The last few chapters proved exceedingly interesting. It's interesting to see how Armstrong is pulling everything together in showing us how Jerusalem came to be. Much of Armstrong's sources are from the Bible and other religious texts. That being said, she speaks much of myths, and stories of the past to base her history upon. I discussed myths in my last post, so I wont do it again here, but it's important to remember that these stories and myth hold great value in shaping an image of our past.
Armstrong's discussion of Greek influences on Jews of this time period is something I previously knew nothing about. Looking into how they shared two seemingly different cultures with one another is entertaining and insightful. Some embraced Greek culture, others detested it. Jews adopted many facets of Greek life but what I found interesting was that no matter what, they still held their Jewish ideals and the temple continued to be the center of their lives.
The desire to be in personal physical contact with their God is something that I can hardly fathom today. Most people now are content with the occasional visit to church or synagogue, but these people, no matter how many times they were forced from their land, still held a deep passion to be in direct contact with their homeland and God. Some interesting Parallels can be drawn to the Maccabean Revolt, but that is a subject I must divulge into at a later time.
It seems that whenever the Jews are banned or exiled from Israel, there is an overwhelming sense of longing and nostalgia for their homeland. It is very interesting to me how a people can be so tied to a place, even when they have never experienced the magic of it.
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