Podcasts about hasmonean

What if the seeds of revival were planted long before the birth of Christ? And what if the struggle to preserve faith in the face of overwhelming cultural pressure laid the foundation for the Gospel's explosive spread across the ancient world?   In this episode of Revival Radio TV, we uncover a forgotten battleground where faith clashed with the seductive allure of Greek philosophy. During the Second Temple period, Judaism itself was torn between two worlds: 1 Maccabees—a political manifesto aimed at legitimizing the Hasmonean dynasty, stripped of miracles and divine intervention—and 2 Maccabees—a passionate defense of traditional faith filled with miracles, martyrdom, and divine deliverance.   The influence of Hellenism reached deep into Jewish culture, dividing the nation between those who compromised with Greek thought and those who clung to the faith of their fathers. It was a culture war that shaped the very world Jesus was born into. But more than that, it laid the groundwork for the great revival to come.   How did this clash of cultures prepare the way for the Messiah? And how does this ancient battle continue to echo through history, even affecting the Church today? Join us as we unravel the mystery of faith, culture, and revival.   RRTV_250413

Sunday Bible StudyThe Romans Impact on Christianity Class 4: The Road to the Spread of ChristianityDan CrabtreeOriginal Air Date: 2025.02.23Take a journey and discover what the Romans impact was on Christianity. Dan Crabtree's Bible Study is in four different classes:The Players: Who are the players? Where did they come from? What interaction did they have? There are quite a few players with associated history.The Road to the Cross: How did Rome come to dominate the Judean region and who were their minions? This will talk about the Jewish civil wars during the Hasmonean period and the intervention of the Romans. Then discuss how bitter enemies from the civil wars got together to crucify Christ.The Road to the Temple Destruction: Was the Roman Empire completely responsible for the destruction? Lead up to the destruction of the temple in AD70 and what did the Romans have to do with it? How does one destroy a limestone building with fire? How did the Romans overcome the Jews? The problem with Zealots. What did Josephus have to do with it? And the final conquest of the Jews.The Road to the Spread of Christianity: What part did Rome play in its own transformation from paganism to Christianity? How did a small Jewish sect of about a thousand people, called Christians, explode onto the scene? How did the Romans help them – inadvertently – to accomplish this exponential growth?Service Times are Saturday Evening at 5:30pm and Sunday Morning at 10:30 am. We also offer two Adult Sunday School options at 9:00am.Promiseland Kids Church is available Sunday at 10:30am for Toddler – 5th grade and Youth Sunday School for Jr. and Sr. High.If you have missed a message or are viewing from home, you can catch weekend services on our Facebook page and YouTube by going to www.crossroads-ridgecrest.org, or through the church app. We also have podcasts available by looking up Crossroads Community Church - available on several podcast apps.For questions or information, please contact us at: (760)384-3333 Tuesday – Thursday 10am – 4pm, text (760)301-4840 or email ccc@ccc-rc.org

Sunday Bible StudyThe Romans Impact on Christianity Class 3B: Road to the Temple DestructionDan CrabtreeOriginal Air Date: 2025.02.16Take a journey and discover what the Romans impact was on Christianity. Dan Crabtree's Bible Study is in four different classes:The Players: Who are the players? Where did they come from? What interaction did they have? There are quite a few players with associated history.The Road to the Cross: How did Rome come to dominate the Judean region and who were their minions? This will talk about the Jewish civil wars during the Hasmonean period and the intervention of the Romans. Then discuss how bitter enemies from the civil wars got together to crucify Christ.The Road to the Temple Destruction: Was the Roman Empire completely responsible for the destruction? Lead up to the destruction of the temple in AD70 and what did the Romans have to do with it? How does one destroy a limestone building with fire? How did the Romans overcome the Jews? The problem with Zealots. What did Josephus have to do with it? And the final conquest of the Jews.The Road to the Spread of Christianity: What part did Rome play in its own transformation from paganism to Christianity? How did a small Jewish sect of about a thousand people, called Christians, explode onto the scene? How did the Romans help them – inadvertently – to accomplish this exponential growth?Service Times are Saturday Evening at 5:30pm and Sunday Morning at 10:30 am. We also offer two Adult Sunday School options at 9:00am.Promiseland Kids Church is available Sunday at 10:30am for Toddler – 5th grade and Youth Sunday School for Jr. and Sr. High.If you have missed a message or are viewing from home, you can catch weekend services on our Facebook page and YouTube by going to www.crossroads-ridgecrest.org, or through the church app. We also have podcasts available by looking up Crossroads Community Church - available on several podcast apps.For questions or information, please contact us at: (760)384-3333 Wednesday – Friday 10am – 4pm, text (760)301-4840 or email ccc@ccc-rc.org

Sunday Bible StudyThe Romans Impact on Christianity Class 2: Road to the CrossDan CrabtreeOriginal Air Date: 2025.02.09Take a journey and discover what the Romans impact was on Christianity. Dan Crabtree's Bible Study is in four different classes:The Players: Who are the players? Where did they come from? What interaction did they have? There are quite a few players with associated history.The Road to the Cross: How did Rome come to dominate the Judean region and who were their minions? This will talk about the Jewish civil wars during the Hasmonean period and the intervention of the Romans. Then discuss how bitter enemies from the civil wars got together to crucify Christ.The Road to the Temple Destruction: Was the Roman Empire completely responsible for the destruction? Lead up to the destruction of the temple in AD70 and what did the Romans have to do with it? How does one destroy a limestone building with fire? How did the Romans overcome the Jews? The problem with Zealots. What did Josephus have to do with it? And the final conquest of the Jews.The Road to the Spread of Christianity: What part did Rome play in its own transformation from paganism to Christianity? How did a small Jewish sect of about a thousand people, called Christians, explode onto the scene? How did the Romans help them – inadvertently – to accomplish this exponential growth?Service Times are Saturday Evening at 5:30pm and Sunday Morning at 10:30 am. We also offer two Adult Sunday School options at 9:00am.Promiseland Kids Church is available Sunday at 10:30am for Toddler – 5th grade and Youth Sunday School for Jr. and Sr. High.If you have missed a message or are viewing from home, you can catch weekend services on our Facebook page and YouTube by going to www.crossroads-ridgecrest.org, or through the church app. We also have podcasts available by looking up Crossroads Community Church - available on several podcast apps.For questions or information, please contact us at: (760)384-3333 Wednesday – Friday 10am – 4pm, text (760)301-4840 or email ccc@ccc-rc.org

We examine the Hasmonean Dynasty. We also discuss the doctrine of Purgatory and how 2 Maccabees supports it.

Sunday Bible StudyThe Romans Impact on Christianity Class 1: The PlayersDan CrabtreeOriginal Air Date: 2025.02.02Take a journey and discover what the Romans impact was on Christianity. Dan Crabtree's Bible Study is in four different classes:The Players: Who are the players? Where did they come from? What interaction did they have? There are quite a few players with associated history.The Road to the Cross: How did Rome come to dominate the Judean region and who were their minions? This will talk about the Jewish civil wars during the Hasmonean period and the intervention of the Romans. Then discuss how bitter enemies from the civil wars got together to crucify Christ.The Road to the Temple Destruction: Was the Roman Empire completely responsible for the destruction? Lead up to the destruction of the temple in AD70 and what did the Romans have to do with it? How does one destroy a limestone building with fire? How did the Romans overcome the Jews? The problem with Zealots. What did Josephus have to do with it? And the final conquest of the Jews.The Road to the Spread of Christianity: What part did Rome play in its own transformation from paganism to Christianity? How did a small Jewish sect of about a thousand people, called Christians, explode onto the scene? How did the Romans help them – inadvertently – to accomplish this exponential growth?Service Times are Saturday Evening at 5:30pm and Sunday Morning at 10:30 am. We also offer two Adult Sunday School options at 9:00am.Promiseland Kids Church is available Sunday at 10:30am for Toddler – 5th grade and Youth Sunday School for Jr. and Sr. High.If you have missed a message or are viewing from home, you can catch weekend services on our Facebook page and YouTube by going to www.crossroads-ridgecrest.org, or through the church app. We also have podcasts available by looking up Crossroads Community Church - available on several podcast apps.For questions or information, please contact us at: (760)384-3333 Wednesday – Friday 10am – 4pm, text (760)301-4840 or email ccc@ccc-rc.org

Today's daf is sponsored by Avi Yonitzman for finishing Mashechet Shekalim. "I've now closed the gap from Berakhot to Shekalim and may we be zoche to finishing the 14th cycle together." Today's daf is sponsored for a refuah shleima to Pesha Etel bat Sara. If a man engages in intercourse with a gentile woman, a zealot can kill him if they are still engaged in the act. Rav Kahana asked Rav what punishment is given if a zealot did not kill him at the time of the act. Rav did not remember, but Rav Kahana heard a verse from Malachi 2:11 in a dream and when he recounted it to Rav, Rav remembered that the person gets karet, death by the hands of God. Rabbi Chiya bar Avuya taught that one who engages in relations with a gentile woman is as if he married an idol, as he derived from the verse Rav Kahana heard in his dream. He also brought a story about the skull of Yehoyakim that would not be buried and was subsequently burned, which he derived from a verse in Yirmiyahi 22:19. The Hasmonean court made a decree that one who engages in relations with a gentile woman could be liable for four violations. Rav Dimi and Ravin disagreed about which four. Both Rav Chisda and Rabbi Yochanan explained that even though a zealot can kill a man who engages in relations with a gentile woman, if one consults with the court about it, the court will not tell the person to kill. The person is also not permitted to kill once the couple is no longer engaged in relations. And if the man engaged in relations kills the zealot, he is not liable as the zealot is considered a rodef. The Gemara recounts the story of Pinchas killing Zimri and Cosbi and elaborates on the details provided in the Torah. Rav Acha asked Rav Sheshet is a kohen who serves while impure punished by death by the hands of God? Can the answer be found in our Mishna?  

Today's daf is sponsored by Avi Yonitzman for finishing Mashechet Shekalim. "I've now closed the gap from Berakhot to Shekalim and may we be zoche to finishing the 14th cycle together." Today's daf is sponsored for a refuah shleima to Pesha Etel bat Sara. If a man engages in intercourse with a gentile woman, a zealot can kill him if they are still engaged in the act. Rav Kahana asked Rav what punishment is given if a zealot did not kill him at the time of the act. Rav did not remember, but Rav Kahana heard a verse from Malachi 2:11 in a dream and when he recounted it to Rav, Rav remembered that the person gets karet, death by the hands of God. Rabbi Chiya bar Avuya taught that one who engages in relations with a gentile woman is as if he married an idol, as he derived from the verse Rav Kahana heard in his dream. He also brought a story about the skull of Yehoyakim that would not be buried and was subsequently burned, which he derived from a verse in Yirmiyahi 22:19. The Hasmonean court made a decree that one who engages in relations with a gentile woman could be liable for four violations. Rav Dimi and Ravin disagreed about which four. Both Rav Chisda and Rabbi Yochanan explained that even though a zealot can kill a man who engages in relations with a gentile woman, if one consults with the court about it, the court will not tell the person to kill. The person is also not permitted to kill once the couple is no longer engaged in relations. And if the man engaged in relations kills the zealot, he is not liable as the zealot is considered a rodef. The Gemara recounts the story of Pinchas killing Zimri and Cosbi and elaborates on the details provided in the Torah. Rav Acha asked Rav Sheshet is a kohen who serves while impure punished by death by the hands of God? Can the answer be found in our Mishna?  

Rosh Beis HaMedrash at Hasmonean, London

Al Hanisim: In a pre-Chanukah special, this class will look at the Al Hanisim prayer, added on Chanukah and Purim (but we will focus on the Chanukah one this time and leave the Purim one for a few months) Who was “the Hasmonean”? How did the Greeks make the Jews “forget Your Torah”? I understand why it is miraculous to deliver the strong into the hand of the week, and the numerous into the hands of the few, but why does purity, righteous or diligent students affect success in war? Why does the prayer not mention that the menorah burned for eight days? For the original course page please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://webyeshiva.org/course/the-shemoneh-esrei-in-depth/

Welcome to the Jew and Gentile Podcast.   Text the Jew and Gentile your comments, questions, concerns (OY!), and news at: 424-444-1948   Donate today:    MUG-ON-A-MUG With your gift of $10 or more to FOI Equip, you to can have your very own Mug-on-a-Mug. Your generous donation helps to expand the important work of teaching the Bible from a Jewish perspective while raising up new FOI volunteers and representatives serving Jewish communities all around the world.   Visit gofoi.org/mug to make your gift today and receive your own Jew and Gentile Podcast Mug-on-a-Mug.   Oy, look at Steve's punim! FROM THE SCRIPTURES Steve's Notes https://docs.google.com/document/d/11ttD_e7h1WKkiVwA-szy3Oh9zGdAXPh49X8_LUpUvpQ/edit?usp=sharing FOI Equip Classes:   Here We Stand: 19 Key Christian Beliefs MIKE STALLARD JANUARY 9, 16, 23   God tells us to take heed “to doctrine” (1 Tim. 4:13). Doctrine is important. However, sound teaching is often described as boring and out-of-date. Shouldn't we simply ignore doctrine and just “get along?”   In this three-part class, Dr. Mike Stallard shows us how important sound doctrine is to living the Christian life. He will walk through The Friends of Israel's core beliefs and show how they are relevant today. Doctrine is neither boring nor out-of-date. Rather, it impacts the way we see the world and treat those around us!   foiequip.org   FOI Resources  Get a free one-year trial subscription to Israel My Glory https://israelmyglory.org/subscribe/ Get Involved with Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry https://www.foi.org/outreach   Chris Katulka's book: Israel Always foi.org/israelalways   Steve Herzig's book: Jewish Culture & Customs foi.org/jcc   Christmas is Jewish Finding Messiah in Christmas christmasisjewish.org   News Not just gelt! Coins belonging to second king of the Hasmonean dynasty in miraculous discovery https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-835380   Churches fight to stay open as attendance dwindles https://abcnews.go.com/US/churches-fight-stay-open-attendance-dwindles/story?id=116905100 Yiddish Word(s) of the Day A Gut Gebensht Yor - A blessed New Year!  

Everyone loves the festival of Chanukah. There's something so wonderful and enchanting about this festival and its iconic mitzvah, the lighting of the Menorah. But what is the menorah truly about? We all, of course, know the story of the miraculous oil that lasted for 8 days. But what is at the heart of the matter? What are we supposed to take away from this miracle, from this mitzvah, from this festival? In this wonderful podcast, we plumb the depths of the Hasmonean miracle, the Greek forces that they overcame, and the timeless lessons for us to learn.– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –Email me with questions, comments, and feedback: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletterrabbiwolbe.com/newsletter– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe's PodcastsThe Parsha PodcastThe Jewish History PodcastThe Mitzvah Podcast This Jewish LifeThe Ethics PodcastTORAH 101 ★ Support this podcast ★

In our new series, we will examine the laws of Chanukah.  May our learning be a merit for our brave soldiers in the IDF, full healing for our brothers and sisters in Israel, and for a safe return of ALL the hostages. In our next lesson we discuss the Hasmonean dynasty after the war. Our learning is dedicated L'Iluy Nishmat Captain Daniel Perez HY"D who was killed in battle on October 7th, 2023.

The Odyssey narrates Odysseus's ten-year journey as the king of Ithaca, during which he attempts to return home after the fall of Troy. Virgil's Aeneid chronicles the journey of Aeneas, a Trojan hero and son of the goddess Venus. Aeneas escapes the fallen city of Troy and embarks on a quest to start a settler-colonial project in Italy. Virgil wrote a work of total fiction, and then as if by witchcraft, Augustus traced his (and Rome's) historical origins back to Aeneas.In Jewish Antiquities, Josephus Flavius followed the line of Augustus, adulterating the Bible to appease the ego of his settler-colonial abuser, adopting the same Greco-Roman “literary-historicizing” framework. This may not have resonated with the Jews of the time, but man, would-be Christian imperial colonizers loved his historicizing of epic literature to “build” their apotheosis.What good is Star Wars if lightsabers are not real, if you are not the heir of Luke Skywalker,  and the Republic is not rightfully yours to “possess?”So, thanks to Josephus Flavius, the (sellout, Uncle Tom) closet Hasmonean, and his oversized case of Bible-wrecking Stockholm Syndrome, by now, we've had to deal with two millennia of Hellenized theologians who really believe that Jesus picked up where Venus and Augustus left off. If you want to understand the socio-political consequences of this approach, consider watching independent news media on YouTube.If you want to be set free from the tyranny of Augustus and Josephus, hear the Gospel of Luke. This week, I discuss Luke 7:17-19.Show Notes ἔρχομαι (erchomai) ب-و-ء (bā-wāw-hamza)/ ב-ו-א (bet-waw-alef)The Hebrew verb בוא (bo) and the Arabic verb بَاءَ (bā'a) “he returned” are cognates that trace back to a common Semitic root related to movement toward a point—be it coming or returning. This root corresponds to ἐρχόμενος (erchomoenos) in Luke 7:19, the one who is expected.“‘Behold, I am going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way before me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come (יָבוֹא, yāḇôʾ) to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, he is coming,' says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:1)“The Lord God has sworn by his holiness, ‘Behold, the days are coming (בָּאִ֣ים, bā'îm) upon you when they will take you away with meat hooks, and the last of you with fish hooks.'” (Amos 4:2)Related functions in Arabic:بَاءَ (bā'a) To return, to incur, to be burdened with, to bring upon oneself.بَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ (bā'ū bi-ghaḍabin mina allāh)“They have incurred wrath from God.”(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:61) بَوَّأَ (bawwa'a) To settle someone, to provide lodging, to assign a place.مُتَبَوَّأ (mutabawa'a) A dwelling place. Arabic Lexicon, Hawramani, https://arabiclexicon.hawramani.com/?p=1617&book=50#9b0b27وَلَقَدْ بَوَّأْنَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مُبَوَّأَ صِدْقٍ (wa laqad bawwa'nā banī isrā'īla mubawwa'a ṣidqin)“And we settled the Children of Israel in a good dwelling-place.”(Surah Yunus 10:93)تَبَاوَأَ (tabāwa'a) Used in literature to describe competition and contention between characters. The verb carries a negative connotation that implies equality. To be equal with each other. Equality in sin or punishment: state of being equally guilty. القتيلان فِي الْقصاص تعادلا (al-qatīlāni fī al-qiṣāsi ta‘ādalā) “Two dead, in retribution, were tied.” “بَوَاءٌ” Arabic Lexicon, Hawramani, https://arabiclexicon.hawramani.com/?p=63888#dbd19f ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

How he Hasmonean rulers fought their wars and handled the "Bnei Torah Problem" 2,000 years ago

In today's episode with the Rev. Dr. George Athas, we pick up the historic overview of what is incorrectly called the 400 years of silence. We dive into the significant historical influence of Greek culture and thought on Jewish society, especially during the Hellenistic period. In the Hasmonean period, we find the rise of anti-Dividic position of silencing the prophetic voice. What does that mean for the way we understand who Jesus is? Find out more about Dr. Athas HERERead more about his book HERESee his many other writings HEREContact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team!

In A History of the Hasmonean State: Josephus and Beyond (T&T Clark, 2019), Kenneth Atkinson tells the exciting story of the nine decades of the Hasmonean rule of Judea (152 - 63 BCE) by going beyond the accounts of the Hasmoneans in Josephus in order to bring together new evidence to reconstruct how the Hasmonean family transformed their kingdom into a state that lasted until the arrival of the Romans. Atkinson reconstructs the relationships between the Hasmonean state and the rulers of the Seleucid and the Ptolemaic Empires, the Itureans, the Nabateans, the Parthians, the Armenians, the Cappadocians, and the Roman Republic. He draws on a variety of previously unused sources, including papyrological documentation, inscriptions, archaeological evidence, numismatics, Dead Sea Scrolls, pseudepigrapha, and textual sources from the Hellenistic to the Byzantine periods. Atkinson also explores how Josephus's political and social situation in Flavian Rome affected his accounts of the Hasmoneans and why any study of the Hasmonean state must go beyond Josephus to gain a full appreciation of this unique historical period that shaped Second Temple Judaism, and created the conditions for the rise of the Herodian dynasty and the emergence of Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In A History of the Hasmonean State: Josephus and Beyond (T&T Clark, 2019), Kenneth Atkinson tells the exciting story of the nine decades of the Hasmonean rule of Judea (152 - 63 BCE) by going beyond the accounts of the Hasmoneans in Josephus in order to bring together new evidence to reconstruct how the Hasmonean family transformed their kingdom into a state that lasted until the arrival of the Romans. Atkinson reconstructs the relationships between the Hasmonean state and the rulers of the Seleucid and the Ptolemaic Empires, the Itureans, the Nabateans, the Parthians, the Armenians, the Cappadocians, and the Roman Republic. He draws on a variety of previously unused sources, including papyrological documentation, inscriptions, archaeological evidence, numismatics, Dead Sea Scrolls, pseudepigrapha, and textual sources from the Hellenistic to the Byzantine periods. Atkinson also explores how Josephus's political and social situation in Flavian Rome affected his accounts of the Hasmoneans and why any study of the Hasmonean state must go beyond Josephus to gain a full appreciation of this unique historical period that shaped Second Temple Judaism, and created the conditions for the rise of the Herodian dynasty and the emergence of Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

In A History of the Hasmonean State: Josephus and Beyond (T&T Clark, 2019), Kenneth Atkinson tells the exciting story of the nine decades of the Hasmonean rule of Judea (152 - 63 BCE) by going beyond the accounts of the Hasmoneans in Josephus in order to bring together new evidence to reconstruct how the Hasmonean family transformed their kingdom into a state that lasted until the arrival of the Romans. Atkinson reconstructs the relationships between the Hasmonean state and the rulers of the Seleucid and the Ptolemaic Empires, the Itureans, the Nabateans, the Parthians, the Armenians, the Cappadocians, and the Roman Republic. He draws on a variety of previously unused sources, including papyrological documentation, inscriptions, archaeological evidence, numismatics, Dead Sea Scrolls, pseudepigrapha, and textual sources from the Hellenistic to the Byzantine periods. Atkinson also explores how Josephus's political and social situation in Flavian Rome affected his accounts of the Hasmoneans and why any study of the Hasmonean state must go beyond Josephus to gain a full appreciation of this unique historical period that shaped Second Temple Judaism, and created the conditions for the rise of the Herodian dynasty and the emergence of Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

In A History of the Hasmonean State: Josephus and Beyond (T&T Clark, 2019), Kenneth Atkinson tells the exciting story of the nine decades of the Hasmonean rule of Judea (152 - 63 BCE) by going beyond the accounts of the Hasmoneans in Josephus in order to bring together new evidence to reconstruct how the Hasmonean family transformed their kingdom into a state that lasted until the arrival of the Romans. Atkinson reconstructs the relationships between the Hasmonean state and the rulers of the Seleucid and the Ptolemaic Empires, the Itureans, the Nabateans, the Parthians, the Armenians, the Cappadocians, and the Roman Republic. He draws on a variety of previously unused sources, including papyrological documentation, inscriptions, archaeological evidence, numismatics, Dead Sea Scrolls, pseudepigrapha, and textual sources from the Hellenistic to the Byzantine periods. Atkinson also explores how Josephus's political and social situation in Flavian Rome affected his accounts of the Hasmoneans and why any study of the Hasmonean state must go beyond Josephus to gain a full appreciation of this unique historical period that shaped Second Temple Judaism, and created the conditions for the rise of the Herodian dynasty and the emergence of Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

In A History of the Hasmonean State: Josephus and Beyond (T&T Clark, 2019), Kenneth Atkinson tells the exciting story of the nine decades of the Hasmonean rule of Judea (152 - 63 BCE) by going beyond the accounts of the Hasmoneans in Josephus in order to bring together new evidence to reconstruct how the Hasmonean family transformed their kingdom into a state that lasted until the arrival of the Romans. Atkinson reconstructs the relationships between the Hasmonean state and the rulers of the Seleucid and the Ptolemaic Empires, the Itureans, the Nabateans, the Parthians, the Armenians, the Cappadocians, and the Roman Republic. He draws on a variety of previously unused sources, including papyrological documentation, inscriptions, archaeological evidence, numismatics, Dead Sea Scrolls, pseudepigrapha, and textual sources from the Hellenistic to the Byzantine periods. Atkinson also explores how Josephus's political and social situation in Flavian Rome affected his accounts of the Hasmoneans and why any study of the Hasmonean state must go beyond Josephus to gain a full appreciation of this unique historical period that shaped Second Temple Judaism, and created the conditions for the rise of the Herodian dynasty and the emergence of Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In A History of the Hasmonean State: Josephus and Beyond (T&T Clark, 2019), Kenneth Atkinson tells the exciting story of the nine decades of the Hasmonean rule of Judea (152 - 63 BCE) by going beyond the accounts of the Hasmoneans in Josephus in order to bring together new evidence to reconstruct how the Hasmonean family transformed their kingdom into a state that lasted until the arrival of the Romans. Atkinson reconstructs the relationships between the Hasmonean state and the rulers of the Seleucid and the Ptolemaic Empires, the Itureans, the Nabateans, the Parthians, the Armenians, the Cappadocians, and the Roman Republic. He draws on a variety of previously unused sources, including papyrological documentation, inscriptions, archaeological evidence, numismatics, Dead Sea Scrolls, pseudepigrapha, and textual sources from the Hellenistic to the Byzantine periods. Atkinson also explores how Josephus's political and social situation in Flavian Rome affected his accounts of the Hasmoneans and why any study of the Hasmonean state must go beyond Josephus to gain a full appreciation of this unique historical period that shaped Second Temple Judaism, and created the conditions for the rise of the Herodian dynasty and the emergence of Christianity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biblical-studies

Many believe there is 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testament. My guest today is Professor George Athas, director of research and senior lecturer in Hebrew, Old Testament, and Early Church History at Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia. He's the author of Bridging the Testaments, which covers four major periods, including Persian, Hellenistic, Hasmonean, and Roman. By studying the four centuries before Christ you can gain key insights to help you understand both the Old and New Testaments. You will discover that God was still speaking all the while. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aWT83oT2ts —— Links —— More about George Athas here Check out his book: Bridging the Testaments Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean's bio here

The Hellenistic period was a pivotal moment in the history of the Jewish priesthood. The waning days of the Persian empire coincided with the continued ascendance of the high priest and Jerusalem temple as powerful political, cultural, and religious institutions in Judea. The Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran, only recently published in full, testify to the existence of a flourishing but previously unknown Jewish literary tradition dating from the end of Persian rule to the rise of the Hasmoneans.  In Priesthood, Cult, and Temple in the Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran: Analyzing a Pre-Hasmonean Jewish Literary Tradition (Brill, 2023), Robert Jones analyzes how Israel's priestly institutions are represented in these writings, and he demonstrates that they are essential for understanding the Jewish priesthood at this crucial stage in its history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The Hellenistic period was a pivotal moment in the history of the Jewish priesthood. The waning days of the Persian empire coincided with the continued ascendance of the high priest and Jerusalem temple as powerful political, cultural, and religious institutions in Judea. The Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran, only recently published in full, testify to the existence of a flourishing but previously unknown Jewish literary tradition dating from the end of Persian rule to the rise of the Hasmoneans.  In Priesthood, Cult, and Temple in the Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran: Analyzing a Pre-Hasmonean Jewish Literary Tradition (Brill, 2023), Robert Jones analyzes how Israel's priestly institutions are represented in these writings, and he demonstrates that they are essential for understanding the Jewish priesthood at this crucial stage in its history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

The Hellenistic period was a pivotal moment in the history of the Jewish priesthood. The waning days of the Persian empire coincided with the continued ascendance of the high priest and Jerusalem temple as powerful political, cultural, and religious institutions in Judea. The Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran, only recently published in full, testify to the existence of a flourishing but previously unknown Jewish literary tradition dating from the end of Persian rule to the rise of the Hasmoneans.  In Priesthood, Cult, and Temple in the Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran: Analyzing a Pre-Hasmonean Jewish Literary Tradition (Brill, 2023), Robert Jones analyzes how Israel's priestly institutions are represented in these writings, and he demonstrates that they are essential for understanding the Jewish priesthood at this crucial stage in its history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

The Hellenistic period was a pivotal moment in the history of the Jewish priesthood. The waning days of the Persian empire coincided with the continued ascendance of the high priest and Jerusalem temple as powerful political, cultural, and religious institutions in Judea. The Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran, only recently published in full, testify to the existence of a flourishing but previously unknown Jewish literary tradition dating from the end of Persian rule to the rise of the Hasmoneans.  In Priesthood, Cult, and Temple in the Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran: Analyzing a Pre-Hasmonean Jewish Literary Tradition (Brill, 2023), Robert Jones analyzes how Israel's priestly institutions are represented in these writings, and he demonstrates that they are essential for understanding the Jewish priesthood at this crucial stage in its history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

The Hellenistic period was a pivotal moment in the history of the Jewish priesthood. The waning days of the Persian empire coincided with the continued ascendance of the high priest and Jerusalem temple as powerful political, cultural, and religious institutions in Judea. The Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran, only recently published in full, testify to the existence of a flourishing but previously unknown Jewish literary tradition dating from the end of Persian rule to the rise of the Hasmoneans.  In Priesthood, Cult, and Temple in the Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran: Analyzing a Pre-Hasmonean Jewish Literary Tradition (Brill, 2023), Robert Jones analyzes how Israel's priestly institutions are represented in these writings, and he demonstrates that they are essential for understanding the Jewish priesthood at this crucial stage in its history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Hellenistic period was a pivotal moment in the history of the Jewish priesthood. The waning days of the Persian empire coincided with the continued ascendance of the high priest and Jerusalem temple as powerful political, cultural, and religious institutions in Judea. The Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran, only recently published in full, testify to the existence of a flourishing but previously unknown Jewish literary tradition dating from the end of Persian rule to the rise of the Hasmoneans.  In Priesthood, Cult, and Temple in the Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran: Analyzing a Pre-Hasmonean Jewish Literary Tradition (Brill, 2023), Robert Jones analyzes how Israel's priestly institutions are represented in these writings, and he demonstrates that they are essential for understanding the Jewish priesthood at this crucial stage in its history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biblical-studies

How Herod became king, how Bava ben Buta advised him, and how even Herod's evil had an after-the-fact silver lining of Herod's beautiful Temple. Plus, what it means to not give in to evil. In the context of the sanctity of the physical place of a synagogue. Also, a new mishnah! When one neighbor puts up a partition without the neighbor's agreement - is the second party obligated to participate in the costs in any way? It depends on his actions, especially with regard to a fourth wall... (and according to which sage).

Does Ezekiel see the Third Temple as evolving along the historical lines of the Second? Particularly the Hasmonean נָשִׂיא?

With the Clouds of Heaven Daniel 7:1-28 by William Klock The seventh chapter of Daniel begins this way: In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter.   It's finally Daniel's turn to dream.  The storyteller rolls back the clock about a decade to the first year of Belshazzar, which would have been about 550 BC.  The implied audience, remember, is the faithful Jews living in Judah in the early 160s BC, during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes.  The purpose of the book of Daniel was to encourage them and to exhort them to stand firm for the Lord, to stand firm for his law, even as this pagan king was making it illegal for them to live according to the law and to worship the Lord, even as many of their fellow Jews were caving in to the pressure and apostatizing.  The book of Daniel points them back to their ancestors who lived during the Babylonian exile and had their own struggles to remain faithful to the Lord.  The story is told through their eyes to encourage the current generation. We also need to understand that the book of Daniel now shifts its genre from tales about Daniel and his friends in the Babylonian court to apocalyptic visions.  There are four visions.  This first one in Chapter 7, a second in Chapter 8, a third in Chapter 9, and a fourth spanning Chapters 10-12.  In Greek, an apokalypsis is a revelation, an unveiling, of something.  It's related to prophecy, but it usually has—at least in the Bible—it usually has to do with current events and is God's way of pulling the curtain back to show that current events aren't just random or haphazard, but that he's at work behind them.  Biblical apocalyptic encourages the faithful to stand firm and to trust in the Lord knowing that even as evil seems like it's out of control, it's not.  God is sovereign and he—and his faithful people—will win the day.  It reminds us that God is king and that he will vindicate his people for their faith. And, as we saw with Revelation, one of the defining characteristics of apocalyptic literature is that it communicates through symbols.  And that can make it difficult for us.  The symbolism would have been obvious to the original hearers, but because it's very context dependent—things like culture and history, worldview and mythology and things like that—it can be very hard for us to understand.  One of the hard things for us, one of the things that gets lost in translation is the visceral reaction this symbolism would have created in the original audience.  For us it's just something to decode: this means that.  For them, the imagery would stir up emotions.  This wasn't about events thousands of years ago.  This was about what they were experiencing.  It was about their world, their not-too-distant past, and their not-too-distant future.  It was about the present affliction, the present persecution, the present pressures that confronted them.  Think of the feelings you might have as you watch the evening news: fear, dread, sadness, elation.  Those sorts of feelings were connected with this imagery.  The timing of this vision, at the beginning of Belshazzar's co-regency, means that Daniel's vision would coincide with big news.  For millennia the Assyrian empire had dominated the Near East.  The Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar and Nabonidus and Belshazzar was the last incarnation of Assyria.  To the north was the Median Empire and to the east the Persian.  Cyrus the Great, the Persian emperor was on the move, gobbling up parts of Media and Babylon.  In 550 BC the Medes fell to the Persians.  Now Babylon was in Cyrus' sights.  Here were Daniel and his people, bystanders in the middle of turbulent times.  We can imagine Daniel hearing the most recent news of the fall of the Medes, going to bed, tossing and turning, finally falling into restless sleep, and dreaming.  Let's continue with verse 2: Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.' After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.  (Daniel 7:2-8) In his vision, Daniel stands by the great sea.  In the Old Testament the “great sea” always means the Mediterranean.  It was the centre of the ancient world.  Imagine Daniel standing in a place jutting out into the sea, a place the Rock of Andromeda at Joppa.  The waters rage and the winds blow.  It's not an ordinary wind.  The winds rage from north and south, east and west all at the same time and the sea churns violently around him.  For all the ancient Near Eastern peoples, the sea represented chaos.  Genesis opens with the sea—formless and void—representing the chaos of the uncreated world into which the Lord speaks, separating the waters, raising dry land, bringing the order needed for humans to live and to flourish.  Now, in his dream, Daniel sees the sea raging.  Chaos threatens the order of God's good creation.  As we look at our own current events, it's not very hard to image what Daniel felt.  Turn on the news or look on the Web and so often it seems like chaos and evil are tearing the world apart.  In so many places humans languish when they should be flourishing, all because of war and corruption, because of poverty and greed and sickness.  Sometimes it seems like chaos has won the day. And who's at the heart of the chaos?  Daniel sees four ferocious beasts emerge from the sea.  The beasts are symbolic and it's hard to be certain exactly how all the symbolism here works.  A lot of it seems to come from the Old Testament prophets, but it could also be coming from the mythology and the symbols of the various peoples and empires that are symbolized.  Some of it is eerily similar to the symbolism of the Babylonian books Daniel would have studied in learning about divination and the symbolism of dreams.  What we do know—because Daniel is told in verse 17—is that these beasts represent four empires.   We know from what has preceded and what follows in Daniel that the sequence of empires begins with Assyria, of which Babylon was the last incarnation.  So a regal lion with the wings of an eagle emerges from the sea representing the greatness of Babylon.  Its wings are plucked off and it is set on two feet, which reminds us of Nebuchadnezzar in Chapter 4, ranging in the wilderness like a wild animal, but eventually restored to humanity and kingship by the Lord. From this point there's disagreement on how to interpret the symbolism and that's because of our distance from the original context.  We just can't be sure what the symbolism means and it then becomes very easy to look through history and cherry pick things that match the symbolism and squeeze it into our modern interpretations.  I'll just note that the rabbis and Christians for most of our history interpreted these four empires as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.  That was mostly because in the days of the rabbis and early Christians, Rome was the great global power and because Rome so often stood opposed to both the Jews and Christians.  Rome fell, but Byzantium—the eastern Roman empire—remained until the 15th Century.  And there were successors to Rome in the West.  In 800 Charlemagne was crowned Emperor of the Romans and it wasn't until 1806 that the Holy Roman Empire finally came to an end.  But as the years went by, connecting Daniel's fourth beast to Rome became more difficult, and since the early 19th Century folks have had to work especially hard to hold on to that interpretation, whether identifying the beast with the papacy or with the European Union—and those schemes have consistently ended up falling apart. History gives us a better basis for interpreting Daniel's beasts.  We know now that at the time Daniel was written there was a common scheme across the Ancient Near East for describing the succession of empires.  The four great empires were Assyria, the Medes, the Persians, and the Greek Macedonians.  In fact, as the Romans replaced the Greeks in the centuries that followed, they were added to the scheme as a fifth empire. So following this common pattern, the bear represents the Medes.  As in Nebuchadnezzar's statue, it was clearly inferior to the Babylonians.  The three ribs in its mouth may be a reference to Jeremiah 51:27-29, which describes the three nations that joined with the Medes in their attack on Babylon.  And the four-winged, four-headed leopard then represents the Persians.  The swiftness with which the Persians conquered the four corners of the earth contrasts with the ponderous bear imagery of the Medes.  But Daniel's vision really isn't very interested in the second and third kingdoms.  The focus of his dream is on the fourth.  This is the kingdom that raged and threatened the people of God at the time the book was written. And the fourth kingdom is different.  As we'll see in a bit, the first three beasts, despite appearances, were all under control.  But this fourth beast, it does what it wants to do—or at least, that's how it thinks of itself.  The imagery of the great beast, exceedingly strong, and stamping into oblivion what was left after breaking things apart with its iron teeth or tusks, suggests an elephant—a good image of Alexander's unstoppable army that conquered the territory of the other three empires.  The ten horns are fitting symbols of the ten kingdoms that arose from Alexander's empire after his death.[1]  But out of those horns there came up one king in particular, who was a menace to the people of God.  The little horn is, again, a fitting image of Antiochus Epiphanes.  He tried to abolish the law and the worship of the God of Israel.  He was the one who claimed divinity for himself.  He was the cause of all their woes. But then, in the midst of the chaos, as the sea churns and these ferocious beasts rage across the earth, a new image appears—a bit like Dad coming home to find his unruly children tearing apart the house.  Look at verses 9 and 10: “As I looked, thrones were placed,          and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow,          and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames;          its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued          and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him,          and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment,          and the books were opened.   The beasts are brought to heel as the God of Israel takes his seat as judge.  The one who tamed chaos in the first place established earthly kings to preserve his order and to promote human flourishing.  These kings have done the opposite and now what at first seemed like wild and ferocious beasts stand pitifully before the judgement seat of the Most High God, his fiery throne, and before the heavenly hosts.  Then verses 11 and 12: “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.   Even as he stands before the Most High, that blasphemous little horn continues to speak.  The other beasts, for all their raging, served the Living God—as we've seen in the first six chapters.  They all, in some way and in the end, acknowledged him.  The Lord of history raised them up to serve his purposes.  But this horn on the fourth beast rages against the sovereign God and is judged: killed, destroyed, and burned to oblivion.  The vision gave hope to the faithful living under his reign of terror. But that's not all there is to it.  Daniel has a second vision and this one's not just about the bringing down of wicked rulers; this one is about the raising up of a righteous one.  As St. Paul writes in Romans, creation waits with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed.  It's not enough to judge the wicked.  Creation longs for its rightful stewards.  Look at verses 13 and 14: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven          there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days          and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion          and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages          should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion,          which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one          that shall not be destroyed.   History will not continue as a reign of terror and blasphemy, nor will it merely end in judgement.  In place of the raging kings represented by ferocious beasts, Daniel now sees one “like a son of man”.  In the beginning the Lord created human beings to rule his creation with goodness and wisdom as his stewards and that's what this new figure like a son of man represents.  After the Lord has judged the wicked empires of the world, this son of man arrives riding on the clouds—that's a dramatic image of the Lord's war chariot.  He is presented before the Ancient of Day, before the Most High God, and to him is given glory and an everlasting dominion—ultimately a kingdom that will not be destroyed. But what does this all mean?  The dream continues as one of the heavenly host explains the symbolism to Daniel in verses 15-27: “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.'   “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.   “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,          which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth,          and trample it down, and break it to pieces. As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,          and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones,          and shall put down three kings. He shall speak words against the Most High,          and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,          and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand          for a time, times, and half a time. But the court shall sit in judgment,          and his dominion shall be taken away,          to be consumed and destroyed to the end. And the kingdom and the dominion          and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven                   shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,          and all dominions shall serve and obey him.' This is the hope of the saints.  The blasphemous little monster will put himself in the place of God.  He will torment the faithful.  He will have power and authority and, to all appearances, it will seem like his reign will last forever—or longer than those other kingdoms, at any rate.  A time, times—and that would go in sequence: four times and eight times and sixteen times and so on.  But no.  It's a time and times and suddenly a half.  That might be a reference to the roughly three-and-a-half years Antiochus Epiphanes terrorized Judah, but it's more likely the idea that his power is cut short at its height.  The Lord will give him enough rope to hang himself.  And his kingdom will be given to the saints, to the holy ones of the Most High—and his dominion, his kingdom will go on forever and ever. It's an image of the world set to rights.  Chaos is finally, once and for all given order in by the Lord, and human beings are restored to their rightful place, to serve before the Lord as his stewards—as priests and kings.  This is why the Jews saw the son of man here as a symbolic representative of Israel.  They were the people elect and set apart by the Lord, a people made holy to be a light to the nations—a people who, in living with the Lord in their midst—gave the world a glimpse of what creation was supposed to be like and who pointed forward to the day when it really would be set to rights and men and women would finally serve the Lord as the stewards and rulers of his creation. The chapter ends in verse 28: “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.” This is the end of the first vision, but there's more to come.  This vision sets the scene and gives us the setting and timeframe for the visions that will follow.  But then—and I guess I'm jumping ahead to the end of Daniel—we realise as Christians that even as Daniel's visions end, it's not really the end of the matter.  The Lord did indeed bring down the evil Antiochus IV.  The Lord did indeed vindicate his people.  A new king would take the throne in Judah.  But as is so often the case with Old Testament prophecy, even though we see it obviously fulfilled in the events of those days, it's fulfilled in a way that leaves things open to a final and greater fulfilment.  Judah was only free for a century and then Pompey came, conquered Jerusalem for Rome, and deposed the Hasmonean dynasty.  And the people would wait again for the Lord to deliver them. It was in those dark days that Jesus was born and began his ministry and it shouldn't surprise us in the least that he took for himself this title from Daniel, son of man.  He was the embodiment of the humanity we forsook in the garden and the embodiment of the Israel that Israel could never manage to be.  In him, God became the first man to be what we were created to be.  And as our representative, he broke the bonds of sin by letting evil do its worst.  The chaos and the vicious beasts of fallen, sinful, rebellious humanity rose up around him and did their worst, they killed him, and they buried him in the earth, and for three days evil thought it had triumphed.  But on the third day, God vindicated his son, raising him from death.  And as Jesus rose from his grave, so Jesus also rose to take his throne.  The son of man has been given dominion and glory and his kingdom and as the good news of his death and resurrection goes out, the peoples, nations, and languages are being brought to him in faith, to serve him and to give him glory.  And in that, we see the people of God, the new Israel, the church empowered by word and Spirit, coming on the clouds—riding the Lord's war chariot, equipped with the gospel—the good news of Jesus, crucified, risen, and enthroned in glory.  And there, Brothers and Sisters, we ought to find hope and inspiration to stand firm in faith even as the seas rage today, as new beasts emerge from the dark waters, even as they speak vain and blasphemous things.  Jesus has won the decisive battle.  He now sends out: Onward!  Christian soldiers.  And on we go, taking up our crosses into the world, knowing that the one who humbled himself on the cross and who conquered by his blood not only stands with us, but has filled us with his own Spirit and now goes on before us. Let's pray again our Collect: Almighty God, consider the heartfelt desires of your servants, we pray, and stretch out the right hand of your majesty to defend us against all our enemies, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.   [1] Ptolemaic Egypt, Seleucia, Macedon, Pergamum, Pontus, Bithynia, Cappadocia, Armenia, Parthia, and Bactria.

John the Baptist has been imprisoned by Herod Antipas.  We don't know when exactly this happened, but it is mentioned in Matthew 11.  We do know why he was imprisoned.  You see John the Baptist had a problem with the “Jewish” ruler being married to Herodias because she was first the wife of his brother, Philip.  Now that sounds bad enough on its own, but it gets worse if you dig a little deeper.  I was curious so of course I did. Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great.  We know him because he was king when Jesus was born.  He's the one that talked with the Magi back in Matthew 2.  Although he was crazy and sometimes brutal, he is a fascinating character.  An Edomite by birth.  That means not Jewish.  But who were the Edomites?  I'm glad you asked.  Edom is from the line of Esau.  Remember him?  Esau was the twin brother of Jacob…Jacob became Israel.  Father Isaac, Grandfather Abraham.  (Genesis 25:19-34) However, Herod's father converted to Judaism.  His father was also granted Roman citizenship by Julius Caesar. So that makes Herod half Jewish and a Roman citizen.  He started his political career as governor of Galilee and then a tetrarch of Galilee and finally became King of Judea.  He ruled for 32 years.  He did some great things while king.  He rebuilt the Temple and endowed his territory with fortresses and palaces and new cities. Herod the Great had at least 10 wives and 14 children.  He divorced his first wife (Doris) and banished her and his son from court.  He did this because he fell in love with Mariamne, a Hasmonean princess.  It is believed that he truly did love her even though he kept taking more wives.  But then he got jealous and suspicious and had her murdered along with her two sons, her brother, her father, and her mother.  This left some orphans and instead of just kicking them out, Herod espoused them to another member of his family.  Keep this in mind.Read the rest of the show notes on our website Nothin' But Fine.---Check out the Nothin' But Fine blog and website.Follow us on social media: Instagram Facebook Twitter YouTube Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter!

In this week's study, I continue in Chapter 17 verses 8 and 9. Before I get into the study I reach out to the Baltimore Oriole Fans and enlighten them about their new owner David Rubenstein, who happens to be the co-founder of the Carlyle Group. 8   And go into perdition = That is, its end will be destruction. It will not be permanent, but will be overthrown and destroyed.  And they that dwell on the earth = The inhabitants of the earth generally; Shall wonder = It will be so contrary to the regular course of events, so difficult of explanation, so remarkable in itself, as to excite attention and surprise.Whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world = The idea seems to be, that those whose names are written in the book of life, or who are truly the friends of Yahweh, would not be drawn off in admiration of the beast, or in rendering homage to it.When they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is = That is, the power that once was mighty; that had declined to such a state that it became, as it were, extinct; and that was revived again with so much of its original strength, that it might be said that it still exists. The fact of its being revived in this manner, as well as the nature of the power itself, seemed suited to excite this admiration.In chapter 13, the Beast comes up out of the Abyss, and is therefore, clearly, superhuman. During the first half of the week he is in his mortal stage. In the last half he is in his superhuman stage; for in chapter 13:3, he is seen as having been "wounded to death." But, here, in chapter 17, we are taken back, and are further informed as to the past, present, and future of the Beast, (1) He "WAS," in his mortal stage.  (2) He "IS NOT," for he (at the point of time to which the vision refers) had been assassinated: i.e., had "received his deadly wound," by which he was "wounded to death," and died (13:3).  (3) He "SHALL BE PRESENT," for he "is about to ascend out of the Abyss." The Image in Dan 2 is clearly marked as consisting of five parts:—1. verse 32. "This image's head was fine gold, (one) 2. verse 32. his breast and his arms of silver, (two) 3. verse 32. his belly and his thighs of brass, (three) 4. verse 33. his legs of iron (four) 5. verse 33. his feet part of iron and part of clay." (five).But strange as it may seem, the City of Jerusalem as it existed in the time of Yahshua Messiah was also reckoned to be the "City of Seven Hills." If one starts with the Mount of Olives just to the east of the main City of Jerusalem (but still reckoned to be located within the environs of Jerusalem), there are three summits to that Mount of Olives:The northern summit (hill) is called Scopus [Hill 1],The middle summit (hill) was called Nob [Hill 2],The highest point of Olivet itself, and the southern summit (hill) was called in the Holy Scriptures the "Mount of Corruption" or "Mount of Offence" [Hill 3] (II Kings 23:13).On the middle ridge between the Kedron and the Tyropoeon Valleys there was (formerly) in the south "Mount Zion" [Hill 4] (the original "Mount Zion" and not the later southwest hill that was later called by that name),The "Ophel Mount" [Hill 5],To the north of that the "Rock" around which "Fort Antonia" was built [Hill 6],And finally, there was the southwest hill itself [Hill 7] that finally became known in the time of Simon the Hasmonean as the new "Mount Zion." This makes "Seven Hills" in all.Join me as we go Chapter by Chapter, Verse by Verse, Unraveling the Words of Yahweh!Have any questions? Feel free to email me at keitner@netzero.net

Today’s daf is sponsored by Terri Krivosha and Rabbi Hayim Herring in loving memory of Terri’s father Nachum Meir ben David and Malka, Judge Norman Krivosha, on his 3rd yahrzeit, and in honor of their granddaughter, Orli Nessa bat Avi and Sheyna, named in his memory. And in memory of those killed in the war, for the release of the hostages and the refuah shleima of all those who have been wounded. "My dad taught me it is my job as a lawyer to figure out the questions the client doesn’t ask because once you know the questions, the answers are obvious. Though he never studied Talmud he would have loved its intellectual rigor." Today's daf is sponsored in memory of my mother-in-law, Esther Farber, on her 21st yahrzeit. She would have loved to be part of Hadran and would be learning the daf with us if she were alive today. Ezra instituted ten takanot, among them Torah reading on Mondays, Thursdays and Shabbat at Mincha, doing laundry on Thursday, eating garlic on Friday, combing or washing hair before going to the mikveh, men doing to the mikveh after a seminal emission before learning Torah, and others. Some of these are still practiced today and others are no longer practiced. There are ten unique laws relating to Jerusalem, many of them based on the fact that Jerusalem was not given to any particular tribe. Laws of selling a house in a walled city don't apply, as well as egla arufa, leprous house, and ir hanidachat. Other laws relate to it being a city where many holy items and kohanim are passing through and minimizing impurities is necessary. The Mishna mentioned a prohibition on raising pigs. The Gemara tells the story of two Hasmonean brothers, Horkanus and Aristoblus, who fought against each other and one put a siege on the other in the city of Jerusalem. A terrible incident occurred and as a result, they decreed a prohibition to raise pigs and to teach one's son Greek wisdom.

Today’s daf is sponsored by Terri Krivosha and Rabbi Hayim Herring in loving memory of Terri’s father Nachum Meir ben David and Malka, Judge Norman Krivosha, on his 3rd yahrzeit, and in honor of their granddaughter, Orli Nessa bat Avi and Sheyna, named in his memory. And in memory of those killed in the war, for the release of the hostages and the refuah shleima of all those who have been wounded. "My dad taught me it is my job as a lawyer to figure out the questions the client doesn’t ask because once you know the questions, the answers are obvious. Though he never studied Talmud he would have loved its intellectual rigor." Today's daf is sponsored in memory of my mother-in-law, Esther Farber, on her 21st yahrzeit. She would have loved to be part of Hadran and would be learning the daf with us if she were alive today. Ezra instituted ten takanot, among them Torah reading on Mondays, Thursdays and Shabbat at Mincha, doing laundry on Thursday, eating garlic on Friday, combing or washing hair before going to the mikveh, men doing to the mikveh after a seminal emission before learning Torah, and others. Some of these are still practiced today and others are no longer practiced. There are ten unique laws relating to Jerusalem, many of them based on the fact that Jerusalem was not given to any particular tribe. Laws of selling a house in a walled city don't apply, as well as egla arufa, leprous house, and ir hanidachat. Other laws relate to it being a city where many holy items and kohanim are passing through and minimizing impurities is necessary. The Mishna mentioned a prohibition on raising pigs. The Gemara tells the story of two Hasmonean brothers, Horkanus and Aristoblus, who fought against each other and one put a siege on the other in the city of Jerusalem. A terrible incident occurred and as a result, they decreed a prohibition to raise pigs and to teach one's son Greek wisdom.

In this episode, Alice interviews Dr Joseph Scales, a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow in the department of Religion, Philosophy and History at the University of Agder in Norway. Joe's doctoral research analysed spaces of Jewish identity in ancient Galilee, looking particularly at the impact of material culture on personal, communal and regional identity formation during the Hasmonean dynasty, from 100 BCE onwards. His book Galiliean Spaces of Identity will be published in 2024.    Joe's work on Jewish and Hellenistic identities, and their cross-cultural interactions, has led to further research on ancient Jewish texts written in Greek, which enable us to understand aspects of the shared culture of the ancient Mediterranean world; and he has become very interested in women's practices and rituals in Judaism. Both of these research interests feed into his current project, called Fighting Talk: Motivating Violence in Ancient Judaism, which examines the nature of pre-battle speeches in ancient Jewish texts and their relationship to established forms of pre-battle exhortation in Greek and Roman sources. Because the politics of the region in this period are so complex, we have recorded a Part 1 and a Part 2 for this podcast. In this episode, Part 1, Joe  talks us through Jewish interactions with other groups and political powers in the region from around 175BCE to the early 2nd century CE – to help us understand the history of Judea and Jerusalem, and the ways in which ongoing conflict (near and far) shaped Jewish practice and identity, not just at the time but for many centuries afterwards. In Part 2 (which we hope you will also listen to, because it's super interesting!), Joe  dives deep into some of the textual sources from the period, looking particularly at the ways in which they visualised battle itself and justified war. We hope you find the discussion interesting. For a version of our podcast with close captions, please use this link. For more information about individuals and their projects, please visit the University of St Andrews' Visualising War website. Music composed by Jonathan YoungSound mixing by Zofia Guertin

Torah Class - Chanukah: Why Chanukah? Moses dedicated the Mishkan, Solomon dedicated the First Temple, but only the Hasmonean rededication became a festival we celebrate until today.Why? Click here for the class handout

Down the rabbit hole we go…. The other main alternative thrown out there is that of Josephus. However, why don't scholars know who Josephus was. How could they claim Qumran was an Essene Canon when Josephus, the Essene, had a different Canon in the same era? How can they not see that Josephus was a Pharisee in his own words? In fact, have they even bothered to read Josephus' supposed 22-book Canon which actually does not even list the 22 books? They speculate as to which ones and even if they are right, how is it that scholars have not realized 39 books does not equal 22 books? Certainly, Josephus would include 1st and 2nd Kings and similar as 1 book but even still, they must fill in gaps they do not even know. This is all to try to determine a Pharisee Canon which is impertinent in the face of the actual Bible Canon of the Biblically ordained custodians of inspired scripture, the sons of Zadok who lived in Qumran/Bethabara. They were not Essenes nor Pharisee, Josephus was both even linking the 2 factions as the same paradigm. There is so much confusion on this and this video will settle it once and for all. Watch, test and learn. Yah Bless. Now Available in Podcast Audio Format Internationally: https://www.thegodculture.com/podcast (Includes Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and many more platforms. Free on our website.) Alternative Video Platforms Now Available: Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/TheGodCulture Playeur (Utreon): https://utreon.com/c/TheGodCulture Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TheGodCulture:c For Our Books in eBook (Free) or Print: The Search For King Solomon's Treasure, Ophir Philippines Coffee Table Book, The Book of Jubilees: The Torah Calendar, 2nd Esdras: The Hidden Book of Prophecy, REST: The Case For Sabbath: OphirInstitute.com (All Books. Links to Amazon and Shopee PH for your area.) 2Esdras.org BookOfJubilees.org RestSabbath.org LeviteBible.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-God-Culture-Original-376627072897316 FB Alternatives: https://parler.com/user/TheGodCulture https://gab.com/TheGodCulture Website: thegodculture.com For the many that are having difficulty with YouTube working properly, here are Series' Playlists: Solomon's Gold Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2qbCMGOi4PhVocfJEi1oZRRj0AWnzx Restoring Creation Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkvO2QiSdXc&list=PLru2qbCMGOi7UQDyLIj1DtRC5Q2YgvS6U Answers In Jubilees Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2qbCMGOi7bU2SrP84nw1EyRAqpQqsP Answers In 2nd Esdras Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2qbCMGOi6ULjeic8lJP63WRyOiW9yp Flood Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2qbCMGOi7FQ7HiGJcODyJEoBP7-0Md Lost Tribes Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2qbCMGOi7nzrJvNB4pKWG8gFOe9xDA Original Canon Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2qbCMGOi5IdRs0Efb9L0oyVL3E9r1f Sabbath Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2qbCMGOi6Fd6BamniTVm5SsNi2mZPy RESOLVED: Doctrines of Men Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2qbCMGOi49L5WkYemQh72yDwV0Ye7Y Feasts of YHWH Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2qbCMGOi4YXMnaHTYiJw-mDuBqvNtP The Name of God Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2qbCMGOi4xaPtUfKykVU0HbOZK-LeJ 100 Clues The Philippines Is Ophir: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2qbCMGOi5gq1FV4RlgEAKP7WRCLca9 Find The Garden of Eden Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2qbCMGOi4KPuAcFq4Bx4A2l8dmcfxP Rivers from Eden Theory Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2qbCMGOi6Xt-ts2C1QVz-ZnAZxicWJ Revelation Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2qbCMGOi6WYQajRSk9iP5tc_Oi5k1j Prophetic Warning Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2qbCMGOi4jpVYhQ8s5Ad_bZN69nVVh When Was Jesus Born Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru2Support the show

In The Origins of Judaism: An Archaeological-Historical Reappraisal (Yale University Press, 2022), Yonatan Adler pursues the societal adoption of recognizable Jewish practices by Judeans in antiquity with the ultimate aim of establishing a particular terminus ante quem (temporal limit before which) these practices must have become widespread. Sifting through both textual and archaeological evidence for the aversion to graven images/figural artwork, dietary restrictions, synagogue worship, circumcision, the Sabbath as a day of rest, Judean festivals, and more, Adler's “social history” demonstrates that such observances can be conclusively dated at various points within the second century BCE—but not on any meaningful scale before this crucial time of the Maccabean revolt and Israel's brief period of Hasmonean self-rule. Adler joined the New Books Network to discuss his potentially paradigm-shifting findings, which contrast strongly with claims from the Hebrew Bible and much of biblical scholarship that, on the basis of “intellectual history,” prefer to locate Jewish origins in the postexilic Persian Achaemenid period (ca. 539–332 BCE) if not significantly earlier than this. Yonatan Adler (Ph.D., Bar-Ilan University, 2011) is Associate Professor in Archaeology at Ariel University in Israel, where he also heads its Institute of Archaeology. Adler specializes in the origins of Judaism as a system of ritual practices, and in the evolution of these practices over the long-term. Previously, his research has focused on ritual purity observance evidenced in the archaeological remains of chalk vessels and immersion pools, and he has also published extensively on ancient tefillin (phylacteries) from Qumran and elsewhere in the Judean Desert. Dr. Adler has directed excavations at several sites throughout Israel, and from 2019 to 2020 he held the appointment of Horace W. Goldsmith Visiting Associate Professor in Judaic Studies at Yale University. Rob Heaton (Ph.D., University of Denver, 2019) hosts Biblical Studies conversations for New Books in Religion and teaches New Testament, Christian origins, and early Christianity at Anderson University in Indiana. He recently authored The Shepherd of Hermas as Scriptura Non Grata: From Popularity in Early Christianity to Exclusion from the New Testament Canon (Lexington Books, 2023). For more about Rob and his work, please see his website at https://www.robheaton.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In The Origins of Judaism: An Archaeological-Historical Reappraisal (Yale University Press, 2022), Yonatan Adler pursues the societal adoption of recognizable Jewish practices by Judeans in antiquity with the ultimate aim of establishing a particular terminus ante quem (temporal limit before which) these practices must have become widespread. Sifting through both textual and archaeological evidence for the aversion to graven images/figural artwork, dietary restrictions, synagogue worship, circumcision, the Sabbath as a day of rest, Judean festivals, and more, Adler's “social history” demonstrates that such observances can be conclusively dated at various points within the second century BCE—but not on any meaningful scale before this crucial time of the Maccabean revolt and Israel's brief period of Hasmonean self-rule. Adler joined the New Books Network to discuss his potentially paradigm-shifting findings, which contrast strongly with claims from the Hebrew Bible and much of biblical scholarship that, on the basis of “intellectual history,” prefer to locate Jewish origins in the postexilic Persian Achaemenid period (ca. 539–332 BCE) if not significantly earlier than this. Yonatan Adler (Ph.D., Bar-Ilan University, 2011) is Associate Professor in Archaeology at Ariel University in Israel, where he also heads its Institute of Archaeology. Adler specializes in the origins of Judaism as a system of ritual practices, and in the evolution of these practices over the long-term. Previously, his research has focused on ritual purity observance evidenced in the archaeological remains of chalk vessels and immersion pools, and he has also published extensively on ancient tefillin (phylacteries) from Qumran and elsewhere in the Judean Desert. Dr. Adler has directed excavations at several sites throughout Israel, and from 2019 to 2020 he held the appointment of Horace W. Goldsmith Visiting Associate Professor in Judaic Studies at Yale University. Rob Heaton (Ph.D., University of Denver, 2019) hosts Biblical Studies conversations for New Books in Religion and teaches New Testament, Christian origins, and early Christianity at Anderson University in Indiana. He recently authored The Shepherd of Hermas as Scriptura Non Grata: From Popularity in Early Christianity to Exclusion from the New Testament Canon (Lexington Books, 2023). For more about Rob and his work, please see his website at https://www.robheaton.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

In The Origins of Judaism: An Archaeological-Historical Reappraisal (Yale University Press, 2022), Yonatan Adler pursues the societal adoption of recognizable Jewish practices by Judeans in antiquity with the ultimate aim of establishing a particular terminus ante quem (temporal limit before which) these practices must have become widespread. Sifting through both textual and archaeological evidence for the aversion to graven images/figural artwork, dietary restrictions, synagogue worship, circumcision, the Sabbath as a day of rest, Judean festivals, and more, Adler's “social history” demonstrates that such observances can be conclusively dated at various points within the second century BCE—but not on any meaningful scale before this crucial time of the Maccabean revolt and Israel's brief period of Hasmonean self-rule. Adler joined the New Books Network to discuss his potentially paradigm-shifting findings, which contrast strongly with claims from the Hebrew Bible and much of biblical scholarship that, on the basis of “intellectual history,” prefer to locate Jewish origins in the postexilic Persian Achaemenid period (ca. 539–332 BCE) if not significantly earlier than this. Yonatan Adler (Ph.D., Bar-Ilan University, 2011) is Associate Professor in Archaeology at Ariel University in Israel, where he also heads its Institute of Archaeology. Adler specializes in the origins of Judaism as a system of ritual practices, and in the evolution of these practices over the long-term. Previously, his research has focused on ritual purity observance evidenced in the archaeological remains of chalk vessels and immersion pools, and he has also published extensively on ancient tefillin (phylacteries) from Qumran and elsewhere in the Judean Desert. Dr. Adler has directed excavations at several sites throughout Israel, and from 2019 to 2020 he held the appointment of Horace W. Goldsmith Visiting Associate Professor in Judaic Studies at Yale University. Rob Heaton (Ph.D., University of Denver, 2019) hosts Biblical Studies conversations for New Books in Religion and teaches New Testament, Christian origins, and early Christianity at Anderson University in Indiana. He recently authored The Shepherd of Hermas as Scriptura Non Grata: From Popularity in Early Christianity to Exclusion from the New Testament Canon (Lexington Books, 2023). For more about Rob and his work, please see his website at https://www.robheaton.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

In The Origins of Judaism: An Archaeological-Historical Reappraisal (Yale University Press, 2022), Yonatan Adler pursues the societal adoption of recognizable Jewish practices by Judeans in antiquity with the ultimate aim of establishing a particular terminus ante quem (temporal limit before which) these practices must have become widespread. Sifting through both textual and archaeological evidence for the aversion to graven images/figural artwork, dietary restrictions, synagogue worship, circumcision, the Sabbath as a day of rest, Judean festivals, and more, Adler's “social history” demonstrates that such observances can be conclusively dated at various points within the second century BCE—but not on any meaningful scale before this crucial time of the Maccabean revolt and Israel's brief period of Hasmonean self-rule. Adler joined the New Books Network to discuss his potentially paradigm-shifting findings, which contrast strongly with claims from the Hebrew Bible and much of biblical scholarship that, on the basis of “intellectual history,” prefer to locate Jewish origins in the postexilic Persian Achaemenid period (ca. 539–332 BCE) if not significantly earlier than this. Yonatan Adler (Ph.D., Bar-Ilan University, 2011) is Associate Professor in Archaeology at Ariel University in Israel, where he also heads its Institute of Archaeology. Adler specializes in the origins of Judaism as a system of ritual practices, and in the evolution of these practices over the long-term. Previously, his research has focused on ritual purity observance evidenced in the archaeological remains of chalk vessels and immersion pools, and he has also published extensively on ancient tefillin (phylacteries) from Qumran and elsewhere in the Judean Desert. Dr. Adler has directed excavations at several sites throughout Israel, and from 2019 to 2020 he held the appointment of Horace W. Goldsmith Visiting Associate Professor in Judaic Studies at Yale University. Rob Heaton (Ph.D., University of Denver, 2019) hosts Biblical Studies conversations for New Books in Religion and teaches New Testament, Christian origins, and early Christianity at Anderson University in Indiana. He recently authored The Shepherd of Hermas as Scriptura Non Grata: From Popularity in Early Christianity to Exclusion from the New Testament Canon (Lexington Books, 2023). For more about Rob and his work, please see his website at https://www.robheaton.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

I Septuagint Daniel was translated in the 3rd century BCE, mustn't the predictions of the Hasmonean revolt of 165 have been actual predictive prophecies? If the expression "fishers of men" as used in Habakkuk and Jeremiah denotes oppressors of Israel, doesn't the use of it to mean preachers of the gospel imply an unhistorical character for the relevant synoptic passages? Why do the synoptic stories of Jesus' relatives visiting him seem to denigrate Mary? Given John 3:16, the Great Commission, etc., why should Peter have been clueless when the Holy Spirit told him to evangelize the Gentile Cornelius?

While the Maccabees were able to fight back and return the rule of Judea to the Jewish people, the Hasmonean dynasty they established was not without problems of its own. Politics, paranoia, and pagan influence all around, how would a Jewish rule be sustained? Enter: Herod the Great. The son of an Idumean politician, Herod was able to forge the perfect alliance with the Jews and with the Romans. Or at least, perfect for his own purposes. In this episode, Jonathan describes Herod's rise to power and prominence. More than just a simple intellectual exercise, this information is important to understand in order to make more sense out of the New Testament world in which Jesus lived and ministered. So buckle up, and get ready to learn about Herod the (not so?) Great. Join us at www.firstcenturyyouthministry.comBecome part of our growing Facebook community Join our "closed" group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/firstcenturyouthministryLike our fan page! https://www.facebook.com/FirstCenturyYouthMin

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas' website.James 5:7-9More about the ZealotsIn the Jewish War, they took revenge on the rich, according to Josephus.Rooted in the 2nd century BC:Revolution (Judas Maccabaeus)The ensuing Hasmonean dynasty becomes corruptThe Zealots targeted corrupt Hasmoneans – even assassinating a high priest.Later they targeted Romans. = dagger-bearers.Herod the Great tries to extinguish the movement, forcing them to Galilee.Later history (the Jewish War, 66-73 AD):Wealthy priestly families attacked. (They enjoyed a very high standard of living.)The Roman Emperor, Nero, aware of the seriousness of the rebellion in Palestine, sent his best general Vespasian, with three legions, to quell the outbreak. Vespasian's troops easily penetrated Josephus' defences and dispersed the Galilean army.Gamla vanquished, 4000 Zealots killed, while 5000 hurled themselves over the cliff.Masada—another amazing story of resistance.Today's text urges patience. Recall the socioeconomic disparities / lack of love, as well as the real possibility of persecution.No grumbling or bad attitudes.We are reminded not to be judgmental (negativity)—harking back to 4:11-12.The rich will get what's coming to them: 1:10-11; 4:9-10; 5:1-6.Nearness of the Lord can be taken two ways.The Judge is standing at the door.Awareness of that fact should keep us humble.This should also prevent us from resorting to violence, or association with violent powers, when we feel desperate about the injustices in the world—or the wickedness of our enemies.Tomorrow: Hang in there!Sicarii