THE CASE FOR GOD

The crucifixtion of Jesus brought the words of Jesus to life with power.

This is from my study book by Karen Armstrong

"Anyone who imagines that revealed religion requires a craven clinging to s fixed, unalterable, and self-evident truth should read the rabbis.  Midrash required them to 'investigate' and "go in search" of fresh insight.  The rabbis used the old scriptures not to retreat into the past but to propel them them into the uncertainties of the post temple world.  The Jews had to build an intellectual "bicolage" creatively reinterrupting the available authoritative text to carry the tradition forward and to find transcendental meaning amid life's tragedy.

Early in the year 70 the Roman armied laid seize  to Jerusalum,
Judean had long been under Roman occupation.
When Titus's army finally found into the inner courts of the temple built by Herod they were met with firce opposition.  Six thousand Zealots were willing to fight to the death.
The Temple was destroyed by fire.  They gave up fighting for their city.

Before this war there had been an extraordinary diverse eruption of Jewish religiosity, which had blossomed into multifarious sects, each convinced that it was the authentic voice of Judasism.

New Scriptures were written.

There was no Jewish orthodoxy despite the efforts of Ezra and others.  Talked about abolishing the Sinai revelation.  But everyone agreed that the temple was of Prime Importance.  Although some felt the temple had been corrupted by Roman occupation, and the Qumran ascetics and the related sect of the Essenes held aloof from the cult but looked forward to a new temple that God would build when he had vanquished the wicked.
Members lived in communities and would observe the laws of priestly purity.  The Pharisees  attended regular temple worship, but they also observed purity laws in their own homes. their spirituality revolved around an imaginary, virtual temple, and they tried to conduct their own lives as though they were literally standing before the Shekinah glory, the divine presence in the temple's inner sanctum, the Holy of Holies.
But already they had moved indistinctly toward some of the great principles that had inspired the other great traditions.

Rabbi Yohanam said "Grieve not, we have an atonement equal to the temple, the doing of loving deeds, as it says, "I desire love not sacrifice.  Kindness would replace the temple rituals, compassion one of the pillars on which the world depended, was the new priestly task.

 You could understand why they would look down on Jesus and his little band of wanders and their teacher.Jesus was revealing what had already been given to them as compassion was the key to all his teachings.  If a person needed forgiveness then they would be forgiven.  If they needed to feel worthwhile then they were welcomed into his kingdom of grace.

The destruction of the temple had sent shock waves through the entire Jewish world  Toward the end of the seize Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, leader of the Pharisees, had himself smuggled out of the city in a coffin.  He would meet with the emperor to have permission to settle with a group to begin the heroic  task to transform Judaism from a temple faith to a religion of the book.

Scripture had insruted to take a person's life diminished the divine image,
To humilate anybody, even a slave or a goy, was a religous defacing of God's image.
Any interruptation of scripture that bred hatred or distain for others was illegitimate.

Our love for God should burn in our hearts with such great passion to light the fire of love within another person heart and soul.  No wonder the Holy Sirit was described as fire and rushing wind.  Reading and searching for the truth brings life to ancient teaching and "the words rejoiced."