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Chapter 14: The Religious Development of Judaism
Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter, the student should be able to:
• Describe the process by which the Torah was compiled.
• Explain the Hellenistic influence on the religious development of Judaism.
Chapter Summary
The buffeting of the Jews from place to place by the oscillations of military fortunes
finally favored the chosen people in 538 BCE. Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon and he gave
the Jewish people permission to return to Jerusalem. Restoration of the homeland and rebuilding
of the Temple at Jerusalem however was not without problems. These were overcome to some
extent with the help of prophets and strong personalities who took the first steps of establishing
an ethnically as well as a religiously restricted group. The embrace of a strict code of religious
observance in the face of the harsh realities of daily living brought resistance. Eventually the
people were unified through common ritual and practice of their religious traditions.
Increasingly, practice became the hallmark of the Jew regardless of location. Adjustments and
The scattered Jewish people avoided extinction through the systematic codification of
their canonical texts through the contributions of a number of schools with the Babylonian
efforts resulting in the final Talmud. During the Middle Ages the Jews would be affected by the
influence of Christianity and Islam. The strong self-identification and secret practice of their
religion often brought persecution and further scattering of the Jewish people. The reforms of the
Chapter Outline
I. Introduction
II. The Rise of Judaism in the Restoration Period
A. The Return of Judah and Jerusalem
D. Resistance to the Priestly Code
E. Stabilization through Ritual
III. The New Trends of Thought in the Greek and Maccabean Periods
A. General Characteristics of the Hellenistic Influence
B. Oppression under Antiochus Epiphanes
C. Rebellion and Independence under the Maccabees
D. The Effects of Foreign Influence
1. Hellenistic Influence in the Wisdom Literature
2. Zoroastrian Influence
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2. Signs of the End and Messianic Titles
3. Views of Final Judgment
V. The Great Dispersion
A. Rebellion: The Fall of Jerusalem
B. Disruption of Cultic Life
C. The Final Rebellion: Bar Kochba
VI. The Making of the Talmud
A. The Final Selection and Delimitation of the Hebrew Canon
B. Akiba at Jabneh: Classifying Halakah and Midrash
VII. The Jews in the Middle Ages
A. Jewish-Christian Mutual Antagonism
B. Mutual Respect Between Jews and Muslims
C. Mutual Respect Between Jews and Muslims
D. New Thought in Babylonia and Spain
E. The Crusades and Expulsions
1. The Sephardim and the Ashkenazim
2. The Ghettos
F. Major Festivals and Fasts
1. Passover (Pesach)
VIII. Judaism in the Modern World
A. Eastern Europe
B. The Hasidim: Heirs of Kabbala Mysticism
C. Central and Western Europe
D. Climates of Liberalism and Reaction
Discussion Questions
1. The Diaspora resulted in the scattering of the Jewish people throughout the world yet they
remained a cohesive, albeit scattered, group with a self identity as “Jews”. What was
responsible for this resilience?