In Chapter two Kraybill goes into more detail about the “mountain politics” and Jesus’ role in them. Because the devil tempts Jesus with “all the kingdoms of the world and all their splendor” (Matthew 4:8), Kraybill starts the chapter with a historical summary of political power before and throughout Jesus’ life in. The Persians’ finally released the Hebrews from captivity in 538 B. C. E after fifty years in Babylonian captivity. This was short lived as Alexander the Great came into power, and quickly conquered the Persians.
After Alexander’s death his empire fell due to his quarreling generals. Syria, or “The Madman”, captured the Jewish kingdom from the Egyptian’s in 198 B. C. E. The Syrian King quickly set up policies teaching Jews the Greek lifestyle. He built a gymnasium for athletic training, where Jews were made fun of for their circumcisions. “The Jewish writer of 2 Maccabees (4:14) laments that even Jewish priests had deserted their sacred responsibilities to watch sporting events—wrestling, discus throwing, and horse racing”(Kraybill).
These activities were threating Jewish identity and heritage. Although there were Jews who welcomed the Greek culture, there was a small group of traditional Jews who resented the foreign influence. “Some other Jews, however, thought they had to fight if their culture, worship, and identity were to survive here in their homeland. They were known as the Maccabeans” (Kraybill).
The Essay on Russian Jews Russia Jewish Ghettos
Russian Jews To Russian Jews, the synagogue was the center of religion and religion was the most important thing in their lives. The rabbi was their leader, they came to him with every problem they had. Jews were poor, but they all. It was said that even the poorest Jews could find someone poorer to help and give money to. According to the Jewish religion, is one of the most important mitzvah's ...
The revolts started out in the countryside. The first to start them was an old priest named Mattathias and his five sons. They terrorized the Syrians and finally in 164 B.
C. E. regained control and rededicated the temple in Jerusalem. The Romans saw an opening to take over Jerusalem in 63 B. C. E. , they besieged it for three months. On a Sabbath say, the Romans finally took the last stronghold, the temple. In 37 B. C. E. Herod the Great, a Jew, rose to power as a Roman puppet in Palestine. To get the trust of the Jewish leaders he began to renovate the temple in Jerusalem in 20 B. C. E. “To prove his sincerity he provided a thousand wagons and hired ten thousand workmen.
Moreover, he trained 1,000 priests as masons and carpenters, so unconsecrated feet wouldn’t desecrate the holy shrine during the reconstruction” (Kraybill).
It was destroyed by the Romans just seven years after completion in 70 C. E. Herod was conflicted by his Jewish roots, he kept smiles on the Romans faces but he was sympathetic to Jewish concerns. When Herod was dying he ordered Jews to be lead and held in the Jericho arena so they could be executed when he died. That way he would know the Jewish people would cry when he died even if it wasn’t for him.
After his death Herod’s kingdom was split by his three sons. There was more rioting from the Jews against the Romans. In 70 C. E. the Romans once again destroyed the temple of Jerusalem and in 135 C. E. the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. Kraybill tries to make it a point that yes Jesus was a “revolutionary rebel” in a way but he did not use violence to do so. “But his upside-down revolution replaced force with suffering and violence with love” (Kraybill).
I think that is one of the best quotes from Kraybill out of this chapter. Kraybill makes some good arguments against the people who say Jesus was a terrorist.
The first that unlike the zealous rebels who hated tax collectors, which they referred to as “traitors who exploit fellow Jews under the power of Roman rule” (Kraybill) and were ready to kill them; Jesus warmly embraced them. He even invited some of these tax collectors to join his disciples. “Jesus taught that the radical call of the kingdom undercuts loyalties to other human institutions” (Kraybill).
The Essay on Understandings of Jesus
There are probably as many understandings of Jesus as there are people who write, think or speak about him. If there was one historical Jesus, we approach that Jesus through four gospels, which suggests that even without including other gospels (so called non-canonical) Christians accept some diversity of images of Jesus. One Jesus of history produced many Christs of faith. Inside and outside ...
Another point is that Jesus refused the political temptation to rule by force. “He instructed us instead to love enemies, bless cursers, and forgive up to 490 times” (Kraybill).
He shows us that we should serve not rule. The biggest lesson of this he showed was his sacrifice on the cross. None of the Groups like Jesus. “The Romans considered him as a threat to their false political tranquility. The right-wing Sadducees hated his condemnation of their lucrative temple operation. And the freedom fighters couldn’t stand his talk about suffering” (Kraybill).
Even though he had everyone against his Jesus never resorted to violence, even though it might have been the easier choice. “Love was the new Torah, the standard of his upside-down kingdom” ( Kraybill).
