Cognitive Dissonance in Jerusalem

Week 5 Lecture 1 (2/1/11):

Texts and books become an important part of Jerusalem as it approached the 5th century BCE. Not only these texts provide sources for scholars to analyze and interpret the history of Jerusalem, but during the time, it served as the law. Written law became more powerful then kings, because when kings died off, written texts remained. Many people, even the common folk, became more literate, and the myths and stories of the Bible became very widespread. This caused many people to follow the faith, but also to question the authenticity of the Bible when the fall of Jerusalem came in 586 BCE.

When the Babylonian Empire came into power, Jerusalem became exiled. During the first exile, nobles were sent away and lived off allowances provided by the Babylonians, while the poorest of the poor remained in Judah to cultivate the land. During the second exile, the king of Babylon, Nubuchadnezzar, destroyed the great temple and sent many fleeing to Egypt. During the third and final exile, Jerusalem was completely destroyed. After this tragedy, many people were in a state of shock, confusion, and disbelief. How could God let all this happen? Instead of leaving the faith, many chose to reinterpret the Bible. The Promise to David was reconsidered as a conditionalized promise, where David had to fulfill his bargain, but did not. The Temple where God was believed to live became a temple that only housed the name of God. Here, we see the emergence of Name Theology, in that God is present in all things but lives in heaven. These rationales and "excuses" did not help ease the cognitive dissonance in Jerusalem, where the events happening in their reality contradicted their faith directly.