Galatians #10

GALATIANS # 10
HISTORY
An overview (9)
8/30/10

After the Seleucids took Judea away from the Ptolymies, things took a turn for the worse. The Romans were growing in power and were slowly moving eastward, displacing the Greeks as the Ptolymies power faded; they and the Seleucids, both had ambitions for control of Egypt, stalking them, intending to conquer and subjugate them. For The Seleucids to out maneuver the Romans and accomplish this they had to have the un-divided loyalty and help of Judea – the Jews; the ruler of the Seleucids at that time, Antiochus IV, took extreme measures:

“…Antiochus was determined to remove all traces of orthodox Jewish faith. Israel’s God was identified with Jupiter, and a bearded image of the pagan deity (perhaps in the likeness of Antiochus) was erected on the temple altar, where swine were offered in sacrifice. Jews were forbidden, under penalty of death, to practice circumcision, Sabbath observance, or the celebrations of the Feasts of the Jewish calendar. Copies of the scriptures were ordered destroyed. The laws were enforced with the utmost cruelty. An aged scribe named Eleazer was flogged to death because he would not eat swine’s flesh.” (Various)

The various factions of the Jews had been fighting among themselves for control but triggered by the brutal rule of this regime, the Jews unified under the leadership of Judas “the Maccabee”. He and his followers known as the “Maccabbees”, began a revolt against the Seleucids. After several years of struggle a peace of sorts was established with the Seleucids recognizing the Government of John Hyrcanus, Judah became a nation again, ruled by the Hasmonean dynasty- for a time. (Apparently Hyrcanus had an ancestor named Hashman and from that it is thought that the term “Hasmonean” was derived) (Various)) in 164 B.C. the Jews rededicated the temple; this event is celebrated as Hanukkah.

The rivalry between the Sadducee and Pharisee factions resumed upon independence from the Seleucids: first the Sadducees had the favor and support of the rulers and then the Pharisees – back and forth-both were troubled by the fact that neither the Hasmonean monarchy nor its puppet priesthood were descendants of the appropriate families and had come into power by secular means, however, they both were willing to set their scruples aside and jockeyed, and maneuvered, and intrigued, to get and hang onto the power and prestige that went with being in the “inner circle”. This rivalry led to violence and ultimately the threat of all out civil war.

Meanwhile, the Romans were becoming more and more powerful, expanding their empire eastward (by this time they had taken Egypt); as the Seleucids withdrew-and the un-rest in Judea increased, the Romans offered to help the Hasmoneans restore order and retain power. As the Jews became more vulnerable and more of a nuisance, the Romans finally seized control, first as a protector of the peace, then, in 63 B. C, as rulers. The Romans ruled Judah from then until the Muslims pushed them out several hundred years later.With the Romans assuming power, and establishing their “pax Romana” – “the peace of Rome” throughout their empire, things stabilized: History had come to the “fullness of time”:

Galatians 4:1-5 ( KJV )
Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

And:

Ephesians 1:3-12 ( KJV )
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

The “great mystery” was about to be explained (Col. 1: 26; Mark 8: 11; etc.)! The stage was set, the conditions were right; the time for the Messiah to step into history had arrived! Jesus was born about the year 5 B. C….

In the physical realm, the Greek’s Hellenization of the eastern rim of the Mediterranean and the Mideast all the way to India had produced a common language making communication possible between all the different people: ultimately, Greek became the common language throughout the Roman Empire. The Roman road system along with the Mediterranean maritime industry, protected by the Roman “Pax Romana”, made un-restricted, relatively safe, travel possible.
Along with the common language, the philosophy of Socrates/Aristotle/Plato had generated a mindset which was compatible with Christianity, exerting considerable influence on Christian thinking to this very day – many Christian concepts are very similar to classic Greek Philosophy. To some extent, this thinking facilitated the acceptance of The Gospel among the “Hellenized” people; it was not such an alien, exotic idea as it would have been otherwise. :

Influence on Christian theologian
Aristotle is referred to as "The Philosopher" by Scholastic thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas. See Summa Theologica, Part I, Question 3, etc. These thinkers blended Aristotelian philosophy with Christianity, bringing the thought of Ancient Greece into the Middle Ages. It required a repudiation of some Aristotelian principles for the sciences and the arts to free themselves for the discovery of modern scientific laws and empirical methods. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle)

Reflected in the thinking of the stoic philosopher Seneca, part of the inner circle of Nero’s advisers (in the early years):

“…Two of Christianity’s most powerful elements – morality and immortality – were present in Seneca’s Stoicism. So was the sense of deity. “live among men as if God beheld you,” he memorably wrote. “Speak to god as if men were listening”… (Moynahan 29)

Christianity wasn’t completely accepted, it was still resisted to some extent (Acts 17: 22 – 31; etc) but wasn’t completely exotic, alien, bizarre; un-acceptable.

With the Roman subjugation of the Israelites came the rule of the Roman appointed Herod’s and Roman appointed High Priests. The Romans allowed the Jews complete religious autonomy but no civil rule, this stabilized society but serious unrest was bubbling just below the surface.

From the time of Micah’s writings the Jews were desperately seeking a proper ruler from the line of David hoping he would be a priest king who would free them and restore the kingdom: a “Messiah,” so long as the Kingdom was not restored, though living in the Promised Land, they were still not “free” from the Babylonian captivity…

At the time of Christ and on until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A. D., the Sadducees had settled into their role as the ruling priesthood (subject to Herod and the Romans): the Pharisees were very prominent and widely accepted as being most “religious”, strong adherents of the Law of Moses. Jesus had more interaction with Pharisees than any of the other Jewish sects; a part of this interaction was a harsh criticism:

Matthew 23:13-33 ( KJV )

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Who were these “Pharisees”?

The Pharisee ("separatist") party emerged largely out of the group of scribes and sages who harked back to Ezra and the Great Assembly. The meaning of the name is unclear; it may refer to their rejection of Hellenic culture or to their objection to the Hasmonean monopoly on power. It is difficult to state at what time the Pharisees, as a party, arose. Josephus first mentions them in connection with Jonathan, the successor of Judas Maccabeus ("Ant." xiii. 5, § 9). One of the factors that distinguished the Pharisees from other groups prior to the destruction of the Temple was their belief that all Jews had to observe the purity laws (which applied to the Temple service) outside the Temple. The major difference, however, was the continued adherence of the Pharisees to the laws and traditions of the Jewish people in the face of assimilation. As Josephus noted, the Pharisees were considered the most expert and accurate expositors of Jewish law. (wiki/ Pharisees)

Early on, as the new temple was completed and put in service, there were concerns among some Jews that having been built by the permission and support of a foreign power, its legitimacy was very likely tainted – not positively – but possibly – along with the accelerating “Hellenization” of their culture, this on-going, nagging worry continued to undermine the credibility of the entire priesthood and temple worship. As time went along and the priestly class (Sadducees) became more and more aristocratic rulers, this concern deepened and the division became more profound. The elements and seriousness of concern was not unanimous, leading to the formation of several distinct sects of Jewish believers.

The Pharisees obsessive fixation on the Law was a logical outgrowth of their experience - which could be said to go clear back to Mt. Sinai:

Exodus 19:5-6 ( KJV )
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Are there two ways to salvation? Works (“keep my covenant”), for the Israelites / Grace for the Gentile Christians? Or even three: a mix of works/grace for the Hebraic temple worshiping Jews?

From “Hard Sayings of the Bible”:

Leviticus 1:1 ( KJV )
The One Who Obeys My Laws Will Live?
(Leviticus) This saying’s importance is assured by its appearance in such later contexts as Ezekiel 20:11, Luke 10:28, Romans 10:5 and Galatians 3:12. But it is also a hard saying. The text appears to offer an alternate method of gaining eternal life, even if only theoretically. Is it true, in either the Old Testament or the New, that a person could have eternal life by perfectly keeping the law of God? In other words, can we read this saying as “Do this and you will have [eternal] life”? Unfortunately, all too many teachers of the Scriptures have uncritically assumed that the words live in them meant that “eternal life was to be had by observing the laws of God.” Accordingly, if a person were to keep these commandments perfectly, the very keeping would be eternal life. But this claim misses a major amount of contrary evidence, foremost that the benefits of God’s promise-plan to the Old Testament believers were not conditioned on anything, much less on obedience. Such a position would reverse the unconditional word of blessing God gave to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David. But what about the “if you obey me fully” statements of Exodus 19:5, Leviticus 26:3-13 and Deuteronomy 11:13-15 and 28:1? Do not these texts flatly declare that without obedience salvation is impossible? The if is admittedly conditional, but conditional to what? It was conditional only to enjoyment of the full benefits of a relationship begun by faith and given freely by God. Israel must obey God’s voice and heed his covenant and commandments, not “in order to” establish their new life in God, but “so that” (Deut 5:33) they might experience completely this new life begun in faith. The very context of this verse speaks against a works salvation. First, Leviticus 18 begins and ends with the theological assumption that the hearers have the Lord as their God. Thus, this instruction deals with sanctification rather than justification. Second, “those things” which they were not to do were the customs and ordinances; in short, the pagan idolatries of the Egyptians and Canaanites. This is a whole world apart from the question of salvation. Third, never in the Old or New Testaments has pleasing God constituted the external performance of acts; these acts carried with them the evidence of a prior attitude of the heart. For instance, circumcision of the flesh without the circumcision of the heart was wasted effort. In fact, our Lord coupled the act and the heart when the people pledged, “All that the Lord says, we will do.” Imperiously, some call such a pledge rash, judging the people foolish for falling for an offer they would never be able to live up to. But our Lord did not see it that way. Rather, he said in so many words, “Oh that there were such a heart in them that they would always fear me and keep my commandments.” Our Lord connects their doing with the heart. He never reproved them by saying, “Oh, what deluded people! Given your previous track record, how on earth do you ever expect to enter my heaven by keeping any of my laws?” There is not a word about this. Therefore, this verse cannot be said to teach a hypothetical offer of salvation by works. Some may argue that the words live by them, quoted in Romans 10:5 and Galatians 3:12, surely means in those contexts that salvation was “by means of” works (an instrumental use of the preposition). I respond that this expression should be translated live “in the sphere of them” (a locative use of the preposition). Moses, therefore, was not describing the means of attaining salvation but only the horizon within which an earthly, godly life should be lived. See also comment on Genesis 26:3-5; comment on Micah 6:6-8; comment on Philippians 2:12-13; comment on James 2:24.… (Kaiser, Bruce and Manfred)

Tracing their origin clear back to the writings of Malachi (last week, lesson #9), they were very concerned with all that had, and was, going on within their society. They had the record of all that had happened to those that had gone before them; they were now personally experiencing the same “temptations” and “chastisements”. They were very familiar with the consequences of disobeying the Law – it was inevitable that many of them would become fanatical adherents of the law, lose sight of the fact that obedience to the Law was not the point: Faith in God, and the consequent obedience to Him, shown by compliance with all the rules.

“If” ones motivation for keeping the law is a hope for “payment” or fear of the consequences, then one’s religiosity is mistaken – even false …the trap that most of the Jews had fallen into…(there are numerous examples of the same failure in its various guises, within "Christendom" to this very day)

The motivation for (keeping His Commandments: John 14:15 ( KJV ) If ye love me, keep my commandments. ) must come from one’s love of God and the desire to please Him…remember our discussion of James statement “Faith without works is dead”…the works is a result of, not the cause of, true faith/salvation.

DISCUSSION

1. How did the Greeks impact the spreading of the Gospel?
2. How did the Romans?
3. Who was Antiochus IV?
4. What is “Hanukkah”?
5. Who were the Maccabbees?
6. What was some of the main differences between the Sadducees and the Pharisees ?
7. What was Jesus’ overall opinion of the Pharisees?
8. How did Greek philosophy influence Christianity?
9. Is there one way of salvation for the Jews and another for Gentles (“if” Ex 19: 5-6) ?
10. What had to be done in history to arrive at “the fulness of time”

Homework:

(1)go to: www.itunes.rts.edu
(2) click launch
(3) scroll down right hand column to RTS virtual courses
(4)open New Testament
(5)open Pauline Epistles
(6)listen to lecture 1 and 2 (Acts)

Galatians lesson #9

GALATIANS # 9
HISTORY
An overview (8)
8/16/10

The period beginning with the completion of the O. T., (the book of Malachi, about 425 – 433 B. C.), and ending with the birth of Jesus was “silent”. During this 400+ yrs., there were no recorded canonical prophetic messages, or other revelations from other means; nothing that was preserved and made a part of the canon. There are books from this time, which were adopted by other than Judaic scholars and reformed Christians; these folks give these “apocryphal” books the same stature as all other Scripture –(The story of the Maccabees is told in 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees, which are part of the Septuagint, and in 3 Maccabees and 4 Maccabees, which are not. 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees are part of the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Old Testaments, but not the Hebrew Bible, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/) (Wikipedia)
Although these apocryphal books are included in the Septuagint, none are included in Hebrew or Protestant Christian canon.

Though “silent” as to further inspired prophecies or writings, there was a lot going on historically; the politico-military/socio-economic turmoil in the region was at a fever pitch, intimately affecting the Israelites. Through all this, God continued to preserve His chosen people; despite their frequent failures, He remained faithful to His promises.
The division of Israel, and subsequent inept leadership, resulted in a weakened country; they were no longer a buffer or restraint to the territorial ambitions of their neighbors. The Assyrians were the first to make their move, conquering and annexing much territory in the region, including Israel/Samaria:
(see map #1)

Then the Babylonians:
(see map #2)

Then the Persians:
(see map #3)

As Isaiah had foretold, (Isaiah 40: 1 – 5; 44: 28; 45: 6), Cyrus (the ruler of Persia) allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and begin re-building the Temple. The Israelites were allowed to return, to re-build the temple and resume temple worship, but not re-establish the monarchy. Without a structured government, the priests, by default, became the most powerful group and the country became a Theocracy, with the priesthood as the ruling class. From this ruling class of priests came the sect that would later be known as the Sadducees. (wiki/ Pharisees)

In 333 B. C. the Greek army under the leadership of Alexander The Great defeated the Persians and took over what had been their kingdom.

(See map #4)

As the Greeks advanced, they made examples of any city that resisted: they utterly destroyed them…legend has it that in 332 B. C., the high priest of Jerusalem, went outside the city gate, met Alexander and invited him to enter the city. Legend continues, saying that Alexander acknowledged the One God of the Israelites and left the Jewish culture intact, though subject to Greek rule (Robinson).

Alexander was very proud of his Greek heritage and not only conquered, but decreed that forces be set in motion to implant Greek philosophy, arts, culture, language - Greece’s entire civilization as he advanced eastward, occupying country after country. As a result of these efforts, Greek became the second language throughout the entire “civilized world”; Greek philosophy became an integral part of all intellectual thought: the entire region was “Hellenized” to some extant – some areas more so than others. The universal spreading of the Greek language was a world changing event – throughout the entire “known world”, any place you went someone could speak Greek. The removal of the language barriers facilitated communication and the conveyance of new ideas between the various ethnic groups.

Immediately upon Alexander’s death, the Greek empire began un-raveling, fragmenting; his generals split the empire up among themselves with Ptolemy taking Egypt and Judea:

The Hellenistic period of Jewish history began when Alexander the Great conquered Persia in 332 BCE. The rift between the priests and the sages developed at this time, when Jews faced new political and cultural struggles. After Alexander's death in 323 BCE, Judea was ruled by the Egyptian-Hellenic Ptolemies until 198 BCE, when the Syrian-Hellenic Seleucid Empire, under Antiochus III, seized control. Then, in 167 BCE, Antiochus IV invaded Judea, entered the Temple, and stripped it of money and ceremonial objects. He imposed a program of forced hellenization, requiring Jews to abandon their own laws and customs, and precipitating the Maccabean Revolt. Jerusalem was liberated in 165 BCE and the Temple was restored. In 141 BCE an assembly of priests and others affirmed Simon Maccabeus as high priest and leader, in effect establishing the Hasmonean dynasty. (wikipedia)

The sect specifically identified as “Pharisees” came into existence during this period. The earliest known, extra-Biblical, mention of the Pharisees as such, is by the historian Josephus:

Antiquites of the Jews
Copyrights and Permissions
Copyrights The Works of Josephus Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright © 1998, Parsons Technology, Inc., PO Box 100, Hiawatha, Iowa. All rights reserved.
Book 13 Containing the Interval of Eighty-Two Years From the Death of Judas Maccabeus to the Death of Queen Alexandra
Chapter 1 How Jonathan Took the Government After His Brother Judas; and How He, Together with His Brother Simon, Waged War Against Bacchides
BOOK 13
CHAPTER 5
How Trypho, After He Had Beaten Demetrius, Delivered the Kingdom to Antiochus, the Son of Alexander, and Gained Jonathan for His Assistant; and Concerning the Actions and Embassies of Jonathan: (Verse)
9. At this time there were three sects among the Jews, who had different opinions concerning human actions; the one was called the sect of the Pharisees, another the sect of the Sadducees, and the other the sect of the Essens. Now for the Pharisees,Ant-13-11 they say that some actions, but not all, are the work of fate, and some of them are in our own power, and that they are liable to fate, but are not caused by fate. But the sect of the Essens affirm, that fate governs all things, and that nothing befalls men but what is according to its determination. And for the Sadducees, they take away fate, and say there is no such thing, and that the events of human affairs are not at its disposal; but they suppose that all our actions are in our own power, so that we are ourselves the causes of what is good, and receive what is evil from our own folly. However, I have given a more exact account of these opinions in the second book of the Jewish War. (Verse)

As F. F. Bruce points out:

“….Josephus does not trace the spiritual ancestry of the Pharisees, but it is very probable that they arose within the ranks of the h sidim or “Godly people”, who are referred to in the books of Maccabees as “Hasideans” (1 Maccabees 2: 42; 7: 14; 2Maccabees 14: 6). The origin of these Hasideans is probably to be sought among the Godly people in Judea, who, some decades after the return from exile, banded together in order to encourage one another in the study and practice of the sacred law in the midst of what they saw as moral and religious declension…” (Bruce)

These people, the likely forerunners of the Pharisees, were very possibly from the devout group described in the book of Malachi:

Malachi 3:16-18 ( KJV )
Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

The Pharisees were a natural outgrowth of all that had gone on, the Israelites entire existence as a people had been an ongoing saga of the pendulum swinging from the joy of God’s deliverance (Exodus 14: 31) to the despair of the consequences of their un-faithfulness, here so poignantly proclaimed by the “weeping prophet”:

Nehemiah 1:1-9 ( KJV )
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:
Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.
We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:
But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

The Greek general Ptolemy I seized control of Jerusalem in 320 B.C; it was during this period, with the encouragement of Ptolemy II, that the Septuagint was written:

Jewish scholars first translated the Torah into Koine Greek in the third century BC.[6][7] According to the record in the Talmud, 'King Ptolemy once gathered 72 Elders. He placed them in 72 chambers, each of them in a separate one, without revealing to them why they were summoned. He entered each one's room and said: 'Write for me the Torah of Moshe, your teacher.' God put it in the heart of each one to translate identically as all the others did'[8]
Further books were translated over the next two centuries. It is not altogether clear which was translated when, or where; some may even have been translated twice, into different versions, and then revised.[9] The quality and style of the different translators also varied considerably from book to book, from the literal to paraphrasing to interpretative. According to one assessment "the Pentateuch is reasonably well translated, but the rest of the books, especially the poetical books, are often very poorly done and even contain sheer absurdities".[10]
As the work of translation progressed gradually, and new books were added to the collection, the compass of the Greek Bible came to be somewhat indefinite. The Pentateuch always maintained its pre-eminence as the basis of the canon; but the prophetic collection (out of which the Nevi'im were selected) changed its aspect by having various hagiographa incorporated into it. Some of the newer works, those called anagignoskomena in Greek, are not included in the Jewish canon. Among these books are Maccabees and the Wisdom of Ben Sira. Also, the Septuagint version of some works, like Daniel and Esther, are longer than those in the Masoretic Text.[11] Some of the later books (Wisdom of Solomon, 2 Maccabees, and others) apparently were not translated, but composed in Greek.
The authority of the larger group of "writings", out of which the ketuvim were selected, had not yet been determined, although some sort of selective process must have been employed because the Septuagint did not include other well-known Jewish documents such as Enoch or Jubilees or other writings that are now part of the Pseudepigrapha. It is not known what principles were used to determine the contents of the Septuagint beyond the "Law and the Prophets", a phrase used several times in the New Testament. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint) (Wikipedia)

The Ptolemies retained control until 199 B.C. when Antiochus III , at the culmination of a series of battles, wrested control from the Ptolemies. Under the Ptolemies, the Jews were treated well with considerable freedom












DISCUSSION
1. Where is the earliest reference to Christ? (we discussed this in earlier lessons)
2. Where, in the O. T., is the last reference to Christ?
3. What is the purpose of the Old Testament?
4. What happened after Solomon died?
5. When was Cyrus first mentioned?
6. Why was he significant?
7. What became of the Israelites who didn’t return to Jerusalem?
8. What was the most significant consequence of Alexander’s conquest?
9. What is the earliest likely identification of the Pharisees?
10. What is the earliest historical reference to the Pharisees?
11. What was their most distinguishing characteristic?
12. What are some events that seemed to verify their beliefs?

Galatians #9 map #4 Greek empire

Galatians #9 Map #3 Persian Empire

Galatians #9 map #2 Babylonian empire

galatians #9 Map #1 assyrian empire

GALATIANS # 8
HISTORY
An overview (7)
7/26/10

As recorded throughout the Old Testament, God continued to guide and counsel His chosen people, revealing more and more information about Himself and the coming Messiah. The events that were unfolding were showing more and more clearly the inevitable destruction, the hopeless condition we humans are in if left to our own devices.

In the New Testament book of Hebrews the writer says (Hebrews 1:1 ( KJV )) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, …line upon line , precept upon precept…

After settling in the Promised Land, they continued in their ways, repeatedly turning away from God, bringing disastrous consequences upon themselves. Through it all God’s patience never failed, He never wavered…He never broke His covenants, in spite of the repeated failures of His chosen people.

As things went along, and the people would begin to fall away, God raised up Prophets who gave very specific instruction and warnings to the people and the leaders - they often ignored, resented, or rebelled against these messengers and they suffered accordingly. Much of this was recorded in writing for our use as well. God also inspired men to write Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, songs of praise and wise advice, all of which document and reveal more and more of Himself and His plan of salvation for us.(2Tim 3: 16; John 5: 31 – 39) It was a rocky relationship between men and God – God was faithful but man frequently “wavers”, disobedient and rebellious, always with disastrous results. However, there was always a “remnant” who remained faithful.

God brought the Israelites out of Egypt in 1275 B.C., The Israelites entered the Promised Land in the year 1234 B.C. under God’s guidance the kingdom grew, but due to their disobedience the kingdom never fully encompassed the land promised by God. Israel reached its peak during the reign of Solomon (965 – 926 B.C.). during his reign, to complete his grandiose construction program, Solomon had implemented forced labor – almost slavery. Qne of his key men (Jeroboam) rebelled against this and fled to Egypt.

After Solomon’s death, things rapidly fell apart. His son, Rehoboam, was appointed king - he was a completely incompetent leader; cruel, selfish, vain, arrogant….
1 Kings 12
And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;)
That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying,
Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.
And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.
And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?
And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.
But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:
And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter?
And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins.
And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day.
And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him;
And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.
But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.
So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.
And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.
And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying,
Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.
Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.
And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

As we see here, the mocking of God’s teaching (last week Isaiah 28) was only one of a long series of astonishingly rebellious activities that had begun with the death of Solomon. Upon Solomon’s death, the ensuing power struggle led to the splitting of the country: Judea in the south and Israel in the north. the king of the newly formed Israel, for political power purposes, immediately set up gold calves to worship – both countries went downhill from there!
The nation was divided in 926 BC: the drunken confrontation we looked at last week took place , about 200 years later, shortly before the complete destruction of Israel.

By 700 BC the nation of Israel no longer existed:

2 Kings 17: 1 – 24 1In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years. 2And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him. 3Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents. 4And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. 5Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. 6In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
7For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, 8And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. 9And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. 10And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: 11And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger: 12For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. 13Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. 14Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. 15And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them. 16And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 17And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 18Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. 19Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 20And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. 21For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin. 22For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; 23Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day

God is very patient but also is completely just, these people had two hundred years of men of God warning them, advising them begging them, to obey God – they mocked Him – the punishment was completely just…As we read in Numbers 15: 22 – 31, with the coming of the law, if you knowingly disobey, judgment and punishment is inevitable – if not done “presumptuously” sacrifices will atone for the sins.

As God reveals more and more of Himself the consequences increase: Luke 12:47-48 ( KJV )
And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

The nation of Judah continued it’s spiral downward, it’s leaders disregarding and resisting God’s guidance, finally, in 585 B. C., Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah, burned the temple: Judah ceased to exist, it became a province of the Babylonian empire.

In 539 B. C. the Persians conquer the Babylonians and Cyrus fulfills the prophecy given in 545 – 538 B.C.(Isaiah 40: 1 – 5; 44: 28; 45: 6), in 444 B. C., he allows the Israelites in Babylon to return and rebuild Jerusalem some, but only a small number do and the nation of Judah begins re-emerging. They are not allowed to re-establish the monarchy; it becomes a theocracy led by the high priest, still a subject state of the Persians.

The book considered by most scholars to be the last of the Old Testament, Malachi, is written about this time. This book ends with a promise of the coming of “Elijah”…John the Baptist (Matt. 3: 3; John 1: 23; etc) the forerunner of the Messiah…

The Old Testament begins with the promise of a Messiah (Gn. 3: 16) and ends declaring and anticipating the coming of Emmanuel (Malachi 3). A little later Jesus said:

Title : The Holy Bible, King James Version
Edition : Third
Copyright : Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright © 1998, Parsons Technology, Inc.

John 5:31-47 ( KJV )
If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

425 B.C., Judah enters an obscure period: the 400 year “silent” period between the Old and New Testament.




DISCUSSION
1. Where is the first reference to Christ?
2. Where, in the O. T., is the last reference to Christ?
3. What is the purpose of the Old Testament?
4. How is this accomplished?
5. What happened after Solomon died?
6. Who was Cyrus?
7. Why was he significant?
8. What became of the Israelites who didn’t return to Jerusalem?