Five main eras of the Second Temple Period. Be sure to know the time frame for each era.
Babylonian (606-539).
Persian (539-331).
Greek (331-167): Ptolemaic (320-198) and Seleucid (198-167).
Jewish Self-Rule (167-63).
Roman (63BC - AD70).
Three crises experienced by the Jews that resulted from the Bab. captivity.
Dissolution of the monarchy, loss of central sanctuary, proximity to Gentiles.
Most likely period of time in why synagogue emerged.
Bab. exile
Whether idol worship became more or less common among Jews living in exile
Less common: they learned that God would not tolerate idol worship.
Persian king who defeated Bab.
Cyrus of Persia
Who decreed that the Jewish people could return from exile to their homeland?
Cyrus
Three phrases of the Greek period and the years in which each kingdom ruled Israel.
Conquests of Alex the Great (331-320), Ptolemaic period (320-198), and Seleucid (198-167).
Persian king defeated by Alex the Great that led to Alex becoming new world ruler.
Darius III
Whether Greek rulers typically provided more or less religious freedom to conquered
people than Persians rulers
Less
Alex's general who eventually established a kingdom in Egypt
Ptolemy I Soter
What Josephus reveals about a great exportation of Jews to Egypt during the Ptolemaic
period.
On the Sabbath Ptolemy I invaded Israel and took 120,000 Jews captive to Alexandria, where
they stayed until Ptolemy's son Philadelphus freed them.
Basic background about the LXX.
70 or 72 scholars translated the Hebrew Scripture into Greek in Alexandria. This was for Jews
who understood Greek better than Hebrew.
The meaning of the term "Epiphanes"
"The Glorious One": implying that he was the incarnation of Zeus on earth
The two needs/desires of Antiochus IV and led to many hardships amongst the Jewish
people
, Desire for the spread of Greek culture and the need for great amounts of money to pay Rome led
him to look to the Jerusalem temple treasures with ever-increasing avarice.
The more severe measures taken by Antiochus IV against the Jewish people
Allowing a Gentile into the temple, banning the Torah, circumcision, festivals, and offerings to
YHWH. Worst of all: dedicated the Jerusalem temple to Zeus, erecting a statue of Zeus in the
temple and sacrificing a pig on the altar.
Jewish priest from Modein who began a Jewish resistance movement against the Seleucids.
Mattathias
Event that is commemorated in the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah.
Mattathias' son Judas cleansing of the temple in 164 BC.
Violation of Scripture made by Jonathan, son of Mattathias.
Accepted position of high priest from one of the other claimants to the Syrian throne in 152 BC.
Son of Mattathias who achieved national autonomy for Israel
Simon
Son of Simon known for expanding borders of the Judean territory into Moab and Idumea.
Hyrcanus
First Hasmonean ruler to assume the title of king.
Aristobulus
Unpopular Hasmonean ruler who was married to Salome Alexandra and was known for
his brutality
Alexander Janneus
Hasmonean ruler known for making amends with the Pharisees
Salome Alexandra
Roman general responsible for defeating Aristobulus II and making Judea a client
kingdom
Pompey
Ruler who was declared "king of the Jews" in 40 BC by the Roman Senate
Herod
Herod's relationship to Rome (what type of king was he?)
Client king - friend and ally of the Roman people
Descendants of Herod who succeeded him. Be sure to know the regions in which they ruled
and their titles.
Archelaus, ethnarch - Judea, Samaria, and Idumea (Jerusalem).
Philip, tetrarch 0 Iturea and Trachonitis.
Herod Antipas, tetrarch - Galilee and Perea.
Notable political event that occurred in 6 AD in Judea
Archelaus was banished to Gaul because of his incompetence; Jerusalem was placed under direct
Roman control.
City in which the Roman governors of Judea resided
Caesarea
Specific religious freedoms given by the Romans to the Jews.