Chapter 8-10

I found this section of reading very interesting.  What first drew my attention was the section in chapter 8 that talked about the Jews who turned to Asceticism.

“In rabbinical writings we hear of Jews who wanted to ban meat and wine, since these could no longer be offered to God in the Temple.  Life could not continue as before: Jews must express their changed status in rituals of mourning and abstinence.  The loss of the temple was a profound shock…..there was no need for the earth to bring forth a harvest nor the vine to yield grapes; the heavens should withhold their dew and the sun dim it rays: For why should light rise again, Where the light of Zion is darkened?”

This quote kind of took me by surprise.  I understand the magnitude of the loss of the temple, however I am surprised that mourning was focused on so heavily.  In such a tragic period of time I would have imagined that the Jews would have strived to remain strong; spending so much energy on the act of mourning would make it hard to hold on to any strength.  In addition, this quote has a very negative tone.  Again, I understand the pain, however to me it sounds like the Jews have nearly given up. 

Chapter 9 also sparked my interest.  In the beginning of the chapter the emperor Constantine was introduced.  It stated “He would not promote Christianity at the expense of other faiths.  Constantine was a realist and knew that he could not afford to antagonize his pagan subjects.”   I think this is a very interesting approach.  During this time period it seemed as if one ruler after the next focused on spreading and enforcing their beliefs and their beliefs only.  It was quite refreshing to come across an emperor that was realistic enough to realize that antagonizing individuals for dissimilar beliefs would likely not prove to be successful.

Also in chapter 9, Eusebius, one of Constantine’s most ardent supporters in the early years of his reign expressed the belief that “the fate of the Temple was clear proof that God no longer wanted that showy type of sacrificial ritual. He wanted them to follow the spiritual religion preached by the Jesus, which did not depend on temples or holy places….G-d would not come to those who sought him in a ‘lifeless matter and dusky caves’ but only to ‘souls purified and prepared with clear and rational minds’.  It is interesting compare the frame of mind mentioned in this quote to the previous quote (mentioned above) about how the Jews reacted to the destruction of the Temple.  Here we see two extremely contradicting reactions.  As we continue to explore this time period it will be interesting to see how the Jews react to Eusebius attitude since they place such an enormous amount of value on the Temple.  I am very curious of how will this clash of values will play out.