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Ch. 3/3 “The Growth of Judaism”
• The Jews called their time in Babylon an exile
because they were forced to live in a different
land.
• During their exile, the Israelite religion
became what we call Judaism today.
• Small groups of Jews met on the Sabbath,
their weekly day of worship and rest.
• They prayed and discussed their religion and
history in Jewish houses of worship called
Synagogues.
Why Did Jews Return to Judah
• During the 500’s BC, a group of people called
Persians swept across southwest Asia.
• The Persians defeated the Chaldeans and took
over Babylon.
• In 538 BC, the Persian king Cyrus allowed the
Jews to return home to Judah and he helped
to rebuild their temple in Jerusalem.
• He appointed officials to collect their taxes
and control their government.
The Hebrew Bible
• The Hebrew Bible is really a series of books
collected together.
• It includes the 5 books of the Torah and 34
other books describing events in Jewish
history.
Jewish Leadership
• The leaders of the Jews became the temple
priests and scribes, or religious scholars and
writers.
• A scribe named Ezra, wrote the 5 books of the
Torah on pieces of parchment sewed together
to make scrols.
• The Torah and writings that were added later
made up the Hebrew Bible.
Daniel and the Lion’s Den
• Parts of the Bible described God’s plan for a
peaceful future.
• Daniel lived in Babylon and was a trusted
adviser of the king.
• However, he refused to worship Babylonian
gods and was punished.
• The Chaldeans threw Daniel into a lion’s den,
but God protected Daniel from the lions.
• The story is meant to remind Jews that God
would rescue them.
Greek Influences
• In 334 BC, a king named Alexander the Great
began taking over kingdoms around the
Mediterranean.
• In 331 BC, his armies defeated the Persians, so
Judah came under his control.
• Alexander allowed the Jews to stay in Judah,
but he also introduced the Greek language
and ways to Judah.
Diaspora Spreads Jewish Ideas
• At the time, Jews were also living in other parts of
Alexander’s empire in places like Egypt and
Babylon.
• The Jews outside of Judah became known as the
Diaspora (Scattered).
• They learned the Greek language and ways of life
but they remained loyal to Judaism.
• A group copied the Hebrew Bible into Greek
which helped people who were not Jews read
and understand it throughout the Mediterranean.
The Maccabees
• In 168 BC, a Greek ruler named Antiochus
controlled Judah.
• He decided to make the Jews of Judah worship
Greek gods and goddesses.
• A priest named Judas Maccabeus and his
followers rebelled.
• They fled into the hills and formed an army
known as the Maccabees.
Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights
• They drove the Greeks out of Judah and
destroyed all traces of Greek gods and
goddesses in their temples.
• Each year Jews recall the cleansing of the
temple when they celebrate Hanukkah.
• Priests from Judas Maccabeus’s family became
the new rulers of Judah and took over land
that had been part of the kingdom of Israel.
Jewish Way of Life
• Jewish law set out many rules for Jews to
follow that affected their daily life and dealt
with their education, diets, and clothing.
• The laws emphasized self-control and
reminded Jews of their religion which was
important when they no longer had their own
land and king.
Family Life
• The Jews placed great importance on family.
• Sons were especially valued because they
carried on the family name and upon the
father’s death, the son became the head of
the family.
• Mothers were Jewish children’s first teachers.
• When sons grew older, fathers taught them
how to earn a living and worship God.
Religious Education for Boys
• Later, elders took over the religious education
of boys and taught them the Torah.
• Because reading the Torah was central to
Jewish life, religious teachers became
important community leaders.
Education for Girls
• Mothers educated their daughters at home.
• The girls learned to be good wives, mothers,
and housekeepers.
• They learned Jewish laws about food and
clothing.
• They also learned about the courageous
women of ancient Israel like Ruth and Naomi
The Jewish Diet
• Jews could only eat certain animals like beef
and lamb but not pork.
• They could eat scaly fish, like salmon, but not
smooth-skinned fish like eels, or shell fish.
• Today food that is prepared according to
Jewish dietary law is called Kosher.
• The animals used must be killed in a special
way, and the meat must be inspected, salted,
and soaked.
• They do not cook or eat milk products with
their meat.
Ancient Jewish Diets
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Fish
Fruit
Vegetables
Bread
Milk
Water
Wine
Beer
Jewish Clothing
• Jewish law forbade mixing some fabrics so
they did not combine flax or wool.
• Jewish men wore tunics made of linen next to
their skin.
• Some layered another tunic of wool in cold
weather.
• On their heads, they wore caps or turbans.
• They wore sandals on their feet.
Women’s Clothing
• Women wore long simple dresses.
• They covered their heads with shawls.
• Only wealthy women could afford leather
shoes.
• They also wore makeup and jewelry.
The Jews and the Romans
• In 63 BC, a people known as the Romans
conquered Judah.
• Led by powerful generals, the Romans were
intent on expanding their empire.
• The Roman capital was far to the west in what
is today the country of Italy.
• When they conquered Judah, they renamed it
Judaea.
• At first, the Romans allowed Jewish rulers to
run Judaea.
The Rule of King Herod
• The most famous ruler of Judaea during this
time was King Herod.
• He was known for his cruelty and his changes
to the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.
• He made the temple one of the most aweinspiring buildings in the Roman world.
• Today he is best known as the king who ruled
Judaea when Jesus was born.
Herod’s Temple
• Shortly after Herod died, the Romans replaced
the Jewish king with Roman officials.
• The Jews were eager to regain control, but
because they had splintered into different
groups, they did not have much power.
• One group of Jews was known as the
Pharisees.
The Pharisees
• They taught the Torah and how to apply its
laws to daily life.
• In doing so, they helped make Judaism a
religion of the home and family.
• The Pharisees taught in synagogues and were
supported by the common people.
The Sadducees
• The Sadducees were more concerned with
how the Torah applied to the priests in the
Temple.
• Most were priests or scribes and did not agree
with many of the Pharisees’ teachings.
The Essenes
• The Essenes were priests who broke away
from the Temple in Jerusalem.
• Many Essenes lived together in the desert.
• They spent their lives praying and waiting for
God to deliver the Jews from the Romans.
Dead Sea Scrolls
• In 1947 AD, ancient scrolls were found in the
desert near the Dead Sea.
• They were probably written by Essenes and
are called the Dead Sea Scrolls.
• The scrolls have helped historians understand
more about Judaism during Roman times.
The Zealots
• During the 60’s AD, Jewish hatred of Roman
rule was at its peak.
• Many Jews were waiting for a messiah, or
deliverer sent by God.
• Other Jews known as Zealots wanted to fight
the Romans for their freedom.
• In 66 AD, the Zealots revolted against the
Romans and drove them out of Jerusalem.
Zealot Revolts
• Four years later, the Romans retook
Jerusalem.
• They killed thousands of Jews and forced
many others to leave.
• The Romans also destroyed the temple in
Jerusalem.
• The Western Wall is all that remains of it
today.
Palestine
• The Jews revolted again in 132 AD.
• Three years later, the Romans put down the
revolt and forbade Jews to live in or even visit
Jerusalem.
• The Romans renamed Judaea Palestine.
• This name refers to the Philistines, whom the
Israelites had conquered centuries before.
Jewish Teachers
• Despite losing their land, the Jews managed to
survive.
• They no longer had priests.
• Their leaders called rabbis became important
and they taught the Torah.
• One of the most famous rabbis was Johanan
ben Zakkai. After the revolt of 70 Ad, he made
sure the study of the Torah continued by
establishing a school for Torah studies in
Northern Palestine.
The Talmud
• To teach the Torah, rabbis combined the
teachings in a book called the Talmud.
• It still remains an important record of Jewish
law.
• For 2,000 years, most Jews lived outside of
Palestine.
• They often faced hatred and persecution.
• In 1948, Palestine was divided and a new
Jewish nation called Israel was created.