The Need for Identity
When the Jewish people were exiled into Babylon they were confronted with a culture that was totally foreign to them. They were surrounded by pagan traditions and separated from the city that had grown to represent their national identity. In this chaos, they wanted desperately to maintain their identity separate from the culture they were forced to assimilate into. This desire for a separate identity meant a redefinition of what it means to be a true follower of Yahweh. They created hope for a Messiah that would unite their national identity (Armstrong 84). They imagined a more distinct temple, with degrees of holiness that separated their religious practice from the profane culture that they were living in (Armstrong 85). They retold their creation stories and laws to reflect a divine establishment of boundaries that enforced separation between the holy and the profane (Armstrong 87). They hoped for a New Jerusalem that would make a clear distinction between themselves and other cultures (Armstrong 96). All of these new traditions were a way for the Jewish people to maintain their identity, and these traditions stayed with them for long after they returned from exile.
These traditions had lasting effects on Jewish culture that we can see almost immediately upon Isreal returning to Jerusalem. Nehemiah enforced laws such as no taxes, and people not being allowed to marry non-Jewish people as a way to continue the idea of the distinct and holy Jerusalem (Armstrong 99). When Hellenism was introduced, many Jewish people were wary of it because it would change their culture (Armstrong 103). Gentiles became unclean and were not allowed into the inner courts of the temple (Armstrong 108). When a few centuries later Antiochus outlawed Judaism, it increased their reliance on their national identity and encouraged them to fight back against their oppressors for the sake of that separateness that had become so important to them (Armstrong 113-115). When Herod placed Rome's golden eagle over the temple gate, the people saw that Rome's identity was infringing on their identity, a defilement of their sacred. This threat to the temple and their identity was unacceptable (Armstrong 139). The Jewish people were willing to die to protect the temple as a symbol of their identity. Sadly, many of them did die while attempting to prevent the temple from being destroyed (Armstrong 152). This dedication to their traditions came from the cultural shift they experienced in exile, where the Jewish people decided that they must be separate from other cultures if their culture was going to survive.
Armstrong describes the impact of this cultural shift by saying "A ruthless tendency to exclude other people would henceforth become a characteristic of the history of Jerusalem"(Armstrong 102). This exclusion, however, came from traditions that were a reaction to the desire to be a separate and holy people while they were in exile. That need for identity is what led to this cultural value of separateness that we still see the impact of today.
These traditions had lasting effects on Jewish culture that we can see almost immediately upon Isreal returning to Jerusalem. Nehemiah enforced laws such as no taxes, and people not being allowed to marry non-Jewish people as a way to continue the idea of the distinct and holy Jerusalem (Armstrong 99). When Hellenism was introduced, many Jewish people were wary of it because it would change their culture (Armstrong 103). Gentiles became unclean and were not allowed into the inner courts of the temple (Armstrong 108). When a few centuries later Antiochus outlawed Judaism, it increased their reliance on their national identity and encouraged them to fight back against their oppressors for the sake of that separateness that had become so important to them (Armstrong 113-115). When Herod placed Rome's golden eagle over the temple gate, the people saw that Rome's identity was infringing on their identity, a defilement of their sacred. This threat to the temple and their identity was unacceptable (Armstrong 139). The Jewish people were willing to die to protect the temple as a symbol of their identity. Sadly, many of them did die while attempting to prevent the temple from being destroyed (Armstrong 152). This dedication to their traditions came from the cultural shift they experienced in exile, where the Jewish people decided that they must be separate from other cultures if their culture was going to survive.
Armstrong describes the impact of this cultural shift by saying "A ruthless tendency to exclude other people would henceforth become a characteristic of the history of Jerusalem"(Armstrong 102). This exclusion, however, came from traditions that were a reaction to the desire to be a separate and holy people while they were in exile. That need for identity is what led to this cultural value of separateness that we still see the impact of today.
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