The books 1 and 2 Maccabees focus on the rebellion of the Jewish people of Jerusalem against the hellenization of their city. While the events of both books are ultimately defined by the Jewish faith as demonstrated by the works’ protagonists, the two books utilize different aspects of that faith; 1 Maccabees is written in a mostly historical manner, showing chronologically how the actions of Jewish individuals contributed to the revolt against the hellenization of Jerusalem, but 2 Maccabees takes the focus away from Jewish people and places it with the Jewish God, declaring that it was his intervention which allowed the Jews to overcome the ungodly act of hellenization in their city. The aim of each author, to promote the Jewish community …show more content…
In 1 Maccabees it was Jewish citizens who started the process of Hellenization in Jerusalem, opting to construct a gymnasium in their city: “[the king] authorized them to observe the ordinances of the Gentiles. So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, according to Gentile custom” (1 Maccabees, 1.13-14). Furthermore, these Jewish citizens of Jerusalem went on to “remove… the marks of circumcision” (1 Maccabees, 1.15). It is clear through the language that the author of the piece uses to describe these people (“lawless men” who “sold themselves to do evil”) that they are to be viewed unfavorably and seen as if they are destroying the faith (1 Maccabees, 1.11-15). The author doesn’t just show those people who should not be emulated, however, but provides a depiction of the model Jew: “Mattathias and his friends went about and tore down the altars; they forcibly circumcised all the uncircumcised boys that they found within the borders of Israel,” writes the author (1 Maccabees, 2.46-47). These two passages from 1 Maccabees provide a perfect balance to the reader, first denouncing that which should not be committed by those who practice the Jewish faith and then providing an example of how those who practice the Jewish faith should choose …show more content…
While the promotion of the Jewish faith and the Jewish community of Jerusalem over that of the Hellenistic invaders is the aim of the authors of both pieces, the understanding of what it is that they are promoting is fundamentally different. The author of 1 Maccabees presents a Jewish faith that is constructed with levels of faithfulness; one can subscribe to some of the actions necessary of followers of the religion while not taking part in others, given extenuating circumstances. People, in the eyes of 1 Maccabee’s author, will maintain their position as Jewish without needing to be one-hundred percent devout at all times. The author of 2 Maccabees, on the other hand, presents a Jewish faith that is immensely strict. Despite facing pressures of self-preservation, the individuals presented by 2 Maccabee’s author are unwavering in their devotion to their faith, they simply continue to follow their beliefs and God acts for them according to the necessities of the situation; this presents an image of Judaism in 2 Maccabees as being very black and white, either an individual is Jewish or they are not. It is important for a reader of both Maccabees books to make the distinction that although both authors are attempting to accomplish the same thing, there is a clear
A brief glance at Jewish history is all that is needed to reveal the eclectic nature of the religion. The constant settlement and exiling that the Jews faced throughout history led to the multi-cultural influence upon the religion. One influential area was Eastern Europe as it became the location of “the Jewish Enlightenment.” During this period of Enlightenment, Jewish scholars – such as Judah Leib Gordon – expressed many facets of attitudes and perspectives that emerged with the onset of Jewish modernity. Judah Leib Gordon was known for his Hebrew poetry, most notably “Awake my People!” which presented an embracement of the surrounding culture in contrast to “For Whom Do I Toil?” which he wrote much later, and called for a return to traditional
To begin with, the dual narratives of the text here present a unique mixture of chronology and perspective. Moreover, noteworthy is also McBride’s usage of the rhetorical strategy of alternate chapters and parallelism. This can be seen when McBride remarkably places related chapters together to juxtapose the life of his mother and that of himself. This allows one to observe the parallelism in the two lives; and perhaps more importantly, understand the significance Ruth’s life has had on McBride. For example, McBride places the chapters “Shul” and “School” next to each other. Here, both Ruth and James are struggling and are trying to fit in but are rejected due to racial and social conflicts. Another example is, “The New Testament” and “The Old Testament.” Both of these chapters revolve around the embarrassment Ruth and James feel for their circumstances. In “The Ne...
In the beganning of the book the Jewish people were very suppotive of each other,but as thier lives but as individuals survival is on the line, they abandon one another. As many Jews face death the begain to protect themselves rather than helping others. As time progress many show fight between morality and selfishness to display.The first hint the morality decline
To begin with, the dual narratives of the text here present a unique mixture of chronology and perspective. Moreover, noteworthy is also McBride’s usage of the rhetorical strategy of alternate chapters and parallelism. This can be seen when McBride remarkably places related chapters together to juxtapose the life of his mother and that of himself. This allows one to observe the parallelism in the two lives and to understand the significance Rachel's life had on McBride. For example, McBride places the chapter titled “Shul” and “School” next to each other with each giving a view of the problems they faced in school. Here both Ruth and James are struggling and are trying to fit in but are rejected due to racial and social conflicts. Another example is “The New Testament” and “The Old Testament.” Both of these chapters revolve around the embarrassm...
The Exodus of the Israelites is the equivalent to our present day Fourth of July or Bastille Day to the French. Israelite writers discuss the Exodus the most out of any other event in history. The story of the Exodus is one of the most famous stories of the Old Testament. Three of the most significant aspects of the story of Exodus are the call of Moses, the use of plagues as miracles, and the Passover.
Through previously analysing examples of early Christian anti-Judaism, this chapter provides an insight into the connection between early Christian anti-Judaic attitudes and the Nazi understanding of the Jews. As Ruether contends that Christian anti-Semitism originates from the ‘left hand of Christology’, it will become apparent through analysing Nazi ideology and propaganda how early Christian anti-Judaism is repeated in the Nazi depiction of the Jews. Conversely, it is counter argued by Langmuir that Nazi anti-Semitism differed from early Christian anti-Judaism and therefore was not a continuation of anti-Judaism. He contends that despite the medieval church referring to the Jews as blind to the truth and the symbol of disbelief, medieval authorities did not condone the slaughter of the Jews. Therefore, it can be argued that there is not a direct connection between anti-Judaism and the racial anti-Semitism adopted by the Nazis. In response to Langmuir’s argument, the racial hatred for the Jews expressed by the Nazis, as with any hatred, has to have an origin and a trigger point which generates the feelings of contempt. For example, Christian contempt for Jews originates from the idea that the Jews were responsible for the death of Christ. Taking this into account, Langmuir’s argument is problematic and this chapter will reveal the repetition of early Christian anti-Judaism in Nazi propaganda. Although the Nazis interpreted the Jews from a racial discriminative standpoint, which was distinct to the early Church Fathers portrayal of the Jews, they used Christian anti-Judaic accusations and stereotypes of Jews to contribute to their portrayal of the Jewish race. This leads to the conclusion that the Nazis were influenced by the...
It is mentioned that the bishops tell the common folk that “the Jews have stolen your religion and yet the Jews live with you in your own land.” As a result, these words create violence as the common folk “rush out together in search of Jews, and when they find one they kill him.” The killings and violence committed during this time was also predominately recognized as acts of vengeance for many bishops and other Christians deem “the Jews as Christ-killers.” Again, this idea supports the notion that Jews created mischief and thus, the cruelty directed to them is understandable and
Religion has been taught as a set of beliefs that relates to the forces of nature, a cause, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a deity and/or associates. It would often contain a moral pull to themselves and onto others and creates the goodness they believe in and what they think what is right and what is wrong. Whatever the religion they worship, many of them strongly believes on their beliefs and their ties would become so powerful, it could give hope to many, or be seen as a controlling cult. In their own way, they are their own utopia and society like the books, "The Giver" and "Fahrenheit 451." Though not all, the worshippers believe the other is wrong and tries to convert or condemns them, they never think about, these religions have more in common.
Both Christianity and Judaism are religions that have some relationship between them as much as they also have differences. Judaism and Christianity developed on the basis obeying God, on adherence to his rules and fulfillment of God’s will is a duty of a Jewish or Christian person, both religions fall into the rule deontological category.
The Book of Daniel is the only full-blown apocalyptic book in the Protestant recognized version of the Canon. A literary device divides the book into two halves. Chapters 1-6 are a collection of stories that introduces the reader to Daniel and three other Israelites as unwilling guests of the Babylonian Empire ruled by Nebuchadnezzar. The second half, Chapters 7-12, consists of apocalyptic imagery of deformed beasts and the heavenly court. The focus of this paper will be on chapter 7, which serves as a bridge between the two halves.
...ht and the damnation of the Children of Darkness. Much like the eschatological traits found in John, this message is one of hope and perseverance. Where John emphasizes the role of hope for the near future in which salvation was within reach, the War Scroll focuses on perseverance in the hope for the dawning of the battle between the Sons of Light and Sons of Darkness culminating in the abolition of evil and dualism. These thematic parallels are of significant value to the understanding of the influence of the community at Qumran on the author of the Fourth Gospel; so impressive are these parallels that they can not simply be attributed to the concept of a common Jewish milieu of late Second Temple Judaism. In eschatological terms, the corresponding ideals of the two communities are suggestive of a Johannine author who was influenced by the society at Qumran.
In the story Dubliners by James Joyce, he writes about a few different themes, some of these being autonomy, responsibility, light, and dark. The most important of the themes though must be the individual character in the story against the community and the way they see it. I have chosen to take a closer look at “Araby,” “Eveline,” and “The Dead” because the great display of these themes I feel is fascinating. Many things affect the way the individual characters see the community, for example their family, friends, fellow citizens, or even new places. In Dubliners, the way the characters see the community affects them and other people around them.
Judaism is one of the main religions in the world today along with Christianity and Islam. The three religious beliefs share similar patriarchs and origins that have roots to Abraham. The differences that exist between Islam and Judaism are apparent, however, these are less distinct when a comparison is made between Christianity and Judaism. Regardless of the similarities that exist in the two religions, Judaism has many interesting and sometimes puzzling features. The paper will illustrate the features that I found interesting in Judaism and those that are more difficult to grasp and understand.
Throughout Jewish History we have seen significant transitions from 2,000 B.C.E. to 1492 C.E. These transitions changed many different aspects of Jewish life. There are three specific events or turning points that caused tremendous change in Jewish life and had many ramifications. These three events were the Formation of the United Monarchy, the Rise of Hellenism and the Golden Age of Spain. Each of these transitions impacted Judaism in different ways that changed it forever. The different groups of people involved changed different parts of Jewish life including linguistics, politics, traditions, and literature.
Judaism and Christianity are two of the most commonly known religions in the world. The latter is practiced by more than 2.2 billion people—by far the largest practiced faith. The former is practiced by a far smaller population—about 14 million. Despite the significant difference in the amount of people belonging to either religion, they share a history, and compare in far more ways than people realize. However, Judaism and Christianity are also far more different than people realize, as well.