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The Reliability Of Josephus: Can He Be Trusted?, Eric D. Huntsman
The Reliability Of Josephus: Can He Be Trusted?, Eric D. Huntsman
BYU Studies Quarterly
The author Joseph ben Matthias ha-Cohen, like most members of the Judean upper class, lived in several worlds at once. Born in A.D. 37 to an aristocratic family of priestly lineage, Josephus was ostensibly connected with the Hasmonean family that had ruled Judea between 165 B.C. and 38 B.C. His native language was Aramaic, although the was well versed in Hebrew, which by his time was largely a liturgical language. He was an observant Jew whose religious interests led him to affiliate with the three major schools of Judaism—the Sadducees, Essenes, and the Pharisees.
Miquaot: Ritual Immersion Baths In Second Temple (Intertestamental) Jewish History, Stephen D. Ricks
Miquaot: Ritual Immersion Baths In Second Temple (Intertestamental) Jewish History, Stephen D. Ricks
BYU Studies Quarterly
One of the most intriguing developments in the archaeology of the Second Temple (intertestamental) period of Judaism occurred during excavations supervised by Yigael Yadin and other archaeologists at Masada, the residence built for King Herod the Great. While excavating the south casemate wall at Masada, these archaeologists came upon three structures that looked like a Jewish ritual bath complex—a small pool, a medium-sized pool, and a large pool. During a routine press conference, it was announced that a possible Jewish ritual bath—a miqveh—had been uncovered. News of this discovery spread quickly throughout Israel, particularly in the very orthodox Hasidic …
Alexander The Great Comes To Jerusalem: The Jewish Response To Hellenism, Cecilia M. Peek
Alexander The Great Comes To Jerusalem: The Jewish Response To Hellenism, Cecilia M. Peek
BYU Studies Quarterly
When Alexander the Great defeated the forces of Darius III near Gaugamela in 331 B.C., he became heir to the Persian empire. Palestine was among those territories acquired after his victory over the last Achaemenid ruler. For the first twenty years after Alexander's death, this region was hotly contested. The territory was assigned to Laomedon in the initial division of responsibilities in 323 B.C.; he held it until Ptolemy Soter acquired it in 320. In 315, Antigonos One-Eye seized all of Palestine; Ptolemy retrieved it from Antigonos's son Demetrius in 312. Antigonos recaptured the area in 311, but he was …
Legal And Social Perspectives On Robbers In First-Century Judea, John W. Welch
Legal And Social Perspectives On Robbers In First-Century Judea, John W. Welch
BYU Studies Quarterly
Robbers, bandits, zealots, Sicarii, and other groups operating outside of normal legal channels were prominent features on the political landscape in and around the Roman province of Judea in the first century. To an extent, the Jewish insurgents who died at Masada can be viewed as robbers or bandits within the ancient meaning of those terms. Knowing something about the prevailing laws concerning robbery and the typical characteristics of social banditry helps modern people to understand these "outlaws" and to imagine how typical Roman rulers or average Jewish citizens in that day probably viewed both the group of dissidents who …