3. Herodians 4. Essenes a. Described by Josephus b. Communal society (Qumran: Dead Sea Scrolls) c. Punctual to the law beyond the Pharisees 5.

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1 WORLD RELIGIONS 1) Judaism a) Membership ( (2011) ) i) Worldwide: 13 to 14 Million ii) Israel 6,000,000 iii) United States: 5,500,000 b) History i) The First Jewish Commonwealth (1450 B.C. to 586 B.C.) (1) The Early Period (2) The Patriarchs (3) Egypt and Sinai (4) Conquest and Judges (5) The United Kingdom (6) The Divided Kingdom ii) The Second Jewish Commonwealth (586 B.C. to A.D. 70) (1) Exile and Restoration (2) Greek Occupation and the Hasmonean Kingdom (332 B.C. to 37 B.C) (a) Antiochus IV (i) Seleucid Ruler (Hellenize) (ii) Sacrificed pig to Zeus on Temple altar (b) Judas Maccabee (son of Hyrcanus: high priest) (i) Led successful revolt (ii) Established Hasmonean (Hyrcanus clan) Kingdom (3) The Roman Occupation (37 B.C. to A.D. 70) (a) Herod the Great (Edomite: descendant of Esau) (b) Tetrarchies and Procurator (c) Jewish Life (i) Devotion to God (ii) Messianic expectations (cf. Judah in Acts 5:37) (iii)party divisions 1. Sadducees (most priests were) a. Wealthy b. Liberal c. Powerful alliance with Roman Government d. recognized only the Pentateuch; did not believe in angels, spirits, immortality of soul or resurrection of the body (see Acts 23:6) 2. Pharisees (most scribes were) a. Experts in the law (Rabbis) b. About 6,000 in NT times c. Mostly middle class d. Belonged to Schools i. Shammai (conservative) ii. Hillel (liberal) e. Built a Fence Around the Law

2 3. Herodians 4. Essenes a. Described by Josephus b. Communal society (Qumran: Dead Sea Scrolls) c. Punctual to the law beyond the Pharisees 5. Zealots (political activists: desired the overthrow of Roman rule) 6. The Sanhedrin a. Jewish Supreme Court b. Seventy Members presided over by the High Priest i. Pharisees ii. Sadducees c. Allowed Authority by Rome d. Handled Religious & Domestic Affairs e. Controlled a Police Force f. Met Daily in Jerusalem (except Sabbath & Holy Days) g. Sometime Called Council or Rulers in the New Testament (d) Destruction of Temple (i) Titus Pursuit for Gold (ii) Fulfillment of Jesus Prophecy (iii)origin of the Wailing Wall (western retaining wall) iii) The Rise of Rabbinic Judaism (1) Fundamental Writings (a) Biblical writings (TaNaK); favored position of Torah (b) The Mishnah: written codification of oral law (completed by Rabbi Judah the Prince (A.D. 200) (i) Seeds (ii) Feasts (iii)women (iv) Damages (v) Holy Matters (vi) Purities) (c) The Talmud: expansion of Mishnah and Gemara (i) Sources 1. The Mishnah (Halakah: legal discussion regulating religious and civil practices) 2. The Gemara: expansion of tractates of the Mishnah (Haggadah: non-legal materials: prayers, parables, historical narratives, etc.) (ii) Versions 1. Palestinian (4 th century) 2. Babylonian (5 th century) (iii)size 1. English translation: 17 volumes 2. Fifty-five tractates (each with Torah, Mishnah, then Gemara)

3 (iv) Views 1. Conservative: on par with scripture (source of Rabbinic training) 2. Moderate: authoritative, but not inspired 3. Liberal: historical value only (Reformed Judaism) (d) The Siddus (modern Jewish prayerbook, a document of public piety (Jacob Neusner, Between Time and Enternity: The Essentials of Judaism)) iv) The Move to Spain and the Middle Ages (1) Shi ite Islam influence in Persia (7 th Century) moved the Jewish culture to Spain (2) Cycles of Tolerance and Persecution (50,000 killed in 1 st Crusade: 11 th Century) (3) Talmud continued to be expounded (4) A literal (as opposed to allegorical or moral) interpretation of scripture was emphasized (led by Rabbi Rashi) (5) Schools of Mysticism (merkavah) Arose (a) Moses de Leon (Spain) wrote, Zohar, Book of Lights : Describes the universe in relation to the being and glory of God. (b) Isaac de Luria set up a school at Safed in Galilee (c) Rabbi Reb Saunders: Listen. In gematriya, the words this world come out one hundred sixty-three, and the words the world-to-come come out nine. Nine is half of eighteen. Eighteen is chai, life. In this world there is only half of chai. We are only half alive in this world! Only half alive! (6) 1492 and Sabbatai Zevi (a) Jews Expelled from Spain (many settle in southeastern Europe) (b) Two Major Groups in Europe (distinction still exists today) (i) Sephardic Jews 1. Spanish roots 2. Culture influenced by Arabs and Turks 3. Spoke a Spanish dialect written in Hebrew characters (called Ladino ) (ii) Ashkenazic Jews 1. Roots in Northern and Northwestern Europe 2. Spoke Yiddish (a dialect of German written in Hebrew characters) (c) Hope for Messiah Increased focused on Sabbatai Zevi (17 th Century) (i) Jews in Europe, Middle East, and North Africa united (ii) Zevi (bipolar) believed he was the Messiah (iii)publicly proclaimed Messiah in 1665 (mystic prediction of 1666) (iv) Converted to Islam in 1666 (v) Led to a century, or more, of despair and then new movement in the 18th century: Hasidism and Reform Judaism (7) Hasidism (a pietist movement)

4 (a) Leaders: Israel ben Eliezer ( Baal Shem Tov : Besht) was born in Poland in Doctrine of new optimism and God inside the person manifest through singing and dance, rather than study and obedience. (b) Modernized approaches, but soon became stuck in them (c) Hasidic Jews cling to 18 th century forms (d) Still keep Talmudic requirements (Orthodox Jews) (e) Organized into local communities (called villages) after Besht s death (f) Persecution drove many to America and Israel (most who remained were exterminated by the Nazis) (g) Have accepted the Nation of Israel (8) Reformed Judaism (18 th Century beginnings) (a) Accepted western European culture and intellect (b) Pioneered by Moses Mendelssohn (c) Characteristics (i) Traditional forms are not authoritative (Talmud not the standard) (ii) Not looking for a Messiah (people as a whole) (iii)support the State of Israel (iv) Meeting place called temple (not expecting a restored temple) with worship modeled after Christian Protestant forms (singing and informational sermon) (v) Vanguard of liberalism (9) Conservative Judaism (a) Movement led by Zecharias Frankel (19 th century Germany) (b) Adhering to the law while adapting to contemporary culture (i) Maintains basic Jewish dietary laws (ii) Permits contemporary dress and worship (c) Meet in Synagogues (d) Flourished in United States (47% of Judaism: 2 million) c) Orthodox Judaism i) Dress: Orthodox Jews dress in regular street clothes. The Hasidim wear the long black coats, white shirts, and large hats. Orthodox Jews also wear fringed garments, sidecurls, and headcovering for both sexes. ii) Homes: Orthodox Jewish homes have a mezuzah on the doorpost of each room containing a small copy of Deuteronomy 6:4,9. Anyone entering or leaving the room greets the mezuzah by touching it and then kissing his or her figures. iii) Diet: The laws of kosher (based on Leviticus and interpretations thereof) are very important. Permissible foods include cows, goats, sheep, chickens, duck, geese, most fish (must have scales), and all vegetables. Meat and dairy products are not eaten together (cheeseburgers are offensive). Kosher foods are usually marked with a U or K, frequently enclosed with a circle. Same products are labeled pareve (which means they are neutral). iv) Prayer: Men pray three times a day, facing Jerusalem. The tallit (fringed blue and white prayer shawl) and the tefillin (box with four scripture passages) are part of normal prayer. The regular prayer time is called the Amidah. Women do not use the tefillin.

5 v) Synagogues: This is a house of prayer, study, education, social life, and arts. The sanctuary usually contains the ark (containing Torah scrolls), bema (raised platform), and menorah (seven-branched candelabra). A song leader (the cantor) and the rabbi lead the worship service. d) Special Days i) The Life Cycle: birth, puberty, marriage, death (1) Circumcision and naming at eight days (2) Bar mitzvah at 13 for boys (bat mitzvah for girls) (3) Weddings are conducted under a canopy and concluded with the groom crushing a glass under his foot. (4) Funerals include a reading from the Psalms ii) Sabbath (1) Sunset Friday to sunset on Saturday (2) Special prayer and meal (3) Most synagogues have Friday evening and Saturday morning services (4) Family relaxation Saturday, no work (not even answering the phone) (5) Sabbath ends with a ceremony (havdalah) in which everyone prays for the coming of Elijah. iii) Rosh Hashanah: Jewish New Year, a time of reflection and repentance, accompanied by a lengthy service and blowing the shofar iv) Yom Kippur: Day of Atonement, a day of personal repentance, all-day services v) Sukkoth: Feast of Booths, remembrance of wilderness wanderings, during the seven days families eat their meals in booths vi) Simchat Torah: Celebration of Torah after Sukkoth, end of Torah reading cycle, scrolls are carried around the synagogue room seven times with as many men as possible touching and kissing them vii) Hanukkak: Purification of Temple by the Maccabees, lighting of the hanukiah (nine-branched candelabra), time of family togetherness and fun viii) Purim: Celebration of delivery in the days of Esther ix) Passover: Celebration of deliverance from Egypt, 7 or 8 days, formal meal called the Seder, three major components (1) Unleavened bread (2) Passover lamb (3) Retelling of story x) Shavuot: Penticost, 50 days after Passover, celebrates the giving of the law e) The State of Israel: A Third Commonwealth? i) A 19 th Century migration of Jewish families to Palestine ii) Theodor Herzl, Austrian Jewish leader, coined the term Zionism and founded the World Zionist Organization. iii) David Ben Gurion and Golda Meir set about to establish a secular, social state iv) In 1917 British took over Palestine from Turks and gave Jews permission to establish a homeland v) Between 1933 and 1945 six million Jews were killed by Nazi German movement (1 in 3 of all Jews in the world and 90% of those living in the land conquered by Germany after 1939)

6 vi) In 1948 the British pulled out and the State of Israel was established f) Secular Jews g) Relating the Gospel i) It is highly improbable that they are losing sleep about the coming of the messiah or the reestablishment of the Temple in Jerusalem. ii) They may see discussions about religious truth as a personal attack or a means of demeaning their heritage. iii) Modern Jews have not rejected Christ: they don t know him. iv) Jews need Christ for the same reason as everyone else.