The Internal Diversification of Second Temple Judaism

by Anderson, Jeff S.

• ISBN13: 9780761823278
• ISBN10: 0761823271
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-07-16
• Publisher: UPA

Summary

The period of Early Judaism beginning with the return from the Babylonian Exile in 538 B.C.E. to the destruction of the second temple in 70 C.E. is an enigma to many students of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. This era has often been overlooked as unimportant or been the victim of strongly confessional overgeneralizations. Christians have often touted the absolute uniqueness of their faith as something that replaced a jaded, outmoded Jewish religion. Jews, on the other hand, have often tended to identify Christianity as something entirely unique, a phenomenon totally unrelated to Judaism. However, the Second Temple period was one of the most prolific and creative in all of Israel's history. It was a time of unparalleled literary and theological diversity that gave rise to the powerful religious movements of Rabbinic Judaism and Early Christianity. The Internal Diversification of Second Temple Judaism provides a broad overview of the history, constituent communities, and theological innovations of the Second Temple period.

Table of Contents

List of Tables	vii
List of Abbreviations	ix
Preface	xi
The Second Temple Period: Terminology and Misconceptions	1	(8)
Part One: History of the Second Temple Period	9	(54)
Judaism Under Persian Sovereignty	11	(16)
Alexander and the Rise of Hellenism	27	(10)
The Maccabean Revolt and the Hasmonean Dynasty	37	(10)
The Roman Domination of Judea	47	(16)
Bibliography: History of the Second Temple Period	61	(2)
Part Two: Pluralism and the Jewish Communities	63	(74)
The Breakdown of Consensus: Protosectarianism and the Babylonian Returnees	65	(14)
Issues that Divided the Jewish Communities	79	(18)
Schisms and Heterogeneity: Judaisms of the Second Temple Period	97	(22)
Hillel and Jesus: Forerunners to Rabbinic Judaism and Early Christianity	119	(18)
Bibliography: Pluralism and the Jewish Communities	135	(2)
Part Three: From Religious Literature to Sacred text	137	(68)
Scripture and Canon	139	(22)
Developments in the Interpretation of Sacred Scripture	161	(22)
Theological Innovation in the Second Temple Period	183	(22)
Bibliography: From Religious Literature to Sacred Text	203	(2)
Index	205