A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Class 082

       




Beginning Maccabees  

How It Starts

The Hebrew Bible ends around 400 BCE. There are no more tribes of Israel--only scattered families which are gradually coalescing into geographic communities. Around 330 BCE, Alexander the Great conquers the world but dies suddenly, leaving the world in chaos. 

After 40 years of infighting, the world settles (more or less) into four major kingdoms: Macedonia, Thrace, Egypt, and the Seleucid Empire. Judea (named Palestine by the Romans who were themselves a rising world power) is fought over by Egypt and the Seleucids. The Seleucids eventually win. 

As the story of the Maccabees opens, the high priest has become a political appointee of the Seleucid king. It is a position of power that goes to the highest bidder. Prepare yourself for a whirlwind of politics and intrigue.

1&2 Maccabees overlap, so refer to the Maccabees Chronology to guide your reading.

A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. More info at EversBibleClass.com.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Class 102

Image
      Parables & Women Disciples    After declaring unequivocally to John the Baptist’s disciples that he is the Messiah, Jesus is pressed hard by the crowds. But he somehow manages to really see each person--to heal them in the ways they need healing, and to speak truth to the religious leaders who still cast aspersions on “sinners.” Jesus teaches the people using parables. His disciples aren’t sure this is the most effective way to teach and they challenge him on it. Jesus has a very interesting answer.   Then we meet the women. Not just any women, but disciples, part of Jesus’ inner circle. Who knew?   We cover         Matthew 11:1-18, 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 7:18-50; 8:1-15 A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. More info at EversBibleClass.com .
Read more

A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Class 120

Image
               Lazarus Is Raised From The Dead Jesus raises one of his best friends from the dead and thoroughly awes the crowds, which in turn sets off alarm bells for all the powers that be. Fearing that Rome is about to step in and crush the Jewish nation, the religious leaders call an emergency meeting. Caiaphus, the High Priest, declares that Jesus must die so the entire nation does not perish. There’s just one problem--they have to catch him alone, away from the crowds who increasingly believe he is the Messiah. Jesus calls his disciples aside to give them the bad news (again) that he will die soon. They, like the people, still have trouble believing it. The mother of two of the disciples even asks Jesus to be sure to give her sons places of honor as soon as he gets to be King. We cover    Matthew 20:17-28    Mark 10:32-45    Luke 18:31-34    John 11:1-54 A free  Study Guide  is available. A  video   version  of the class is available on YouTube. More info at  EversBibleClass.com
Read more

A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Class 134

Image
                             Choosing In "Pentecost & Persecution" we'll hang onto our hats as the disciples face a whirlwind of blessing and tragedy. The story is told in "Acts of the Apostles" which is Luke’s sequel to his gospel. But do we really know who Luke was? For that matter, do we know who wrote any of the gospels? The short answer is no. We take a moment in this first class to look at how the books of the New Testament were chosen--who chose them and why they chose the ones they did. Then, as we begin the story, we catch up with the disciples. Peter is emerging as a leader. They are a person short, so we listen in as they choose a replacement for Judas. We cover Acts 1. A free  Study Guide  is available. A  video   version  of the class is available on YouTube. More info at  EversBibleClass.com .
Read more