The Makers and Teachers of Judaism / From the Fall of Jerusalem to the Death of Herod the Great

by Charles Foster Kent

THE GREEK AND MACCABEAN AGE

Section CIV. The Jews under Their Greek Rulers. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the character of the Jewish historian, Josephus. 2. The extent of his histories. 3. Their historical value. 4. Alexander's Asiatic conquests. 5. His attitude toward the Jews. 6. The Jews in Alexandria. 7. The general character of the rule of the Ptolemies. 8. Their policy in the treatment of the Jews. 9. Fortunes of the Jews of Palestine during the first century of Greek rule. 10. The Seleucid kingdom with its capital at Antioch. 11. The subjugation of Palestine by the Seleucids.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Josephus's rank as a historian. Hastings, D.B., extra Vol., 461-73. 2. Alexander the Great. Mahaffy, The Story of Alexander's Empire, 1-11; Hogarth, Philip and Alexander of Macedon; Wheeler, Alexander the Great. 3. Character of the Ptolemaic rulers. Bevan, Jerusalem under the High Priests, 21-30; Mahaffy, The Ptolemaic Dynasty, Vol. IV of Petrie's Hist. of Egypt.

Section CV. The Wise and Their Teachings. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the literary structure of the book of Proverbs. 2. The evidence that it is the work of many different wise men. 3. The probable date of the different collections. 4. The references to the wise in the pre-exilic literature. 5. The influence of the Babylonian exile upon their activity. 6. The reasons why they attained their greatest prominence in the Greek period. 7. The character of the wise. 8. Their aims. 9. Their methods. 10. Their important social and moral teachings.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The book of Proverbs. McFadyen, Introd. to O.T., 256-63; Driver, L. O.T., 392-407; Toy, Proverbs, Introd. 2. The sages of Egypt and Greece. The Wisdom of Ptah-hotep, in the Wisdom of the East Series; Symonds, Studies of the Greek Poets, I, 161-273; Jebb, Classical Greek Poetry. 3. The social teachings of the book of Proverbs. St. O. T., VI, in loco; Kent, The Wise Men of Ancient Israel and Their Proverbs, 100-14, 158-75; Root, The Profit of the Many, 17-126.

Section CVI. The Different Currents of Thought in Judaism during the Greek Period. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Why were there many different currents of thought in Judaism during this period? 2. Describe the character and aims of the ritualists. 3. Of the legalists. 4. Of those who laid especial emphasis upon the teaching of the earlier prophets. 5. The evidence regarding the date of the book of Jonah. 6. The meaning of the story. 7. Its teaching. 8. The history of the book of Ecclesiastes. 9. Its point of view. 10. Its philosophy of life.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The Chronicler's conception of the origin of Israel's institutions. Curtis, Chronicles, Introd.; Torrey, Ezra Studies, 208-38; St. O. T., II, 22-8. 2. Greek myths parallel to the story of Jonah. En. Bib., II, 2568-9; Taylor, Primitive Culture, I, 306. 3. A comparison of Koheleth's philosophy and teaching with those of the author of Omar Khayyam.

Section CVII. The Teachings of Jesus the Son of Sirach. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the evidence regarding the date of Jesus the son of Sirach. 2. The character of the man. 3. The history of his writings. 4. The nature of the Greek translation. 5. The recovery of the Hebrew original. 6. Its picture of the Jewish life of the period. 7. Its description of the wise men and scribes. 8. Its social teachings. 9. Its religious teachings.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The Hebrew fragments of Ben Sira. Cowley and Neubauer, The Original Heb. of a Portion of Ecclus.; Schechter and Taylor, The Wisdom of Ben-Sira; Hastings, D.B., IV, 546-9; En. Bib., II, 1166-9. 2. The character of Ben Sira as revealed in his writings. Hastings, D.B., IV, 550; En. Bib., II, 1175-8; Bevan, Jerusalem under the High Priests, 49-51. 3. A comparison of the moral and social teachings of Ben Sira with those of the book of Proverbs. Bevan, Jerusalem under the High Priests, 52-68.

Section CVIII. The Causes of the Maccabean Struggle. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the general character of I Maccabees. 2. Its historical value. 3. II Maccabees. 4. The attractive and aggressive qualities in the contemporary Hellenic culture. 5. Its superiority to the teachings of Judaism. 6. The elements in which Judaism was superior. 7. The conquest of Hellenism in the ranks of Judaism. 8. The influence of the apostate Jewish high priests. 9. The history and character of Antiochus Epiphanes. 10. Reasons why he attempted to hellenize the Jews. 11. The measures which he adopted.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The characteristics of Greek religion. Gulick, Life of the Ancient Greeks, 262-83; Dyer, The Gods in Greece; Goodspeed, Hist. of Anc. World, 148-51; Hastings, D.B., extra Vol., 109-56. 2. The historical value of II Maccabees. Hastings, D.B., III, 189-92; En. Bib., III, 2869-79. 2. Contemporary portraits of Antiochus Epiphanes. Livy, XLI-XLV; Polybius, XXVI-XXXI; Appian, Syr., 45, 66; Justin, XXIV, 3.

Section CIX. The Effect of Persecution on the Jews. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the uprising led by Mattathias. 2. The methods adopted by the rebels. 3. The origin and political principles of the Hasideans or Pious. 4. The evidence regarding the date of the visions in Daniel 7-12. 5. Their literary character. 6. Their meaning and aims. 7. The identification of the four heathen kingdoms. 8. The message of hope presented in these chapters. 9. Its effect upon the persecuted Jews.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The town of Modein. Kent, Bib. Geog. and Hist., 210-2; Smith, Hist. Geog. of Holy Land, 212. 2. Contents and literary history of the book of Daniel. McFadyen, Introd. to O.T., 316-31; Driver, L. O.T., 438-515; Hastings, D.B., I, 552-7.

Section CX. The Victories that Gave the Jews Religious Liberty. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the characteristics that fitted Judas to be a great political leader. 2. The odds against which he and the Jews contended. 3. The physical contour of western Palestine. 4. The defeat of Apollonius. 5. Of the Syrian army under Seron. 6. The details of the battle of Emmaus. 7. The significance of the victory at Bethsura. 8. The restoration of the temple service. 9. The effect of the persecutions upon the Jews.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Greek military equipment and methods of warfare. Gulick, Life of the Anc. Greeks, 188-205. 2. The western headlands of Judah. Kent, Bib. Geog. and Hist., 40-2; Smith, Hist. Geog. of Holy Land, 286-320. 3. Comparison of Judas with other great military commanders. Conder, Judas Maccabaeus; Bevan, Jer. under the High Priests, 97-9; Smith, O.T. Hist., 465.

Section CXI. The Long Contest for Political Independence. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the attitude of the heathen nations toward the Jews. 2. The political problems that confronted them. 3. The Jewish attitude toward the heathen reflected in the book of Esther. 4, Judas's east-Jordan campaign. 5. Results of the battle of Beth-zacharias. 6. The re-establishment of Syrian authority. 7. The victories over Nicanor. 8. The causes which resulted in the death of Judas. 9. Conditions in the Syrian court which gave the Jews their great opportunity. 10. The character and policy of Jonathan. 11. The honors and authority granted him by the rival Syrian kings.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The history and value of the book of Esther. Paton, Esther; Hastings, D. B., I, 773-6; En. Bib., II, 1400-5. 2. The Syrian history of the period. Bevan, Jer. under the High Priests, 100-6; Smith, O.T. Hist., 465-9. 3. The scenes of Judas's east-Jordan campaign. Kent, Bib. Geog. and Hist., 214-7.

Section CXII. Peace and Prosperity under Simon. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the political intrigues which resulted in the death of Jonathan. 2. The character and rule of Simon. 3. His extension of the Jewish territory. 4. The authority granted him by the Jews. 5. His development of the temple service. 6. The causes that led to the completion of the Psalter. 7. The religious life and faith reflected in the later psalms.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Compare the characters of the three
brothers, Judas, Jonathan, and Simon. 2. The guilds of temple singers.
Hastings, D.B., IV, 92-3; Wellhausen, The Book of Psalms (in S.B.
O.T.), 217-9. 3. The evidence that many of the psalms come from the
Maccabean period. Hastings, D.B., IV, 152-3; Cheyne, Origin of the
Psalter.

Section CXIII. The Rule of John Hyrcanus and Aristobulus. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the intrigue that resulted in the death of Simon. 2. The Syrian invasion under Antiochus Sidetes. 3. The character of John Hyrcanus. 4. His military policy. 5. His conquests in the north and south. 6. The reasons why he lost the support of the Pharisees. 7. The significant events in the reign of Aristobulus.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Contemporary conditions in the Syrian kingdom. En. Bib., IV, 4356-60; Gardner, The Seleucid Kings of Syria. 2. The history of the Idumeans. Hastings, D.B., I, 644-6; En. Bib., II, 1181-8; Buhl, Edomites. 3. Compare the policy of John Hyrcanus with that of David.

Section CXIV. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. GENERAL QUESTIONS: I. Describe the influences that gave rise to the party of the Pharisees. 2. Of the Sadducees. 3. The characteristics and beliefs of the Pharisees. 4. Of the Sadducees. 5. The political influence of these parties. 6. The characteristics of the sect of the Essenes. 7. Their beliefs.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The party of the Pharisees. Hastings, D.B., III, 821-8; En. Bib., IV, 4321-9. 2. The Sadducees. Hastings, D.B., IV, 349-51; En. Bib., IV, 4234-40. 3. The points of contact between Essenism and Christianity. Hastings, D.B., I, 767-72; En. Bib., II, 1396-1400; Thomson, Books which Influenced Our Lord, 75-122; Cheyne, Origin of the Psalter, 418-21, 446-9.

Section CXV. The Life and Faith of the Jews of the Dispersion. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the life of the Jews in Antioch and Asia Minor. 2. The privileges granted them by the Syrian king. 3. The number of the Jews in Egypt. 4. The privileges granted them by the Ptolemies. 5. The founding of the Jewish temple at Leontopolis. 6. Its significance. 7. The occasion of the translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek. 8. The important apologetic Jewish writings. 9. The theme and date of the Wisdom of Solomon. 10. Its important teachings. 11. Its reflections of Greek and Jewish thought.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Characteristics and value of the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Hastings, D.B., IV, 864-6; Swete, Introd. to the Old Testament in Greek; En. Bib., IV, 5016-22. 2. The history and contents of the Wisdom of Solomon. Hastings, D.B., IV, 928-31; En. Bib., IV, 5336-49; Deane, The Book of Wisdom, 1-41; Gregg, The Wisd. of Sol.

Section CXVI. The Decline of the Maccabean Kingdom. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the character of Alexander Janneus. 2. His military policy. 3. His treatment of his subjects. 4. The extension of Jewish territory. 5. The effects of his rule. 6. Alexandra's policy. 7. The fatal mistakes of the Pharisees. 8. The suicidal quarrels between her sons, Hyrcanus and Aristobulus. 9. The intrigues of Antipater. 10. The appeal to Rome. 11. Pompey's intervention and capture of Jerusalem. 12. The causes of the fall of the Maccabean kingdom. 13. The political effects of the Maccabean struggle. 14. The impression which it made upon Israel's faith. 15. The new spirit that it inspired in the Jews.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Rome's policy and campaigns in the
East. Goodspeed, Hist. of Anc. World, 311-9; Seignobos, Hist. of Rom.
People, 126-30. 2. Rome's earlier relation to the Jewish kingdom. 3. The
character and career of Pompey. Goodspeed, Hist. of Anc. World, 343-9;
Botsford, Hist. of Rome, 175-80, 183-9; Morey, Outlines of Roman
Hist., ch. 20.