Jewish History

I. History in the Torah

II. History in Judges, Kings, Chronicles

A. The Judges – 13^th – 11^th century BC

B. The Unified Kingdom (11th-10th centuries BC) – Saul, David, Solomon, First Temple

C. The Two Kingdoms (10th-8th centuries BC): “Israel” and “Judah”

D. The Babylonian Captivity (7th – 6th centuries BC)

E. The Restored Judean Kingdom (6^th-4^th centuries BC)

1. Ezra and Nehemiah

2. Building of the Second Temple

3. Beginnings of the Talmud (final written form: 5^th cent. AD)

III. Greek and Roman rule (4th-3rd centuries BC)

A. Revolt of the Maccabees re-establishes independence in 2^nd century BC

B. Roman rule begins later in 2^nd century

C. Jews revolt, Romans destroy Temple in 70 AD and Jerusalem itself in 135 AD

D. Rise of Rabbinic Judaism, centered on synagogues

IV. The Diaspora

A. “Sephardic” and “Ashkenazic” Jewry

B. Persecutions in Europe’s middle ages

C. 19^th century AD: Reform, Orthodox, Conservative branches

D. The Holocaust

V. The State of Israel

Roman History: 753 BC to 1453 AD

• 753: Romulus the first king of Rome
• 509: The Roman Republic (dominates Italy by 264 - map)
• 264-136: Punic Wars: Rome soon dominates the western Mediterranean (map)
• Civil wars in 2^nd and 1^st centuries BC
• 27 BC – 68 AD: Rule of the Julio-Claudians:
• Julius Caesar
• Augustus Caesar consolidates Roman power in whole Mediterranean area (map)
• 19 BC: The Aeneid
• 306 – 337: Constantine the Great
• 476: End of the western empire (map)
• 1453: End of the eastern empire (map)

Roman Values in Virgil’s time

• Reverence for the gods
• Order and authority / patriotism and “piety”
• Patriarchy