Ch. 3/3 “The Growth of Judaism”• The Jews called their time in Babylon an exile

because they were forced to live in a different land.

• During their exile, the Israelite religion became what we call Judaism today.

• Small groups of Jews met on the Sabbath, their weekly day of worship and rest.

• They prayed and discussed their religion and history in Jewish houses of worship called Synagogues.

Why Did Jews Return to Judah

• During the 500’s BC, a group of people called Persians swept across southwest Asia.

• The Persians defeated the Chaldeans and took over Babylon.

• In 538 BC, the Persian king Cyrus allowed the Jews to return home to Judah and he helped to rebuild their temple in Jerusalem.

• He appointed officials to collect their taxes and control their government.

The Hebrew Bible

• The Hebrew Bible is really a series of books collected together.

• It includes the 5 books of the Torah and 34 other books describing events in Jewish history.

Jewish Leadership

• The leaders of the Jews became the temple priests and scribes, or religious scholars and writers.

• A scribe named Ezra, wrote the 5 books of the Torah on pieces of parchment sewed together to make scrols.

• The Torah and writings that were added later made up the Hebrew Bible.

Daniel and the Lion’s Den• Parts of the Bible described God’s plan for a

peaceful future.• Daniel lived in Babylon and was a trusted

adviser of the king.• However, he refused to worship Babylonian

gods and was punished.• The Chaldeans threw Daniel into a lion’s den,

but God protected Daniel from the lions.• The story is meant to remind Jews that God

would rescue them.

Greek Influences

• In 334 BC, a king named Alexander the Great began taking over kingdoms around the Mediterranean.

• In 331 BC, his armies defeated the Persians, so Judah came under his control.

• Alexander allowed the Jews to stay in Judah, but he also introduced the Greek language and ways to Judah.

Diaspora Spreads Jewish Ideas • At the time, Jews were also living in other parts of

Alexander’s empire in places like Egypt and Babylon.

• The Jews outside of Judah became known as the Diaspora (Scattered).

• They learned the Greek language and ways of life but they remained loyal to Judaism.

• A group copied the Hebrew Bible into Greek which helped people who were not Jews read and understand it throughout the Mediterranean.

The Maccabees

• In 168 BC, a Greek ruler named Antiochus controlled Judah.

• He decided to make the Jews of Judah worship Greek gods and goddesses.

• A priest named Judas Maccabeus and his followers rebelled.

• They fled into the hills and formed an army known as the Maccabees.

Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights

• They drove the Greeks out of Judah and destroyed all traces of Greek gods and goddesses in their temples.

• Each year Jews recall the cleansing of the temple when they celebrate Hanukkah.

• Priests from Judas Maccabeus’s family became the new rulers of Judah and took over land that had been part of the kingdom of Israel.

Jewish Way of Life

• Jewish law set out many rules for Jews to follow that affected their daily life and dealt with their education, diets, and clothing.

• The laws emphasized self-control and reminded Jews of their religion which was important when they no longer had their own land and king.

Family Life

• The Jews placed great importance on family.• Sons were especially valued because they

carried on the family name and upon the father’s death, the son became the head of the family.

• Mothers were Jewish children’s first teachers.• When sons grew older, fathers taught them

how to earn a living and worship God.

Religious Education for Boys

• Later, elders took over the religious education of boys and taught them the Torah.

• Because reading the Torah was central to Jewish life, religious teachers became important community leaders.

Education for Girls

• Mothers educated their daughters at home.• The girls learned to be good wives, mothers,

and housekeepers.• They learned Jewish laws about food and

clothing.• They also learned about the courageous

women of ancient Israel like Ruth and Naomi

The Jewish Diet• Jews could only eat certain animals like beef

and lamb but not pork.• They could eat scaly fish, like salmon, but not

smooth-skinned fish like eels, or shell fish.• Today food that is prepared according to

Jewish dietary law is called Kosher.• The animals used must be killed in a special

way, and the meat must be inspected, salted, and soaked.

• They do not cook or eat milk products with their meat.

Ancient Jewish Diets

• Fish• Fruit• Vegetables• Bread• Milk• Water• Wine• Beer

Jewish Clothing

• Jewish law forbade mixing some fabrics so they did not combine flax or wool.

• Jewish men wore tunics made of linen next to their skin.

• Some layered another tunic of wool in cold weather.

• On their heads, they wore caps or turbans.• They wore sandals on their feet.

Women’s Clothing

• Women wore long simple dresses.• They covered their heads with shawls.• Only wealthy women could afford leather

shoes.• They also wore makeup and jewelry.

The Jews and the Romans• In 63 BC, a people known as the Romans

conquered Judah.• Led by powerful generals, the Romans were

intent on expanding their empire.• The Roman capital was far to the west in what

is today the country of Italy.• When they conquered Judah, they renamed it

Judaea. • At first, the Romans allowed Jewish rulers to

run Judaea.

The Rule of King Herod

• The most famous ruler of Judaea during this time was King Herod.

• He was known for his cruelty and his changes to the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.

• He made the temple one of the most awe- inspiring buildings in the Roman world.

• Today he is best known as the king who ruled Judaea when Jesus was born.

Herod’s Temple

• Shortly after Herod died, the Romans replaced the Jewish king with Roman officials.

• The Jews were eager to regain control, but because they had splintered into different groups, they did not have much power.

• One group of Jews was known as the Pharisees.

The Pharisees

• They taught the Torah and how to apply its laws to daily life.

• In doing so, they helped make Judaism a religion of the home and family.

• The Pharisees taught in synagogues and were supported by the common people.

The Sadducees

• The Sadducees were more concerned with how the Torah applied to the priests in the Temple.

• Most were priests or scribes and did not agree with many of the Pharisees’ teachings.

The Essenes

• The Essenes were priests who broke away from the Temple in Jerusalem.

• Many Essenes lived together in the desert.• They spent their lives praying and waiting for

God to deliver the Jews from the Romans.

Dead Sea Scrolls

• In 1947 AD, ancient scrolls were found in the desert near the Dead Sea.

• They were probably written by Essenes and are called the Dead Sea Scrolls.

• The scrolls have helped historians understand more about Judaism during Roman times.

The Zealots

• During the 60’s AD, Jewish hatred of Roman rule was at its peak.

• Many Jews were waiting for a messiah, or deliverer sent by God.

• Other Jews known as Zealots wanted to fight the Romans for their freedom.

• In 66 AD, the Zealots revolted against the Romans and drove them out of Jerusalem.

Zealot Revolts

• Four years later, the Romans retook Jerusalem.

• They killed thousands of Jews and forced many others to leave.

• The Romans also destroyed the temple in Jerusalem.

• The Western Wall is all that remains of it today.

Palestine

• The Jews revolted again in 132 AD.• Three years later, the Romans put down the

revolt and forbade Jews to live in or even visit Jerusalem.

• The Romans renamed Judaea Palestine.• This name refers to the Philistines, whom the

Israelites had conquered centuries before.

Jewish Teachers• Despite losing their land, the Jews managed to

survive.• They no longer had priests. • Their leaders called rabbis became important

and they taught the Torah.• One of the most famous rabbis was Johanan

ben Zakkai. After the revolt of 70 Ad, he made sure the study of the Torah continued by establishing a school for Torah studies in Northern Palestine.

The Talmud• To teach the Torah, rabbis combined the

teachings in a book called the Talmud.• It still remains an important record of Jewish

law.• For 2,000 years, most Jews lived outside of

Palestine.• They often faced hatred and persecution.• In 1948, Palestine was divided and a new

Jewish nation called Israel was created.