The land of israel in the hellenistic age my jewish learning. After receiving babylonia in 321 bc, seleucus expanded his. Mattathias sparked the revolt against the seleucid empire by refusing to worship the greek gods 3. This translation is known as the septuagint lxx, a translation which would become the most popular version of the scriptures among the jews of the dispersion, and which would be used a great deal by the writers of the new testament books. Although services were interrupted for three years by antiochus iv epiphanes 167164 bce and although the roman general pompey 10648 bce. The jewish roman world of jesus the jewish world of jesus. Following the hellenistic conquest of the east, the jews of babylonia, like their brethren in palestine, came under seleucid rule. During this period, jewish history takes place in several areas. The book of daniel reports antiochus endeavors in the sixth. However, orosius understands that books were burned, and gives a figure of 400,000, which sounds like the magnitude reported for the whole library orosius, seven books of history against the pagans, translated with an introduction and notes by a. The author of the second book of maccabees presented the conflict as a struggle between judaism and hellenism, concepts which he coined. How an ancient revolt sparked the festival of lights.
Jan 06, 2011 a fresh and daring take on ancient apocalyptic books. Judaism judaism religious rites and customs in palestine. The subsequent cleansing of the temple and rededication of the altar on the 25th of kislev, was celebrated in following years as the hanukkah festival. The author of the first book of maccabees regarded the maccabean revolt as a rising of pious jews against the seleucid king who had tried to eradicate their religion and against the jews who supported him. Hellenistic judaism was a form of judaism in classical antiquity that combined jewish religious. Even though daniels prayer of this chapter places the blame on the jewish people themselves,70 there is clearly a condemnatory tone toward the king and again there is lacking any description of his deeds as ordained by the jewish god. Greek poleis flourished in palestine, and jewish intellectuals felt the influence of hellenic culture. Judaism is the worlds oldest monotheistic religion, dating back nearly 4,000 years. In 3562, after 114 years, eretz israel passed from ptolemaic rule to the control of the seleucid syriangreek kings. Founded in 1800s as reaction to reform judaism s radical discarding of tradition. As a ruler he was best known for his encouragement of greek culture and institutions. Contact between greeks and semites goes back to minoan and mycenaean times and is reflected in certain terms used by homer and other early greek authors.
The history of the jews in the grecoroman world examines judaism in palestine throughout the hellenistic period, from alexander the greats conquest in 334bc to its capture by the arabs in ad 636. Is there a relationship between judaism and social justice. In modern judaism, the holiday of chanukah celebrates the victorious revolt of the jews against the seleucid greeks in 167164 bce before the common era bc. These texts one promoting a jewish kingdom, the other promoting judaism in a hellenistic age perpetuated negative associations towards the influence of hellenism. Seleucid rule in palestine had been respectful and protective of jewish.
The term hellenistic judaism is a conventional one, long used, but a misnomer according to many contemporary scholars. We learn from 1 maccabees what the jews faced and what they thought about being hellenized. In 167 bc mattathias, together with his sons judah, eleazar, simon, john, and jonathan, started a revolt against the seleucid ruler antiochus iv epiphanes, who since 175 bc had issued decrees that forbade jewish religious practices. Maccabees, priestly family of jews who organized a successful rebellion against the. Pdf attitudes toward seleucid imperial hegemony in the book. Antiochus iv epiphanes, seleucid king of the hellenistic syrian kingdom who reigned from 175 to 164 bce. The jewish people living within hellenistic greece experienced great freedoms, and many assimilated into the non jewish societies around them. It is not until the end of the 4th century, however, that jews are first mentioned by greek writers, who praise them as brave, selfdisciplined, and philosophical. The seleucids exerted their influence through hellenization, the spread of. The ptolemies ruled in egypt and the seleucids in syria. The influence of hellenism on the literary style of 1 and 2.
Books i, ii, and iii of maccabees are invaluable for jewish history and must be. Judaism, i need not remind you, offers a wide latitude of belief. He forbade circumcision and turned the jerusalem temple into a temple to zeus. Greek education had its influence on jews and jewish education. The seleucid empire 31263 bce was the vast political entity established by seleucus. Antiochus iv epiphanes biography, reign, jerusalem.
Over the 100 years of seleucid power the influence of hellenization in this region of the world had been fairly aggressive and welcomed by most people. The books motto comes from augustine of hippo, who questioned w. No one can speak once and for all for the jewish point of view. The fact that for two centuries palestine was part of hellenistic kingdoms, first of ptolemaic egypt and then of seleucid syria, made greek influence on jewish thought and life inevitable. In the civil war part of the jewish population called upon the seleucid king. His rule lasted for a little over a decade, between 175 bc and 164 bc. Syria the seleucid state was first deprived of some of its best oriental regions. The major literary product of the contact of judaism and hellenistic culture is the septuagint, as well as the book of wisdom. Hellenized jews, alexander the great, ptolemaic and. The history of this community during the first millennium of its existence remains obscure.
Evidence of the influence of greek philosophy occurs in such jewish circles as. By the beginning of the 2nd century, the influence of the hellenistic age in judaea was quite strong. The history of the jews in the grecoroman world books. If hellenization is a process, it must have at one extreme the purely greek culture, religion and all. Judaism judaism hellenistic judaism 4th century bce2nd century ce. He attacked and overthrew the ptolmaic empire in egypt, thus judea came under seleucid control. The book s subject is the jewish struggle against the seleucids, and in particular an account of the battles fought by judas maccabeus between 166 and 160 b. In addition to the turmoil of war, there arose in the jewish nation proseleucid and proptolemaic parties. The maccabean revolt in 175 bc antiochus epiphanes came to power as the seleucid ruler with an agenda to expand the empire. In addition to the turmoil of war, there arose in the jewish nation pro seleucid and proptolemaic parties.
Who were the maccabees, and how did they influence jewish. In the narrative of i maccabees, after antiochus iv issued his. Hellenistic judaism biblical studies oxford bibliographies. The books audience will be mostly professional academics. Maccabees and jewish independence lifeofchristgfuspring2016. The seleucid war against the jews the new american. In the narrative of i maccabees, after antiochus issued his decrees forbidding jewish religious practice, a rural jewish priest from modiin, mattathias the hasmonean, sparked the revolt against the seleucid empire by refusing to worship the greek gods. At first, the egyptian ptolemaic empire controlled the jews from 320198 b. Antiochus epiphanes was also determined to push hellenization.
During this time, the hellenists gained more power and influence. But antiochus underestimated just how deeply jewish religious feeling undergirded the society. The most important event of the hellenistic period, though, is the translation of the torah into greek in ptolemaic egypt. The reign of simon maccabee was peaceful, owing to the civil war between the seleucid factions supporting either tryphon or. Jewish life in both judea and the diaspora was influenced by the culture and language of hellenism. Antiochus iv and the jews, considered theories of scholars about the reasons antiochus iv may have had for imposing his notorious hellenisation policies upon the jews, although under previous seleucid rule, the jews had been treated with favour. His attempts to suppress judaism brought on the wars of the maccabees. While the ptolemaic empire was tolerant of the jewish culture and religion, the seleucid empire was not. Antiochus iv epiphanes biography facts, childhood, life. At a glance, these books appear opposed to the blending of. While relations between the jews and the early seleucid kings were generally amicable, there was one notable exception.
Judea was located right between the seleucids to the north and the ptolemies to the south. Traditionally, hellenistic judaism was a designation for judaism in the greekspeaking world, including those jews who spoke greek and adopted to some extent a greek way of life. Antiochus pressured jewish people to abandon their traditional ways. Hellenistic history and culture uc press ebooks collection, 1982. The greeks, in fact, were somewhat interested not much in the jewish religion, but it seems that they wanted a copy of the jewish scriptures for the library at alexandria.
Gruens paper is included in hellenistic history and culture, edited by peter green. The role of the jewish high priesthood is also not elucidated by the maccabean books. Gruen on antiochus iv and the jews creation concept. Those who remained of the jewish party favoring hellenistic influence, forced to submit to mosaic law, repeatedly called upon the seleucid empire for assistance. Alexander the greats impact on the jews history of alexander the. Maccabean revolt biblical studies oxford bibliographies. Persia and greece were rivals to influence the world, persia by a political empire and commerce and greece by a cultural empire and commerce. Seleucid settlements in syria, primarily antioch, were regional centres by which the seleucid empire projected its military, economic, and cultural influence. The point of view i express is jewish because my religious experience is jewish. When they conquered jerusalem, the seleucid kings allowed the jews to be governed under their own laws i. Greek culture and way of life had exerted its influence on the western territories of.
Until its destruction in 70 ce, the most important religious institution of the jews was the temple in jerusalem the second temple, erected 538516 bce. In jerusalem, the templethe central symbol of the jewish religionwas converted into a temple for zeus see 2 macc. The dream is telling the nonhellenized jews that despite the temporary setback in their epic theological battle against the seleucid greeks, with gods help, they will. The seleucids made determined efforts to force hellenism on the jews. Powerful syrian dynasty, which exercised an influence on the history of the jews for two centuries 312112 b. Under the rule of ptolemy ii, the jewish scriptures were translated into the greek language. According to michael taylor, author of the book antiochus the great, the eastern mediterranean had been dominated by the successors of alexander for over 100 years taylor 15. Antiochus iv, jewish quarrels, and the maccabean revolt joshua. Brief summary about judaism 1430 words essay example. He was shown the book of daniel in which it was proclaimed that a greek would defeat the persians. Greek influence on jewish literature is documented as early as alexanders conquest and can be illustrated from literature in hebrew and aramaic as well as those works composed directly in greek. The jewish is not mentioned in the text because it is a letter to a. Antiochus iv epiphanes biography, reign, jerusalem, revolt. Seleucid rule over the jewish parts of the region then resulted in the rise of hellenistic cultural and religious practices.
In judea the hellenization had been widely accepted as. Appointment of the high priest, it appears, was subject to the approval of the seleucid monarch. The first part of the book examines the composition, strength and respective equipment of the respective armies. During the exile, the exiles began to purify their religion and practices and turned to the mosaic. The editors choice of papers was judicious and this collection of essays will be an important resource for further exploration of the presence and role of the apocalyptic worldview during the seleucid and hasmonean periods. The book whose author remains unidentified was written in greek around 125 bce and directed towards the jews of the hellenistic diaspora abrahams, et al. When the seleucid king, antiochus iv, desecrated the temple in 168 bce, he touched off a jewish revolt under the maccabees. He was known as epiphanes, a word suggesting a manifestation of divine power. A conqueror of overweening pride, as he is described in the book of daniel in the bible.
The jewish faith was now effectively outlawed, and throughout the region, seleucid forces were active in enforcing adherence to the new religion. They were led by wealthy jewish aristocrats such as. The lord, the god of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at jerusalem, which is in judah. This story is discounted by many historians as exaggerated, yet is likely to have some credibility even though it is not repeated in any other historical source. Yet, under the seleucid king antiochus iv in the 2nd century bce, the jewish people experienced oppression and persecution, which has been chronicled in the books 1 maccabees and 2 maccabees. The seleucid empire was a major centre of hellenistic culture, which maintained the preeminence of greek customs and manners over the indigenous cultures of the middle east. Antiochus iv epiphanes was a king from the seleucid dynasty, which ruled the hellenistic syrian empire. The maccabees, also spelled machabees, were a group of jewish rebel warriors who took control of judea, which at the time was part of the seleucid empire.
The maccabean revolt was a jewish rebellion against the seleucid empire and hellenistic influences on jewish life in judea. The study of greek influence on judaism has developed into a special branch of. But it is a jewish point of view, not the jewish point of view. Today we refer to these events as the maccabean revolt, named after the jewish leader, judah maccabee. The conflict became a crisis in the reign of the seleucid king antiochus iv, who reigned from 175164 b. It was the foreign policy of the seleucid king antiochus iv that ignited the flames of jewish rebellion. The first part of the book examines the composition, strength and respective equipment of. The influence of hellenism on the literary style of 1. Hellenism seleucid rule in palestine had been respectful and protective of jew. How did hellenism influence jewish culture 926 words. While the seleucids and ptolemies battled for control of palestine, hellenismthe synthesis of greek and native near eastern culturestook hold. The negotiator with rome was a jewish historian of greek culture, eupolemus, whose father could have been the man who had negotiated with antiochus iii in 200 bc. The seleucid administration of judea, the high priesthood and the.
Seder olam revisited chronology of the bible and beyond. Many jews living within the seleucid kingdom were angered by the blatant. Under the greek, roman and finally christian supremacy which hellenism brought, judaism developed far beyond its biblical origins into a form which was to influence european history from the middle. The book of daniel reports antiochus endeavors in the sixth syrian war. Antiochus outlawed the jewish faith and mandated the worship of. During it, the dominant empire at the time, the seleucid empire was severely curtailed by roman military might antiochus. Hellenized jews, war of maccabees, antiochus epiphanes. Destroyed by the seleucid soldiers under antiochus the maccabees. They reasserted the jewish religion, partly by forced conversion, expanded the boundaries of judea by conquest and reduced the influence of hellenism and hellenistic judaism.
The seleucid ruler banned the jewish cult in an attempt to force the jews. In part because the program of hellenization of the seleucid greeks is much more oppressive, and its much less tolerant of jewish religion and identity and thats where were going to get some. It is claimed that while fighting against the parthians he was injured by a fall. Jews and graecoroman culture chapter 2 the jewishgreek.
In these books, he is depicted negatively because of his intolerance against jews and violent efforts to suppress the practice of judaism and promotion of faith followed by the greeks. The recapture of jerusalem in 164 bce from the armies antiochus iv was a significant early victory for judah maccabees fighters, who came to be known as the maccabees. The basic structure of this faith is found in the law of promise and fulfillment, and the eschatology of the hebrew bible is grounded in faith in god and hope in the future genesis 12. This marks the beginning of the maccabean revolt, a period of jewish rebellion provoked by a gentile ruler denying religious freedom and persecuting the jewish nation. They founded the hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 167 bce to 37 bce, being a fully independent kingdom from about 110 to 63 bce. This took place in the year 141 bce, the 23rd day of the month of the 2nd month iyar, which was an observed festival in the times of the jewish nation maccabees, book ii. The maccabean revolt was a jewish rebellion, lasting from 167 to 160 bce, led by the maccabees against the seleucid empire and the hellenistic influence on jewish life. Rejects any sort of foreign influence on jewish religious life references jewish embrace of non jewish practices, and highlights these as wrong is an ancient jewish religious work of 50 chapters, considered canonical by the ethiopian orthodox church as well as bete israel ethiopian jews, where it is known as the book of division geez. At the other extreme was a stubborn adherence to the rules imposed by ezra. Mattathias killed a hellenistic jew who stepped forward to offer a sacrifice to an idol in mattathias place.
Judaism hellenistic judaism 4th century bce2nd century ce. Hellenized jews, alexander the great, ptolemaic and seleucid. At the time, however, the seleucid empire was weakened by political infighting and other wars, including against ptolemaic egypt, reducing their ability to reconquer judea. It was brutal on the part of the seleucids, heroic on israels part, and the emotionalnationalistic effects of this conflict were felt into the time of jesus and even the early christians as they endured similar roman persecution. Followers of judaism believe in one god who revealed himself through ancient prophets. They were led by wealthy jewish aristocrats such as joseph son of tobiah, and his son hyrcanus, who were apparently attracted to the externals of hellenism. Jan 02, 2015 those benefactions set the tone for three decades of cordial collaboration between the seleucid regime and the jewish nation. Under the greek, roman and finally christian supremacy which hellenism brought, judaism developed far beyond its biblical origins into a form which was to influence european history from the middle ages to the. It was founded by seleucus i nicator following the division of the macedonian empire established by alexander the great. The god of the prophets, for example, the god of the phi. The seleucid government was ripping apart everything they stood for and desecrating every sacred symbol they possessed. It was only a question of time before yehouah became zeus, and surely that is. Judah was the third son of mattathias the hasmonean, a jewish priest from the village of modiin.
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