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Second Temple Judaism
Second Temple Judaism is Judaism, the Jewish religion, as it developed during the Second Temple period, which began with the construction of the Second Temple around 516 BCE and ended with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. This period was marked by the emergence of multiple religious currents as well as extensive cultural, religious, and political developments among Jews. It saw the progression of the Hebrew Bible canon, the synagogue, and Jewish eschatology. Additionally, the rise of Christianity began in the final years of the Second Temple period.
According to Jewish tradition, authentic prophecy (נְבוּאָה, Nevu'ah) ceased during the early years of the Second Temple period; this left Jews without their version of divine guidance at a time when they felt most in need of support and direction. Under Hellenistic rule, the growing Hellenization of Judaism became a source of resentment among Jewish traditionalists who clung to strict monotheistic beliefs. Opposition to Hellenistic influence on Jewish religious and cultural practices was a major catalyst for the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. Following the establishment of the Hasmonean dynasty, traditional Judaism was reasserted by the Maccabees across the Land of Israel as they expanded their independent territory. The later years of the Second Temple period saw the development of several Jewish messianic ideas. From c. 170 BCE to 30 CE, five successive generations of the Zugot headed the Jews' spiritual affairs.
The late Second Temple period saw the emergence of several Jewish schools or groups. The Pharisees, an influential group, included members from both the priesthood and the general population, and believed both the Written Torah and ancestral traditions were equally binding. The Sadducees, consisting of high priests and aristocrats, rejected the resurrection of the dead. The Essenes criticized the temple's practices, deeming the priests illegitimate and the rituals flawed. They expected a victory of good over evil, with some members choosing to live in isolation. Nonetheless, most Jews were not affiliated with any particular group and practiced common traditions such as observing the Shabbat, celebrating holidays, attending synagogue, making pilgrimages to the Temple, following dietary laws, and circumcising their newborn males.
After the Temple's destruction in 70 CE, Judaism shifted away from temple-based rituals, including sacrificial worship, and adapted to a new framework without its sacred center. Jewish sectarianism disappeared, while the Pharisees, later succeeded by the rabbis, emerged as the leading force. This transition focused on Torah observance, ethical deeds, communal prayer, and rabbinical law, giving rise to Rabbinic Judaism, the dominant form since late antiquity.
(Note: dates and periods are in many cases approximate and/or conventional)
In 586 BCE, Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II captured Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple of Solomon, and deported the elite of the population to Babylon (the "Babylonian exile"). In 539 BCE, Babylon fell to the Persian conqueror Cyrus, and in 538 BCE, the exiles were permitted to return to Yehud Medinata, a Judean province of the Persian Empire. The Temple is commonly said to have been rebuilt in the period 520–515 BCE, but it seems probable that this is an artificial date chosen so that 70 years could be said to have passed between the destruction and the rebuilding, fulfilling a prophecy of Jeremiah.
The Persian period ended after Alexander the Great's conquest of the Mediterranean coast in 333-332 BCE. His empire disintegrated after his death, and Judea fell to the Ptolemies, who ruled Egypt. In 200 BCE, Israel and Judea were conquered by the Seleucids, who ruled Syria. Around 167 BCE, for reasons that remain obscure, the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted to suppress Jewish worship; this provoked a Jewish revolt that resulted in the end of Greek occupation.
Hasmonean Judea was a client kingdom of the Romans, and in the 1st century BCE , the Romans replaced them with their protégé Herod the Great. After Herod's death, Judea became a province under Rome's direct rule. Heavy taxes under the Romans and insensitivity towards the Jewish religion led to a revolt, and in 70 CE the Roman general (and later emperor) Titus captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple, bringing an end to the Second Temple period.
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Second Temple Judaism
Second Temple Judaism is Judaism, the Jewish religion, as it developed during the Second Temple period, which began with the construction of the Second Temple around 516 BCE and ended with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. This period was marked by the emergence of multiple religious currents as well as extensive cultural, religious, and political developments among Jews. It saw the progression of the Hebrew Bible canon, the synagogue, and Jewish eschatology. Additionally, the rise of Christianity began in the final years of the Second Temple period.
According to Jewish tradition, authentic prophecy (נְבוּאָה, Nevu'ah) ceased during the early years of the Second Temple period; this left Jews without their version of divine guidance at a time when they felt most in need of support and direction. Under Hellenistic rule, the growing Hellenization of Judaism became a source of resentment among Jewish traditionalists who clung to strict monotheistic beliefs. Opposition to Hellenistic influence on Jewish religious and cultural practices was a major catalyst for the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. Following the establishment of the Hasmonean dynasty, traditional Judaism was reasserted by the Maccabees across the Land of Israel as they expanded their independent territory. The later years of the Second Temple period saw the development of several Jewish messianic ideas. From c. 170 BCE to 30 CE, five successive generations of the Zugot headed the Jews' spiritual affairs.
The late Second Temple period saw the emergence of several Jewish schools or groups. The Pharisees, an influential group, included members from both the priesthood and the general population, and believed both the Written Torah and ancestral traditions were equally binding. The Sadducees, consisting of high priests and aristocrats, rejected the resurrection of the dead. The Essenes criticized the temple's practices, deeming the priests illegitimate and the rituals flawed. They expected a victory of good over evil, with some members choosing to live in isolation. Nonetheless, most Jews were not affiliated with any particular group and practiced common traditions such as observing the Shabbat, celebrating holidays, attending synagogue, making pilgrimages to the Temple, following dietary laws, and circumcising their newborn males.
After the Temple's destruction in 70 CE, Judaism shifted away from temple-based rituals, including sacrificial worship, and adapted to a new framework without its sacred center. Jewish sectarianism disappeared, while the Pharisees, later succeeded by the rabbis, emerged as the leading force. This transition focused on Torah observance, ethical deeds, communal prayer, and rabbinical law, giving rise to Rabbinic Judaism, the dominant form since late antiquity.
(Note: dates and periods are in many cases approximate and/or conventional)
In 586 BCE, Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II captured Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple of Solomon, and deported the elite of the population to Babylon (the "Babylonian exile"). In 539 BCE, Babylon fell to the Persian conqueror Cyrus, and in 538 BCE, the exiles were permitted to return to Yehud Medinata, a Judean province of the Persian Empire. The Temple is commonly said to have been rebuilt in the period 520–515 BCE, but it seems probable that this is an artificial date chosen so that 70 years could be said to have passed between the destruction and the rebuilding, fulfilling a prophecy of Jeremiah.
The Persian period ended after Alexander the Great's conquest of the Mediterranean coast in 333-332 BCE. His empire disintegrated after his death, and Judea fell to the Ptolemies, who ruled Egypt. In 200 BCE, Israel and Judea were conquered by the Seleucids, who ruled Syria. Around 167 BCE, for reasons that remain obscure, the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted to suppress Jewish worship; this provoked a Jewish revolt that resulted in the end of Greek occupation.
Hasmonean Judea was a client kingdom of the Romans, and in the 1st century BCE , the Romans replaced them with their protégé Herod the Great. After Herod's death, Judea became a province under Rome's direct rule. Heavy taxes under the Romans and insensitivity towards the Jewish religion led to a revolt, and in 70 CE the Roman general (and later emperor) Titus captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple, bringing an end to the Second Temple period.