Chapter 12

The Struggle to Preserve Judaism

12.1: Introduction• Hebrew Kingdom

o Split into two after the death of King Solomon• Hebrews were less likely to fight off invaders

o Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE• Their leaders were taken to Mesopotamia

o Judah was invaded by the Babylonians in 597 BCE• King Nebuchadrezzar laid siege to Jerusalem• Hebrews fought off the siege until their food

ran out

• In 586 BCE, Nebuchadrezzer burned down Solomon’s great Temple of Jerusalem and all of the houses in the city• Most of the people of Judah were taken as

captives to BabylonoThis time was the beginning of the Jewish

Diaspora• Never again would most of the

followers of Judaism be in the same homeland• Despite this the Jews were able to

keep Judaism alive

12.2: The Central Beliefs and Teachings of Judaism• Monotheism

o Belief that there is only one Godo Judaism is the oldest monotheistic religion• Teaches that God is all-powerful and all-

knowing• God is the source of morality• Jews believe that it is their solemn duty to

honor and obey God• Jews believe that they have a personal

relationship with God

• Following God’s Lawo God’s law is central to Jewish lifeo Oldest laws are the Ten Commandments• Tell how to honor God• Keep one day holy• Laid down laws of right and wrong

o“You shall not steal”; “You shall not murder”

o Over time Jewish leaders developed a much larger set of rules• How to prepare food• What foods should be avoided• Development of religious practices

oCelebrating Passover

• Equality and Social Justiceo Equality• Hebrews did not view their leaders as gods• Judaism teaches all people who keep the

laws are equal in God’s sightoEven kings had to obey God’s laws

o Social Justice• There are many stories and sayings in the

Torah teach about treating everyone fairly• Caring for the less fortunate people in

society is a basic value of Judaism

• The Importance of Studyo The study of the Torah is very important• Jews study interpretations of the Torah made

by scholars and rabbiso At first, interpretations of the Torah were

passed down orallyo In 200s CE, Jewish scholars began writing the

Talmud• Contains oral tradition along with learned

commentaries• Became the basic source of Jewish law• Later rabbis wrote their own commentaries

on both the Torah and the Talmud

12.3: Foreign Domination and Jewish Diaspora

• Rule by the Babylonians, Persians, and Greekso Babylon• Hebrews lived there for a half a century• Prophets encouraged the people• This is when the Hebrews became known as

the JewsoBabylonians called them “Judaeans”,

which was shortened to “Jews”

o Persians• In 539 BCE, Babylonians were conquered by

the Persians• The Hebrews were released from captivity

by CyrusoSome returned to Judah to rebuild the

templeoOthers stayed in Babylon

o Greeks• Tried to force the Jews to worship idols of the

Greek gods in their temple• In 164 BCE, the Hebrews started a war that

lasted 27 years

• In 164 BCE, the Jews drove the Greeks from JerusalemoThey reclaimed and repurified the temple• This is the celebration of Hanukkah

• Rule by the Romanso 88 years after the war with the Greeks, Judah

was an independent kingdomo In 63 BCE, they were conquered by the Romanso Romans brutally executed more than 50,000

Jewso They did allow the Jews to practice their

religion and govern some of their own affairs

o In 22 BCE, King Herod was allowed to rule in Judah• He planned to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem

on a grander scale than Solomon’soTook 46 years to complete

o In 66 CE, the Jews rebelled against the Romans• Were able to keep the Romans out of

Jerusalem for 3 yearso In 70 CE, Titus led an army of 60,000 against the

Jews• The Jews fought back, but were outnumbered• The Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the

great templeoAll that remains is one western wall – it’s

sacred

o The Roman victory began the final scattering of the Jewish people

o Romans seized their land and refused to let Jews from entering Jerusalem

o Some Jews remained in Israel, but thousands were sent to other parts of the Roman Empire

12.4: Preserving and Passing on the Teachings

of Judaism• Jews were scattered among many

gentile, or non-Jewish lands.• Rabbi Yohanan ben Zaccai

o Helped preserve Judaismo After the revolt against Rome in 66 CE, he urged

Jews to surrender in order to save Judaism.o Approached the Romans for help

• Faked his death to be smuggled out of Jerusalem to met with Vespasian, a Roman general.

• He asked to start a Jewish school in the town of Yavneh with other rabbis.

o Yavneh became the center of Jewish life after the fall of Jerusalem.

o Ben Zaccai and 71 other rabbis created a new religious lawmaking body.

o Yavneh became a training ground for other rabbis.• Teachers came from around the world to

study.oShared what they learned

• Rabbis made sure that the Jews still had leaders to guide them.

• New Teachers and Practiceso New practices ensured that teachings of

Judaism would be passed ono Normally, only religious leaders were allowed

to read from the Torah.• Yavneh rabbis decided that any adult male

could read from the sacred text.• Jews no longer needed a trained leader to

learn about Jewish history and law.o Synagogue was made more important in Jewish

life.• House of worship• Place to study, hold meetings, and social

gatherings

• Jews were told to build a synagogue wherever there were at least 10 adult male Jews.• Strengthened the community and their faith

• In 1948, Israel was created in part of the lands ruled by David and Solomon.o Jews from other countries began to settle in

Israel.