History is comprised of a complex web of events, which to modern interpreters resemble a puzzle with an unforeseen number of pieces. Even though we attempt to put the pieces together carefully, we may never see the intended picture because the original culture and its inherent nuances are buried in the sands of time. We struggle to grasp the culture and events that precede us.  However, as educated people of faith, this history is integral to our beliefs and culture, thus requiring our attention.

This site is dedicated to research and translation issues surrounding the formative Second Temple Period (539 bce-70 ce). After returning from Babylon, the Jewish temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt and the culture flourished. The inherited religious traditions were collected, recorded in Hebrew (later in Greek) to a various mediums (like papyri), and disseminated for study. History informs us that ancient Judea in this time period was anything but stagnant or serene. Always in tension with Roman occupiers and cultural despisers, the Jews struggled to set and maintain their identity.

The ancient Jewish religious thought and struggle for autonomy provided the context in which Christianity developed, and thus their histories are intertwined. Early Christians frequently defined themselves in relation to and/or in opposition to Jewish thought (i.e., Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, Gal. 2). For instance, the Christological titles ‘messiah’ and ‘son of God’ are very rich in meaning within the context of an exploited people expecting liberation from the Romans by the hand of a newly empowered Jewish king. The meaning of this title is often lost in translation and considered simply a name rather than an expected political and religious leader.

We need to be cross-minded to accurately place the puzzle pieces together. This primarily means that when we read ancient texts, especially religious sources, we must seek to understand the original culture as best as possible to translate that meaning into modern terms. Without a proper understanding of history, our interpretation of history and theology can become skewed by personal bias. The process of translation and interpretation is never complete as meaning and nuanced terminology changes in our society. Therefore, this process must always be done within a community to increase the likelihood of accurate interpretations of this integral time period.