There was much political turbulence and the Jews hoped for national liberation. The Maccabaean revolt set the stage for all future hope of the restoration of God's people from exile. One thing the different groups of Jews generally agreed upon was that as long as there was Roman occupation, everyone would remain in exile. Most all of them agreed that it was Israel's sin that had led them to this exile. One group of Jews, the Pharisees, committed themselves to strict purity with hope for a reconstituted and restored Israel. The Jewish people were monotheistic -- that is, they believed in one God, and they believed in one God at a time in history when surrounding cultures -- including the ones dominating them (specifically...

The Jews never used idols to represent their God.
The Jewish people were waiting for their Messiah, the savior who was promised by God and would bring them a spiritual understanding as well as renewal and would save them from centuries of foreign political oppression (at the time, the Roman Empire). When Jesus came on the scene, of course this sparked some major controversy because the Jews did not believe Jesus to be the Son of God, the Messiah (or savior) whom they were promised. According to the Jews, Jesus could not be the Messiah because he did not fulfill the Messianic Prophecies.