israel and the jews saul 1020-1004BC david 1004-965BC solomon 965-928BC split into israel and judah israel conquered by assyrians 722BC, 10 tribes displaced judah survived chaldeans/neo-babylonians took jerusalem 586BC babylonian captivity returned by cyrus the great 538BC - persian rule alexander the great 332BC ptolemaic rule 323-200BC seleucids ruled 200-140BC forced hellenization led to maccabeean rebellion 165-140BC - jerusalem recovered (hanukkah) romans (pompey) arrived 63BC hasmoneans unpopular declared themselves high priests - not of priestly tribe of Levi (this practice was very much disliked) herod the great 37-4BC - supposedly ordered census given title king of judea by antony - this is a problem because previous kings were annointed and chosen by god, not romans rebuilt the temple herod antipas 6-39AD - next king, most infamous, at forefront of gospels of new testament 400 years since last prophet malachi sadducees - aristocratic, priestly class, written law is only authority, temple central, no afterlife/spirituality pharisees - opposed to priestly cult of temple, stressed faith in one god, law of moses and oral tradition of prophets, strict observance of jewish law, encouraged debate, synagogue as alt to temple essenes - jewish monks at qumran, waiting for messiah/christos, believed to be priest zealots - revolutionaries who wanted to restore jewish independence, tribal leadership, waiting for messiah/christos, believed to be general to drive out romans judaism and rebellion - dead sea scrolls discovered in qumran, israel 1947-1956 hebrew, aramaic writings of essenes foretold of a messiah, one who would restore kingdom of israel john the baptist, essene or zealot criticized herod and hasmonean dynasty jesus of nazareth only gospels of the new testament describe him, no writings mark - 70AD matthew, luke - 70-100AD john - 90-110 born bethlehem, descendant of david (legitimacy) preached in judea forgiveness of sins - blasphemy to pharisees new covenant - new law appointed 12 disciples - one for each tribe, symbolic healer, teacher, priest, prophet many thought he was the messiah, son of god traveled to jerusalem forewarned about his death pontius pilate/pharisees/sadducees had him arrested and crucified for treason resurrected after 3 jewish days to fulfill the new covenant - bridged the gap between God and his people saul of tarsus/saint paul, 13th apostle jewish pharisee, roman citizen, persecuted jewish sect that became christians conversion experience 47-64 spread gospel, good news became paul preached to gentiles wrote letters to other christians around the mediterranean in corinth, ephesus, philippi, rome, galatia, colossae, thessalonica added to new testament spread christianity EVERYWHERE early christian church, age of martyrs threat to rome - refused to worship emperor as divine claudius 41-54, expelled jews from rome in 49AD, later returned fire 64AD, nero's persecution peter and paul vanished from rome 60-64AD jewish rebellion 66AD - started over taxes 12th legion decimated vespasian and his son titus sent by nero to invade judea - laid waste to whole cities 70AD - herod's temple destroyed masada - jews escaped here, mountain fortress anti-semitism starts more revolts 129, 135AD 580000 jews died - diaspora (dispersal) age of martyrs disciples form church 40-80AD - jerusalem church layout bishops "overseer" presbyters - elders deacons - assistants coordination supposed from paul's letters antioch, alexandria, rome centers of christianity bishop of rome - big office archbishops - even bigger officers st ignatius, bishop of antioch 50-100AD virgin birth of christ trinity catholic meaning universal chi/rho symbol, first two letters of christ in roman ichthus - fish symbol to identify other christians cross appears hid in catacombs of rome heterogeneous christian church 100-400AD gnosticism jesus only divine, never a man light good, dark bad book of john questioned necessity of bishops denounced in 172AD arianism founded by arius from alexandria, egypt neo-platonish, complete oneness of god jesus of nazareth a man created created by god, therefore lesser rejected trinity donatism north african christians bishops must be holy age of martyrdom despotism tightened constantinople battle of milvian bridge 312 edict of milan 313 council of nicaea in 325AD 318 bishops met may of that year came up with nicene creed arians wrong, jesus is completely divine did not go away indicated growing organization of church into a hierarchical and more homogeneous entity attempted to defeate and root out any sect that did not agree with bishops