Understanding Sin and Evil

As we continue our series on the idea of an “evil inclination” in Second Temple literature, we return to Fourth Ezra (4 Ezra/2 Esdras) and Second Baruch, and how these books, written in the wake of the destruction of the Second Temple, deal with a belief in an “evil heart” inherited from Adam.

Why is Ezra in Fourth Ezra so pessimistic about the human tendency toward evil?

How is the pessimism of Fourth Ezra more tragic than the similar approach we saw in Philo?

Why would anyone want to believe in an unavoidable tendency toward evil inherited since the first human?

This episode looks closely not only at how Jews understood the evil inclination in response to the Temple’s destruction, but also at ways to examine an ancient belief that seems puzzling to us.

In this episode we move farther afield to Egypt and the Diaspora community of Alexandria. How did Philo of Alexandria (also known as Philo Judaeus) approach the human desire to sin while navigating between a belief in divine revelation and an acceptance of Greek thought?

* How does Philo reconcile the existence of human sin with God (in an unusually daring way)?

* How can Philo combine belief in free will with a truly pessimistic view of human nature?

* Why did Philo’s books become important to early Christians?

And as always, leave me your questions and comments below!

In this week’s episode, we continue with Ben Sira and how the book of Ben Sira reflects a range of views on sin.

What can this teach us about context in ancient texts? Listen and find out!

In this episode we discuss Ben Sira, and how his approach to the evil inclination is a predecessor of a prominent modern understanding of the “problem” of sin.

What does it mean to believe in a God who created humans and hates sin, while acknowledging that people still “like” to sin? Ben Sira presents a solution that still resonates with many today.

Download the source sheet here.

In this podcast, we discuss the first place an “evil inclination” is mentioned in the Bible: the description of the state of humanity before and after the Flood, seen through divine eyes. Unlike the defined “yetzer hara” in later Rabbinic literature, the human “evil inclination” of the Bible is closer to what we will see in future episodes in Second Temple literature: it describes the human tendency toward evil.

Listen to this episode to learn:

* How does the evil inclination attempt to solve the problem of theodicy (justifying God in the face of evil)?

* How can we understand the decision after the Flood despite the “unchanging” human inclination?

* How did Second Temple Jews relate to this story?

Thanks again to Melissa Kantor, who joins me as my trusty interlocutor.

As always, I look forward to your comments and questions! Please comment below.

* Why is the War Scroll more “universal” than other Qumran texts?

* Why does the attitude of the Qumran Community toward outsiders “change” in the different Scrolls?

* And where does Belial come in?

Tune in to the conclusion of the “demonic” section of the podcast to hear the answers!

Special thanks to my “unheard” guest questioner, Melissa Kantor. As always, please send me your comments below, and tune in next time when we finally discuss the evil inclination!

In this episode, we discuss Belial’s role in the Damascus Document, an important rule text in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

* What are the “traps” of Belial?

* How did Belial (at least in the Damascus Document) “help” Qumran community members be more sympathetic towards outsiders?

* And what happens when a Qumran member is “ruled by the spirits of Belial”?

Listen to find out!

 

In this episode, we read the Dead Sea Scrolls — specifically, the Community Rule — closely and examine the Qumran community’s view of Belial and sin.

* How was Belial used to define the sect and others?

* Did the Qumran community really think that people were born into the lot of Belial or the lot of God?

* How deterministic was the Qumran community? What about free will?

Learn the answers to these questions and more! And keep your questions and comments coming…

In this Shavuot “bonus” episode, we will discuss the special status of the Torah for fighting sin, in both Second Temple literature and later Talmudic texts. (Download the source sheet here.)

We will look at:

* Dead Sea Scroll prayers that reflect the belief in the metaphysical power of the Torah to fight demonic influence

* Wisdom literature (like Ben Sira) that see the law as crucial in fighting the inclination to sin

* The hero of 4 Ezra’s problem with the idea that the Torah is enough to combat the evil inclination

* Finally, we will look at how these ideas play out in the Talmud.

As always, I look forward to your questions and comments!

Chag Sameach!

 

In this episode, we will continue our exploration of satanic figures in Second Temple texts. After recapping our last episode, we will discuss the varied role of Mastema in the Book of Jubilees, both as the head of the Watchers and as the “Satan stand-in” for most of the book.

Why did the author of Jubilees bring Mastema into the story? What problems does he “solve”? And how powerful is he supposed to be?

Along the way, we discuss the nature of ancient literature and the concept of the “new generation,” both in the ancient world and today. To learn more, just press “play”! And as always, please leave me your questions and comments below.