Second Century Apologetics

          Before we can describe Christian apologetics in the second century, I think we first need to clearly define what apologetics is. Almost all historians will agree that the word comes from the Greek root Aplogia meaning “to give a defense.” This does not mean that these people men in general were going around telling people they are sorry. What they were doing was writing to emperors and the highly educated of their day in attempts to answer attacks and accusations made against Christianity; while pointing out the flaws of paganism.[1] Also, “the Apologists were not content with defense. They took the offensive by attacking the pagan cults, which were mythological, irrational, and often connected with immorality.”[2]

            It is rather ironic that the very people the Apologists were arguing against were the ones accusing them of the same type of scandalous behavior or worse. For instance there was a belief that Christians were cannibals. According to Justo Gonzalez, “Since Christians spoke of being nourished by the body and blood of Christ, and since they also spoke of him as a little child, some came to the conclusion that, as an initiation rite, Christians concealed a newborn in a loaf of bread and ordered the neophyte to cut the loaf.”[3]

            Apologists in that time also played a major role in defending the church against heresies that were one the rise, about the body of Christ, and the Holy Spirit. On top of all that they were being accused of being Atheist, having orgies and committing incest. How could they be atheist because they had no visible gods then most of their greatest philosophers and poets were atheist also?[4] Gonzalez also points out that, “How can anyone believe that our worship is orgiastic and incestuous, when the rules of our conduct must be cast aside?”[5] In order to clear the air about the supposed secrecy that took place in the Christian life, especially say aspects of a worship service Justin Martyr answered most points raised, whether it had to do with baptism, the relationship of the Son to the Father, or any other doctrinal beliefs established at that time.[6]

            The way that we can respond in today’s culture is to remember what gets people’s attention, and be willing to answer their questions head on. Far too often when we are confronted we shy away from the question and do not answer what has been asked. We must take the Scripture serious when it tells us, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV)

---

[1] Bruce L. Shelley, Church History in Plain Language Second Ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995)33.

[2] Everett Ferguson, Church History Vol One: From Christ to Pre-Reformation. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005)78.

[3] Justo L.Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity Vol One: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. (New York: Harper Collins, 2010)60.

[4] Ibid, 66.

[5] Ibid, 67.

[6] Ferguson, Church History, 74.

First Century Jewish Life

For the average Jew in first century Israel life was not piece of cake. We commonly think of a tithe being only ten percent of our income, but for these Jews tithes for all of the different events could end up costing them almost fifty percent of their resources.[1] Roman people in general did not have to worry so much about their finances because their idols did not call for such obligations.

In those times another great distinction that took place had to deal with the types of homes people lived in; you had those who lived in the desert dwelling in tents, most Jews would reside in houses made of stucco or sun-dried bricks, and most Romans lived in houses of brick or concrete.[2] The houses in Palestine for the lower class were often not much more than a single room without a window, the houses often had flat roofs with fences around them (to prevent people from falling off). [3] Those with the means could afford more affluent mansions; whose remnants can be found by archeologist.[4] For the Roman upper class you would almost have a hard time distinguishing it from a modern home they had central heating, baths, and plumbing, and using oil lamps as a source of light.[5]

We are not given much information about the way Romans ate, we can assume that they must have eaten better than the average Jew depending upon their place on the social scale. However, most Jews lived on a diet of fruit, vegetables and especially bread; while some Jews in northern Palestine would eat fish.[6] Every family in Palestine was in charge or teaching their children about the law, while the communities did provide schools[7] and gave the males in particular their general education. Most females were only trained in the domestic duties of the home, except for the rare few. For the boys their career in school would usually end by the time he was twelve or thirteen years old, which at that point he would begin learning a trade to support himself and his family.[8]

For a Jew one of the most important things they owned, for some possibly the only thing they could call their own was their tunic. A tunic was a garment that would be worn year round, and generally went from the shoulder to either the knees or ankles.[9] In regards to how the people of this time got around there was an extensive road way built but travel especially for commerce was more likely to take place over the water.[10]

When dealing with entertainment the Jews enjoyed much of what we enjoy in our time, hanging out with music, and playing board games.[11]Whereas the Romans for enjoyment would take people and throw them in the ring with animal or one another and watch them die. It has been surprising that the Romans were so advanced in some ways with the way they lived while seeming barbaric in others. Then the way the Jews chose to relax almost feels like that is the way we as people were created to enjoy life.

---

[1] J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Backgrounds of the New Testament. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1995)238.

[2] Thomas D.Lea, and David Alan Black. The New Testament: Its Background and Message. (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2003)32.

[3] Ibid, 33-34.

[4] Ibid., 34.

[5] Ibid, 34.

[6] Ibid, 34.

[7] Scott, Jewish Backgrounds, 257.

[8] Ibid, 258.

[9] Lea, New Testament, 35.

[10] Ibid, 39.

[11] Ibid, 40.

The State of Jewish worship in Jesus' Time

The Jews of the Intertestamental period devoted themselves to two main places of worship the first was the Temple in Jerusalem and the second was their local synagogue. For the average Jew of this time the synagogue became the most important place of worship. Understanding the roles that each of these places played in the time of Christ, will enlighten us to a deeper understanding of what the scriptures are saying without saying it specifically.

                        The Temple in particular was in the process of being rebuilt after its destruction in 586 B.C. with the Babylonian invasion. It would be completed around 63 A.D. only to be destroyed again in 70 A.D.  According to Lea and Black, “Within the daily life of the temple, priest presided over offerings in the morning and the afternoon, and sacrifices for Caesar and the Roman nation were also offered.”[1] Most people would assume that the high priest presided over the worship regularly, when in actuality it was only on the Sabbath and festival days.[2] While the temple at one point held high honor amongst the Jewish people, “the significance of the temple in Intertestamental Judaism was then, largely symbolic and sentimental. It was the visible center of the religious life and pride of the nation. Nevertheless, in fact, its role and function were in decline.”[3]

            With the role of the temple on the decline that meant something else was on the rise and that would be the synagogue. Most scholars will agree that we do not have an exact date for the beginning of the synagogue; however it is assumed they originated in the time of exile. If you take a moment to read what Lea and Black say of the service in a synagogue, and you did not know they were referring to an ancient Jewish service you would feel as though you were in a modern day church service. Listen to what they had to say,

The synagogue service consisted of a recitation of the Jewish creed known as the Shema (see Deut. 6:4-5). This recitation was accompanied with praises to God known as the Shemone Esreh and was followed by a ritual prayer….The reading of Scriptures was followed by a sermon, explaining the portion that had been read. A blessing by the priest closed the service.[4]

I am part of a PCA church where we have multiple Scripture readings, sing praises to God, several prayers are offered, and then the pastor will read the Scripture, teach from it, we sing a closing song and receive the benediction. We do not however have eighteen benedictions in the middle of our service. So this is more than likely where we get our model for a service which makes me appreciate it all the more.

---

[1]Thomas D. Lea, and David Alan Black. The New Testament: Its Background and Message. (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2003)60.

[2] J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Backgrounds of the New Testament. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1995)150.

[3] Ibid, 155.

[4] Lea, New Testament, 63.

A Quick Study Of Herod and His Dynasty

Trace the history of Herod the Great and the Herodians.  What were their major contributions to the history of Judaism and the Jews?  What were their main failures?

            According to most scholars the Herodian dynasty lasted from around 40 B.C through the year 100 A.D. This of course began with the man himself Herod the Great who was the first ruler of the Jewish people after the Hasmoneans. Herod’s father was Antipater II was a man who supported Hyrcanus II, while appointing his son Phasael as governor over Jerusalem and Herod as governor of Galilee.[1] Herod’s rule is usually broken up into three parts consolidation, prosperity, and turbulence. The time of consolidation lasted from around 37 B.C. until the last of the male representatives of the Hasmonean family were gone in 25 B.C.[2] When Herod first came to power he was respected by the Romans and the Jews, however over time he became more and more paranoid and eventually he ended up having numerous people in his family murdered; including his wife and several of his sons.  After the death of Herod the mantle would pass on to three of his sons; Achelaus, Philip the Tetrarch, and Herod Antipas.

            While Herod the Great may have been an evil murder of a man, he was also a great architectural mind. He would build many great things but his crowning achievement would be the Temple in Jerusalem which was completed sixty-seven years after his death. According to Lea and Black, “The temple was redecorated with white marble, gold and jewels and became renowned for its splendor and lavish appearance.”[3] He would go on to make Jerusalem strong again by building or repairing a strong wall around the city, and then create a new harbor city which he called Caesarea after the emperor Caesar.[4] While under Herodain rule there was stability in the land, which was important for Rome because it was a buffer state between them and the Parthians. The Herodian rulers did fall in love with certain aspects of the Hellenistic lifestyle but were aware of Jewish religious sensitivities, which is something Roman rulers lacked and there was unrest in the region under their rule.[5]

            Even though the Herodians may have kept the official heavy hand of Roman rule at bay they were no saints. One of the worst things they could have done was exactly what they did. They were abusing the office of the high priest. This was originally an office established to be passed down through a family line and served in for a lifetime. However, that is not how Herod and other Roman officials saw things. According to Scott, “…they installed and deposed chief priest at their pleasure. Josephus lists twenty-eight different persons who held the office between 37 B.C. and the suppression of the revolt in A.D. 70.”[6]

---

[1] Criag A.Evans, and Stanley E. Porter,  Dictionary of New Testament Background. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000)485.

[2] Ibid., 486.

[3] Thomas D.Lea, and David Alan Black. The New Testament: Its Background and Message. (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2003)25.

[4] Ibid., 25.

[5] Bruce M.Metzger, and Michael D. Coogan, . The Oxford Companion to the Bible. (New York: Oxford Press, 1993)284.

[6] J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Backgrounds of the New Testament. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1995)92.

A Brief Discussion of Hellenism

Discuss the origins and influence of Hellenism in Israel during the Intertestamental Period.  Be sure to identify any problems this movement caused for the Jews and describe the Jewish response to these problems.  Which Hellenistic rulers most aggressively tried to influence Jews with Hellenism?  How did Hellenism positively and negatively impact the Jews?  What modern movement parallels the rise of Hellenism?

            For most of us who are studying some form of history when we hear the term Hellenism, I assume it brings to mind the reign of Alexander the Great. He is the person most often associated with the spread of the Hellenistic way of life. In fact that was his goal as he sought to conquer as many lands as possible and make them more Greek. According to Julius Scott, “Alexander deliberately set out spread Greek culture. His army was accompanied by city planners and architects, literary figures and philosophers, biologist and botanists, musicians and actors, and other purveyors of culture.”[1]

            With Hellenism coming into Jewish culture that posed a big problem because for the Jews the way they lived demonstrated their faithfulness to God and their status as his “chosen people.”[2] The Jewish people faced two major crises in the sixth and fourth centuries; one was military and political and the other was cultural. With the rise of Hellenism the way Juduaism was practiced changed dramatically, it went from being a religion built upon the temple and ceremonial worship to a religion of morality and ethics.[3] One of the biggest changes that was noticed is that in this period the temple is no longer the only place to worship because synagogues are becoming more prominent.

            In order for a town to establish a synagogue it need to have at least ten men. Another reaction that took place was a heavy defense of the authority of the Scriptures for their time. Because if they allowed those to be desecrated it would have vast implications on everything they understood about God, life and everything else.

            There were some very different reactions to the rise of Hellenism in the Jewish community. They ranged from those who were willing to completely dessert their Hebrew roots and adopt paganism even if it meant hurting their own people and culture.[4]  Scott emphasizes that,

At the other extreme were those who, like the original Maccabees, fought against the incursion of the new, or at least parts of it. Between the extremes were those who withstood but without violence, resorting to passive resistance or apathy toward Hellenism. Some groups and individuals seem to have emphasized, or maybe overemphasized, Hebraic distinctive against Greek influence. Hellenist Judaism represents the road of compromise, the attempt to be both a part of the new world order and a loyal Jew at the same time.[5]

Antiochus IV was more determined than some other that Judea was going to become Hellenized one way or another. The spread of Hellenism allowed the Jews to become more involved in trade because of the use of a common language throughout the region. It also allowed the books of the OT to be translated into Greek which would allow for the possibility of more proselytes.

            The only movement that I can think of for this time frame that would be anything like Hellenism would be Islam; I say that because of the way the laws are enforced and how when it consumes a region it changes everything around it.

---

[1] J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Backgrounds of the New Testament. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1995)112.

[2] Ibid., 118.

[3] Ibid., 122.

[4] Ibid., 145.

[5] Ibid., 145.