Ezra, Herod, And The Inception Of The Christian Church

Ezra, Herod, and Christianity 9

Running Head: Ezra, Herod, and Christianity

Ezra’s Reform, Herod’s Politics, and the Origin of Melchizedek’s Restoration; (Or, The Christian Revolution) C. Michael Stewart Grand Canyon University BIB 123 September 6, 2009

Ezra, Herod, and Christianity:

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Throughout this essay we shall attempt to elucidate a little more upon the influence which Ezra and Herod had upon the people, prepatory to the advent of Jesus Christ’s birth, ministry, and death. We shall begin with the Post-Exilic Period and move into the reign of Herod around the birth of Christ. Throughout this we will view how the Jewish faith was changed and reformatted over the inter-testamental years; this will include how the Jewish faith shifted from a “temple based” faith to one of a “communal” belief. Through this lens we will attempt to understand how it was that Herod was viewed by the Jews, and how he compares to his Christian counterpart, Constantine. Ezra was a scribe who lived in the land of Israel at the beginning of the Reformation of the Jewish Kingdom (circa 538 BCE). This restoration of the Jews to their homeland was through the benevolence of the king of Persia, Cyrus. Though Cyrus did not allow for the restitution of the monarchy, he did allow for the autonomy of the religious cult; and it was through this allowance that the Sanhedrin (headed by the increasingly politicized High Priest) was able to govern the people according to their own laws and customs (Niswonger, 1992). Ezra, though not the high priest of the temple cult, was a scribe and, thereby, authorized by tradition to interpret the Law of Moses. The scribal tradition, at this point began to take on a greater level of worth and import in the lives of the people due no longer having a prophetic influence to guide them (Niswonger, 1992). Because of this budding importance, upon the discovery of the Deuteronomy Scroll and Ezra’s reading the Law aloud to the people, the second great reformation of the Jewish Law was commenced – the first having been completed by Josiah and his priests/scribes approximately 71 years previous (Barker, 2004, 2005; Stewart, 2009). It was here that the full weight and consequence of the Jews’ disobedience to the laws of God, as laid down before them by the prophets of yore, began to descend upon them with greater force (Merrill, 2008; Stewart, 2009).

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As Ezra began to read the scrolls to the people, he came across some important traditions concerning the inter-marriage of the Israelites/Jews to “outsiders” – those who were not of the tribe or house of Israel. Upon his interpreting the tradition to the people, there were many who were subsequently divorced from their spouses and others who were cast out from among them (Ezra 9-10; Neh. 10, 13). Indeed, it seems that this was the time when the Samaritans were considered unclean – even to the point that their proffered help to re-build the temple was rejected; leading to the Samaritan (along with other peoples’) persecution of the Jews who were attempting to re-build the temple and its cult (Ezra 4-5; Neh. 4). It was also at this time (and previous in the Babylonian Exile) that the Jews had begun to develop synagogues – a miniature replication of the temple in form which allowed for the Jewry of the Diaspora to worship God congregationally as well (Ezek. 11:16; Niswonger, 1992; Bard, 2008). Ezekiel, himself, had a scribe record a vision in which the chariot throne of God left the temple of Jerusalem and, upon the wings of angels, soared through the clouds, coming to rest amidst the captive Jews (Ezek. 43:2-3 – in fact, it would seem that this was where the “El Shaddai” notion comes into play regarding the female aspect of Deity taking an interest in the people – Patai, 1990; Dever, 2005; Keel and Uehlinger, 1998). It was also during this time period that the Jewry (headed by Ezra and other scribes) completed what Josiah and the Deuteronomists had begun – promoting the Exile/Exodus story and downplaying the Melchizedek figure (who would figure more prominently among the Essenes and Alexandrian Jews than among the “common” Jewish sects). This was the period in which the Sadducee’s and Pharisee’s philosophy began to take root – having begun during the ministry of Jeremiah during Josiah’s reform (Barker, 1991, 2003, 2005). From here the enthronement rituals were slowly discarded in favor of a personal and universal Deity who moved with His people and who shared in the suffering of their afflictions

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(Barker; 1991, 2005). The writer of Hebrews appears to be speaking to the Jews who would have, along with all the other Jews since Ezra, remembered the Solomonic Temple and its giant candelabra – the Menorah; they would have remembered the Ark of the Covenant/Testament and the items placed within it; and they would have remembered that these items were to be returned at some later date to the temple (Ezekiel, John the Revelator, Daniel, and others reference this tradition in their apocalyptic writings). For, at this time, the Holy of Holies was an empty room with nothing in it – the throne having been removed and either hidden away by Josiah or taken by some conquering army (Shyovitz, 2009). Thus, it would appear that the writer of Hebrews is, along with the audience to which he/she speaks, stating that, with the advent of Christ, so had they seen the return of the table of showbread – in the body of Christ (John 6); they had seen the Ark – in the Atoning sacrifice of Christ (the “mercy seat” spoken of in the Christian hymns); and they had seen the Menorah – in the birth of the Savior – the Light of the world (John 1). For these Jews the First Temple Period had not been forgotten, but, rather was well-remembered. For them the enthronement ritual was of greater importance then that of the Law – for, as Paul taught, the Law was a school-master to bring us unto Christ (Gal. 3:24). It was during Ezra’s administration that the Jews began more fully to strive for the independent ideology of nationalism – both politically and ecumenically (a struggle which had begun to coalesce even while in captivity); generating fervor, even unto bloodshed, which continues to this day (Bard, 2008; Niswonger, 1992). And it was into this world – a world of synagogues, national zeal and enthusiasm, as well as political unrest – that Herod was born. Many people condemn Herod for his actions; accusing him of heinous and atrocious acts of murder, mayhem, and political maneuvering without regard for the people’s vision of their own future – politically and spiritually. Admittedly, Herod did commit a large amount of atrocities (as viewed through the lens of time and “civilization”); however there is much good

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that Herod did do as well. Herod provided major work on the building of the temple which roughly 500 years earlier had been completed by Zerubbabel; he built aqueducts which ran through the cities over which he was enthroned (with the blessing of Octavius/Caesar Augustus); he had a gymnasium designed and built in the capital city of Jerusalem (though, admittedly, there were many Jews who were incensed at the idea – feeling that the Greek influence was already bad enough – gymnasium stemming from the Greek word meaning naked or nude); and many more things did he create, perform, and contribute to (in fact, Niswonger (1992) states that there is not enough room to really get into all the things that Herod did which were for the benefit of his people). And, indeed, it is only understandable that Herod did some of those “cruel” acts (including the slaughter of the innocents); it was to protect his kingdom. Now, though there are many people who condemn him – “He tried to kill baby Jesus” – there seems to be a justification here in his actions. Constantine, himself, was a man in whom much the same attitudinal belief was located. Johnson (2005) reminds us that Constantine had Reports of […] violent temper and […] cruelty in anger. He was much criticized for condemning prisoners of war to mortal combat with wild beasts at Trier and Colmar and for wholesale massacres in North Africa. He had no respect for human life, and as emperor he executed his eldest son, his own second wife, and his favorite sister’s husband and ‘many others’ on doubtful charges (pg. 68).

And, yet, there are many Christians living today who, even while knowing the stories of Constantine’s brutality, still praise him for his actions in the unifying of the Christian church (as well as his ‘Edict of Milan’). How, then, is it that there are many people who, while condemning Herod for his actions, still praise an Emperor who was just as (if not more) cruel than Herod the Great himself? Why, then, do we not condemn Constantine? Because, instead of trying to squelch Christian theology, he embraced it and perpetuated it – even, thereby, allowing it to thrive and

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grow into the world-wide tradition that it is now. Therefore, even so, we should not condemn Herod for his violent exploits – we do not know but that maybe he would have converted to the faith had he known that Christ’s kingdom – at least at the time – was not of the earth. Indeed, Johnson (2005) points out that many Disciples of Christ, Jews, and Roman leaders at the time did not completely understand the message that Christ was professing. Johnson states: He [Christ] radiated authority – it was, from the very start, the most conspicuous thing about him. But of what kind? He was anxious to show that he was not a priest-general, performing a military role against a foreign oppressor. He was not a Messiah in that sense. On the other hand, he was not just the articulator of suffering and sacrifice: he had come to found a new kind of kingdom and to bring a message of joy and hope. How to convey that his triumph had to be through his death? It was not an idea which appealed to the ancient world; or any world (pg. 29).

This was the message which Christ came to deliver. And this was the message which Caiaphas, Pilate, Herod Philip, and others heard upon His judgment. Is it possible that King Herod would not have, had he but understood the “kingdom” in light of the “suffering servant,” had the children of Judah slaughtered in the manner that he did? God only knows; but we can be sure of one thing: it was during the period of the Maccabean revolt that the ideology of a Messiah in the form of a “priest-general” was formatted more completely and cemented more firmly in the minds of the people. Perhaps it was this belief that was ensconced in Herod’s mind when he chose to commit the slayings he did when hearing of the birth of the Messiah. Perhaps it was with Herod as it was with Constantine (born into a world of political unrest, religious conflagration/debate, and a growing community of Christians who “were numerous enough to overthrow the Empire” (Johnson, 2005) – Constantine had to make some shrewd political moves in order to save his kingdom and empire; perhaps Herod did the same thing; being justified in his own eyes and, even, in the eyes of Caesar, the man to whom he was beholden.

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In conclusion, we can see that the overall traditional belief of the people, having developed from one formation to another, can lead to the misunderstanding of an important prophecy upon the prophecy’s fulfillment. As was the case with Herod, many people condemn him – Bailey (2008) states that we will never see it at a Christmas pageant – yet, even so, we, ourselves, can oftentimes mistake that which is truth for that which is falsehood. In fact, the prophetic appeal by Isaiah concerning the darkness the people are walking through even while in daylight (Isa. 59:9-11), can be applied to us – and, more especially, this current generation.

References: Bailey, K.E. (2008). Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: A Study in the Gospels. IVP Academic. Bard, M.G. (2008). The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Middle East Conflict. Alpha (A Member Of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Barker, M. (2008). Christmas: The Original Story. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. Barker, M. (1991). The Gate of Heaven. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. Barker, M. (1992). The Great Angel: A History of Israel’s Second God. Barker, M. (2006). The Great High Priest: Temple Roots of Christian Theology. T&T Clark Publishing. Barker, M. (2005). The Older Testament: The Survival of Themes from the Ancient Royal Cult in Sectarian Judaism and Early Christianity. Sheffield Phoenix Press. Barker, M. (2004). What Did King Josiah Reform? (Glimpses of Lehi’s Jerusalem). Foundation for Ancient American Research and Mormon Studies.

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Bible. KJV, NIV. Dever, W.G. (2005). Did God Have a Wife? Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Grand Rapids/Cambridge. Donelson, L.R. (2001). From Hebrews to Revelation: A Theological Introduction. Westminster John Knox Press. Louisville, Kentucky. Eusebius (2004). History of the Church. Hendrickson Publishers Inc. Johnson, P. (2005). A History of Christianity. Borders Books. Keel, O. and Uehlinger, C. (1998). Gods, Goddesses, and Images of God In Ancient Israel. Fortress Press. MacCulloch, D. (2003). The Reformation: A History. Penguin Books. Merrill, E.H. (2008). An Historical Survey of the Old Testament: Second Edition. Baker Academic. Niswonger, R.L. (1992). New Testament History. Zondervan Publishing House. Patai, R. (1990). The Hebrew Goddess. Shyovitz, D. (2009). Retrieved on September 6, 2009 from http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/. Stewart, C.M. (2009). The Exile of Judah. Retrieved from http://pdfcoke.com/Snarlyman on September 6, 2009. Stewart, C.M. (2009). Jeremiah and Isaiah: A Study of the Fall and Redemption. Retrieved from http://www.pdfcoke.com/Snarlyman on September 6, 2009.