Understanding the temple Flashcards
Who was Flavius Josephus?
A Jew who fought in the Jewish revolt; but after being defeated he switched sides and joined the Romans. His book describes the different Jewish groups. Much of what we know about them come from his writings in ‘antiquities of the Jews’
Why was the original temple built?
Built by King David’s son, Solomon, as a place to house the ark of the covenant
What happened to the temple in 586 BCE?
The Babylonians destroyed it and the ark of the covenant vanished
What did the Babylonian exiles do upon returning to their homeland?
They began building a new temple, modelled on the original, which would eventually be completed in 516 BCE
What was the Sanhedrin?
A parliament formed by the 70 leading priests that met every day to rule on cases where Jewish laws were broken
How did Jews feel about the high priests?
They were political appointees, often appointed by Gentiles and foreigners, and so were widely distrusted by many Jews
What was the temple used for?
Animal sacrifice, as the Old Testament instructs Jews to sacrifice various types of animal to God.
What was a temple tax?
Something ordinary Jews could pay to the priests so an animal could be sacrificed on their behalf; this was usually done to remove a sin and make themselves pure before God
How many animals were brought to the temple to be slaughtered each year?
Millions
Only what type of animals can be sacrificed?
Unblemished (physically perfect)
Why was Roman money changed inside the temple?
- Because it had pictures of the emporor on it, and he claimed to be a God
- Worshippers had to pay their temple tax in shekels
- It allowed the temple to make a profit
What was ironic about the silver shekel?
It had pagan images on it too
How did the temple make money?
- Animal sellers
- Money changers
- Tour guide operators
- Priests advising people on what sacrifices to offer
- Gift shops selling souvenirs
How did many Jews begin to see the temple?
A profut-driven business run by politicians rather than a place to worship God
Why was central religious outside the reach of many ordianry Jews at this time?
Travelling to the temple each year as a pilgrim and paying for a sacrificial lamb at passover was expensive
