M E STD M50B Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Hellenistic Judaism, The Jewish War, Septuagint

• School: UCLA
• Department: Middle Eastern Studies
• Course: M E STD M50B
• Professor: Professor Westbrook

Document Summary

1-25-17 hellenistic judaism and judaism in the first century. Right now c 333 bce into the common era. There is a return of people to jerusalem after exile. Figuring out what it means to be jewish in that context. Cultural shift to greek culture because alexander the great takes over this region. Some wanted to reverse their circumcision to t in with the greco culture. There were also jews who did not want to assimilate at all. Story is 70 jewish translators all independently translated torah and all independently came to the exact same product. The ordering of the septuagint is important to the ordering of the bible today as far as protestant, catholic, and orthodox churches. Ordering of the old testament traces in large part to this ordering. Koine greek is the greek of the new testament. He strongly advocated assimilation to greek culture by force. Prohibited both the reading and teaching of mosaic law.