After studying this chapter, students should understand and be able to discuss the following:
The milestones of Hebrew history from about 2000 BCE to the destruction of the Third Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE
The close connection between Hebrew history and the beliefs and practices of Judaism
The key ideas of Judaism, including the covenant, Mosaic law, and ethical monotheism
The three different temples built by the Jews and the symbolic importance of the temple in the Jewish faith
The definition and significance of the Babylonian Captivity
The Zoroastrian ideas that became a part of Judaism after the Babylonian exile
The threat to Jewish civilization posed by the Hellenistic and Roman conquerors
The rise of Rabbinic Judaism
The evolving role of women in Hebrew society
The parts of the Hebrew Bible, their dates of canonization, and their leading themes
The impact of the Second Commandment on Jewish art and architecture
The achievements of Jewish artists and architects of the biblical period
The origins of Christianity in Judaism
The sources for the life of Jesus Christ
The parts of the specifically Christian scriptures, their date of canonization, and their leading themes
The influence of Jewish ideas, beliefs, and practices on the early Christian church
The influence of Greco-Roman religions and philosophies and Roman civilization on Christian beliefs and organization
The changing attitude of the Roman authorities to the Christian religion
The appeal of Christianity to women
The attitudes of Roman writers to early Christianity
Tertullian's and Origen's differing views of Greco-Roman civilization and humanism
Women writers' impact on early Christianity
The nature of early Christian art, its themes, its symbols, and its artistic style
The historic "firsts" of biblical Judaism that became part of the Western tradition: monotheism; high moral standards for society; social justice for all, including the poor and the powerless; and a canon of scriptures
The historic "firsts" of early Christianity that became part of the Western tradition: a belief system that expressed uncompromising hostility to the prevailing culture and the secular state
The role of early Christianity in transmitting the heritage of Judaism and Greco-Roman humanism: redirecting Jewish monotheism to an international audience, regardless of racial and ethnic backgrounds; substituting Jesus' golden rule for Judaism's ethical teachings; perpetuating the commandment to give social justice to all; adopting the Jewish canon and enlarging it to include Christian writings; incorporating Greco-Roman subjects, themes, and styles into Christian art; and placing Greco-Roman philosophy in the service of religion
