The Judaic and Hellenistic background for the New

Testament

Early history

The time between the testaments was filled with Jewish struggle that encouraged apocalyptic ideas (speculation about the end of human history).

• Temple desecration and rededication.• Maccabean revolt (beginning around 168BCE)• Persecution of Torah loyalists• Many martyrs held up as examplesApocalyptic speculation is a major theme in many books

including…• Daniel• Synoptic gospels• Revelation

Herod “the Great”

• Governor, king of Judea, from 40-4 BCE.

• Half Jewish and not popular• Elaborate building program

in Jerusalem, focusing on Temple reconstruction

• Paranoid tyrant. Finally executed three of his sons and his favorite wife.

• Historical background for Matthew’s story of Herod’s slaughter of the innocents (Mt 2:16-17)

Herod’s Temple

More about Herod’s temple: http://www.katapi.org.uk/Architecture/TempleMount30ce.html

Herod’s next generationAfter Herod’s death, his kingdom was

divided among his three surviving sons.

• Herod Archelaus: A tyrant who was soon banished. Ruled Judea and Samaria.

• Herod Antipas (4 BCE-39CE): – Most often referred to in NT. – Jesus called him a “that fox.” – Ordered the beheading of John

the Baptist. – Spoke with Jesus privately before

he was crucified. Inept and unpopular. Ruled Galilee and Perea.

• Herod Philip II (4 BCE-35CE): Most competent, but not mentioned much. Northeast of Galilee.

The last of the Herod’s• Herod Agrippa I (41-44 CE)

– Grandson of Herod the great. – Briefly reunited Palestine. – He met an early death (Acts 12:20-23).

• Herod Agrippa II (circa 44-92CE)– Famous for a long-lived affair with his sister, Bernice. – Interrogated Paul (Acts 25:13-26:32)– He was loyal to Rome during the first Jewish War.

• Jewish War against Rome (66-73CE). – 70CE, Jerusalem was demolished, including the temple. Ended daily

sacrifices as prescribed by Moses’ Torah forever• Final Jewish revolt (132-135CE).

– Final attempt for Jewish freedom was ruthlessly put down by Emperor Hadrian, who built a shrine to Jupiter on the Temple site.

Vespasian quelled the Jewish revolt

Vespasian’s son, Titus gave the order to destroy the temple.

Jewish shekels coined around 67CE. The inscription says, “Jerusalem is Holy”

Last Days of Jerusalem

Government

• Three sets of leaders compete to handle difficult religious/political situation. They can all be seen in the situation surrounding Jesus trial.

• Jewish: The Sanhedrin (Great Council) was a religious council headed by the Sadducees. They condemned Jesus but did not have the authority to put him to death.

• Roman: Pontius Pilate quizzed Jesus on his claim to be king of the Jews (Treason against the Roman emperor). He finally, gave the order to execute.

• Herodian: Pilate sent Jesus to see Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee since he was in Jerusalem at the time.

These images come from this helpful site: http://discipuluscripturae.wordpress.com/2009/01/03/esv-study-bible-review/

View of Jerusalem from the West (Mount of Olives)

The Temple Mount today

Hellenistic thought, culture, and religion

• For 500 years Hellenistic thought dominated the area (300 BCE-200CE) from Alexander to Marcus Aurelius.

• Greeks had a passion for learning, intense intellectual curiosity, and confidence in the power of reason and logic.

• Offered a language with a huge vocabulary of scientific, religious, and philosophical terms

• Rich legacy of art, architecture, literature, and speculative thought.

• The NT could be said to be a Greek book arising out of a Hellenistic environment– Inherited Jewish thought (especially biblical traditions)– Inherited Greek thought (especially philosophical concepts-

purpose of human life)

Socrates as a forerunner of Jesus

Like Socrates, Jesus…• Followed a divine calling• Advocated cultivating spiritual values• Gave up materialistic pleasures• Neither left anything in writing (their teachings were reconstructed

by followers)• Martyred for their beliefs.Socrates (469-399BCE)• Two distinct worlds, physical and invisible• Our bodies belong to physical world and they will decay• Our souls originate in the unseen spirit world and after death return

to it for judgment• Education helps us understand how the spirit is superior to the body• Ambitions of worldly power or riches are false.• The wise seek the perfect justice of the unseen world.

Greek philosophyStoicism• Emphasized order and moral purpose of universe• Soul is immortal and there is a future world of punishments and

rewardsEpicureanism• Everything is physical (body and soul)• Gods may exist but don’t care about people• Most important thing is to enjoy life.• Pursue learning and truth because it is enjoyable and more lasting

Greco-Roman religion• Polytheism as opposed to Hebrew monotheism• Hymns to praise to Zeus have similarities with Hebrew Psalms

Asclepius• (foreshadows Jesus’

compassionate nature)• The most humane and

compassionate of Greek heroes• The mortal son of Apollo and

Coronis (a human princess)• He had the divine gift of healing• When he healed someone from

the dead Zeus killed him with a thunderbolt for interrupting the natural order.

• He became divine after death• People went to his temples to be

healed. • Sometimes called the world’s first

physician

Asclepius Cult worshippers

Dionysus of Thebes• Divine father and human mother• Descended into Hades to retrieve

his mother.• Experienced an agonizing death

and journey to Hades’ realm, he was the only major god to know what it was like to die suffer and die.

• Inventor of winemaking—a two-edged sword. Liberating, but overindulgence is bad.

• Represented extremes of suffering and joy (presided over drama)

• Many parallels between his myth and Jesus’ life

The panther is a symbol of Dionysus’ savage nature.