History of the Second Temple Period Research Paper

History of the Second Temple Period - Research Paper Example The second temple period became complete at the beginning of the first Jewish-roman war and the demolition of the Jewish temple. During the second temple period, Judaism was faced by three main predicaments and their consequences while different groups of Jews reacted to them differently. The period began with the destruction of Jewish kingdom when the Judeans lost their land, holy city, temple and monarchy and most of them exiled to Babylon. This was followed by a theological crisis, which involved nature, goodness and power of God. They were also threatened in terms of culture, ceremonies and race since they were thrown into propinquity with other individuals and religious groups. The lack of acknowledged prophets later in the period left them lacking divine guidance at the moment when they were mostly in need of (their) support and guidance. The second crisis was the increasing authority of Hellenism in Judea that ended in the Maccabeus Revolt in 167 BCE. The final crisis involved the Roman occupation of the region. The aim of the paper is to describe the Second Temple Period from Alexander the Great to the reign of Herod’s sons. ... cond Temple Period The second temple period, which lasted 600 years, can be divided into various periods each with own distinct political and social characteristics. During this time, different kingdoms took power of Jerusalem, they included Persian, Macedonian Greeks (Alexander the Great), and Egyptian Greeks, Syrian Greeks, nature and Romans and the Egyptians. During the return to Zion from Babylonian captivity, which was during the Persian period, Jerusalem was rather poor. However, the city enjoyed vivacious flourishing religious life. The same time saw the appearance of a dominant religious class, sophisticated elite accessible to foreign influence2. The Persians were conjured by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE. The Persians’ defeat by Alexander the Great ushered in the Hellenistic period which reigned until the Maccabean Revolt in 167 BCE. The Hellenistic period under Alexander the Great comprised of a rising gap between the Hellenized elites who espoused Greek way of lif e and the city’s observant inhabitants. It is this gap which eventually resulted to the Maccabean Revolt. After the demise of Alexander the Great, the division of his empire among the generals, the formation of the Seleucide kingdom followed3. The decline of associations between the Hellenized Jews and sacred Jews guided the Seleucid King, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, to enforce decrees prohibiting particular Jewish religious rites and traditions. As a result, the orthodox Jews revolted under the rule of the Hasmonean people (Maccabees). The revolt resulted to the creation of an independent Judean empire under the Hasmonaean dynasty. The dynasty later disintegrated following the civil war between sons of Salome Alexandra and Aristobullus II. Those not interested in the governance of the King but