University of Cincinnati
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Judaic Studies
JUDC1027: History of Jewish Civilization I: Origins to 1500
Course Assignment / Paper Title:
“Second Temple Judaism (516 BCE–70 CE): Developments in Religion, Society, and Culture”
Student Name: Daniel Goldfarb
Student ID: 10298765
Instructor: Professor Miriam Klein
Course Semester: Fall 2021
Date Submitted: November 20, 2021
Second Temple Judaism (516 BCE–70 CE): Developments in Religion, Society, and Culture
Second Temple Judaism, which lasted from about 516 BCE until 70 CE, was a time when Jewish
religious, social, and cultural identity began to take shape. After the Jews came back from being
exiled in Babylon, the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem became a central place for
prayer, ceremonial sacrifice, and community bonding, strengthening the Jews' common religious
identity (Grabbe, 2007). The Temple was not simply a place of worship, but also a political and
economic center that affected how Judea was run and how people lived.
During this time, religious life was characterized by a variety of ideas and practices. The
Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots were some of the groups that formed. They had
different ideas on how to read the Torah, how to treat the Temple, and how to deal with Roman
power (Goodman, 2007). The Pharisees stressed following the law and rituals outside of the
Temple, the Sadducees stressed the authority of priests in the Temple, and the Essenes sought
collective asceticism. Many people believed in the end of the world and the coming of a messiah,
which affected both religious belief and political engagement.
Cultural advancements encompassed the standardization of texts that subsequently constituted
the Hebrew Bible canon and the creation of literature such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, which
illuminate theological and legal discourses of the era (Collins, 2014). Diaspora groups were also
very important, especially in Alexandria, Rome, and Asia Minor. They kept Jewish identity alive
by going to synagogues, studying, and following the Torah, even if they were far away from the
Temple.
Jewish life was shaped by interactions with nearby Hellenistic and subsequently Roman cultures.
This led to changes in language, ideas, and customs, but the essential religious beliefs stayed the
same. These exchanges occasionally led to conflict, including recurrent uprisings against foreign
control, which culminated in the Roman demolition of the Second Temple in 70 CE (Goodman,
2007).
In conclusion, the Second Temple period was a time of change and growth for Judaism. It saw
the unification of religious law, the rise of many sects, and the building of communities both in
Israel and around the world. The time period set the stage for Judaism to change into rabbinic
traditions when the Temple was destroyed, which helped keep religious identity alive even while
politics were unstable.
References
Collins, J. J. (2014). An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Fortress Press.
Goodman, M. (2007). The Jews in the Roman Empire: From Pompey to Diocletian. Routledge.
Grabbe, L. L. (2007). What do we know about ancient Israel and how do we know it? T&T
Clark.
