It is not necessary to have taken part in Part I of this course to sign up for Part II.

Part II of David Wittenberg’s course, A History of the Jewish People in Antiquity, continues with the periods of limited self-rule of the Jewish people interspersed with periods of direct foreign rule.  As in Part I, there will be an emphasis on the influence of other great civilizations of the ancient world:  Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman.  Particular attention will be given to the impact of Hellenistic culture and Greek rule.  Both of those influences had profound effects on the way the Jewish religion evolved.  The course will conclude with a survey of the era of Roman rule, the revolt against it, a discussion of the role of Jesus within the context of that revolt, and the transition to rabbinic Judaism.

Time allowing, both along the way and at the end of the course, an attempt will be made to assay the continuities and discontinuities of this history and to assess how they may inform our outlook as Secular Humanist Jews.

These are the topics that will be covered in each session:
Session 1:  The Babylonian Captivity
Session 2:  The Return from Exile
Session 3:  The Ascendancy of Priestly Rule
Session 4:  The Samaritans:  A Remnant of Israel?
Session 5:  The Hellenistic Age
Session 6:  Romans and Revolt
Session 7:  Jewish Sectarianism and Rabbinic Judaism

Please register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtduuorjMqHdZ15Mxk6-Xw3yarEKbtt83H

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.