Factors Affecting the Survival of Judaism after the Destruction of the Second Temple

Since Judaism, as a tradition-based religion, had a strong connection with Temple, the religious and national identity of Jews was seriously endangered after the fall of the Temple. This paper examines factors leading to the survival of the Judaism after the destruction of the Second Temple. By carefully examining the historical documents and previous studies, we can identify two groups of internal and external factors. Internal factors include the role of Yohanan ben Zakkai, Sanhedrin council, Pharisees, and rabbinic system. Simon Bar Kokhba’s revolt led to the consolidation of the Jews’ theological status. Moreover, the prominent role of oral traditions in the post-Second Temple period in the form of Talmud led to the survival of Judaism. External factors include the exile to neighbouring lands, especially Babylon, the influence of ancient Iran’s monotheist religions, the opposition between the Roman and Persian empires in the post-Second Temple era, bringing the Jews closer to the Parthians in enmity with Rome, and the probable role of the Parthians in provoking the Jewish revolts to distract Romans. The combination of these factors provided the basis for the religious life of the Jews and the consolidation of monotheistic beliefs in the post-Second Temple era.