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Jesus and His Jewish Influences

Season 1
What made Jesus Jesus? How did his life and teachings reflect his Jewish roots-and break away from them? Prepare for a fresh look at Jesus that will bring you closer than ever to the dawn of a spiritual figure-and revolution-that would change the world.
201524 episodesTV-PG
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Episodes

  1. S1 E1 - Jesus and Judaism
    December 10, 2015
    30min
    TV-PG
    Begin your fascinating historical adventure by developing a solid framework for your exploration of Jesus's Jewish influences. What was it like to be a Jew in the ancient world? What do we mean when we talk about Jewish temples? And how similar was ancient Judaism to other ancient religions.#Music, Philosophy & Religion 
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  2. S1 E2 - Sacred Mountains and Law Giving in Judaism
    December 10, 2015
    35min
    TV-PG
    In ancient Judaism, there was little distinction between religion and politics. In this lecture, explore the importance of the law (the Torah) in the Jewish religion. Then, draw some intriguing connections between the giving of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai and Jesus's own Sermon on the Mount.
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  3. S1 E3 - The United and Divided Israelite Kingdoms
    December 10, 2015
    31min
    TV-PG
    In this in-depth look at the kingdoms of David and Solomon, follow the transformation of 12 Israelite tribes into a monarchy that eventually crumbled over tensions regarding how to properly worship the God of Israel. Along the way, probe controversies that lie at the heart of modern scholarship's hottest debates.
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  4. S1 E4 - The Destruction of Solomon's Temple
    December 10, 2015
    30min
    TV-PG
    How (and why) did the First Temple Period end? First, examine the reign of King Josiah, whose popular religious reforms reasserted the importance of Jerusalem's Temple. Then, investigate the Temple's traumatic destruction-and its relationship to Gospel accounts about the destruction of the Second Temple.
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  5. S1 E5 - The Jewish and Samaritan Schism
    December 10, 2015
    36min
    TV-PG
    After the end of the Babylonian exile in 539 B.C., returning exiles began to reestablish themselves in Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah. This return would lead to a dramatic schism between Jews and Samaritans-one which, as you'll learn, would influence encounters with Samaritans in Jesus's own time.
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  6. S1 E6 - The Jewish Diaspora and the Golden Rule
    December 10, 2015
    28min
    TV-PG
    What insights into the ancient Jewish diaspora communities can we glean from close readings of the Book of Tobit and the Book of Esther? What do these books say about holiness and the treatment of other people (the "golden rule" of Jesus's time)? Join the fascinating historical-literary debate.
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  7. S1 E7 - Alexander the Great's Impact on the Jews
    December 10, 2015
    31min
    TV-PG
    Alexander the Great's legendary visit to Jerusalem and Judea had a profound influence on the development of ancient Jewish traditions. Could the ancient warrior also have served as a model for the mythical Jesus? Professor Magness illuminates possible narrative parallels between these two iconic figures of Western history.
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  8. S1 E8 - Jews and Greek Rule: The Heliodorus Affair
    December 10, 2015
    30min
    TV-PG
    Investigate the strange episode known as the Heliodorus Affair. This power struggle between Jerusalem's elite families during the time of the Ptolemies and Seleucids became a key turning point in the history of Jews in Judea. We also see echoes of this conflict in Gospel accounts of taxation.
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  9. S1 E9 - Desolating Sacrilege and the Maccabean Revolt
    December 10, 2015
    29min
    TV-PG
    Follow the turbulent story of the Maccabean Revolt after the outlawing of Judaism under Antiochus IV. Then, examine how the Book of Daniel (written around the time of the revolt) dealt with the concept of “desolating sacrilege,” and how this is repeated in Jesus's own prophesies about the destruction of the Temple.
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  10. S1 E10 - Apocalyptic Works and the “Son of Man”
    December 10, 2015
    32min
    TV-PG
    From 1 and 2 Maccabees to the Books of Daniel and Enoch, get a close reading of apocalyptic literary works composed in the aftermath of the Maccabean Revolt. Afterwards, Professor Magness probes possible meanings of the term “son of man” in both the Hebrew Bible and the Gospels.
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  11. S1 E11 - Jesus's Jewish Lineage
    December 10, 2015
    31min
    TV-PG
    Learn how the expansion of the Hasmonean Kingdom provides a sharp context for understanding the birth narratives of Jesus from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The authors of these Gospels went to great lengths to establish Jesus's descent from David. The question is: Why?
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  12. S1 E12 - Was Jesus a Pharisee?
    December 10, 2015
    30min
    TV-PG
    In this lecture, probe the rise of the Sadducees and Pharisees during the late Second Temple Period. You'll learn how the Pharisaic approach became dominant in Judaism, and you'll spend time investigating what the Gospels say about whether or not Jesus identified as a Pharisee.
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  13. S1 E13 - Jewish Ritual Purity: The Sons of Light
    December 10, 2015
    28min
    TV-PG
    Turn from the Pharisees to the Essenes, the sect associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls. In the first of three lectures on this fascinating sect, focus on how a strict system of ritual purity was a fundamental part of everyday life at Qumran (the site where the Scrolls were found).
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  14. S1 E14 - The Dead Sea Scrolls: Earliest Hebrew Bible
    December 10, 2015
    32min
    TV-PG
    Unpack the hidden meaning and significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves-some of ancient history's most fascinating texts, which date back to the time of Jesus. Among the findings you'll explore here: early copies of the Hebrew Bible, fragments of a Greek translation of the Septuagint, and early biblical commentaries.
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  15. S1 E15 - Was Jesus an Essene?
    December 10, 2015
    32min
    TV-PG
    Most of what scholars know about the Essenes, and their apocalyptic outlook, comes from the ancient historians Josephus and Philo. After a deeper dive into who the Essenes were (and how Essene women lived), Professor Magness makes her case for why Jesus could not have been an Essene.
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  16. S1 E16 - The Hebrew Scriptures and the Septuagint
    December 10, 2015
    32min
    TV-PG
    First, examine the “Letter of Aristeas,” which describes translating the Torah into Greek. Then, meet Philo of Alexandria, whose writings (preserved by Christians) are based on an allegorical method of interpreting the Bible. Finally, using a passage from Isaiah, discover why Jews eventually came to reject the authority of the Septuagint translation.
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  17. S1 E17 - The Reign of Herod the Great
    December 10, 2015
    32min
    TV-PG
    What are the historical roots of the often-disputed Massacre of the Innocents reported in the Gospel of Matthew? Find out in this lecture on the reign of Herod the Great, a man notorious for killing members of his own family and best remembered for his biblical campaign of infanticide.
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  18. S1 E18 - Pontius Pilate: A Roman Prefect
    December 10, 2015
    28min
    TV-PG
    Following the death of Herod the Great, there began a period of direct Roman administration of Judea under prefects, the most famous of whom was Pontius Pilate, who would later oversee the trial of Jesus. Learn the historical backstory of both this figure and another contemporary of Jesus, Herod Antipas.
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  19. S1 E19 - Anarchy in Judea
    December 10, 2015
    30min
    TV-PG
    In the first half of this lecture, examine the growing anarchy that led to the First Jewish Revolt against Rome-including the rise of others who, like Jesus, claimed to be the messiah. Then, follow the story (as related by Josephus) of the trial and execution of Jesus's brother, James the Just.
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  20. S1 E20 - Jesus's Prophecy: Jerusalem's Destruction
    December 10, 2015
    30min
    TV-PG
    The First Jewish Revolt against Rome culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple. Explore how this cataclysmic event had profound aftershocks for subsequent Jewish history-as well as early traditions surrounding Jesus (for example, the Parable of the Wicked Tenants in the Gospel of Matthew).
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  21. S1 E21 - Flavius Josephus: Witness to 1st Century A.D .
    December 10, 2015
    27min
    TV-PG
    One cannot explore Jesus and his Jewish influences without understanding the life and works of Flavius Josephus, the ancient Jewish author who was a witness to the period during and after the life of Jesus. Here, learn how his fascinating historical writings complement what the Gospel authors relate.
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  22. S1 E22 - Rabbinic Judaism's Traditions about Jesus
    December 10, 2015
    31min
    TV-PG
    What was Jewish life like after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D.? How did the religion survive this trauma? With insights from various historical sources, chart the rise of Rabbinic Judaism-the literature of Jewish sages who portray Jesus as an illegitimate child and magician.
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  23. S1 E23 - Jesus's Apocalyptic Outlook
    December 10, 2015
    29min
    TV-PG
    Join Professor Magness as she shares some of her own research into Jesus, comparing and contrasting his apocalyptic beliefs with those of the Qumran sect associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls. As you'll discover, one cannot understand Jesus's exorcisms and healings without understanding the notion of apocalyptic purity.
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  24. S1 E24 - Jesus's Teachings and Sayings in Context
    December 10, 2015
    31min
    TV-PG
    Close out this insightful course with a pointed consideration of how selected passages from the Gospels can be better understood within their Jewish context. The three passages you explore involve the concept of Hell, Jesus's cleansing of the Temple, and John's account of Jesus's healing of a blind man.
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Audio languages
English
Subtitles
English [CC]
Producers
The Great Courses
Studio
The Great Courses
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