Reading Response 4

I will start this reading response by saying that I could identify with this reading slightly more than I have been able to with the other readings because Armstrong writes about events that I was taught during my Catholic School upbringing.  She opens by talking about the destruction of the temple, and compares the tragedy to the Flood that caused Noah to build his ark.  Just like with the flood, the destruction of the temple would be a story that would be written, and told for years to come.

In the following chapter, Armstrong writes about the events following the death of the King of Persia at the hands of Alexander the Great.  I thought that I knew a good deal about Alexander the Great and his influence on his conquered territories, however I did not realize how big of an impact he had on Jerusalem.  Alexander the Great opened the flood gates of Hellenic culture into Jerusalem. While Alexander the Great was alive, Jerusalem remained "Introverted, it's life revolving around the temple and its supposedly ancient Torah, Jerusalem paid little heed to international politics and seemed more in tune with the past than with the modernity infiltrating the region from the west" (Armstrong p104). It was only after his death that Hellenic culture was really pushed on the Jewish people by Joseph of the Tobiad clan.  The Tobiad clan did not want to limit their relations to strictly people of Jerusalem, and thus did not obey the Torah by doing business and socializing with foreigners.  Joseph, who was an extremely wealthy tax collector, became the main proponent of Greek Hellenism in Jerusalem.

Once again, after having read this week's readings I feel like the "Jerusalem Question" is only becoming more difficult to define.  This is a city that has been through so many changes that it makes it hard to say exactly what should be done in regards to the territory.  I knew that this area of the world had a rich history, but I never could have imagined how rough that history really is.  I am looking forward to continue learning more about this issue throughout the remainder of this class.