Description
Second Temple Judaism provides essential background for understanding the NT by immersing students in the world of Palestinian Judaism from the rise of the Maccabees to the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E. Towards this end, the course introduces students to three main bodies of Jewish literature—Josephus, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the rabbinic writings—considering how to read them critically and how to relate them to one another and to the archeological evidence. Issues of particular interest include the political history of the time, the emergence of the sects (Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes), and the practice of the law in daily life.