Chapter 16: The World of the New Testament UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES.

Chapter 16: The World of the New Testament UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES

ANTICIPATORY SET Opening Prayer on Isaiah 9:1–6. Some Jews thought prophecies such as this were fulfilled when the Maccabees established a Jewish state independent of foreign control.

1. The Major Jewish Parties (pp. 288–291)

BASIC QUESTIONS Was the Davidic Covenant fulfilled under the Maccabean kings? Who were the Pharisees, and how did they answer the question of how to live Judaism in the world? Who were the Sadducees, and how did they answer the question of how to live Judaism in the world? Who were the Essenes and Zealots? Why did Rome conquer Israel?

KEY IDEAS God’s promise to David was not yet fulfilled: the kings were Levites. The Pharisees were learned laymen who believed Judaism involved strict separation from Gentiles and faithful adherence to the Mosaic Law. The Sadducees were politically connected priests who believed in accommodating Jewish life to Gentile rule; they accepted only the Pentateuch and denied life after death and the existence of angels. The Essenes withdrew to live a purified Judaism, and the Zealots were nationalists willing to embrace violence. Given its geographical importance, Israel was attacked in part because of internal disunity.


FOCUS QUESTIONS How did John Hyrcanus “Judaize” Israel? He required every man to be circumcised or leave. Being circumcised meant obeying the whole Mosaic Law with all its rites and requirements. How did John Hyrcanus earn the Samaritans’ hatred? He destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mt. Gerizim, the center of their religious life. Why did Aristobulus having named himself king, not fulfill the Davidic promises? Aristobulus was a Levite, not a descendant of David.


FOCUS QUESTIONS How did the Pharisees answer the question, “How can the Jews be faithful to God in a pagan empire?” They kept out the Gentiles. Pharisee comes from the Aramaic perushim, which means separated. How was the practice of Judaism under the Pharisees? The Pharisees thought everyone should follow the ritualistic purity regulations of the priests of Jerusalem and strictly obey all the Law. Extension: There are 613 commandments in all. What was the Pharisees’ hypocrisy? They evaded the spirit of the Law and invented interpretations to cheat the poor or their parents. The letter of the Law became more important than its spirit.


GUIDED EXERCISE Read Matthew 23:1–39. Then discuss why a speech like this would have earned the Pharisees’ hatred.


GRAPHIC ORGANIZER Complete the following table to organize the various groups in Israel.


GUIDED EXERCISE A think / pair / share according to the map “The Babylonian Empire After the Destruction of Jerusalem” (p. 253) using the following question: Why was Israel in a strategically important location?


FOCUS QUESTIONS Who were the Sadducees? They were a priestly class who dominated the Sanhedrin. Extension: The Sanhedrin was a council of seventy‑one priests who made legislative and judicial decisions. How did the Sadducees answer the question, “How can the Jews be faithful to God in a pagan empire?” They advocated cooperation with Gentile rulers and held political power. What were some of the Sadducees’ distinctive beliefs? They believed only the Pentateuch was inspired and denied life after death and angels.


GUIDED EXERCISE A paragraph shrink on the paragraph “The Pharisees had come...” (p. 291) to learn what the Pharisees rejected in order to separate from Gentiles.


CLOSURE Using the completed Graphic Organizer on page 290, write a well‑organized essay detailing the four major groups in Israel at the time of Christ.


HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Study Questions 1– 11 (p. 303) Practical Exercise 1 (p. 303) Workbook Questions 1– 11 Read “Herod the Great” through “Religion in the Roman Empire” (pp. 292– 296)


ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT Read Luke 20:27–40. The Sadducees came to Christ to make the ideas of Heaven and the resurrection from the dead seem ridiculous. Free write for five minutes about what Christ revealed in this passage about the nature of Heaven.


ANTICIPATORY SET Brainstorm facts about the Roman Empire.

2. The Fullness of Time (pp. 292–296)

BASIC QUESTIONS What were the character and accomplishments of Herod the

Great? What does it mean to say Christ was born in the fullness of time? How was religion viewed in the Roman Empire?

KEY IDEAS Herod the Great was a crafty and murderous king who

nevertheless brought prosperity to Israel and added to the Second Temple.

Christ was born in the fullness of time when the known world was unified and at the beginning of two centuries of relative peace.

The pagan inhabitants of the Roman Empire were relatively open to new religious ideas, and the empire itself was fairly tolerant of the religious practices of conquered peoples.


FOCUS QUESTIONS What are some examples of Herod’s crafty insanity? He killed three of his sons in horrible ways, ordered the death of every male in Bethlehem under two years of age when he learned of Christ’s Birth, subsidized the Temple priests generously so they would support him, sent lavish gifts to prominent Romans to keep himself in favor with them, and claimed to be an exiled Jew—he was not a Jew, but an Edomite—so the Jews would accept him. What are some examples of Herod’s sense of grandiosity? He had multiple wives, added to the Temple in Jerusalem on a lavish scale, and erected grand palaces, fortresses, and public buildings throughout his kingdom. Why is Herod called the Great? His reign was prosperous compared to his successors’.


FOCUS QUESTIONS Why did some people believe the messianic prophecies were fulfilled by the end of King Herod’s reign? King Herod had built a glorious Temple in Jerusalem.

What was the Pax Romana? It was the two centuries‑long relative peace across the Roman Empire. How did the Pax Romana and universal Roman rule facilitate the spread of Christianity? There was an extensive network of roads, one currency, one law, no borders to cross, and travel was relatively safe.


FOCUS QUESTIONS What was the essence of Roman religion? It was mechanistic and contractual: performing the sacred rites properly would ensure the desired result. What was the Roman attitude to other religions? The Romans generally tolerated any religion as long as its adherents did not cause problems. What did some philosophers believe about religion at this time? Some had reasoned their way to monotheism with God as a first cause. Others thought God or the gods were too distant to care about human affairs. Still others no longer believed in any gods.


GRAPHIC ORGANIZER Complete the following table according to the map “Herod’s Sons Inherit His Kingdom: The ‘Tetrarchy’” (p. 295).


CLOSURE Free write for five minutes about the character and accomplishments of Herod the Great.


HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Study Questions 12–16, 20–21 (p. 303) Workbook Questions 12–18 Read “The Spread of the Jewish Religion” through “The Samaritans” (pp. 296–300)


ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT Many educated Romans, whose studies included philosophy, came to consider the new religions as well as the Greek and Roman gods to be superstitious nonsense. Some of them became philosophical monotheists. Discuss the following question: How can education lead to a belief in God just as easily as a denial of his existence?


ANTICIPATORY SET Read aloud the story of the Samaritan woman at the well (cf. Jn 4:4–29). Parts:1.Narrator2.Christ3.The Samaritan Woman

N.B. the Pharisees considered even to drink out of a cup touched by a Samaritan would make one impure.

3. The Spread of Judaism (pp. 296–300)

BASIC QUESTIONS What status did Jews have in the Roman Empire? What is the Septuagint? Who were the proselytes of the Gate? How did Jews view Galilee? How did Jews view Samaria?

KEY IDEAS Jews had spread throughout the Roman Empire and become a respected population. After the Sacred Scriptures had been translated into Greek, they were understandable to almost all the inhabitants of the eastern half of the Roman Empire. The proselytes of the Gate were Gentiles who were attracted to Judaism but did not convert because of its strict demands; they knew the Scriptures (Old Testament) and thus were open to Christianity. To Jews, Galilee was considered a region of poor, backward farmers. Israel’s neighbors, the Samaritans, were a mixed population whom the Jews considered heretics and with whom they were supposed to have no contact.


FOCUS QUESTIONS How extensive was the Jewish presence in the Roman Empire? There were Jewish neighborhoods in most towns in the Roman Empire, some 10,000 living in Rome itself. A quarter of the population in Alexandria, the second largest city in the Empire, was Jewish. Possibly seven percent of the population of the empire was Jewish. What is the Septuagint? It is the Greek translation of the Old Testament made in Alexandria in the third century BC. It was read by Jews and others throughout the empire. Christians have always revered it, and it is quoted in the New Testament. What is the relationship between synagogue worship and the Liturgy of the Word? They are substantially the same except the Liturgy of the Word includes a Gospel reading.


FOCUS QUESTIONS

Why did Judaism appeal to so many Gentiles in the Roman Empire? The Romans were a people searching constantly for new religions, and many Romans were skeptical of their own religions. Extension: God is inherently attractive, so this must have played a part. The Jews also had a high moral code, which contrasted with the immorality of many around them.

Who were the proselytes of the Gate? They were God‑fearing Gentiles who were deeply attracted to Judaism and kept many strictures but were not willing to convert.

How did the proselytes of the Gate facilitate the rapid spread of Christianity? These Gentiles knew the Scriptures, awaited the Messiah, and could understand how Jesus Christ fulfilled the messianic prophesies. Extension: Christianity was attractive because the proselytes could convert fully without having to undergo circumcision, follow Jewish dietary or purification laws, repudiate their families, or disinherit their children.


GUIDED EXERCISE A focused reading of Luke 7:1–9 using the following question: What evidence points to the man coming to Christ for help is a proselyte of the Gate? GUIDED EXERCISE A think / pair / share on the Catechism, no. 2 (p. 304). Identify the policy of Ezra and the Pharisees regarding contact with Gentiles. Compare the two points of view toward salvation.


FOCUS QUESTIONS How did the Romans deal with Jewish insurrectionists? They sent Roman legions to put down disturbances. Extension: Putting down a disturbance often included jailing (cf. Mk 15:7), enslaving, or killing the rebels. What was Judea? It was the name the Romans gave the region around Jerusalem where the Jewish remnant had settled upon their return from the Babylonian Exile. Its inhabitants were called Judeans. Extension: In the second century AD, the Romans renamed the region Palestine after the coastal Philistines, the Jews’ traditional enemies. What did Judeans think of Galileans? They considered them backward peasants with distinctive accents.


GUIDED EXERCISE In your assigned group, formulate responses to Practical Exercise 2 (p. 303). To some extent, the question can be answered with evidence from this chapter, but, at the same time, it requires some speculation. Share responses with the class.


FOCUS QUESTIONS What does it mean to say the Samaritans were a mixed population? Their blood lines included a mixture of different peoples, some descended from Abraham and others not. In the Samaritans’ case, they were the descendants of Israelites who were not deported by the Assyrians having intermarried with peoples from all over the Assyrian Empire, who had resettled in the region. Why did the Jews refuse to have any contact with Samaritans? Jews considered the Samaritans heretics to be shunned. The two had also mistreated each other over the years, so a mutual mistrust was present. What is the state of the Samaritans today? There are a persecuted minority of whom only a few hundred remain.


CLOSURE List ways the dispersion of the Jews prepared for the coming of Christ.


HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Study Questions 17–19, 22 (p. 303) Practical Exercises 2–3 (p. 303) Workbook Questions 19–32


ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT A class discussion using the following questions: If Judaism had been different, could it have converted the Roman Empire instead of Christianity? What would those differences have been?


The End

Chapter 16: The World of the New Testament UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES.

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Transcript of Chapter 16: The World of the New Testament UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES.