HERITAGE: Civilization and the jews - PBS

R E S O U R C E
T E A C H E R ’ S
HERITAGE:
CIVILIZATION AND THE JEWS
PROGRAM TWO:
THE POWER OF THE WORD
(586 B.C.E. - 72 C.E.)
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat, sat and wept, we thought of
Zion. [Psalm 137:1]
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
the western Mediterranean. By 288 B.C.E, they controlled most of the Italian
peninsula. The Roman empire continued to expand throughout the next
two centuries, eventually defeating all of the Hellenistic powers. In the faction-torn
independent Judean state, a battle for succession in the year 63
The ancient world saw the successive rise and fall of empires. B.C.E provided a pretext for the eventual establishment of Roman rule over
From the 6th century B.C.E. to the 2nd century C.E., the Land of Judea.That rule was to last, in one form or another, until the Arab conquest
Israel was conquered first by the Persians, then the Greeks, and in the 7th century C.E
finally the Romans. Each empire incorporated the strategically located
land into its own domain and left an indelible mark on Judaism and the
history of the Jews.
The Persians began their expansion under Cyrus, who in 539 B.C.E put an
end to the Babylonian Empire. Cyrus permitted the exiled Jews to return to
the sub-province of Judea (consisting of Jerusalem and its environs) and to
The confrontation between Jews and Romans in the first two centuries
of the common era (C.E) was a bloody and tragic chapter in Jewish history.
The most fateful event was the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70
C.E Paradoxically, this cataclysm unleashed powerful creative forces within
Judaism. In response to the challenge, Jews fashioned legal and theological
foundations for Judaism that have lasted to the present day.
reestablish the Temple. According to some historians, it was during this
time that the Torah (the Five Books of Moses) may have been completed ACTIVITIES
and canonized as sacred scripture.
MAP
During the 5th century B.C.E, the Athenians tried to build their own
THE WORLD OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT, 323 B.C.E.
empire on the Aegean Sea. Although the Athenian empire was one of the
Instructions are on the Student Worksheet. Correct answers are:
smallest and shortest-lived of the ancient states, it made some of the most
✓(1) E (2) D ✓(3) C ✓(4) A ✓(5) B
significant contributions to Western culture. Athens was home to Socrates,
Plato, and Aristotle, and to the great tragic playwrights Aeschylus,
Sophocles, and Euripides. The defeat of the Athenians in 404 B.C.E at the
hands of a league of other Greek city-states led to the birth of a Greek, or
more accurately, Hellenistic Empire.The Greek Macedonians, led first
by Philip II, and subsequently by his son Alexander, conquered
virtually all of the territories formerly held by
the Persians, including Judea.
At the end of the 3rd century B.C.E, the
Hellenized rulers of Syria known as the
USING PRIMARY DOCUMENTS
THE SAYINGS OF HILLEL
The sayings of Hillel (see Student Worksheet) typify Pharisaic
Judaism, by emphasizing morality. As such, they provide
an excellent basis for a discussion about values.
Begin the lesson by putting the following
five words on the board: fame,
knowledge, patience, courage, and
Seleucids wrested control of Judea from
wealth. Ask the students to
the Ptolemys, the Hellenized rulers of
Egypt. Once again the political affairs of
the Jews were thrown into turmoil. The
second of the Seleucid rulers of Judea
was the infamous Antiochus IV, during
whose reign Judaism came under attack.
Judah the Maccabee led a revolt in 164 B.C.E
and full Jewish sovereignty was established in
Judea in 140 B.C.E. For close to a century, the
Hasmonean dynasty founded by Judah’s brothers
ruled the Judean state.
rearrange them in order of importance.
Have some put their lists on
the board. Discuss with the class
and agree on a definition of “values.”
Then read and discuss Hillel’s
sayings in terms of the values they
represent. Ask the students to list them
in order of importance and to give examples
of how each might apply to real-life situations.
Some students may recognize the first saying
as the Golden Rule: Whatever you do not wish your
While the Hellenistic dynasties dominated western Asia
neighbor to do to you, do not do to him. Jesus later changed
Bar Kochba coin,
and Egypt, the Romans began to form an empire in Italy and
2nd Century C.E.
this to: All things that you wish men to do to you, you must
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