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100
Messiah
Messiah is a term used in the Hebrew Bible to describe priests and kings, who were traditionally anointed with holy anointing oil as described in Exodus 30:22-25. Cyrus the Great, the king of Persia, though not a Hebrew, is referred to as "God's mashiach" in the Bible. -
100
1st Rebellion against the Romans (Zealots)
The 1st rebellion against the Romans was the first of three major rebellions by the Jews of Judaea Province against the Roman Empire. The Great Revolt began in the year 66 CE, originating in the Greek and Jewish religious tensions. The Romans responded by plundering the Second Jewish Temple and executing up to 6,000 Jews in Jerusalem, prompting a full-scale rebellion. -
100
2nd Rebellion against the Romans
The 2nd rebellion against the Romans consisted of major revolts by diasporic Jews, which spiraled out of control, resulting in a widespread slaughter of Roman citizens and others. The rebellions were finally crushed by Roman legionary forces. -
106
Romans (Pompey)
Pompey was a General for the Romans. Pompey had been asked to intervene in a war between Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II for the throne of the Hasmonean Kingdom. It was said that 12,000 Jews were killed and very few Romans were killed. Pompey did not destroy the Temple nor anything inside of it, but allowed the rituals to continue. -
140
Hasmonean Family
The Hasmonean Family ruled Israel, once again centered around Jerusalem. Under the Hasmonean kings, three sects of Jews formed in Judaea. Once was the Sadducees (preiests and wealthy businesspeople), Pharisees (liberal citizens), and Essenes (uncompromising Jews). -
160
Maccabees
The maccabean rebellion, a revolt led by the Hasmon family of priests, called in the Hebrew the maccabees ("Hammers"), won a degree of independence for Judaea in 164 BCE. The successful rebellion established a new and independent kingdom, once again called Israel. -
175
Antiochus IV
Tension between traditionalist and those embracing Greek ways came to a head during the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a Hellenistic ruler of Syria, the nation that then held political sovereignty over the land of Israel. Antiochus seems to have tried to achieve political unity by forcing a single Hellenistic culture on all his subjects, abolishing the Torah as the Jewish constitution, burning copies of the Torah, killing families who circumcised their sons, etc. -
320
The Greeks (Hellenism)
The Jews lived under foreign rule, one of the rulers being the Greeks. Greek lifestyle and thought were introduced into the Middle East by Alexander the Great in the fourth century BCE. The rationalistic, humanistic influences of Hellensim led many wealthy and intellectual Jews, including the priests in Jerusalem to adopt a Hellenistic attitude of scepticism rather tahn unquestioning belief. -
575
Persians (Cyrus)
After about fifty years of exile in Babylon, Persian king, Cyrus, allowed around 50,000 Jews to return to their holy city. He authorized the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, which was completed in 515 BCE. -
King David
King David was the second king of Israel, and was remembered as Israel's greatest king. David was a music composer and played to the first king, King Saul. After King Saul was killed in battle, David became the King and created the beginnings of a secure, prosperous Isrelite empire. He made the city of Jerusalem its capital and brought the Ark of the Covenant there. -
King Solomon
Solomon was the son of King David, and when Solomon became king, a great Temple was built in Jerusalem in order to be the permanent home for the Ark of the Covenant. This provided a central, stationary place where God would be most present to the Israelites. God is said to have appeared to Solomon during a dedication ceremony and stated "I consecrate the House which you have built and I set My name there forever. My eyes and My heart shall ever be there." -
Assyrians
Since the kingdom of Israel was so curupt under the reign of King Hoshea, God permitted the strong kingdom of Assyria to overtake what was left of the small country. The Assyrians carried off most of the Israelites to exile among the Gentiles. Most of these Israelites became dispersed within Assyria. -
Babylonians (King Nebuchadnezzar)
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia captured Jerusalem in 586 BCE. The Babylonians battered down the great walls and set flames to the buildings. The great Temple was emptied of its sacred treasures, the altar dismatled, and the building destroyed. Many Judaens were taken to exile in Babylonia, where they were given the name "Jews." -
Ezra
Ezra was a priest and a scribe, and leader of the priestly class. Ezra took the responsibility to revise the stries of the people, editing the Pentateuch to reveal the hand of God. In approximately 430 BCE, Ezra the scribe set the precedent of reading for hours from the Torah scrolls in a public square. These "five books of Moses" were accepted as a sacred covenant.
