Abstract

The Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE: Rabbinic Judaism as New Religious Movement


Judaism is one of the world’s most ancient religions with a rich and varied history. This history is recognizable through the most notable Hebrew Bible stories that tell how great leaders like Moses, Joshua, and Samson spread the word of God to their followers. It was also shaped by the considerable tumult and upheaval that marked the shifts between its eras. Here it is necessary to provide an overview of the historical events that led up to the era that I intend to examine in detail, which is the era following the destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70 CE. In this thesis, I will argue that Judaism evolved post 70 CE for the first time within a context of a new religious movement and we need to know why this historical shift was different from the others and why it made such an evolution possible. It was not the first disruption Judaism experienced, but the Judaism that emerged followed an evolutionary path much different than in previous historical eras, which were also defined by the upheavals that created them. This is the principal argument of my thesis.