Jerusalem: Portrait of the City in the Second Temple Period (538 B.C.E. – 70 C.E.)

Contents

Contents Preface xi Introduction Xlll Part I. From Cyrus to the Hasmoneans Chapter 1. The Persian Era (539-332 B.C.E.) 3 The Restoration ofCity and Temple 8 The First Returnees: Hopes Thwarted by Hardships 12 The Temple Rebuilt 15 The Era ofEzra and Nehemiah 20 Ezra 20 Nehemiah 23 Religious Reforms 28 The Enigmatic Fourth Century B.C.E. 31 The Persian Era in Perspective 42 Chapter 2. The Hellenistic Era (332-141 B.C.E.) 45 The Ptolemaic Era (301-198 B.C.E.) 48 Leadership of the City 51 In the Hellenistic Orbit 54 Judaism in Ptolemaic Jerusalem 60 The Seleucid Era (198-141 B.C.E.) 65 The Decrees of Antiochus III 65 Jason's Reforms and Their Aftermath 69 The Seleucid Akra 75 Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt 78 vii viii CONTENTS Dedication of the Temple and the Festival of Hanukkah 82 Jerusalem under Jonathan the Hasmonean 86 Chapter 3. The Hasmonean Era (141-63 B.C.E.) 91 The Hasmonean Factor in Jerusalem Society 92 Biblical Precedents 93 The Wedding of Politics and Religion 95 Between Judaism and Hellenism 97 Three Episodes in Hasmonean Jerusalem 99 The Great Assembly and Simon's Installation-140 B.C.E. 99 The Siege ofJerusalem byAntiochus vn (ca. 134-132 B.C.E.) 102 Civil Disobedience and Rebellion under Alexander Jannaeus 104 The Urban Setting 106 Political and Religious Groupings in Hasmonean Jerusalem 114 Hever Ha-Yehudim 114 The Priesthood 115 Religious Sects 119 Pharisees and Sadducees 124 The Ideological Dimension 124 The Sociopolitical Dimension 126 Other Aspects of Hasmonean Pharisaism 129 Essenes 130 Other Religious Circles: The Literary Evidence 132 Common Judaism under the Hasmoneans 133 The Temple in Hasmonean Jerusalem 134 Temple-Related Observances 137 "Purity Burst Forth in Israel" 139 The Avoidance of Figural Art 142 Hellenization in Hasmonean Jerusalem 143 The End ofan Era 147 Part II. Herodian Jerusalem Chapter 4. The Historical Dimension 151 Transition to Roman Rule 151 From Pompey's Conquest to the Rise ofHerod (63-37 B.C.E.) 158 Herodian Politics: At Home and Abroad (37-4 B.C.E.) 165 Herodian Rule in Jerusalem 170 Herod's Domestic Woes 179 CONTENTS ix Evaluating Herod and His Rule 181 The Reign ofArchelaus (4 B.C.E.-6 C.E.) 183 Chapter 5. The Urban Landscape 187 The Antonia 194 The Western Towers 196 Herod's Palace 198 Entertainment Institutions 201 Funerary Remains 206 Water Supply and Installations 213 Chapter 6. The Temple and Temple Mount 219 The Temple Mount: Physical Dimensions and Functions 226 The Temple and Its Courts 237 Temple Functionaries 243 The Temple as a Religious Focus 245 Chapter 7. Jerusalem in the Greco-Roman Orbit: The Extent and Limitations of Cultural Fusion 255 The Temple 257 Residential Quarters 260 Funerary Remains 261 Political Institutions 265 Language 270 Pharisaic Exegesis 276 Defining the Limits ofAcculturation 278 Part III. The First Century C.E. Chapter 8. The Historical Dimension 285 Direct Roman Rule: The Earlier Period (6-41 C.E.) 285 Jerusalem under Agrippa I (41-44 C.E.) 295 ProcuratorialRule (44-66 C.E): The Collapse ofJerusalem Society 302 Chapter 9. The Urban Configuration 313 Geographical Expansion 313 The Third Wall 315 Topography 318 The Lower City 319 The Upper City 326 The Northern Commercial Quarter 335 x The Bezetha Quarter (the New City) 337 Demography 340 Economic Activity 343 Appendix: The Use ofRabbinic Literature in the Study ofSecond Temple Jerusalem 349 Chapter 10. Social Stratification 351 The Social Dimension 351 High Priests 352 Priests 358 The Herodian Dynasty 361 The Nonpriestly Aristocracy 365 Diaspora Jews 369 Chapter 11. Religious Ambience 375 Religious Life in First-Century Jerusalem 375 Scribes 381 The Christian Community 382 Common Judaism in First-Century Jerusalem 387 Synagogues 394 Chapter 12. The Destruction of Jerusalem (66-70 C.E.) 401 Causes ofthe Revolt 401 Jerusalem during the Revolt (66-70 C.E.) 404 The Siege and Fall ofthe City 406 Epilogue 413 Glossary 417 Abbreviations 420 Bibliography 423 Modem Sources 423 Critical Editions 469 Illustration Credits 470 Subject Index 472 CONTENTS ...