The Jewish People in Classical Antiquity: From Alexander to Bar Kochba Review

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(More customer reviews)A must read for any serious, or even half-serious student of the Bible or of the Palestinian history of 2000 years ago. Helps you understand some of the actors in the drama and how they affected and in turn were affected by the events of those years.You may know that Herod killed some of his sons, but did you know that he had 10 wives?After you find how he was treated when he was a young upstart, you almost feel sorry for the guy; you can almost understand his reactions.Despite the hundreds of characters in the story, so many of them with the same name, the reading is easy and smooth.In the last chapter, dealing with the first Jewish war, the story reaches a crescendo like a popular thriller.Here you view the Jews inside the Jerusalem walls, divided in three factions, furiously fighting and killing each other and burning their own food supplies; outside the Roman army is encamped, waiting for orders from one or other of their four emperors who were elected that year (some lasted less than a month before they were assassinated in the Senate,) and in the meantime hauling trees from ten miles away to crucify the escapees from the city. The only disappointment in the book is that so little is known and could be written about the revolts in 115 and 135AD.

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New Testament History Review

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(More customer reviews)In this book Dr. Bruce explores Jewish and Christian history leading up to and including the time of the early Christian church, focussing mainly on the centuries immediately surrounding Jesus' life.

Bruce looks at both Biblical and external sources to tell of the major political, sociological and religious themes of the period from an historical perspective.He provides a running assessment of the degree reliability of each along with the content they provide.Bruce strikes an honourable balance: not "critically" dismissing Biblical evidence as unreliable, not picking out of it the elements that happen to agree with his preconceptions as the only reliable bits, but also not accepting the New Testament record without even considering any other sources to understand its contextual meaning.He rather builds the history of the current events to give context to the different views expressed in each source as they were being written.Generally, Bruce finds the Biblical documents as trust-worthy, while for example dividing Josephus' writings into the bits that are more accurate and those which were likely "spun" to gain the favour of his audience.

This book is structured largely chronologically.

In the period from the Hasmoneans through the time of Jesus, Bruce looks at the various competing schools of thought within Judaism, and provides insight into how they tie together.The intrigue by which the Herod who kills the infants of Bethlehem kills his own children, the politics around which the various governing parties who periodically appoint and fire high priests, the influence between Jewish and Roman rulers, the structure of the TNK Old Testament which explains Jesus' own quotes, all add depth to what I have long been familiar with from the Bible itself.

In the era immediately following Jesus, Bruce casts light on the differences between the Jewish and Gentile churches, and provides context around much of Paul's and Luke's writings in this light.Most of the discussion on this period within the church is limited to the New Testament documents, though the fewer details available from external sources are also listed.Finally, Bruce describes how after Titus' destruction of the Temple, the various schools within Judaism were reduced to one "accepted" thread which no longer included Christianity.

Bruce introduces us to variants in the historical record - including such factors as people not well familiar with Christianity referring the Jesus not as Christos, but rather Chrestos - a common slave name - or how the (Christian) "Nazarenes" were confused with another sect, the "Nazaraeans".There are several such changes in expression -- very similar in the language of the day, but totally lost on those of us who speak languages to the west of Greek -- that are interesting and provide some insight into how non-Christians then and now today see Christianity.

I am saddened first to read Dr. Bruce's work only now, 14 years after his "glorification" (to use an example of the New Testament language he interprets for us).Equally, though, we are fortunate to still benefit from his knowledge and wisdom now.I heartily commend this book to everyone who values the New Testament, to better understand the backdrop of the world in which its authors lived and wrote.

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This book recounts the Roman and Jewish context of New Testament times...the lives of John andJesus, and the history of the first two generationsof the Church.

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