proverbs 17 and 910-12

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Proverbs

• Textbook of right and wrong living
• Short pithy sayings
• 950-100BC collection
• Attributed to Solomon
• Home, work, relationships, justice, words,
  attitudes, decisions
• Key theme- right use of speech
• 1018, 1113, 1216, 133, 151, 1813, 272
• The wise person can discover God by studying what
  God has created-open to all

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Ecclesiastes

• Qoheleth- son of King David
• Means assembly
• Ascribed to wise king
• Around 3rd century BC-influenced by Greek thought
• 12- vanity of vanity. Theme
• Breath, mist, vapor, thin air
• Everything that is fleeting
• Tried everything- what has real meaning?
• Evil sometimes rewarded in this life
• Enjoy life- 97-10
• Trust in God 1213-14

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Song of Songs

• Ascribed to Solomon
• Really written during restoration period
• Poems that celebrate passion, joy, freshness of
  physical attraction between man and woman 41-7
• Beauty of sexual love in marriage 86-7
• Allegorical-
• Gods love for His people
• Symbols of Christ and church

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Wisdom

• Last book composed in OT times
• 100 BC
• Appeals to the authority of Solomon
• Written entirely in Greek
• Three sections
• 1-621- Eschatology
• 622-111- Praise of Wisdom
• 112-1911- Meditation on Exodus

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Wisdom

• Book of Eschatology (1-621)
• Human destiny in Gods hands
• Our choices in life matter
• Childlessness not necessarily a curse from God
• Suffering not always a result of personal sin
• Innocent suffer (35-6)
• Greek concepts- immortality of soul

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Wisdom

• Praise of Wisdom 622-111
• Wisdom- spirit of the lord (722-88
• Female personification
• Reviews high points of Israels history- how
  Gods wisdom present throughout

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Wisdom

• Meditation on the Exodus (112-1922)
• Sufferings of Egyptians resulted from their sins
• Evils that befall Israels enemiesGods way of
  saving his friends

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Sirach

• Living wisely
• Ecclesiasticus-Church book
• Author- Jesus,son of Eleazor, son of Sirach
• 132 BC
• Translation of Sirachs work from Hebrew to Greek

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Sirach

• True wisdom can be found in faith of Israel
• Not in pagan philosophies
• Contains moral instruction
• Care for the poor 41-10
• Praises for Israels heroes
• Wisdom comes from God
• Sample-511-17, 65-17, 117-9

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Job

• Why do people suffer?
• 500-400 BC
• Job-many blessings from God
• Children
• Slaves
• Livestock
• Tragedy strikes
• Children die
• Loses his possessions
• Bad skin disease

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Job

• His friends answer- 2 themes
• Because you sinned- God punishes sinners
• Because God loves you- he sends trials to those
  he loves
• Another friend- says pride
• Job talks to God- God answers- 381-426 esp 384

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Job

• God wants personal faith and trust
• Not full understanding
• Job repents and is restored
• 423, 5-6