From Israelite to Jew

The Jerusalem Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, a moment that typically is said to mark in Jewish historiography the end of the "second temple period" and beginning of the "rabbinic period." But to what extent did things really change?In this episode, the last of this series, I also reflect more broadly on the series.The episode can be heard here, or on the player below. More download options are available here. It is also available on iTunes and iTunesU.

The Jewish revolt in Judea that began in 66 CE ended with the Roman destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70. Why, though, did the Jews in Judea and the Galilee revolt? And why did the Romans destroy the Temple?The episode can be heard here or on the player below. More download options can be found here. It can also be heard through iTunes and iTunesU.

This episode focuses on the years 6 CE - 66 CE, and the events leading up to the Jewish revolt. This episode includes discussions of Roman administration and the Sanhedrin.The episode can be heard here or on the player below. More download options are here. It can also be found on iTunes and iTunesU.

Without the works of the historian Josephus (36/37 CE - ca. 95) we would know little about the history of the Jews in antiquity. Yet Josephus, as a historian and a man, was a complex figure: was he a Jewish patriot or a Roman toady?The episode can be heard here or on the player below. More download options are here. The episode can also be heard on iTunes or iTunesU.

In the first century CE the area around Jerusalem teemed with small Jewish religious groups, or sects. This episode focuses on three of the most well-known of these groups: Pharisees, Sadducees, and the early followers of Jesus.The episode is available here, or in the player below. Other download options are here. It is also available on iTunes (and now on iTunesU).

What are the Dead Sea scrolls? This episode discusses their discovery, contents, and meaning.The episode can be heard here or on the player below. More download options are here. The podcast can also be heard on iTunes.

Philo Judaeus is the most well-known Jewish philosopher from antiquity. Living in Alexandria from ca. 20 BCE - 50 CE, Philo produced an astonishing corpus that has often been held up as a signal example of "Hellenistic Judaism." Who was Philo, and what was he up to?The episode can be heard here, or on the player below. More download options are here. It is also available on iTunes.

Was Herod the Great a brilliant ruler or a savage brute? This episode traces Herod's rise to power and his reign, 40 - 4 BCE.The episode can be heard here, or on the player below. More download options are here. It can also be heard on iTunes.

The religion of the Jews who lived in the Greek speaking areas of the Mediterranean is commonly called "Hellenistic Judaism". This episode explains why scholars use this term; why it is less useful than it might seem; and how it is that most of these Jews would have worshiped the God of Israel.The episode can be heard here, or in the player below. Other download options are here. It can also be accessed on iTunes.

On the origins of Jewish sectarianism in the second to first centuries, BCE, with a focus on Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and (if different) the first inhabitants of Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls would be found.The episode can be heard here, or on the player below. More download options are here. The podcast is also available on iTunes.One listener recently alerted me (thank you!) that the audio files continue to not be properly "balanced" between left and right sides. We have figured out the cause for this, and will fix it beginning with the next episode.