Maccabees, Zealots, and Josephus: An Inquiry into Jewish Nationalism in the Greco-Roman Period

Cover
......Page 1
MACCABEES, ZEALOTS, AND JOSEPHUS: An Inquiry into Jewish Nationalism in the Greco-Roman Period......Page 4
PREFACE......Page 8
CONTENTS......Page 14
PART ONE: THE PROBLEM......Page 16
I: INTRODUCTION......Page 18
II: JOSEPHUS......Page 26
III: MODERN LITERATURE......Page 39
Emil Schürer......Page 49
Joseph Klausner......Page 52
Summary......Page 57
PART TWO: ANALYSIS OF EVIDENCE......Page 60
IV: JEWISH NATIONALISM AND THE TORAH......Page 62
Burning of Torah Scrolls......Page 67
Enforced Eating of Swine's Flesh......Page 69
Cultural Hellenization of Palestine......Page 71
Willingness to Fight and Kill for the Torah......Page 75
Willingness to Suffer and Die for the Torah......Page 80
Circumcision......Page 85
Sabbath Observance......Page 87
Summary......Page 96
V: JEWISH NATIONALISM AND THE TEMPLE......Page 99
The Temple Is Desecrated......Page 103
Nonviolent Resistance......Page 108
The Importance of Sennacherib......Page 112
A Last-Ditch Stand......Page 126
While the Temple Burns......Page 129
Into the Wilderness......Page 131
"Zeal for Thy House Will Consume Me"......Page 137
Summary......Page 138
VI: WERE THE MACCABEES REMEMBERED?......Page 140
The Argument from Silence......Page 141
The Maccabees Were Remembered......Page 144
Hanukkah......Page 147
Nicanor's Day......Page 160
Megillath Taanith......Page 166
VII: WAR OF THE SONS OF LIGHT AGAINST THE SONS OF DARKNESS......Page 174
A WAR OF ANGELS AND MEN......Page 178
THE TRUMPETS OF THE HOST......Page 179
EXHORTATION BEFORE THE BATTLE......Page 180
THE CONDUCT OF THE BATTLE: THE INFANTRY ATTACK......Page 181
THE ROUT OF THE ENEMY......Page 182
EXPRESSION OF CONTINUED CONFIDENCE......Page 183
PART THREE: CONCLUSIONS......Page 188
THE PROMISED LAND......Page 190
THE MACCABEES AND THE ZEALOTS......Page 192
INTERVENTION OF ANGELS......Page 196
ZEALOTS AND OTHER PATRIOTIC JEWS......Page 197
QUEST FOR THE HISTORICAL JESUS......Page 201
OCCUPATION AND RESISTANCE......Page 203
BACKGROUND OF JESUS......Page 206
JESUS REINTERPRETED......Page 211
SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS......Page 218
APPENDIX: THE DATING OF MEGILLATH TAANITH......Page 220
NOTE ON ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS CITED......Page 226
OTHER WORKS......Page 228
INDEX......Page 236