This is a video made for the Veteran's Day Celebration Dinner 2011 that was used. It pays tribute to those who have served. Again, love the music and video. This artist is a veteran, which makes the music video even better because he "gets it."
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Video: Veteran's Day Celebration 2011
This is a video made for the Veteran's Day Celebration Dinner 2011 that was used. It pays tribute to those who have served. Again, love the music and video. This artist is a veteran, which makes the music video even better because he "gets it."
Video: Gone
This is a video made for the Veteran's Day Dinner 2011. It was not used. I guess it was too "dark," or something. Well...war is dark, but I guess that isn't really what we want to celebrate when we do a Vet's Dinner. Lesson learned.
The "video" part of this I saw on YouTube and immediately thought it was one of the coolest videos I'd ever seen. I love the song as well as the video that accompanies it. I left the credit at the end so you know that I only added the beginning of the video for the dinner. Though I would love to take credit for the music video, it is not mine. If you watch it on YouTube you will see that I did edit out a rather long introduction at the beginning. I apologize to the maker of this video for doing that. I wanted to share this with other veterans but I thought the introduction was so long that they would lose interest and turn back to their meals.
The video talks about being "Gone." Gone is a word that has lots of different meanings for a veteran. Some are good, some are bad. I guess it all depends on what mood you're in or what you're talking about. But I'll shut up now so you can enjoy the video.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Unachievable Cleansing
I believe that as Christians we all yearn for a final or ultimate cleansing, a healing, that will take care of our attitudes, behavior, thinking, and our souls once and for all. A cleansing that will result in our once-and-for-all transformation into the person we want to be and who we believe God wants us to be. Yet no matter how much we yearn, it doesn't happen. It never will. Oh, perhaps we experience something that makes us feel like we have reached that ultimate state but we eventually discover that our feelings of wholeness begin to wane. Our humanness may allow us small steps toward transformation, and of course we are the better for it, but the big, final transformation frustratingly eludes us. After awhile and with reflection concerning all we know of human sinfulness, can we deduce that perhaps we are never meant to be totally transformed? Would a total transformation give us permission to stop seeking a higher level of righteous behavior, to stop seeking to act like Christ, to stop desiring a deeper relationship with the Creator? Is it possible that a total cleansing and healing would give us the illusion that we have achieved some form of presence or being that we are actually incapable of, given the nature of our humanness? Perhaps that would be something along the lines of Mormon belief, where, since Jesus was human yet became God, we are capable of the same?
I have no answer for that, of course. I do desire complete cleansing, but my own sin consistently rears its ugly head, stuffing my own head back into the ostrich hole of reality. Yet immersed in God's creation, I have no difficulty perceiving my own fragility and inability, as Paul said, "to do what we want to do," because I consistently do that which I would rather avoid.
I took a two hour walk today, back on the farm of one of our church patriarchs. It couldn't be termed an actual walk though. It was more like a plodding lurch as I trudged in the snow through the uninhabited sheep pastures and thick briers guarding the woods. I don't know what the temperature was but I believe it was in the 20s, with gusting winds that made the snow quickly snake atop the ice and cause it to suddenly rear up in great frozen clouds like an untamed thoroughbred. My cheeks are a burning bright red from the cold, wind, and bombardment with snow and ice crystals.
That's when I realized, with the sun starting to set, that I was in an unenviable position. I wasn't sure I could get back up the hill, with the snow and ice laying atop a substantially unstable layer of dead leaves. As I looked back down the hill I wondered how Palmyra Rescue was going to get to my location should I continue down and not be able to get back up again. So half-way down, I reversed course and went back up the hill, foregoing a beautiful close-up view of the Swatty in favor of a dry, warm evening at home. Exhausted but victorious, my feet crested the hill and the ground became more level. I hadn't fallen and hadn't broken anything. But I lingered, not wanting to leave the beauty I had found. Finding my own fragility and weakness among the cold snow and steep terrain was not fearful, but somehow comforting. There were things greater and much more powerful than I, and that was as it should be. There was, and is, no question that I am not the center of the universe, God's, or even my own. That's a really good thing to come face to face with on a regular basis.
It took me awhile to get back to Ken's farmhouse but I eventually struggled in. He had the fire going in the wood stove and it was cozy and warm. I did a few things around the house for Ken, sat and talked awhile, and then came home to face the wrath of my too-long imprisoned dogs. I felt cleansed, not totally, but at least a little. I was put in my place and once again "put" God in God's. There is nothing that can do that like nature-a glimpse into the depth of God's creativity in the world and the cosmos in conjunction with the fragility of God's miraculous creation of life.
I have no answer for that, of course. I do desire complete cleansing, but my own sin consistently rears its ugly head, stuffing my own head back into the ostrich hole of reality. Yet immersed in God's creation, I have no difficulty perceiving my own fragility and inability, as Paul said, "to do what we want to do," because I consistently do that which I would rather avoid.
I took a two hour walk today, back on the farm of one of our church patriarchs. It couldn't be termed an actual walk though. It was more like a plodding lurch as I trudged in the snow through the uninhabited sheep pastures and thick briers guarding the woods. I don't know what the temperature was but I believe it was in the 20s, with gusting winds that made the snow quickly snake atop the ice and cause it to suddenly rear up in great frozen clouds like an untamed thoroughbred. My cheeks are a burning bright red from the cold, wind, and bombardment with snow and ice crystals.
I had my trusty camera with me. I downloaded the photos when I got home and was not surprised to find no "usable" images. There was beauty all around me but it refused to be taken capture by my camera. My lack of satisfactory photographic results did not diminish the walk in any way. Especially the part where I followed some deer tracks along a path that had let it's brier defenses down and emerged on a cliff overlooking Swatara Creek.
 |
| Swatara Creek |
Looking up and down the creek with its white banks and sporadically frozen waters granted me an expansive view of the creek that my camera was incapable of capturing. I started down the steep side of the foothill thinking I might have better luck if I could get to the side of the creek. About halfway down I paused and turned around to look back up the steep hill I was descending.
That's when I realized, with the sun starting to set, that I was in an unenviable position. I wasn't sure I could get back up the hill, with the snow and ice laying atop a substantially unstable layer of dead leaves. As I looked back down the hill I wondered how Palmyra Rescue was going to get to my location should I continue down and not be able to get back up again. So half-way down, I reversed course and went back up the hill, foregoing a beautiful close-up view of the Swatty in favor of a dry, warm evening at home. Exhausted but victorious, my feet crested the hill and the ground became more level. I hadn't fallen and hadn't broken anything. But I lingered, not wanting to leave the beauty I had found. Finding my own fragility and weakness among the cold snow and steep terrain was not fearful, but somehow comforting. There were things greater and much more powerful than I, and that was as it should be. There was, and is, no question that I am not the center of the universe, God's, or even my own. That's a really good thing to come face to face with on a regular basis.  |
| Ken |
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Christian Apologetics and the Ideal Life
Christian apologists were theologians who defended and advocated for the Christian message in the first centuries of the Christian Church as it developed in the first few centuries following Christ's death and resurrection. Obviously, their arguement and defense was in opposition to many of the held beliefs in that contemporary, Hellenistic Roman world. The following is a paragraph titled "Chapter V - The Manners of the Christians" from The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, believed to have been written in the 2nd Century. Describing the early Christian community, this description of Christian character and behavior stirs feeling of longing and desire within us; to realize that the community described was not simply a wished-for idealazation of what Christians should or could be, but a living entity that lived as we wish to live, but fail. How we wish we were a part of this community today. One wonders how the church could get back to this way of life, living, and testimony - a testimony by example.
"For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of ther own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. The course of conduct which they follow has not been devised by any speculation or deliberation of inquisitive men; nor do they, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrines. But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined, and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of the birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all[others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not like after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life. They are poor, yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishounoured, and yet in their very dishonour are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and blessed; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honor; they do good, yet they are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred."
He later says, "Let your heart be your wisdom; and let your life by true knowledge inwardly recieved."
Yup. I think we could all live with that!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Revelation Study - Lesson 10
Week 10: Daniel - part 1
Of
the two biblical apocalypses, Daniel
and Revelation have a few things in
common. Each book was written in response to a specific crisis - Daniel to the persecution of the Jews by
Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the second century BCE, and Revelation to what the writer believed to be impending persecution
of true Christians by the Roman Empire in the first century BCE. Each text
provides apocalyptic solutions to a crisis. In each, a human seer tells of
visions of the supernatural world. The visions are partially interpreted by an
angel. What occurs in the supernatural world determines what happens in the
human world and in human history. The earthly adversary of God's people (God's
people being the Jews in Daniel and
Christians in Revelation) will be
defeated by God through God's intervention, and God's people will live with God
forever after. Both texts anticipate resurrection, and both attempt to convince
the reader of the same. Because both texts reveal insight into the heavenly
realm and God's decisions, they are considered "divine revelations."1
All of these points should sound familiar since we've talked about them all in
previous lessons.
Daniel:
An Overview
Daniel is considered by
many to be the most unusual book of the Hebrew
Bible (our Old Testament), in part because there are problems with the text
that cannot be easily resolved. It is also a "notoriously dangerous book
that has fueled religious speculation as well as contributing to social unrest
and even revolution," especially during the English civil war, but also at
many other times throughout history. People who believe the world is not as it
should be are drawn to Daniel because
the book shares that same conviction.2
The
book of Daniel severely judges human
rulers and empires, and assumes that people of faith will always and eventually
find themselves at odds with the state, its "political loyalties and
idolatrous patriotism."3 It is a subversive text and leaves no
space for "good citizenship." Daniel
calls for loyalty to God which will result in treason.4
But
this subversiveness raises some interesting questions for us. Although we
usually read Daniel assuming that we
are the underdogs, we must ask ourselves if we are the oppressed, or if, in
reality, we are the oppressors. "If the Christian faith is to be one that
challenges the modern world, then it must accept a certain alienation from the
dominant culture and its religious traditions of dominance."5 Do
we embrace or reject our society and culture? Do we live in the kingdom of God
or in Babylon? If we want to live in the kingdom of God, we must embrace a
theology of Christ over and against culture, especially when culture is based
on the economic abuse of other peoples or nations, or on military might.6 This
is something you might want to think about further.
It
is hard to overestimate the importance of Daniel
to early Jewish and Christian literature. First, in the Hebrew Scriptures, Daniel
is the only text that "contains an explicit expression of resurrection
hope."7 Second, Daniel's
vision of the Son of Man influences the ideas of apocalyptic messianism for
both Jews and Christians. Third, Daniel's
vision of the four kingdoms are reflected and reused throughout Jewish
literature and in the book of Revelation.8
Although one book, the book of Daniel is in two parts. Chapters 1-6
form a prologue to chapters 7-12, while chapters 7-12 form the apocalypse
proper. The first half of the book has 6 stories about Daniel told in the third
person. Chapters 7-12 are Daniel's visions told in the first person.9
At this moment, we're not really concerned about the first six chapters of Daniel, but we do want to take a look at
Daniel's visions so we can try to understand what is going on in them and
compare Daniel to Revelation.
When Was Daniel Written?
 |
| Antiochus IV Epiphanes |
Understanding when Daniel was written makes another issue clear: although Daniel appears to be making predictions about the future, the writer (or redactor) of Daniel already knows about what Daniel is predicting, because the predicted events occur in the writer's past. It would be like one of us writing a novel about the Civil War and making a character accurately predict the future. We know what happened, so our character would appear very wise or spiritual indeed when his or her prophesies came true. The writer or redactor gives accurate predictions to Daniel as a literary character. However, the writer does not know what will occur in his own future. When the writer tries to do this, he errs in inaccurately predicting the end of Antiochus' reign and death. This inaccuracy helps scholars pinpoint a short span of several years when Daniel most likely first appeared as a text in its entirety. The change from accurate predictions to inaccurate ones indicate that Daniel appeared as a completed text slightly before 164 BCE.9 This puts Daniel smack dab in the middle of the Jewish persecution under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, after the desecration of the Temple but before the death of Antiochus.11
Why
is this so important? Because if apocalyptic literature was written as a
message of hope as well as to convince a community of something, then the
assumption must be made that Daniel is a text that spoke to the
writer/redactor's contemporary Jewish community which found itself under
persecution in the mid-second century. We will approach our survey of Daniel
with this in mind.
Book
of Daniel: Chapter 7
When
we look at chapter 7 of Daniel, were
confronted with some interesting ideas. Some of Daniel's visions are actually
explained later on in the same chapter, so trying to decipher what these
visions are becomes a little bit easier. Of course, scholars cannot determine
exactly what everything means because small pieces of history remain unknown to
us, but they do have a pretty good idea based on what appears later on in the
writing. Let's quickly go through Chapter 7 and explain what some of this
vision more than likely means. We won't discuss everything that happens in this
vision but we will hit the main ideas.
One
of the first things we encounter in chapter 7 are four winds of heaven stirring
up out of the sea. More than likely the four winds represent a chaotic world
state. Winds usually come from one direction,12 but here are
presented as coming from all four directions at once. These winds may set the
stage by presenting something out of the ordinary, something that is not normal,
blowing up from the sea. The sea is also something else that we need to pay
attention to. For the Israelites, the sea was not something to go to for a
relaxing time. The ocean was viewed as dark and filled with beasts and
creatures that made them afraid. The Israelites are not generally thought of as
an ocean-going people although at times in their past they had used the sea for
trade. The ocean was associated with foreboding and darkness. Heavenly winds
stirring the seas created a chaotic and fearful setting, perhaps alluding to
spiritual/mythical warfare.13
If
you turn to verse 15 of chapter 7, you will see Daniel's vision of four beasts
coming from the sea. The fourth beast is described, as are the horns. The
fourth kingdom is of great concern because it is the kingdom that the writer
lives in, complete with a meniacle king bent on either subduing and changing
the Jews or destroying them.14
The Four Beasts or Four Kingdoms
 |
| The Four Beasts of Daniel |
The first beast is a lion with eagles wings who achieves a human mind. This first beast is thought to represent the Babylonian empire or kingdom. Winged lions are well known from Assyro-Babylonian art.
The
second beast, appearing as a bear, represents the Midian empire or kingdom.
This beast is associated with threats to human life from wild animals, and is
already devouring something because it has ribs in its teeth. The question that
arises concerning this beast is, who is telling the bear to devour many bodies?
Many presume that this is being accomplished at God's command, however, God
never speaks in this vision. If the writer is implying that God is the one
commanding the bear, then he is also implying that the destructiveness of this
empire is also under God's direction.
The
third beast appears like a leopard and represents the Persian empire or
kingdom. It is unknown what the four heads and four wings represent but it is
believed they somehow represent the four Persian kings--Darius, Cyrus, Xerxes,
and Artaxerxes. The text states that dominion, or sovereignty, is given to the
leopard. This image seems to be more neutral than the other three, however,
this leopard is hardly benign.17
The
last beast represents the empire or kingdom of Alexander the great. It is it is
described as, "terrifying, dreadful, exceedingly strong, and
devouring," and is therefore different from all the other beasts that have
preceded it in regards to its level of malevolence. This beast has 10 horns,
believed to represent the line of rulers in the Seleucid dynasty that ruled
Syria after the death of Alexander. The first Seleucid kings had coins decorated
with horns, symbols of their "divine" power. Also, verse 24 states
that the ten horns represent ten kings, with the eleventh horn representing one
that is different from the others.18
As
Daniel watches, a little horn appears and uproots three other horns. This horn
is different from the others not simply in appearance, but in that it has
powers the other horns do not. This horn has eyes and speaks arrogantly. There
is little doubt that this horn represents Antiochus IV Epiphanies. Although it
is unknown exactly who the three plucked out horns represent, the most likely
suggestion is that these represent the three men in line for the throne upon
the death of Antiochus III--Seleucus IV Philopater and his sons, Demetrius and Antiochus.
We know that Antiochus IV killed his young nephew Antiochus. History is unclear
whether Antiochus IV had anything to do with the death of the other two. Even
though Christians would later interpret Rome as the fourth and final beast,19
it is pretty clear that it represents Alexander's empire and the Seleucid
line of kings, culminating in Antiochus IV.20
 |
| The Little Horn |
As
we look further in this chapter, we see in verse 21 the little horn has not
only gained great power, it wages war against the holy ones and soon starts to
prevail over them. This statement marks the beginning of Antiochus IV
persecution of the Jews. In verse 25, he speaks against the Most High and
attempts to change the sacred seasons and law. It is known that Antiochus IV
banned the observance of the Sabbath and Jewish feast days.21
The
Fifth Kingdom
Because
it is not specifically stated, we should note that there is actually a Fifth
kingdom that follows the other four. The symbol for this kingdom is a human
figure. This contrasts with the first four kingdoms who are represented by
animal symbols from the sea, or abyss, and is associated with the heavenly
realm.22 Although verses 9-14 have to do with heavenly judgment, not
all of the symbolism is well understood. Why is thrones plural? Perhaps a
heavenly counsel is suggested. What is clear is that we are in the realm of
political sovereignty once again, but this throne room is the one that
possesses the true authority. The one referred to as, "Ancient of
Days" has the greatest authority. His description resembles that of the
Canaanite God, El, as well as other biblical images representing God. Thousands
attend him, many more than attended Belshazzar in an earlier story. A court is
held and the beasts are dispatched. The fourth beast with the horns is not only
dispatched, but is immediately burned in judgment. Take note that there is no
emphasis on a Great Battle; when the ancient of days arrives, judgment is dealt
out. (Likewise note that in the book of Revelation, the "Great
Battle" is also easily missed because it is not the emphasis of the text,
although modern Christians seem to try to make it so.) Those not destroyed or
allowed to live without power because a "Son of Man" is given
authority to rule, and those whom he rules over follow his wishes. New
Testament writers drew on this image as a powerful authority under God.
Irrespective of the precise origin or meaning of the "Son of Man"
figure, what is important is that he is a heavenly representative, appointed by
the Ancient of Days. This person comes from heaven but rules as an earthly
figure.23 Some scholars believe this figure represents the whole of
Israel24 and current day readers assume this figure is Jesus.
However, the majority of scholars believe this figure represents the Angel
Michael, a figure who does battle for Israel in later visions. Michael is also
well known in the New Testament (see Matt 16:27; 25:31; Rev 12) and in the Dead
Sea Scrolls, so he was known to ancient believers. It is through this person
that heaven claims the right to rule on earth.25
In
verses 15 to 18, Daniel is distressed by the visions and is therefore given a
simple summary of the vision. The gist of it is this: earthly powers will
arise, God will conquer them, and God's reign will last forever. The fate of the
holy ones reflects the fate of the Jewish people themselves. Although it
appears that the fourth beast is about to conquer the holy ones, the holy ones
will triumph and rule in God's everlasting kingdom. All nations will bow to
them. This final kingdom will be one of peace and worldwide healing. Enemies
will worship together and share equally in the blessings of God, side by side
with the Israelites.26
Thinking About It
We'll
talk about the last remaining chapters of Daniel in the next posting. If you haven't
already, read chapter 7-14 of Daniel. What do you find that supports what we've
talked about concerning apocalyptic literature in general. You should see
apocalyptic themes present throughout the last 6 chapters of Daniel. What ones
are the most obvious? Was anything in today's posting new for you? Post your
thoughts, ideas or feelings and please feel free to comment on someone else's
posting.
I'll
attempt to cover the remaining chapters of Daniel in the next lesson, unless
they become to unwieldy. The goal is to progress to Revelation, the heart of
our study. Please encourage each other to continue with this study. Our next
lessons will hopefully be interesting as well as enlightening. Notes
1Murphy, Frederick J.
"Introduction to Apocalyptic Literature," The New Interpreter's
Bible, Vol. VII. Nashville: Abingdon, 1996. p. 8.2Ibid, 33.
3Ibid, 34.
4Ibid, 34.
5Ibid, 34.
6Ibid, 34.
7Carey, Greg. Ultimate Things. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2005. p. 38.
8Ibid, 38.
9Murphy, 8.
10Meeks, Wayne A. et al, editors. The HarperCollins Study Bible. New York:HarperCollins, 2006. p.1168-1169.
11Meeks, 1168-1169.
12Ibid, 1182.
13Murphy, 100-101.
14Meeks, 1168-1169.
15Murphy, 101.
16Ibid, 101.
17Ibid, 102.
18Meeks, 1183-1184.
19Murphy, 102.
20Meeks, 1183.
21Ibid, 1183-1184.
22Ibid, 1183.
23Murphy, 103-104.
24Meeks, 1183.
25Murphy, 104.
26Ibid, 104-106.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Revelation Study - Lesson 9
Week 9: Romans and Jews
After
the death of Herod in 4 BCE, Judea came under direct Roman administrative
control.9 Relations between the Jews living in Judea and the Roman
Empire entered into a period of increasing deterioration which would culminate
in the Jewish revolt in 66 CE. This deterioration began in 6 CE when Judea was
made a Roman province and placed under the leadership of a series of foreign-born,
mostly corrupt and incompetent procurators, who exacerbated the tensions. The
execution of Jesus occurred under Pontius Pilate, who was procurator from 26-36
CE. Jesus execution was but one incident that reflects the brutality of the
Roman administration of Judea in this time period. Pilate's decision to place
the Roman imperial eagle on the legion's standards caused more unrest.
Resentment built over many years against Roman leadership, with its heavy
taxation, hostile military presence and pagan worship and ritual observances.
When the Roman emperor Caligula (ruled 37-41 CE) ordered a statue of himself be
placed in the Temple and demanded he be worshiped as a deity, rebellion almost
occurred. Only Caligula's death stemmed the unrest.10
The
Romans razed Jerusalem to the ground, including the Temple. According to the
contemporary historian Josephus, hundreds of thousands of Jews died in the
siege of Jerusalem and elsewhere in the country, and thousands were sold into
slavery.15 Many Jews fled and others were impoverished due to land
confiscations. The territory became a Roman province. A punitive tax was
imposed, consisting of two drachmas paid annually to the temple of Jupiter
Capitolinus in Rome instead of the half-shekel annual offering given to the
Temple. Though the measures were harsh, there were no mass expulsions. For
many, life went on as usual.16
3History, 7.
4Scheindlin, 44.
5History, 7.
6Scheindlin, 44.
7History, 7.
8Scheindlin, 44.
9History, 8.
10Scheindlin, 45.
11Ibid, 45.
12Ibid, 45.
13Ibid, 45-46.
14Ibid, 46.
15History, 8
16Scheindlin, 51.
17Ibid, 51-53.
When
the Romans replaced the Seleucids as the great power in Jewish land, Hyrcanus
II, a Hasmonean king, was granted limited authority under the Roman governor of
Damascus. The Jews were hostile to the new regime and there were several
uprisings in the following years. The final death of hope for true Hasmonean
rule occurred with the defeat and death of Mattathias Antigonus in 40 BCE, and
the land became a province of the Roman Empire.1
Of
course, the Romans had been behind-the-scene manipulators of Judean politics
ever since the days of Judah the Maccabee, but they did not intervene directly
until after the death of Salome and the dynastic confusion that followed. Judea
did not become a vassal of Rome until Hyrcanus II (ruled 63-40 BCE) was
stripped of this rule by the great leader of Rome, Pompey, who marched his
armies through the area and occupied Jerusalem. Hyrcanus II was left in the
position of high priest, the titular head of the nation. In 37 BCE, the Romans
ended the Hasmonean dynasty once and for all by reorganizing the province and
placing Herod (37-4 BCE) as King of Judea. This Herod would become known to
history as "Herod the Great."2
Herod
the Great
 |
| Herod the Great |
Herod
was granted large governing power over Judea and he became known as one of the
most powerful kings in the eastern Roman Empire.3 Although he made
gesture toward Judean culture and religion in attempts to win the devotion and
support of his subject, he was loyal to Rome and its Hellenistic culture. He
freely reorganized the administration of the state for his own advantage,
including limiting the power of the Sanhedrin (the highest Judean deliberative
body), limiting the terms of office of the high priests, and hiring a mercenary
army of foreigners who maintained their loyalty to him. 43 Herod did launch
massive construction programs, such as aqueducts, theaters, public buildings,
fortresses44 and cities,4 including "the cities of Caesarea and
Sebaste and the fortresses at Herodium and Masada."5
"Herod's most famous project was the rebuilding of the Temple, replacing
the modest structure, now over four centuries old, with a magnificent cultic
complex on a greatly expanded site...The present day Wailing Wall in Jerusalem
(known also as the Western Wall) is a remnant of the retaining wall of Herod's
temple)."6 However, despite his building projects, "Herod
failed to win the trust and support of his Jewish subjects."7
(Note: Herod the Great is a different Herod than Herod the Tetrarch, also known
as Herod Antipas, who ruled Galilee from 4 BCE to 39 CE. It was Herod Antipas
who killed John the Baptist.)8.
Increasing
Tensions
After
the death of Herod in 4 BCE, Judea came under direct Roman administrative
control.9 Relations between the Jews living in Judea and the Roman
Empire entered into a period of increasing deterioration which would culminate
in the Jewish revolt in 66 CE. This deterioration began in 6 CE when Judea was
made a Roman province and placed under the leadership of a series of foreign-born,
mostly corrupt and incompetent procurators, who exacerbated the tensions. The
execution of Jesus occurred under Pontius Pilate, who was procurator from 26-36
CE. Jesus execution was but one incident that reflects the brutality of the
Roman administration of Judea in this time period. Pilate's decision to place
the Roman imperial eagle on the legion's standards caused more unrest.
Resentment built over many years against Roman leadership, with its heavy
taxation, hostile military presence and pagan worship and ritual observances.
When the Roman emperor Caligula (ruled 37-41 CE) ordered a statue of himself be
placed in the Temple and demanded he be worshiped as a deity, rebellion almost
occurred. Only Caligula's death stemmed the unrest.10
"Conditions
improved briefly under Caligula's successor, Claudius, who made Herod Agrippa,
a grandson of Herod the Great, ruler of the northern part of the country and
then king of Judea (41-44 CE)."11 Herod Agrippa was a friend of
Claudius and was therefore granted some freedom in managing Judea. Herod
Because Agrippa was more sympathetic to Judean life and Jewish religion, he was
more trusted by his subjects. Although the Pharisees considered him their ally,
non-Jewish residents of Judea disliked him, including the new Christian cult.12
The
Jewish War
Unfortunately,
Herod Agrippa was followed by procurators who abused their power, and tensions
mounted. Persons suspected of collaborating with the Romans were knifed in the
streets. Jews clashed with Greeks in Caesarea and there were constant conflicts
between citizens and soldiers were constant. When the last procurator, Florus,
attempted to appropriate some of the Temple's treasure, the revolt came to a
head. In 66 CE the Temple priests stopped offering sacrifices on behalf of Rome
and a popular uprising ensued. This quickly turned into open warfare between
the Jews and the Romans, known as the Jewish War.13
The
war lasted four years. It was prolonged because the Romans had not been ready
for open conflict to break out, and because the Roman general, Vespasian, went
back to Rome to contend for his place as emperor when Nero was killled in 68
CE. During the lull, various Jewish factions helped the Romans by warring among
themselves. The worst of the lot were the violent revolutionaries known as
Zealots, who attacked the aristocracy and anyone else who they thought were not
committed to the war. Once Vespasian secured his position as emperor in 69 CE,
he sent his son, Titus, to finish what he had started. Although some fortresses
held out slightly longer, Jerusalem fell in 70 CE.14
The
Romans razed Jerusalem to the ground, including the Temple. According to the
contemporary historian Josephus, hundreds of thousands of Jews died in the
siege of Jerusalem and elsewhere in the country, and thousands were sold into
slavery.15 Many Jews fled and others were impoverished due to land
confiscations. The territory became a Roman province. A punitive tax was
imposed, consisting of two drachmas paid annually to the temple of Jupiter
Capitolinus in Rome instead of the half-shekel annual offering given to the
Temple. Though the measures were harsh, there were no mass expulsions. For
many, life went on as usual.16
The
Changed National Religion
In
contrast, the national religion was both deeply affected and permanently
changed by the destruction of the Temple, because the Jewish religion was
centered on the sacrifices that could take place only in the Temple in
Jerusalem. The loss of the Temple resulted in the ruination of the priesthood
because no Temple meant no sacrifices, and therefore the priests, whose main
purpose was to perform Temple sacrifices, were no longer necessary. The priests
had been Judea's ruling class as well as its religious leadership. Their
collapse presented a vacuum into which stepped a new religious leadership, the
rabbis. The rabbis would be the ones who reorganized the nations religious
life. It was under them that the synagogue emerged and developed as the
characteristic institution of Jewish life.17
Thinking
About It
Review
the histories presented prior to this lesson. We will be starting to look at
Daniel with our next lesson and you will need to keep the previous Jewish
history we outlined in your mind. Start to read Daniel, concentrating on the
second half of the book. That is where the apocalyptic writing appears and
where our focus will be directed. The Roman history presented above will become
important when we begin to look at the Book of Revelation. Discuss among yourselves what you see in the last half of Daniel and
how it may relate to Jewish history.
Notes
1"History:
Second Temple Period - Return to Zion. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
2008. March 17, 2011. Par. 6. <http://www.mfa.gov.il>.
2Scheindlin, Raymond
P. A Short History of the Jewish People. New York: Oxford, 1998. p. 42.3History, 7.
4Scheindlin, 44.
5History, 7.
6Scheindlin, 44.
7History, 7.
8Scheindlin, 44.
9History, 8.
10Scheindlin, 45.
11Ibid, 45.
12Ibid, 45.
13Ibid, 45-46.
14Ibid, 46.
15History, 8
16Scheindlin, 51.
17Ibid, 51-53.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Revelation Study - Lesson 8
Week 8 (March 3, 2011): The Seleucids and the Roman
Empire, part 1
But
the conflict between Antiochus IV and the Jews went beyond Antiochus' coveting
of the treasures of the Jerusalem Temple. Antiochus IV was eager to unify his
subject peoples by imposing upon them the new international Hellenistic culture
of the Middle East, consisting of the Greek language, fashion, religious
practices and educational curriculum, including philosophy and physical
training. The Judeans themselves were divided in their attitude toward the
Hellenic culture made available to them by Alexander's conquest. Many Judean
aristocrats, including members of the priesthood--which, in the theocracy,
formed the ruling class--adopted it in their personal lives. Some were eager to
modernize the national religion and culture, even to the extent of reorganizing
the Temple ritual along Greek lines and abrogating the laws of the Torah that
seemed strange and primitive to Greek taste. Such Judean aristocrats had a
common interest with Antiochus against those Judeans who resisted the changes.
1Scheindlin, Raymond
P. A Short History of the Jewish People. New York: Oxford University Press,
1998. p.35-37.
3Scheindlin, 37-38.
4Ibid, 38.
5 Festivals, par. 8.
6Scheindlin, 38
7Ibid, 38.
8 Festivals, par. 11.
9Scheindlin, 38-39.
Antiochus
IV and the Desecration of the Temple
"Palestine
came under Seleucid control in 198 BCE, when the Seleucid ruler Antiochus III
(the Great) drove the Ptolemids out of Asia. Antiochus III allowed Judea to
continue as a semiautonomous state. But under his second successor, Antiochus
IV Epiphanes (175-163), relations between Judea and the Greek rulers
disintegrated. The great problem of the Seleucid state was the expansion of
Rome, which had already inflicted a humiliating defeat on Antiochus III.
Pressed for cash, the Seleucid rulers took to plundering the temples of their
subject peoples. Temples were always good sources of money because of the
precious metals used in their ritual equipment and decorations and because,
being regarded as inviolable, they often served as depositories for public, and
even private funds. In this way, the Judean temple came to the attention of the
Seleucids as a possible source of treasure.
 |
| Antiochus IV Epiphanes |
A
Judean priest named Joshua or Jason...upper-class Judeans had both Hebrew and
Greek names...bribed Antiochus IV to make him high priest, offering both money
and the promise to Hellenize the state The legitimate high priest fled, but was
assassinated.
Jason
introduced the gymnasium into Jerusalem. In this typically Greek institution,
games in honor of pagan deities were conducted in the Nude...The religious
character of the games was profoundly offensive to Yahwist sensibilities.
Furthermore, the nudity of the gymnasium called attention to the traditional
practice of circumcision. To avoid appearing provincial or backward, many
Judeans gave up the practice, or, at the cost of painful surgery, had their own
circumcision undone. Thus, the introduction of the gymnasium was seen as the
first step in turning Jerusalem into a Greek city.
Jason
was succeeded as high priest by Menelaus, who outdid Jason's bribe by selling
the Temple vessels and helping Antiochus IV plunder the Temple in 169, even
stripping the gold leaf from its facade. By now, the populace was fiercely
opposed to the Hellenizers and to Seleucid rule. To quell this opposition,
Antiochus IV partially destroyed the city, killing some of the people and
pulling down the city walls, He built a citadel, known as the Akra, near the
Temple and there installed a Seleucid garrison, which became the main focus of
Judean hatred for Greek rule for twenty-five years. He also embarked on a
policy of enforced Hellenization."1
"All
Jews who would not apostatize to Greek idolatry and life-style were murdered on
the spot. Prayers, observing the Sabbath, circumcision were forbidden on
penalty of death. Many died rather than apostatize."2 "The
Torah, instituted as the law of the Judeans by the Persian emperor Artaxerxes
I, was not abrogated by the Seleucid king Antiochus IV. Copies of the text were
destroyed, and typical Jewish religious institutions, such as circumcision, the
Sabbath, and the festivals, were outlawed. Pagan altars were built throughout
the land, and people were compelled to eat pork to demonstrate their obedience
to the new law and cult. In December 167, the Temple itself was formally
converted into a pagan shrine and a sacrifice of pork offered on the alter.
Antiochus IV also demanded that he himself be worshiped as a god. The practice
of king worship had been introduced by Alexander and was not considered odd
among the pagan subjects of the Hellenistic rulers of the Near East, but to the
monotheistic Judeans it seemed madness itself, and it was not long before they
were lampooning his title, Epiphanes (meaning 'the God manifest'), by
distorting it into Epimanes (meaning 'the madman').3
Antiochus'
measures mark the beginning of one of the dominant themes of Jewish
history--the notion of Judaism as a persecuted religion. Until this point,
whatever misfortunes had befallen the Jews had been purely political
consequences of the fact that they were a small nation living in a territory
that was contested by the great powers to the south and to the east. Their
religion, so different from the religions of the pagan neighbors, was merely a
feature of the national culture, and had never been attacked as such. By
contrast, Antiochus' measures were directed not so much against the Judean
state which he already controlled at the beginning of his reign, but against
the Judean religion and culture, which he--like many Judeans--was determined to
harmonize with the religion and culture of the rest of this kingdom. The result
of his efforts was to create the first Jewish martyrs and to incite a rebellion
that contributed to the undermining of his control of the region.4
In
Modein, near Jerusalem, the Jews heard that Antiochus had desecrated the House
of God by erecting a pagan altar to Zeus over the altar of Yahweh, and
sacrificed swine on it. They knew that every Jew who would not worship the
pagan idols and live the foreign immoral life-style was murdered, and that many
circumcised children and their mothers were slaughtered. They were also aware
that all found copies of the Torah were being systematically destroyed.5
Therefore,
in Modein, a rebellion was started by Mattathias, the head of a family of
conservative country priests.6 Mattathias and his Hasmonean family
organized a guerrilla-type army, later to be led by his third son, Judah. Judah
became known as the Maccabee, or "the hammer." This group harassed
the Seleucid troops, destroyed pagan altars, and attracted rebels in large
numbers. In December 164 BCE, they were able to enter Jerusalem, destroy the
garrison in the Akra,7 and recapture the Jerusalem Temple. It was
cleansed, refurnished, and rededicated exactly three years to-the-day of its
desecration. The Maccabees ordained the annual festival of Hanukkah to
commemorated their rededication of the alter and the Temple. The Hasmonean
Dynasty then ruled Palestine from 135 to 37 B.C.8
In
162 BCE, Antiochus' successors formally abrogated his policies, restored the
Torah as the law of Judea, and appointed a new high priest named Alcimus. This
step put an end to the party of Judean Hellenizers and should have put an end
to Judah's rebellion. But Judah objected to the appointment of Alcimus,
considering him religiously compromised by his behavior during the Antiochene
persecutions. Accordingly, he marched again, this time not against pagans but
against Alcimus' Judean supporters, many of whom had once fought at Judah's own
side against Antiochus' troops. The new Seleucid king, Demetrius I, sent a
general...against Judah, but Judah conquered him and again entered Jerusalem in
triumph in 161. This victory made Judah master of the country. Like other heads
of smaller states subject to the deteriorating Seleucid kingdom, he turned to
Rome for support, and the Senate confirmed the freedom of the nation of the
Judeans. For the first time since the Babylonian conquest of the kingdom of
Judah in 587 BCE, the Judeans were recognized as an independent power. This
moment, however, also marks the fateful entrance of Rome into Judean
affairs."9
Notes
3Scheindlin, 37-38.
4Ibid, 38.
5 Festivals, par. 8.
6Scheindlin, 38
7Ibid, 38.
8 Festivals, par. 11.
9Scheindlin, 38-39.
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