For session 2 (23 Sept)...

Our next session will be focusing on the political situation of second temple Judaism, specifically Persian, Hellenistic & Roman rule.

By our next gathering you should have read:

• VanderKam, An Introduction to Early Judaism, ch. 1, p. 1-52

• Excerpts from Elephantine papyri: the ‘Passover Letter’ and the ‘Temple authorization letter’. These will be available in this module’s ‘reserved folder’ in the library. Alternatively:
• The ‘Passover Letter’ can be found online here.
• The ‘Temple Authorization Letter’ can be found online here.

Some questions to think about during your reading:

• What type of leadership structures did the Persians have in place for the peoples who returned to their native lands?
• What were some of the hallmarks of the Hellenstic period of rule over Judea?
• What is meant by 'the Hasmonean State', and what was the significance of it?
• How did the Romans gain control over the region that included Judea?
• What is the significance of 70 CE?
• What do the excerpts from Elephantine tell us about the Judaism practised there? What broader implications might they have for the Judaism of their day?

Make sure to bring your Bibles next week as we'll be looking at quite a few OT texts. If you have any thoughts, questions or comments on any of these, feel free to leave a message in the comments, send me an email, or drop into the office.