Blog #7

Hello, my name is Cesar and I'm from Rome. I recently heard of the tragedies that occurred on top of Masada. I feel that even though the Jews are our enemies, they did a very courageous action.

According to Josephus, the Sacarii, who were a sect of Jews, were having a passover Seder the night before the tragedy. Eleazar was informed that the Romans were surrounding Masada and would attack within a day or two. Eleazar then encouraged his followers to murder their family because Jews could only be slaves to G-d. After they did that, the men were killed by their officers or people that were a higher "rank" than they were until finally there were only a few people left. Since committing suicide is an unforgivable sin in Judaism, they had to murder each other. They made a circle and one started to kill another until everyone was dead except for one person who had to commit suicide. When the Romans reached Masada, almost everyone was dead except for a few women and children who escaped. Supposedly, Josephus got this story from the women.

I think that Josephus is a pretty reliable source. He is documenting for our country and is supported by out government so I presume this story can be considered factual.

Blog #6

Hello, my name is Joseph and I am here to speak on behalf of my sect, the Pharisees and to tell you my opinion on our current leader, "Herod the Great". Overall, we have been very disappointed with the reign of Herod. Herod is an impressive builder who has made many new cities, highways, and stadiums so when we heard that he was going to help rebuild our temple we thought it would be a good idea. However, when he was done building the Holy Temple, he erected a golden eagle over the gate to symbolize his allegiance to Rome. This shows how Herod has no respect for Jewish culture or the Torah. We also have seen in other occasions that he does not follow the written or oral laws of the Torah which we strongly believe in.

We have also noticed that Herod is a very cruel man and deals harshly with his opponents and family alike. An example would be when he invited his brother in law, Aristobulus III, to a banquet and had him drowned. He has started killing people that stand in his way of achieving ultimate power, this members of his immediate family. He also taxes people harshly then uses the money for his own purposes instead of using it to benefit his kingdom.

In conclusion, the Pharisees and I both are looking forward to the end of Herod's reign. His actions have shown that he does not care about the Jewish people or their traditions as much as he cares about his allegiance with Rome. His cruel nature is not consistent with the values that we Pharisees cherish the most. We cannot wait until Herod's reign of power comes to an end and we can have a new leader that can understand the core values that we believe in.

Blog # 5 - Seleucids arrive in Judea

Dear Diary,
We now have a new leader in town! They call themselves the Seleucids and they are great people! When they first came into Judea, we helped them get on their feet and gave them food and shelter and we also joined their army when they went to battle. They did not forget this and soon decided to return the favor. They have agreed to repopulate Judea and help rebuild our destroyed Temple! They also decided not to make us pay taxes and let us worship freely. I see the relationship between the Jews and the Seleucids to be a very promising one where we can maintain a good relationship with one another for years to come.

Diary Entry #4

Dear Diary,

I just heard that I’ve been accepted to the Alexandrian Gymnasium! I am so excited, and I feel I am prepared to deal with the possible dilemmas that I might face. For starters, I would have to learn how to speak Greek if I want to accomplish anything at all while I'm there. I assume that they will have a tutor that could teach me the language though so I'm not too worried about that. Another problem would be that I would have to travel very far from my farm in Judea to get there. I guess I'm going to have to get up extra early or find a new home in Alexandria. Finally, I'm going to have to pretend as though I am either not Jewish or a Hellenized Jew in order to fit in with the crowd. I hope that I will overcome these obstacles and become a huge success!

175 BCE: Antiochus IV Comes to Power

1. Jason became high priest by corruption because he promised the king

talents of silver and gold if he were to win. Also, he promised to

give even more gold and silver if permission was given to establish by

his authority a gymnasium and a body of youth for it , and to enrol the

men of Jerusalem as citizens of Antioch.

2. I think that these lawless men were people who were against most if

not all Jewish customs and wanted to see them be abolished for good.

3. The extreme example of Hellenism was that "the priests were no

longer intent upon their service at the altar." This was because Jason

accepted too many foreign cultures and ideas that the religious leaders

were no longer interested in doing their religious duties.

4. Not all Jews supported Jason because during the quadrennial games,

he decided to make an offering to Hercules but Jews only make

offerings to G-d.

1. The pre-existing community was able to help them because there were other Jews that had lived in the land that they were traveling through for a while and were able to guide them to their destination.
2. The establishment of Jewish leadership was important because then there would be law and order.
3. Taking part in banking, agriculture, and setting up an economic system also contributed to the Jewish survival.
4. Taking part in acculturation by making a calendar and taking on local names from Babylon.
5. Listening to Ezekiel and making the best of a bad situation by rebuilding their lives.

Dairy #1 – Reactions to the destruction of Temple 1

Hi, my name is Joshua and I am 9 years old. When I first heard about the destruction of the temple I did not accept that it had happened. It was most cherished and sacred thing that we had in our land. Everyone was is shock, as was I. After I later accepted that it had accually happened I felt terrible. I didn't know much about it at the time but I knew that it was a part of everyones life and that my whole family was devistated when it was destroyed. That day, everyone shared empathetic with one another. I only hope now that I can move on with my life.