The history of Jewish communities in the Persian, Greek, and Roman periods form a context for understanding the formation of Judaism as centered in the Torah and the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. This course examines the biblical and extra-biblical resources, including the Dead Sea Scrolls which demonstrate the development and concerns of different Jewish groups for texts, traditions, rituals, social practices, and interpretive discourses that form a foundation for rabbinic Judaism and the early Jesus movement. Prerequisite: GBBL 511