Word: hyrcanus
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...Another ingenious line of thought reasons that the Teacher was one Eleazar, in the reign of Simon's son, John Hyrcanus (134 to 104 B.C.). Hyrcanus, according to the Jewish historian Josephus, was friendly to the anti-Hellenist Pharisees ("Separators") who clung to the old ways. Once Hyrcanus gave a dinner for their leaders, and after dinner invited their opinions on his rule, whereupon Eleazar bluntly told him he had no right to the High Priesthood. Promptly, John Hyrcanus switched his favor to the pro-Hellenistic Sadducees and the Pharisaic observances were forbidden. It is not hard to imagine...
...Jews, with a range of persuasions running from sweet reasonableness to slow torture. The Jews, on the other hand, seem to have no missionary zeal. It was not always thus; Jesus described the Pharisees as crossing "sea and land to make one proselyte," and one Maccabean king, John Hyrcanus I (135-104 B.C.), even compelled the conquered Idumeans to become Jews and undergo circumcision. But in the main, Judaism has been the religion of one people, its heart being the covenant between God and Israel. Some day, according to the bulk of Jewish tradition, that covenant will include all mankind...
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