JOE TUNON

STORY 10: The Greeks, Maccabees and Romans (1, 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Judith, Esther, Sirach, Wisdom, Baruch, Daniel)

In a story flashing back to the times of Babylon, we’re told of the prophet Daniel surviving a night in the lions’ den by putting his trust in God. There is a song sometimes placed between the testaments that tells of three of Daniel’s friends facing flames rather than bowing to king Nebuchadnezzar and his false gods. Later, the Jewish family of Maccabees fight the next oncoming empire, the Greeks. The Jews eventually prevail and became the Hasmonean Dynasty, a kingdom even larger than the one in David's time. However, the kings at this time are nothing like David, and on top of that, there are no prophets around to guide them. During this period of “prophetic silence”, Greek culture heavily influences them, bringing some philosophical insights like the concept of the soul and torment of the underworld, but also bringing with them an attractive pantheon of gods like Zeus, Hercules, Apollo, and Athena. And without a prophet, the Jewish Hasmoneans became more political than holy. As a reaction to this, 4 religious groups emerge: the Pharisees (who came from the scribes), the Sadducees (who came from the priests), the Essenes (who were like Jewish monks), and the Zealots (the freedom fighters descended from the Maccabees). But without a prophet to guide them, the Pharisees and Sadducees argue over whether there is such a thing as resurrection, and who has the right to interpret the laws of Moses. The Essenes, meanwhile, go off into in the desert to pray and are known for the ritual of baptism. The Zealots, meanwhile, do all the fighting. These 4 Jewish groups have one thing in common: they are waiting for the Messiah, that future king in the line of David promised to them by the prophets of old. But after the Greeks, the next empire to hit the scene is the biggest and the baddest of them all, the Roman Empire. The Jews get along with them for a time, but in 63 BC the Romans take over and occupy them, setting up Roman procurators and Jewish puppet kings to govern them. With this, the stage is set, and the fullness of is approaching…