So nice to see that you can count to six Lady. Now if you could attach some substantiated facts to those numbers, the forum would be much better informed. I will answer the first three, and if you would like, I will take the time to answer the others. (my….look at the time)
First off, SOME were Helenized not all.
But they all attended a temple that had THE ROMAN EAGLE (pagan symbol) flying at the entrance. The coins used in the temple had a roman god on one side. Some coins also had Aramaic on one side, and koine Greek on the other. The language of commerce was GREEK. Do you think that the Roman centurians spoke Hebrew and Aramaic? How about Pilate?
Second off, Yes in 5 BC Herod was King. In 4 BC Herod "Slayer of the innocents" was dead.
You need to brush up on the history of Judea. The Herod family had a dynasty that spanned many generations.
Herod the Great was the son of Antipater of Idumaea (Edom). Appointed king of Judaea B.C. 40. He is the one who commanded that all Jewish male children be killed after the birth of Christ. Since he was a descendant of Esau, and not of Jacob, then obviously he would not be defined as a “brother” by the standard of Torah.
Herod "Antipas", was the son of Herod the Great (Edomite) and Malthace (Samaritan) He cast John the Baptist into prison due to John's rebuke for his unlawful relationship with Herodias, his brothers wife. At her request, he ordered him beheaded. Probably not a “brother”.
Herod Agrippa I was the grandson of Herod the Great. I wonder if the scripture about the sins of the father and generations would apply here? His patri-lineal line was also from Edom. He also ordered that James son of Zebedee, to be put to death, and for Peter to be cast into prison. In Acts 12 we are shown his spiritual nature:
21 And on a set day, having been clothed in a regal garment, and sitting on the tribunal, Herod made a speech to them.
22 And the mass of people cried out, The voice of a god, and not of a man!
23 And instantly an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give the glory to God. And having been eaten by worms, his soul went out.
By the above passage, it is demonstrated that Herod did not worship the God of Israel, which would automatically disqualify him from the brother status according to the standards defined in the Torah.
Third off, the Essenes left about 68 AD NOT while Herod was still in power. The Essenes LEFT 2 years before the destruction of the Temple seeing what was to come.
Quote:
An earthquake severely damaged the buildings and mikva'ot of Qumran in 31 BCE. Excavations revealed cracks in walls and a thick layer of ash from a fire that had raged. The earthquake was mentioned by Josephus. (Antiquities 15, 121 ff.; Wars I, 370 ff.)
The settlement at Qumran was subsequently abandoned, until
[FONT="]the beginning of the 1st century CE[/FONT], when members of the community returned and settled there once more. They restored the earlier structures and, with various additions and modifications, used them. In the main building was a long room, in which remains of benches, or low tables, made of mud and plastered on the outside, as well as small clay inkwells were found. According to the excavator, these finds indicate that the room was a scriptorium, where the settlement's scribes copied the holy writings and the laws governing the community.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/Qumran.html
Note:
The
1st century spanned from 1 to 100 ce according the Gregorian calendar. The beginning of the first century would not be 68 ce.
Contra said:
Sorry, but lady garnet hammered you, good and proper...and anything else just makes you look recalcitrant.
And now you have become a cheerleader. How very sad. Her facts just got refuted faster than your language straw men burst into flames the other night. You guys need to start studying history, and quit listening to those Hebrew roots teachers.
Question:
If a hammer is wildly swinging at the air, does it make a sound?