 Seminar 1: "Between the Testaments" Lesson 7
===================================================================== Part 4: THE TEMPLE ===================================================================== The Temple was the center of Jewish worship and life. It was the place of the presence of God. That is why when Antiochus VI desecrated the temple with idols and the offering of pigs on the altar the Jews considered it to be "the abomination that makes desolate." The desolation is the removal of the presence of God. There were a number of temples beginning with the greatest of all, Solomon's temple constructed around 1000 B.C. The Babylonians destroyed Solomon's Temple and carted away its riches. Zerubbabel returned with exiles to rebuild the temple which was dedicated in 515 B.C. but it never came anywhere near the glory of Solomon's magnificent edifice. Ezra returned to restore worship to the temple and return the hearts of the people to the Law of God. It was this temple that Antiochus polluted. This temple continued without being destroyed until the time of Herod, being repaired and reconstructed over a long period of time. Herod's Temple was the third of the temples. It replaced Zerubbabel's Temple entirely. Herod's temple, though not as great, rivaled Solomon's great temple. Construction was begun in 20 B.C. and was completed in just 18 months. It endured until its destruction by Titus in A.D. 70. THE TEMPLES Solomon's Zerubbabel's Herod's Future Temple 1,000 B.C. 536 B.C. 20 B.C. Soon? The Hebrews consider there to have been only two temples since Herod's was a renovation of Zerubbabel's Temple. The orthodox Jews are awaiting the construction of the third temple, which will usher in the time of the Messiah. From A.D. 70 until May, 1948 the land of Palestine has been in the control of foreign nations. In 1967, with the six day war, Jerusalem once again came under control of the Jews. Up to that point in history the holy city had been in the hands of Gentile conquerors. Even more significantly, since the Babylonian Captivity the Jews have be dispersed among all nations and have not been an autonomous state. Today for the first time in 2,500 years Israel is a nation and the dispersion is returning from the farthest corners of the globe. The next nationalistic step is to rebuild the Temple so that Messiah may come. There has been no Temple in Israel since A.D. 70 when it was destroyed by the Romans. The bible predicts the reconstruction of the temple in the last days and the reinstitution of the sacrificial system. This will take place along with the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the children of Israel being brought back from the dispersion in the last days. It is in this new temple that Antichrist will break his treaty with Israel and commit the "abomination of desolation" just as Antiochus did. Jews are divided on their opinions as to whether the rebuilding of the temple will precede the coming of Messiah, or be done by Messiah at his coming. As a good student of the Word of God and current events you may want to see what Orthodox Jews are saying, thinking and planning regarding the rebuilding of the temple, and the coming of Messiah. Search the Internet for topics like "rebuilding the Temple" to see what comes up. ===================================================================== Part 5: SYNAGOGUES ===================================================================== It was during this intertestamental period that the synagogue came into use. The people of the Law needed a place to worship. Whether eastern or western Jews they were far from the Temple of God. No one knows when the first synagogues appeared but by the time of Christ they were in every nation, in every Jewish quarter in every major city of the world. Jews were cut off from their homeland and from the temple they loved. To preserve her faith and acts of worship while away from the temple they began to focus on the Scriptures, the TORAH (also called the Pentateuch or the first five books of the Old Testament.) Prayer, Scripture and singing of psalms became the new style of worship. When Jews returned from exile they brought the concept of the synagogue with them. Judaism could be practiced anywhere the Torah could be carried. The Septuagint was read in Hellenistic synagogues and worship was conducted, at least in part, in Greek. When in Greek one person would read the PARASHA, or the lesson of the day. When done in Hebrew seven persons would read successively. Ordinary daily prayers were permitted in Greek. Any city that had 10 Jewish heads of families together could found a new synagogue. ============================ POLITICS OF THE SYNAGOGUE ============================ SADDUCEES The Sadducees were the aristocrats and became the temple political party. They were few in number yet they held the reigns of political power in Palestine. They controlled the priesthood. They rejected all writings but the Torah. They rejected the doctrine of any resurrection. They believed the soul dies with the body. They denied that any oral law was in any way binding or authoritative. They interpreted Mosaic laws literally. They were fanatical about Levitical purity. They believed in free will. They rejected the idea of demons or angels as well as any spirit world. PHARISEES The Pharisees were the party of the Synagogue. Their roots can be traced back to the second century B.C. They held the Law of God in highest esteem so much so that they built a theological "hedge" around the law of God with other "traditions of men" and interpretations of men. They venerated the Law (Torah) while they accepted the oral traditions as equally inspired and authoritative. They accepted the spirit world and an elaborate hierarchy of angels and demons. They believed in the resurrection of the dead and life after death. They believed in the immortality of the soul and judgment to come. ESSENES The Essenes were a Jewish ascetic community that lived in three known areas of Palestine: Qumran near the Dead Sea, the Essene Quarter of Jerusalem, and at Damascus. They first appeared about 200 B.C. It is likely they developed along the lines of the Pharisees but went far beyond the Pharisees in their zeal for the Law and personal holiness. They were extremely strict concerning the laws of the Torah. They lived in communities separated from the community at large. They believed in a communal ownership of property. They conducted daily worship and study of the scriptures. They made solemn oaths of piety. Marriage was avoided but not outrightly condemned. They believed that all life's events were controlled by fate. They lived apart in desert places and disassociated with the world. They so loved the Law and the writings of Scripture that they gave themselves fully to the meticulous copying scrolls in their Scriptorium in Qumran. It was from the Essene community that we received the Dead Sea Scrolls found stored in Qumran caves in Israel. These are some of the most ancient copies of Scripture we have. THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS In 1947 a shepherd boy was in the desert area around the Dead Sea and happened to throw stones into a cave and heard something break. There he discovered pots of stored ancient biblical scrolls and fragments of scrolls, stored there since before the destruction of the Temple. Later archeologists combed the area's caves and found many manuscripts including every single book of the Old Testament with the exception of Esther. Amazingly these scrolls (many in extreme state of decay) had been in these caves some 2,000 years! ZEALOTS Zealots came on the scene during the time of Herod the Great. They were strongly nationalistic and radical. They opposed payment of taxes to the Roman Empire, or to giving ones' allegiance to any but God. They opposed the use of the Greek language in Palestine. They were revolutionaries carrying out hit and run guerrilla warfare. SANHEDRIN The Sanhedrin, also known as the Council, was the ruling body of elders over Israel living in Jerusalem. They were the judges of Israel forming the Jewish Supreme Court. They were the rich, and belonged to the levitical tribes. They were composed of 70 head elders who decided all religious disputes and questions. Its members were chief priests, or the heads of the 24 courses of priests, and those who had been chief priests, as well as scribes and elders learned in the Law. The High Priest was the president. They tried cases involving the Law such as idolatry and false prophets. The power of capital punishment was taken away from them by the Romans just 40 years prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, and about the time of Christ's death. Outside of Jerusalem each town of more than 120 people had its own lesser council composed of 23 members. They possessed only the right to scourgings. The historian Josephus declared that there were composed of only 7 which seems more reasonable for small communities and synagogues. HERODIANS (Matt 22:15) Herodians were those who upheld the Herodian dynasty believing it to be a safeguard against direct heathen rule. It is said that they looked on Herod the Great, Antipas, and Agrippa as the successive Messiahs. They paved the way for apostasy by bowing to the Greek refinements, theaters, stadiums, etc. along with honoring the gods of the Greeks within Palestine. |