The Historical Environment Before Isa

Review of Last week

$ “cognitive dissonance:” The feeling of extreme discomfort caused when two or more cognitions come into conflict with one another.

$ The solution: justification, new cognition, or elimination

$ Christianity is a history of Cognitive Dissonance

$ Why?...Two opposing cognition: The Inheritors of Judaism/Monotheism, and Hellenism

$ Cause?...Historical Realities: “Places, People, Texts, etc.” that seem to give factual credence to the theology of Christianity

$ Problem: Historical realities do not “prove” the entirety of the Christian faith

The Christian View of History

Progressive Revelation: “Is the idea that the history of man is the history of god slowly revealing the plan of salvation through signs, symbols, and prophecy throughout the Old Testament.

The Plan: “God Has made man knowing man will not be able to gain salvation through his own pursuit of righteousness.”

$ God must give a choice for evil: The Tree

$ Man choose evil

$ God curses Men and Women

$ All men are born with a Sin-Nature because of Adam: A Natural Spiritual Inclination to do evil verse doing righteous deeds, and therefore is deserving of Hellfire

$ Man is by nature incapable of performing good works with the right intentions, or “niya,” (Martin Luther’s Idea of “doing the Law”) and therefore unless god intervenes directly Man will be lost

Historical Prophecy or Prophecy Historicized?

Christianity: Historical Prophecy

$ Genesis 3:2, Messianic Sign and symbol, “And I will put enmity between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike your heel”

$ Genesis 22:10-15, Messianic Sign and symbol, “The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, ‘I swear by myself, declares to Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, I will surely bless you...”

$ Psalm 22:1-31 (read all) “The Messianic Prophecy”

Reality: Prophecy Historicized

$ Cognitive Dissonance: Jewish Inheritors and Believers in the Death of God

$ The Problem: History

The Rise of Hellenism (Hybrid: Geek/Anc-Near Eastern)

$ Alexander 356 in Macedonia

$ North of the Greek Islands

$ Philip sends for Aristotle

$ Aristotle teaches: Philosophy, Political Science, Art, Poetry, Literuture, the Greek Religions

$ 336 Alexander begins conquring

$ He has a desire to spread Greek thought throughout the world

$ June 27, 323 Alexander Dies of illness

$ Kingdom divided Among his Generals

$ Ptolemy: Egypt

$ Selucus: Syria and Mesopotamia

$ At first the Ptolemy ruled Judea but in time the Selcus’ empire grew stronger and captured it around 200 B.C.E.

The Conflict

$ Initially the Greeks leave the Jews to their religion and customs But two things happened

$ Greek becomes the language of education and success replacing hebrew and Aramaic: schools, business transaction, government, etc.

$ Jews are learning this language as well as greek thought and philosophy abandoning the trational study of the Torah: “The Hellinized Jews”

$ In 175 B.C.E. Antiochus IV overthrough the High Priest and placed his own High priest into power

In 169 B.C.E. Antiochus eliminated the High priesthood, rededicated the Jerusalem Temple to a Greek god, and outlawed the Torah. The Greeks made the Jews Worship the Greek Idol and Eat Pork sacrificed in the Idols honor, those who did not were killed. The Greeks killed anyone who circumcised his child...And also the child!

$ The Jewish Revolt 168-165 B.C.E. Why?

$ The Hasidim: “The Pietist,” run into the mountains No fighting on the sabbath

$ Mattathias bribed, but fights instead

$ His son Judah “Maccabee” (The Hammer) takes over His followers are called Maccabees

$ Makes alliance with Rome (bad choice)

$ Rome seeking pretense...threatens Antiochous with war

$ Peace 165

$ Judea Maccabee wants an independent state....dies tryings

Next week we will talk about the legacy of the maccabean revolt during the life of Isa. We will find that Isa was involved in the same struggle that Judea was involved in: The Purity of Jewish faith in the Torah.

My Allah guide us to truth, and keep us from the path of those who incurred his wrath.