The Ottawa School of Theology amp Spirituality
The Bible Archaeological and Historical Perspectives
September 16 ndash November 25 2013
Lecturer - David Steinberg
httpwwwhouseofdavidca
steinbergdavid0gmailcom Tel 613-731-5964
Lecture 7
Hellenism Maccabees and the Coming
of Rome
httpwwwhouseofdavidcalecture7pdf
To Learn More on Judaism and Hellenism
bullThe Greek Influence on Judaism from the Hellenistic Period
Through the Middle Ages c 300 BCE- 1200 CE
httpwwwadath-shalomcagreek_influencehtm
bull Flavius Josephus Judaea and Rome A Question of Context
httpwwwadath-shalomcajosep-dshtm
Levels of Hellenism
The Hellenistic world in the eastern Mediterranean (modern
Turkey Lebanon Syria IsraelPalestine Jordan Egypt and
eastern Libya) consisted of large populations speaking ldquonativerdquo
languages and living in the context of traditional cultures ruled by
a Greek speaking elite of composite origin These native societies
interacted with a range of levels of Hellenistic Greek culture Eg ndash
bull Popular religious social and religious beliefs values and
mores and with the Greek language
bull Greek social forms literature architecture modes of
organization and governance etc and
bull Greek philosophicalphilosophical thinking
Levels of Hellenism
For the monotheistic Jews of the period (c 300 BCE ndash c
350 CE) the challenge was particularly acute Other
groups could identify their gods with Greek gods (eg
Baal=Zeus) worship deliberate designed synthetic
gods such as Serapis which was devised during the
3rd century BC on the orders of Ptolemy I of Egypt as a
means to unify the Greeks and Egyptians in his realm
Due to lack of time I will only mention some of the
differences between Greek and Jewish thinking at the
third - philosophicalphilosophical - level However to
ordinary Jews it was the first two levels that would
have had the most impact to them
Judaism vs Hellenism 1
Centrality of
Man vs
Centrality of
God
Man is at the center and ldquoMan is
the measure of all thingsrdquo
Theocentric -
manrsquos task is to
serve God
Religion The gods in Greek traditional
polytheistic religion were capricious
and not particularly ethical The sole
requirement was to believe that the
gods existed and to perform ritual and
sacrifice through which the gods
received their due The very
unsatisfactory nature of this religion
from an ethical viewpoint opened the
way to secular science of ethics
Greek philosophers with their
demythologized world view could only
fit in the divine if the gods were
removed from the material world and
man
Ethical
monotheism
Judaism vs Hellenism 2
Law ndash divine or
secular Law (nomos) is to suit
society It can be made
and changed by the
society
Law (Torah) is
Godrsquos
revelation
regarding how
God wants
people to live
It cannot be
changed by
society in
theory though
it is adaptable
in practice
Judaism vs Hellenism 3
Secular or
theocratic rule
Democracy and other secular
forms of government follow from
above
Theocracy by authorized
interpreters of Godrsquos law
Ethics the
discipline
concerned with
what is morally
good and bad
right and wrong
Various philosophical schools ldquoUnlike the ethical system of
Greek philosophy which seeks
to define virtues (who is
courageous generous or just
etc) the bible demands of
every human being and behave
virtuously toward his fellow man
and is not concerned with
abstract definitionsrdquo In the
Torah however behaving
virtuously is equal to obeying
Godrsquos Law regardless of
whether we would view specific
laws as moral social or cultic
Judaism vs Hellenism 4
Source of Knowledge
Nb The incompatibility
of the Greek concept of
Nature as being
governed by immutable
natural laws and the
scriptural belief in
miracles
Science
- Reason is the key to finding
the truth about anything ndash
ethics nature of man the
natural world Popular
beliefs and commonly-held
opinions to be rejected as
sources of knowledge
The Torah tells
you everything
you need to know
ndash the rest should
be left to God
If the community
and individual are
in Godrsquos favor
god will ensure
that everything
will be fine with
the community
and individual
Sacred tradition
is binding
Judaism vs Hellenism 5
Medicine Greek medicine was scientific in that it
combined close observation with
generalized non-mythological theories
of how the body operates
Sickness is divine
punishment due to
sin
History Beginnings of scientific history
Non-mythological reasons for
events
This leads to a sense of uncertainty
and lack of confidence in the future ndash
bad luck uncontrollable actions of
enemies etc can destroy our future
and there is no supernatural salvation
in the real world
Salvation History
ndash the relationship
with God and
Godrsquos Law must
explain
everything
This leads to a
sense of
confidence in the
future ndash ie if the
Jews follow the
Torah God
guarantees a good
future
Judaism vs Hellenism 6
Role of Reason Philosophy ndash
rational thought to
gain knowledge
Israel is told what
it needs to know
Before
Deuteronomic
Reform Godrsquos
expectations were
through traditional
law and prophetic
messages After
the acceptance of
the Torah through
exegesis of the
Torah
Conquest
bull In 332-331 BCE Alexander the Great
conquered Palestine as part of this larger
conquest of the Persian Empire After
Alexanderrsquos death Egypt and Palestine were
taken over by Ptolemy while Syria
Mesopotamia and Persia were taken over by
Seleucus After a 23 year struggle the
Seleucids took over Palestine in 200 BCE
During this period a number of key
developments took place
Hellenistic World
Samaritans
Josephus etc
Philosophy
bull Philosophy remained centered in Athens The new schools of Skepticism Cynicism Epicurianism and Stoicism developed All of these were more concerned with manrsquos internal state and ethics than with man as a functioning member of society or with the larger questions of science metaphysics and other theoretical questions These developments were probably related to the end of the citizen-controlled city state and the inability of Hellenistic kingdoms to establish firm order These factors created the feeling that the outside world was in chaos and uncontrollable and that consequently one had to seek inside oneself for security
Philosophy ndashScience and Mathematics bull Alexandria became the center for these disciplines The
royal Museum was a great center of scientific and literary research It is interesting to note that astrology was a Hellenistic creation which they developed as a ldquosciencerdquo closely related to the doctrines of Stoicism It can be argued that the Greek belief in Fate or Necessity to which even the gods are subject predisposed them to developing a concept of nature as a system governed by immutable natural laws The extension of this paradigm into human affairs was the ultimate concept behind astrology]
bull The number of Greek philosopher-scientists who changed world history by laying the groundwork for the scientific method and a world view was small Outside of the Museum-Library at Alexandria the institutional basis to support research and the dissemination of results was very poor and haphazard
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
To Learn More on Judaism and Hellenism
bullThe Greek Influence on Judaism from the Hellenistic Period
Through the Middle Ages c 300 BCE- 1200 CE
httpwwwadath-shalomcagreek_influencehtm
bull Flavius Josephus Judaea and Rome A Question of Context
httpwwwadath-shalomcajosep-dshtm
Levels of Hellenism
The Hellenistic world in the eastern Mediterranean (modern
Turkey Lebanon Syria IsraelPalestine Jordan Egypt and
eastern Libya) consisted of large populations speaking ldquonativerdquo
languages and living in the context of traditional cultures ruled by
a Greek speaking elite of composite origin These native societies
interacted with a range of levels of Hellenistic Greek culture Eg ndash
bull Popular religious social and religious beliefs values and
mores and with the Greek language
bull Greek social forms literature architecture modes of
organization and governance etc and
bull Greek philosophicalphilosophical thinking
Levels of Hellenism
For the monotheistic Jews of the period (c 300 BCE ndash c
350 CE) the challenge was particularly acute Other
groups could identify their gods with Greek gods (eg
Baal=Zeus) worship deliberate designed synthetic
gods such as Serapis which was devised during the
3rd century BC on the orders of Ptolemy I of Egypt as a
means to unify the Greeks and Egyptians in his realm
Due to lack of time I will only mention some of the
differences between Greek and Jewish thinking at the
third - philosophicalphilosophical - level However to
ordinary Jews it was the first two levels that would
have had the most impact to them
Judaism vs Hellenism 1
Centrality of
Man vs
Centrality of
God
Man is at the center and ldquoMan is
the measure of all thingsrdquo
Theocentric -
manrsquos task is to
serve God
Religion The gods in Greek traditional
polytheistic religion were capricious
and not particularly ethical The sole
requirement was to believe that the
gods existed and to perform ritual and
sacrifice through which the gods
received their due The very
unsatisfactory nature of this religion
from an ethical viewpoint opened the
way to secular science of ethics
Greek philosophers with their
demythologized world view could only
fit in the divine if the gods were
removed from the material world and
man
Ethical
monotheism
Judaism vs Hellenism 2
Law ndash divine or
secular Law (nomos) is to suit
society It can be made
and changed by the
society
Law (Torah) is
Godrsquos
revelation
regarding how
God wants
people to live
It cannot be
changed by
society in
theory though
it is adaptable
in practice
Judaism vs Hellenism 3
Secular or
theocratic rule
Democracy and other secular
forms of government follow from
above
Theocracy by authorized
interpreters of Godrsquos law
Ethics the
discipline
concerned with
what is morally
good and bad
right and wrong
Various philosophical schools ldquoUnlike the ethical system of
Greek philosophy which seeks
to define virtues (who is
courageous generous or just
etc) the bible demands of
every human being and behave
virtuously toward his fellow man
and is not concerned with
abstract definitionsrdquo In the
Torah however behaving
virtuously is equal to obeying
Godrsquos Law regardless of
whether we would view specific
laws as moral social or cultic
Judaism vs Hellenism 4
Source of Knowledge
Nb The incompatibility
of the Greek concept of
Nature as being
governed by immutable
natural laws and the
scriptural belief in
miracles
Science
- Reason is the key to finding
the truth about anything ndash
ethics nature of man the
natural world Popular
beliefs and commonly-held
opinions to be rejected as
sources of knowledge
The Torah tells
you everything
you need to know
ndash the rest should
be left to God
If the community
and individual are
in Godrsquos favor
god will ensure
that everything
will be fine with
the community
and individual
Sacred tradition
is binding
Judaism vs Hellenism 5
Medicine Greek medicine was scientific in that it
combined close observation with
generalized non-mythological theories
of how the body operates
Sickness is divine
punishment due to
sin
History Beginnings of scientific history
Non-mythological reasons for
events
This leads to a sense of uncertainty
and lack of confidence in the future ndash
bad luck uncontrollable actions of
enemies etc can destroy our future
and there is no supernatural salvation
in the real world
Salvation History
ndash the relationship
with God and
Godrsquos Law must
explain
everything
This leads to a
sense of
confidence in the
future ndash ie if the
Jews follow the
Torah God
guarantees a good
future
Judaism vs Hellenism 6
Role of Reason Philosophy ndash
rational thought to
gain knowledge
Israel is told what
it needs to know
Before
Deuteronomic
Reform Godrsquos
expectations were
through traditional
law and prophetic
messages After
the acceptance of
the Torah through
exegesis of the
Torah
Conquest
bull In 332-331 BCE Alexander the Great
conquered Palestine as part of this larger
conquest of the Persian Empire After
Alexanderrsquos death Egypt and Palestine were
taken over by Ptolemy while Syria
Mesopotamia and Persia were taken over by
Seleucus After a 23 year struggle the
Seleucids took over Palestine in 200 BCE
During this period a number of key
developments took place
Hellenistic World
Samaritans
Josephus etc
Philosophy
bull Philosophy remained centered in Athens The new schools of Skepticism Cynicism Epicurianism and Stoicism developed All of these were more concerned with manrsquos internal state and ethics than with man as a functioning member of society or with the larger questions of science metaphysics and other theoretical questions These developments were probably related to the end of the citizen-controlled city state and the inability of Hellenistic kingdoms to establish firm order These factors created the feeling that the outside world was in chaos and uncontrollable and that consequently one had to seek inside oneself for security
Philosophy ndashScience and Mathematics bull Alexandria became the center for these disciplines The
royal Museum was a great center of scientific and literary research It is interesting to note that astrology was a Hellenistic creation which they developed as a ldquosciencerdquo closely related to the doctrines of Stoicism It can be argued that the Greek belief in Fate or Necessity to which even the gods are subject predisposed them to developing a concept of nature as a system governed by immutable natural laws The extension of this paradigm into human affairs was the ultimate concept behind astrology]
bull The number of Greek philosopher-scientists who changed world history by laying the groundwork for the scientific method and a world view was small Outside of the Museum-Library at Alexandria the institutional basis to support research and the dissemination of results was very poor and haphazard
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
Levels of Hellenism
The Hellenistic world in the eastern Mediterranean (modern
Turkey Lebanon Syria IsraelPalestine Jordan Egypt and
eastern Libya) consisted of large populations speaking ldquonativerdquo
languages and living in the context of traditional cultures ruled by
a Greek speaking elite of composite origin These native societies
interacted with a range of levels of Hellenistic Greek culture Eg ndash
bull Popular religious social and religious beliefs values and
mores and with the Greek language
bull Greek social forms literature architecture modes of
organization and governance etc and
bull Greek philosophicalphilosophical thinking
Levels of Hellenism
For the monotheistic Jews of the period (c 300 BCE ndash c
350 CE) the challenge was particularly acute Other
groups could identify their gods with Greek gods (eg
Baal=Zeus) worship deliberate designed synthetic
gods such as Serapis which was devised during the
3rd century BC on the orders of Ptolemy I of Egypt as a
means to unify the Greeks and Egyptians in his realm
Due to lack of time I will only mention some of the
differences between Greek and Jewish thinking at the
third - philosophicalphilosophical - level However to
ordinary Jews it was the first two levels that would
have had the most impact to them
Judaism vs Hellenism 1
Centrality of
Man vs
Centrality of
God
Man is at the center and ldquoMan is
the measure of all thingsrdquo
Theocentric -
manrsquos task is to
serve God
Religion The gods in Greek traditional
polytheistic religion were capricious
and not particularly ethical The sole
requirement was to believe that the
gods existed and to perform ritual and
sacrifice through which the gods
received their due The very
unsatisfactory nature of this religion
from an ethical viewpoint opened the
way to secular science of ethics
Greek philosophers with their
demythologized world view could only
fit in the divine if the gods were
removed from the material world and
man
Ethical
monotheism
Judaism vs Hellenism 2
Law ndash divine or
secular Law (nomos) is to suit
society It can be made
and changed by the
society
Law (Torah) is
Godrsquos
revelation
regarding how
God wants
people to live
It cannot be
changed by
society in
theory though
it is adaptable
in practice
Judaism vs Hellenism 3
Secular or
theocratic rule
Democracy and other secular
forms of government follow from
above
Theocracy by authorized
interpreters of Godrsquos law
Ethics the
discipline
concerned with
what is morally
good and bad
right and wrong
Various philosophical schools ldquoUnlike the ethical system of
Greek philosophy which seeks
to define virtues (who is
courageous generous or just
etc) the bible demands of
every human being and behave
virtuously toward his fellow man
and is not concerned with
abstract definitionsrdquo In the
Torah however behaving
virtuously is equal to obeying
Godrsquos Law regardless of
whether we would view specific
laws as moral social or cultic
Judaism vs Hellenism 4
Source of Knowledge
Nb The incompatibility
of the Greek concept of
Nature as being
governed by immutable
natural laws and the
scriptural belief in
miracles
Science
- Reason is the key to finding
the truth about anything ndash
ethics nature of man the
natural world Popular
beliefs and commonly-held
opinions to be rejected as
sources of knowledge
The Torah tells
you everything
you need to know
ndash the rest should
be left to God
If the community
and individual are
in Godrsquos favor
god will ensure
that everything
will be fine with
the community
and individual
Sacred tradition
is binding
Judaism vs Hellenism 5
Medicine Greek medicine was scientific in that it
combined close observation with
generalized non-mythological theories
of how the body operates
Sickness is divine
punishment due to
sin
History Beginnings of scientific history
Non-mythological reasons for
events
This leads to a sense of uncertainty
and lack of confidence in the future ndash
bad luck uncontrollable actions of
enemies etc can destroy our future
and there is no supernatural salvation
in the real world
Salvation History
ndash the relationship
with God and
Godrsquos Law must
explain
everything
This leads to a
sense of
confidence in the
future ndash ie if the
Jews follow the
Torah God
guarantees a good
future
Judaism vs Hellenism 6
Role of Reason Philosophy ndash
rational thought to
gain knowledge
Israel is told what
it needs to know
Before
Deuteronomic
Reform Godrsquos
expectations were
through traditional
law and prophetic
messages After
the acceptance of
the Torah through
exegesis of the
Torah
Conquest
bull In 332-331 BCE Alexander the Great
conquered Palestine as part of this larger
conquest of the Persian Empire After
Alexanderrsquos death Egypt and Palestine were
taken over by Ptolemy while Syria
Mesopotamia and Persia were taken over by
Seleucus After a 23 year struggle the
Seleucids took over Palestine in 200 BCE
During this period a number of key
developments took place
Hellenistic World
Samaritans
Josephus etc
Philosophy
bull Philosophy remained centered in Athens The new schools of Skepticism Cynicism Epicurianism and Stoicism developed All of these were more concerned with manrsquos internal state and ethics than with man as a functioning member of society or with the larger questions of science metaphysics and other theoretical questions These developments were probably related to the end of the citizen-controlled city state and the inability of Hellenistic kingdoms to establish firm order These factors created the feeling that the outside world was in chaos and uncontrollable and that consequently one had to seek inside oneself for security
Philosophy ndashScience and Mathematics bull Alexandria became the center for these disciplines The
royal Museum was a great center of scientific and literary research It is interesting to note that astrology was a Hellenistic creation which they developed as a ldquosciencerdquo closely related to the doctrines of Stoicism It can be argued that the Greek belief in Fate or Necessity to which even the gods are subject predisposed them to developing a concept of nature as a system governed by immutable natural laws The extension of this paradigm into human affairs was the ultimate concept behind astrology]
bull The number of Greek philosopher-scientists who changed world history by laying the groundwork for the scientific method and a world view was small Outside of the Museum-Library at Alexandria the institutional basis to support research and the dissemination of results was very poor and haphazard
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
Levels of Hellenism
For the monotheistic Jews of the period (c 300 BCE ndash c
350 CE) the challenge was particularly acute Other
groups could identify their gods with Greek gods (eg
Baal=Zeus) worship deliberate designed synthetic
gods such as Serapis which was devised during the
3rd century BC on the orders of Ptolemy I of Egypt as a
means to unify the Greeks and Egyptians in his realm
Due to lack of time I will only mention some of the
differences between Greek and Jewish thinking at the
third - philosophicalphilosophical - level However to
ordinary Jews it was the first two levels that would
have had the most impact to them
Judaism vs Hellenism 1
Centrality of
Man vs
Centrality of
God
Man is at the center and ldquoMan is
the measure of all thingsrdquo
Theocentric -
manrsquos task is to
serve God
Religion The gods in Greek traditional
polytheistic religion were capricious
and not particularly ethical The sole
requirement was to believe that the
gods existed and to perform ritual and
sacrifice through which the gods
received their due The very
unsatisfactory nature of this religion
from an ethical viewpoint opened the
way to secular science of ethics
Greek philosophers with their
demythologized world view could only
fit in the divine if the gods were
removed from the material world and
man
Ethical
monotheism
Judaism vs Hellenism 2
Law ndash divine or
secular Law (nomos) is to suit
society It can be made
and changed by the
society
Law (Torah) is
Godrsquos
revelation
regarding how
God wants
people to live
It cannot be
changed by
society in
theory though
it is adaptable
in practice
Judaism vs Hellenism 3
Secular or
theocratic rule
Democracy and other secular
forms of government follow from
above
Theocracy by authorized
interpreters of Godrsquos law
Ethics the
discipline
concerned with
what is morally
good and bad
right and wrong
Various philosophical schools ldquoUnlike the ethical system of
Greek philosophy which seeks
to define virtues (who is
courageous generous or just
etc) the bible demands of
every human being and behave
virtuously toward his fellow man
and is not concerned with
abstract definitionsrdquo In the
Torah however behaving
virtuously is equal to obeying
Godrsquos Law regardless of
whether we would view specific
laws as moral social or cultic
Judaism vs Hellenism 4
Source of Knowledge
Nb The incompatibility
of the Greek concept of
Nature as being
governed by immutable
natural laws and the
scriptural belief in
miracles
Science
- Reason is the key to finding
the truth about anything ndash
ethics nature of man the
natural world Popular
beliefs and commonly-held
opinions to be rejected as
sources of knowledge
The Torah tells
you everything
you need to know
ndash the rest should
be left to God
If the community
and individual are
in Godrsquos favor
god will ensure
that everything
will be fine with
the community
and individual
Sacred tradition
is binding
Judaism vs Hellenism 5
Medicine Greek medicine was scientific in that it
combined close observation with
generalized non-mythological theories
of how the body operates
Sickness is divine
punishment due to
sin
History Beginnings of scientific history
Non-mythological reasons for
events
This leads to a sense of uncertainty
and lack of confidence in the future ndash
bad luck uncontrollable actions of
enemies etc can destroy our future
and there is no supernatural salvation
in the real world
Salvation History
ndash the relationship
with God and
Godrsquos Law must
explain
everything
This leads to a
sense of
confidence in the
future ndash ie if the
Jews follow the
Torah God
guarantees a good
future
Judaism vs Hellenism 6
Role of Reason Philosophy ndash
rational thought to
gain knowledge
Israel is told what
it needs to know
Before
Deuteronomic
Reform Godrsquos
expectations were
through traditional
law and prophetic
messages After
the acceptance of
the Torah through
exegesis of the
Torah
Conquest
bull In 332-331 BCE Alexander the Great
conquered Palestine as part of this larger
conquest of the Persian Empire After
Alexanderrsquos death Egypt and Palestine were
taken over by Ptolemy while Syria
Mesopotamia and Persia were taken over by
Seleucus After a 23 year struggle the
Seleucids took over Palestine in 200 BCE
During this period a number of key
developments took place
Hellenistic World
Samaritans
Josephus etc
Philosophy
bull Philosophy remained centered in Athens The new schools of Skepticism Cynicism Epicurianism and Stoicism developed All of these were more concerned with manrsquos internal state and ethics than with man as a functioning member of society or with the larger questions of science metaphysics and other theoretical questions These developments were probably related to the end of the citizen-controlled city state and the inability of Hellenistic kingdoms to establish firm order These factors created the feeling that the outside world was in chaos and uncontrollable and that consequently one had to seek inside oneself for security
Philosophy ndashScience and Mathematics bull Alexandria became the center for these disciplines The
royal Museum was a great center of scientific and literary research It is interesting to note that astrology was a Hellenistic creation which they developed as a ldquosciencerdquo closely related to the doctrines of Stoicism It can be argued that the Greek belief in Fate or Necessity to which even the gods are subject predisposed them to developing a concept of nature as a system governed by immutable natural laws The extension of this paradigm into human affairs was the ultimate concept behind astrology]
bull The number of Greek philosopher-scientists who changed world history by laying the groundwork for the scientific method and a world view was small Outside of the Museum-Library at Alexandria the institutional basis to support research and the dissemination of results was very poor and haphazard
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
Judaism vs Hellenism 1
Centrality of
Man vs
Centrality of
God
Man is at the center and ldquoMan is
the measure of all thingsrdquo
Theocentric -
manrsquos task is to
serve God
Religion The gods in Greek traditional
polytheistic religion were capricious
and not particularly ethical The sole
requirement was to believe that the
gods existed and to perform ritual and
sacrifice through which the gods
received their due The very
unsatisfactory nature of this religion
from an ethical viewpoint opened the
way to secular science of ethics
Greek philosophers with their
demythologized world view could only
fit in the divine if the gods were
removed from the material world and
man
Ethical
monotheism
Judaism vs Hellenism 2
Law ndash divine or
secular Law (nomos) is to suit
society It can be made
and changed by the
society
Law (Torah) is
Godrsquos
revelation
regarding how
God wants
people to live
It cannot be
changed by
society in
theory though
it is adaptable
in practice
Judaism vs Hellenism 3
Secular or
theocratic rule
Democracy and other secular
forms of government follow from
above
Theocracy by authorized
interpreters of Godrsquos law
Ethics the
discipline
concerned with
what is morally
good and bad
right and wrong
Various philosophical schools ldquoUnlike the ethical system of
Greek philosophy which seeks
to define virtues (who is
courageous generous or just
etc) the bible demands of
every human being and behave
virtuously toward his fellow man
and is not concerned with
abstract definitionsrdquo In the
Torah however behaving
virtuously is equal to obeying
Godrsquos Law regardless of
whether we would view specific
laws as moral social or cultic
Judaism vs Hellenism 4
Source of Knowledge
Nb The incompatibility
of the Greek concept of
Nature as being
governed by immutable
natural laws and the
scriptural belief in
miracles
Science
- Reason is the key to finding
the truth about anything ndash
ethics nature of man the
natural world Popular
beliefs and commonly-held
opinions to be rejected as
sources of knowledge
The Torah tells
you everything
you need to know
ndash the rest should
be left to God
If the community
and individual are
in Godrsquos favor
god will ensure
that everything
will be fine with
the community
and individual
Sacred tradition
is binding
Judaism vs Hellenism 5
Medicine Greek medicine was scientific in that it
combined close observation with
generalized non-mythological theories
of how the body operates
Sickness is divine
punishment due to
sin
History Beginnings of scientific history
Non-mythological reasons for
events
This leads to a sense of uncertainty
and lack of confidence in the future ndash
bad luck uncontrollable actions of
enemies etc can destroy our future
and there is no supernatural salvation
in the real world
Salvation History
ndash the relationship
with God and
Godrsquos Law must
explain
everything
This leads to a
sense of
confidence in the
future ndash ie if the
Jews follow the
Torah God
guarantees a good
future
Judaism vs Hellenism 6
Role of Reason Philosophy ndash
rational thought to
gain knowledge
Israel is told what
it needs to know
Before
Deuteronomic
Reform Godrsquos
expectations were
through traditional
law and prophetic
messages After
the acceptance of
the Torah through
exegesis of the
Torah
Conquest
bull In 332-331 BCE Alexander the Great
conquered Palestine as part of this larger
conquest of the Persian Empire After
Alexanderrsquos death Egypt and Palestine were
taken over by Ptolemy while Syria
Mesopotamia and Persia were taken over by
Seleucus After a 23 year struggle the
Seleucids took over Palestine in 200 BCE
During this period a number of key
developments took place
Hellenistic World
Samaritans
Josephus etc
Philosophy
bull Philosophy remained centered in Athens The new schools of Skepticism Cynicism Epicurianism and Stoicism developed All of these were more concerned with manrsquos internal state and ethics than with man as a functioning member of society or with the larger questions of science metaphysics and other theoretical questions These developments were probably related to the end of the citizen-controlled city state and the inability of Hellenistic kingdoms to establish firm order These factors created the feeling that the outside world was in chaos and uncontrollable and that consequently one had to seek inside oneself for security
Philosophy ndashScience and Mathematics bull Alexandria became the center for these disciplines The
royal Museum was a great center of scientific and literary research It is interesting to note that astrology was a Hellenistic creation which they developed as a ldquosciencerdquo closely related to the doctrines of Stoicism It can be argued that the Greek belief in Fate or Necessity to which even the gods are subject predisposed them to developing a concept of nature as a system governed by immutable natural laws The extension of this paradigm into human affairs was the ultimate concept behind astrology]
bull The number of Greek philosopher-scientists who changed world history by laying the groundwork for the scientific method and a world view was small Outside of the Museum-Library at Alexandria the institutional basis to support research and the dissemination of results was very poor and haphazard
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
Judaism vs Hellenism 2
Law ndash divine or
secular Law (nomos) is to suit
society It can be made
and changed by the
society
Law (Torah) is
Godrsquos
revelation
regarding how
God wants
people to live
It cannot be
changed by
society in
theory though
it is adaptable
in practice
Judaism vs Hellenism 3
Secular or
theocratic rule
Democracy and other secular
forms of government follow from
above
Theocracy by authorized
interpreters of Godrsquos law
Ethics the
discipline
concerned with
what is morally
good and bad
right and wrong
Various philosophical schools ldquoUnlike the ethical system of
Greek philosophy which seeks
to define virtues (who is
courageous generous or just
etc) the bible demands of
every human being and behave
virtuously toward his fellow man
and is not concerned with
abstract definitionsrdquo In the
Torah however behaving
virtuously is equal to obeying
Godrsquos Law regardless of
whether we would view specific
laws as moral social or cultic
Judaism vs Hellenism 4
Source of Knowledge
Nb The incompatibility
of the Greek concept of
Nature as being
governed by immutable
natural laws and the
scriptural belief in
miracles
Science
- Reason is the key to finding
the truth about anything ndash
ethics nature of man the
natural world Popular
beliefs and commonly-held
opinions to be rejected as
sources of knowledge
The Torah tells
you everything
you need to know
ndash the rest should
be left to God
If the community
and individual are
in Godrsquos favor
god will ensure
that everything
will be fine with
the community
and individual
Sacred tradition
is binding
Judaism vs Hellenism 5
Medicine Greek medicine was scientific in that it
combined close observation with
generalized non-mythological theories
of how the body operates
Sickness is divine
punishment due to
sin
History Beginnings of scientific history
Non-mythological reasons for
events
This leads to a sense of uncertainty
and lack of confidence in the future ndash
bad luck uncontrollable actions of
enemies etc can destroy our future
and there is no supernatural salvation
in the real world
Salvation History
ndash the relationship
with God and
Godrsquos Law must
explain
everything
This leads to a
sense of
confidence in the
future ndash ie if the
Jews follow the
Torah God
guarantees a good
future
Judaism vs Hellenism 6
Role of Reason Philosophy ndash
rational thought to
gain knowledge
Israel is told what
it needs to know
Before
Deuteronomic
Reform Godrsquos
expectations were
through traditional
law and prophetic
messages After
the acceptance of
the Torah through
exegesis of the
Torah
Conquest
bull In 332-331 BCE Alexander the Great
conquered Palestine as part of this larger
conquest of the Persian Empire After
Alexanderrsquos death Egypt and Palestine were
taken over by Ptolemy while Syria
Mesopotamia and Persia were taken over by
Seleucus After a 23 year struggle the
Seleucids took over Palestine in 200 BCE
During this period a number of key
developments took place
Hellenistic World
Samaritans
Josephus etc
Philosophy
bull Philosophy remained centered in Athens The new schools of Skepticism Cynicism Epicurianism and Stoicism developed All of these were more concerned with manrsquos internal state and ethics than with man as a functioning member of society or with the larger questions of science metaphysics and other theoretical questions These developments were probably related to the end of the citizen-controlled city state and the inability of Hellenistic kingdoms to establish firm order These factors created the feeling that the outside world was in chaos and uncontrollable and that consequently one had to seek inside oneself for security
Philosophy ndashScience and Mathematics bull Alexandria became the center for these disciplines The
royal Museum was a great center of scientific and literary research It is interesting to note that astrology was a Hellenistic creation which they developed as a ldquosciencerdquo closely related to the doctrines of Stoicism It can be argued that the Greek belief in Fate or Necessity to which even the gods are subject predisposed them to developing a concept of nature as a system governed by immutable natural laws The extension of this paradigm into human affairs was the ultimate concept behind astrology]
bull The number of Greek philosopher-scientists who changed world history by laying the groundwork for the scientific method and a world view was small Outside of the Museum-Library at Alexandria the institutional basis to support research and the dissemination of results was very poor and haphazard
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
Judaism vs Hellenism 3
Secular or
theocratic rule
Democracy and other secular
forms of government follow from
above
Theocracy by authorized
interpreters of Godrsquos law
Ethics the
discipline
concerned with
what is morally
good and bad
right and wrong
Various philosophical schools ldquoUnlike the ethical system of
Greek philosophy which seeks
to define virtues (who is
courageous generous or just
etc) the bible demands of
every human being and behave
virtuously toward his fellow man
and is not concerned with
abstract definitionsrdquo In the
Torah however behaving
virtuously is equal to obeying
Godrsquos Law regardless of
whether we would view specific
laws as moral social or cultic
Judaism vs Hellenism 4
Source of Knowledge
Nb The incompatibility
of the Greek concept of
Nature as being
governed by immutable
natural laws and the
scriptural belief in
miracles
Science
- Reason is the key to finding
the truth about anything ndash
ethics nature of man the
natural world Popular
beliefs and commonly-held
opinions to be rejected as
sources of knowledge
The Torah tells
you everything
you need to know
ndash the rest should
be left to God
If the community
and individual are
in Godrsquos favor
god will ensure
that everything
will be fine with
the community
and individual
Sacred tradition
is binding
Judaism vs Hellenism 5
Medicine Greek medicine was scientific in that it
combined close observation with
generalized non-mythological theories
of how the body operates
Sickness is divine
punishment due to
sin
History Beginnings of scientific history
Non-mythological reasons for
events
This leads to a sense of uncertainty
and lack of confidence in the future ndash
bad luck uncontrollable actions of
enemies etc can destroy our future
and there is no supernatural salvation
in the real world
Salvation History
ndash the relationship
with God and
Godrsquos Law must
explain
everything
This leads to a
sense of
confidence in the
future ndash ie if the
Jews follow the
Torah God
guarantees a good
future
Judaism vs Hellenism 6
Role of Reason Philosophy ndash
rational thought to
gain knowledge
Israel is told what
it needs to know
Before
Deuteronomic
Reform Godrsquos
expectations were
through traditional
law and prophetic
messages After
the acceptance of
the Torah through
exegesis of the
Torah
Conquest
bull In 332-331 BCE Alexander the Great
conquered Palestine as part of this larger
conquest of the Persian Empire After
Alexanderrsquos death Egypt and Palestine were
taken over by Ptolemy while Syria
Mesopotamia and Persia were taken over by
Seleucus After a 23 year struggle the
Seleucids took over Palestine in 200 BCE
During this period a number of key
developments took place
Hellenistic World
Samaritans
Josephus etc
Philosophy
bull Philosophy remained centered in Athens The new schools of Skepticism Cynicism Epicurianism and Stoicism developed All of these were more concerned with manrsquos internal state and ethics than with man as a functioning member of society or with the larger questions of science metaphysics and other theoretical questions These developments were probably related to the end of the citizen-controlled city state and the inability of Hellenistic kingdoms to establish firm order These factors created the feeling that the outside world was in chaos and uncontrollable and that consequently one had to seek inside oneself for security
Philosophy ndashScience and Mathematics bull Alexandria became the center for these disciplines The
royal Museum was a great center of scientific and literary research It is interesting to note that astrology was a Hellenistic creation which they developed as a ldquosciencerdquo closely related to the doctrines of Stoicism It can be argued that the Greek belief in Fate or Necessity to which even the gods are subject predisposed them to developing a concept of nature as a system governed by immutable natural laws The extension of this paradigm into human affairs was the ultimate concept behind astrology]
bull The number of Greek philosopher-scientists who changed world history by laying the groundwork for the scientific method and a world view was small Outside of the Museum-Library at Alexandria the institutional basis to support research and the dissemination of results was very poor and haphazard
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
Judaism vs Hellenism 4
Source of Knowledge
Nb The incompatibility
of the Greek concept of
Nature as being
governed by immutable
natural laws and the
scriptural belief in
miracles
Science
- Reason is the key to finding
the truth about anything ndash
ethics nature of man the
natural world Popular
beliefs and commonly-held
opinions to be rejected as
sources of knowledge
The Torah tells
you everything
you need to know
ndash the rest should
be left to God
If the community
and individual are
in Godrsquos favor
god will ensure
that everything
will be fine with
the community
and individual
Sacred tradition
is binding
Judaism vs Hellenism 5
Medicine Greek medicine was scientific in that it
combined close observation with
generalized non-mythological theories
of how the body operates
Sickness is divine
punishment due to
sin
History Beginnings of scientific history
Non-mythological reasons for
events
This leads to a sense of uncertainty
and lack of confidence in the future ndash
bad luck uncontrollable actions of
enemies etc can destroy our future
and there is no supernatural salvation
in the real world
Salvation History
ndash the relationship
with God and
Godrsquos Law must
explain
everything
This leads to a
sense of
confidence in the
future ndash ie if the
Jews follow the
Torah God
guarantees a good
future
Judaism vs Hellenism 6
Role of Reason Philosophy ndash
rational thought to
gain knowledge
Israel is told what
it needs to know
Before
Deuteronomic
Reform Godrsquos
expectations were
through traditional
law and prophetic
messages After
the acceptance of
the Torah through
exegesis of the
Torah
Conquest
bull In 332-331 BCE Alexander the Great
conquered Palestine as part of this larger
conquest of the Persian Empire After
Alexanderrsquos death Egypt and Palestine were
taken over by Ptolemy while Syria
Mesopotamia and Persia were taken over by
Seleucus After a 23 year struggle the
Seleucids took over Palestine in 200 BCE
During this period a number of key
developments took place
Hellenistic World
Samaritans
Josephus etc
Philosophy
bull Philosophy remained centered in Athens The new schools of Skepticism Cynicism Epicurianism and Stoicism developed All of these were more concerned with manrsquos internal state and ethics than with man as a functioning member of society or with the larger questions of science metaphysics and other theoretical questions These developments were probably related to the end of the citizen-controlled city state and the inability of Hellenistic kingdoms to establish firm order These factors created the feeling that the outside world was in chaos and uncontrollable and that consequently one had to seek inside oneself for security
Philosophy ndashScience and Mathematics bull Alexandria became the center for these disciplines The
royal Museum was a great center of scientific and literary research It is interesting to note that astrology was a Hellenistic creation which they developed as a ldquosciencerdquo closely related to the doctrines of Stoicism It can be argued that the Greek belief in Fate or Necessity to which even the gods are subject predisposed them to developing a concept of nature as a system governed by immutable natural laws The extension of this paradigm into human affairs was the ultimate concept behind astrology]
bull The number of Greek philosopher-scientists who changed world history by laying the groundwork for the scientific method and a world view was small Outside of the Museum-Library at Alexandria the institutional basis to support research and the dissemination of results was very poor and haphazard
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
Judaism vs Hellenism 5
Medicine Greek medicine was scientific in that it
combined close observation with
generalized non-mythological theories
of how the body operates
Sickness is divine
punishment due to
sin
History Beginnings of scientific history
Non-mythological reasons for
events
This leads to a sense of uncertainty
and lack of confidence in the future ndash
bad luck uncontrollable actions of
enemies etc can destroy our future
and there is no supernatural salvation
in the real world
Salvation History
ndash the relationship
with God and
Godrsquos Law must
explain
everything
This leads to a
sense of
confidence in the
future ndash ie if the
Jews follow the
Torah God
guarantees a good
future
Judaism vs Hellenism 6
Role of Reason Philosophy ndash
rational thought to
gain knowledge
Israel is told what
it needs to know
Before
Deuteronomic
Reform Godrsquos
expectations were
through traditional
law and prophetic
messages After
the acceptance of
the Torah through
exegesis of the
Torah
Conquest
bull In 332-331 BCE Alexander the Great
conquered Palestine as part of this larger
conquest of the Persian Empire After
Alexanderrsquos death Egypt and Palestine were
taken over by Ptolemy while Syria
Mesopotamia and Persia were taken over by
Seleucus After a 23 year struggle the
Seleucids took over Palestine in 200 BCE
During this period a number of key
developments took place
Hellenistic World
Samaritans
Josephus etc
Philosophy
bull Philosophy remained centered in Athens The new schools of Skepticism Cynicism Epicurianism and Stoicism developed All of these were more concerned with manrsquos internal state and ethics than with man as a functioning member of society or with the larger questions of science metaphysics and other theoretical questions These developments were probably related to the end of the citizen-controlled city state and the inability of Hellenistic kingdoms to establish firm order These factors created the feeling that the outside world was in chaos and uncontrollable and that consequently one had to seek inside oneself for security
Philosophy ndashScience and Mathematics bull Alexandria became the center for these disciplines The
royal Museum was a great center of scientific and literary research It is interesting to note that astrology was a Hellenistic creation which they developed as a ldquosciencerdquo closely related to the doctrines of Stoicism It can be argued that the Greek belief in Fate or Necessity to which even the gods are subject predisposed them to developing a concept of nature as a system governed by immutable natural laws The extension of this paradigm into human affairs was the ultimate concept behind astrology]
bull The number of Greek philosopher-scientists who changed world history by laying the groundwork for the scientific method and a world view was small Outside of the Museum-Library at Alexandria the institutional basis to support research and the dissemination of results was very poor and haphazard
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
Judaism vs Hellenism 6
Role of Reason Philosophy ndash
rational thought to
gain knowledge
Israel is told what
it needs to know
Before
Deuteronomic
Reform Godrsquos
expectations were
through traditional
law and prophetic
messages After
the acceptance of
the Torah through
exegesis of the
Torah
Conquest
bull In 332-331 BCE Alexander the Great
conquered Palestine as part of this larger
conquest of the Persian Empire After
Alexanderrsquos death Egypt and Palestine were
taken over by Ptolemy while Syria
Mesopotamia and Persia were taken over by
Seleucus After a 23 year struggle the
Seleucids took over Palestine in 200 BCE
During this period a number of key
developments took place
Hellenistic World
Samaritans
Josephus etc
Philosophy
bull Philosophy remained centered in Athens The new schools of Skepticism Cynicism Epicurianism and Stoicism developed All of these were more concerned with manrsquos internal state and ethics than with man as a functioning member of society or with the larger questions of science metaphysics and other theoretical questions These developments were probably related to the end of the citizen-controlled city state and the inability of Hellenistic kingdoms to establish firm order These factors created the feeling that the outside world was in chaos and uncontrollable and that consequently one had to seek inside oneself for security
Philosophy ndashScience and Mathematics bull Alexandria became the center for these disciplines The
royal Museum was a great center of scientific and literary research It is interesting to note that astrology was a Hellenistic creation which they developed as a ldquosciencerdquo closely related to the doctrines of Stoicism It can be argued that the Greek belief in Fate or Necessity to which even the gods are subject predisposed them to developing a concept of nature as a system governed by immutable natural laws The extension of this paradigm into human affairs was the ultimate concept behind astrology]
bull The number of Greek philosopher-scientists who changed world history by laying the groundwork for the scientific method and a world view was small Outside of the Museum-Library at Alexandria the institutional basis to support research and the dissemination of results was very poor and haphazard
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
Conquest
bull In 332-331 BCE Alexander the Great
conquered Palestine as part of this larger
conquest of the Persian Empire After
Alexanderrsquos death Egypt and Palestine were
taken over by Ptolemy while Syria
Mesopotamia and Persia were taken over by
Seleucus After a 23 year struggle the
Seleucids took over Palestine in 200 BCE
During this period a number of key
developments took place
Hellenistic World
Samaritans
Josephus etc
Philosophy
bull Philosophy remained centered in Athens The new schools of Skepticism Cynicism Epicurianism and Stoicism developed All of these were more concerned with manrsquos internal state and ethics than with man as a functioning member of society or with the larger questions of science metaphysics and other theoretical questions These developments were probably related to the end of the citizen-controlled city state and the inability of Hellenistic kingdoms to establish firm order These factors created the feeling that the outside world was in chaos and uncontrollable and that consequently one had to seek inside oneself for security
Philosophy ndashScience and Mathematics bull Alexandria became the center for these disciplines The
royal Museum was a great center of scientific and literary research It is interesting to note that astrology was a Hellenistic creation which they developed as a ldquosciencerdquo closely related to the doctrines of Stoicism It can be argued that the Greek belief in Fate or Necessity to which even the gods are subject predisposed them to developing a concept of nature as a system governed by immutable natural laws The extension of this paradigm into human affairs was the ultimate concept behind astrology]
bull The number of Greek philosopher-scientists who changed world history by laying the groundwork for the scientific method and a world view was small Outside of the Museum-Library at Alexandria the institutional basis to support research and the dissemination of results was very poor and haphazard
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
Hellenistic World
Samaritans
Josephus etc
Philosophy
bull Philosophy remained centered in Athens The new schools of Skepticism Cynicism Epicurianism and Stoicism developed All of these were more concerned with manrsquos internal state and ethics than with man as a functioning member of society or with the larger questions of science metaphysics and other theoretical questions These developments were probably related to the end of the citizen-controlled city state and the inability of Hellenistic kingdoms to establish firm order These factors created the feeling that the outside world was in chaos and uncontrollable and that consequently one had to seek inside oneself for security
Philosophy ndashScience and Mathematics bull Alexandria became the center for these disciplines The
royal Museum was a great center of scientific and literary research It is interesting to note that astrology was a Hellenistic creation which they developed as a ldquosciencerdquo closely related to the doctrines of Stoicism It can be argued that the Greek belief in Fate or Necessity to which even the gods are subject predisposed them to developing a concept of nature as a system governed by immutable natural laws The extension of this paradigm into human affairs was the ultimate concept behind astrology]
bull The number of Greek philosopher-scientists who changed world history by laying the groundwork for the scientific method and a world view was small Outside of the Museum-Library at Alexandria the institutional basis to support research and the dissemination of results was very poor and haphazard
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
Samaritans
Josephus etc
Philosophy
bull Philosophy remained centered in Athens The new schools of Skepticism Cynicism Epicurianism and Stoicism developed All of these were more concerned with manrsquos internal state and ethics than with man as a functioning member of society or with the larger questions of science metaphysics and other theoretical questions These developments were probably related to the end of the citizen-controlled city state and the inability of Hellenistic kingdoms to establish firm order These factors created the feeling that the outside world was in chaos and uncontrollable and that consequently one had to seek inside oneself for security
Philosophy ndashScience and Mathematics bull Alexandria became the center for these disciplines The
royal Museum was a great center of scientific and literary research It is interesting to note that astrology was a Hellenistic creation which they developed as a ldquosciencerdquo closely related to the doctrines of Stoicism It can be argued that the Greek belief in Fate or Necessity to which even the gods are subject predisposed them to developing a concept of nature as a system governed by immutable natural laws The extension of this paradigm into human affairs was the ultimate concept behind astrology]
bull The number of Greek philosopher-scientists who changed world history by laying the groundwork for the scientific method and a world view was small Outside of the Museum-Library at Alexandria the institutional basis to support research and the dissemination of results was very poor and haphazard
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
Philosophy
bull Philosophy remained centered in Athens The new schools of Skepticism Cynicism Epicurianism and Stoicism developed All of these were more concerned with manrsquos internal state and ethics than with man as a functioning member of society or with the larger questions of science metaphysics and other theoretical questions These developments were probably related to the end of the citizen-controlled city state and the inability of Hellenistic kingdoms to establish firm order These factors created the feeling that the outside world was in chaos and uncontrollable and that consequently one had to seek inside oneself for security
Philosophy ndashScience and Mathematics bull Alexandria became the center for these disciplines The
royal Museum was a great center of scientific and literary research It is interesting to note that astrology was a Hellenistic creation which they developed as a ldquosciencerdquo closely related to the doctrines of Stoicism It can be argued that the Greek belief in Fate or Necessity to which even the gods are subject predisposed them to developing a concept of nature as a system governed by immutable natural laws The extension of this paradigm into human affairs was the ultimate concept behind astrology]
bull The number of Greek philosopher-scientists who changed world history by laying the groundwork for the scientific method and a world view was small Outside of the Museum-Library at Alexandria the institutional basis to support research and the dissemination of results was very poor and haphazard
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
Philosophy ndashScience and Mathematics bull Alexandria became the center for these disciplines The
royal Museum was a great center of scientific and literary research It is interesting to note that astrology was a Hellenistic creation which they developed as a ldquosciencerdquo closely related to the doctrines of Stoicism It can be argued that the Greek belief in Fate or Necessity to which even the gods are subject predisposed them to developing a concept of nature as a system governed by immutable natural laws The extension of this paradigm into human affairs was the ultimate concept behind astrology]
bull The number of Greek philosopher-scientists who changed world history by laying the groundwork for the scientific method and a world view was small Outside of the Museum-Library at Alexandria the institutional basis to support research and the dissemination of results was very poor and haphazard
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
332
BCE
Judaea incorporated into Alexanderrsquos
Greco-Macedonian empire
323- Alexanderrsquos generals struggle for control
of his empire with frequent clashes in the
coastal region of Palestine
Hellenistic cities founded over the next
century in Palestine outside of the old
Persian province of Yehud
By 301 Seleucus controls Syria Mesopotamia
and Iran
Ptolemy I secures control of Egypt amp
Palestine
Status of Judea (Persian Yehud) as a
self-contained unit with its center in
Jerusalem continues
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
c 200 BCE The Selucid king Antiochus III with Jewish
support wrests control of Palestine from
Ptolemies
From 189
BCE or 188
to 177 BCE
Seleucid empire vanquished by Rome in 190
BCE Rome bankrupts Seleucids
July 187
BCE The royal minister Heliodorus comes to
confiscate money on deposit in the temple in
Jerusalem but fails to do so Some Jews believe
God miraculously prevented him
175 To strengthen the Seleucid Empire by copying
Roman institutions Antiochus proclaims an
Antiochene republic and invites subject
individuals and communities to accept
Antiochene citizenship
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
175-174
BCE
Jason brother of Onias III purchases the favor of
Antiochus by offering him increased revenue and by
bidding high for the privilege of being the founder of the
Antiochene community at Jerusalem
Antiochus appoints Jason high priest in place of Onias
and allows Jason to found an Antiochene citizen-
community at Jerusalem with gymnasium and ephebic
institutions exempt from Jewish law
170-169 Antiochus IV invades Egypt and
overruns all but Alexandria
169 Pious Jews rise against both Jason and
Menelaus
Antiochus regards all but Menelaus
faction as rebels punishes the city
plunders the temple and attempts to
reestablish order confirming Menelaus in
power over the Jews
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
167
BCE
Antiochus IV decrees that on penalty of
death the turbulent Jews including all
those in Judaea must cease observing
the Torah and follow an imposed
polytheistic cult said to be a purified
Judaism free of the tendencies which
had turned the Jews into rebels
167 Antiochus IV takes drastic measures to
enforce the imposed cult Abomination
of Desolation a framework containing
three he meteorites representing the
three gods of the imposed cult is placed
upon the sacrificial altar of the temple
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
167-166
BCE
Mattathias and his family the
Hasmonaeans wage guerrilla warfare
against the royal government and
against Jews who violated the Torah
Some Pietist Jews still believe that God
forbids violent rebelIion and trust in vain
the prophecies that God will protect
Sabbath observers Believing that God
forbade them to flee or defend
themselves on the Sabbath they are
massacred by royal troops
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
164
BCE
Jewish priests resume sacrifice of meal
offerings in the temple upon the new
altar
164-163 The Jews decide to make the eight-day
celebration an annual observance at first
under the name Festival of Tabernacles
in the month of Kislev later under the
name Days of Dedication (Hanukkah)
63 Pompey imposes roman rule in Syria-
Palestine
67-70
CE
Jewish war against Rome ndash Romans
destroyJerusalem
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages
Languages in First Century Palestine
bull Greek was widely spoken in Hellenistic cities mainly along the coast
and north of the country
bull Aramaic was the majority language of the country Probably it was
the only language other than Greek spoken throughout the country
except for some areas of Judea between Lod and Jericho It seems
to have been the language of the upper classes in Jerusalem and
bull A Proto-Mishnaic or Proto-Rabbinic Hebrew was probably spoken
along with Aramaic in some areas of Judea between Lod and
Jericho and
bull Late Biblical Hebrew which was a literary language along side
Greek and Aramaic for the Jewish population There were no
speakers of this artificial tongue This is not dissimilar to the
situation of Modern Literary Arabic today or Church Latin in the
middle ages