From Israelite to Jew

What really changed for Jews after the destruction of the Second Temple?

The Judaeans, joined by the Galileans and others, revolted from Roman rule in 66 CE.  Four years later the Second Temple was razed, and shortly thereafter the last renegades were cleared from Masada.  What happened?

A discussion of the general tenor of Judaea on the eve of the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans.

This podcast would be impossible without the survival of the historical work of Josephus, an eyewitness (so he says) of the destruction of the Second Temple.  Who is he and what did he write, and why?

Judaea and Galilee were awash in messianic figures.  What do we know about them, and how does Jesus fit?

What are really in these famous ancient scrolls?

The greatest Jewish philosopher of antiquity (we know of only two or three), Philo lived in Alexandria and left a voluminous and intriguing set of writings.

Much maligned, perhaps King Herod the Great wasn’t as terrible as is sometimes thought.

Many Jewish around the turn of the millennium lived outside of Judaea.  Where were these Greek-speaking Jews and what do we know about them?

Several Jewish sects, especially Pharisees and Sadducees, emerge into the historical record at this time.  Who are they?