Consequences of the Destruction of the Second Temple for Judaism: A Review of the Influence of Ancient Iranian Religions after the Destruction

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Student in Religions and Mysticism, Faculty of Theology, Philosophy and Political Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Religions and Mysticism, Faculty of Theology, Philosophy and Political Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

3 Professor, Department of Theology, Philosophy and Political Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

4 Associate Professor, Department of Theology, Philosophy and Political Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/jrr.2023.314395.1944

Abstract

The destruction of the Second Temple led to the collapse of the Jewish community. Then successive rebellions and defeats, while Jews were awaiting the promised Messiah and salvation in Apocalypse, led to their massacre, captivity, and exile resulting in frustration and apostasy. In the meantime, intending to hearten the disappointed people and save Judaism, the rabbis expressed the narratives of life after death under the influence of their Zoroastrian neighbors in a new way to strengthen the belief among the devastated Jewish people that the oppressors will be punished for their deeds and the righteous and the oppressed will be rewarded. The comparison of early Jewish religious texts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, with the first written Jewish texts in the Middle Ages, confirms the change in the way of expressing beliefs about life after death; heaven and hell; and the dualities of good and evil, God and Satan. The dualities began after the Babylonian exile and the destruction of the First Temple. They intensified in the period after the destruction of the Second Temple following the frustrations caused by the failed rebellions and during the compilation of the Talmud. These changes can be explained according to historical reasons, including living in the vicinity and under Iranian governments, the monotheism of Zoroastrian religions, and the behavior of Iranians with Jews in exile

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References

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