Jewish History Part 2

Jews and Hellenism

Timeline

332 BCEAlexander Conquers Judea

167-160 BCEMaccabean Revolt

63 BCERome Conquers Judea

Jews Controlled by Greek Kingdoms

Independent Jewish Kingdom

Rome Rules Through Jewish Puppet King

Persia

Jews and HellenismCoexistence, Syncretism, and Conflict

Alexander and the Jews

In Class Assessment

Jews in the Hellenistic World

Where did Jews live?

The Septuagint - LXX

Translated in Alexandria

"When the work was completed, Demetrius collected together the Jewish population in the place where the translation had been made, and read it over to all, in the presence of the translators, who met with a great reception also from the people, because of the great benefits which they had conferred upon them. After the books had been read, the priests and the elders of the translators and the Jewish community and the leaders of the people stood up and said, that since so excellent and sacred and accurate a translation had been made, it was only right that it should remain as it was and no alteration should be made in it. When the matter was reported to the king, he rejoiced greatly, for he felt that the design which he had formed had been safely carried out. The whole book was read over to him and he was greatly astonished at the spirit of the lawgiver."

Letter of Aristeas

Tractate Megillah 9a-9b

"It happened to Ptolemy the king that he took seventy-two elders from Jerusalem, and placed them in seventy-two separate chambers, and did not inform them to what purpose he had brought them. And afterward he entered to each of them, and said to them: Translate me the Torah of Moses from memory. And the Holy One, blessed be He, sent into the heart of each of them a counsel, and they all agreed to have one mind."

Excerpts

Genesis 4:8Torah: And Cain spoke unto Abel his brother. And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

LXX: And Cain spoke unto Abel his brother, "let us go to the field." And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

Genesis 5:24

Torah: And Enoch was pleasing to God; and he was not, for God had taken him

LXX: And Enoch was pleasing to God; and he was not, for God had transferred him

Genesis 14:4

Torah: Twelve years had they served Chedorlaomer and thirteen they rebelled.

LXX: Twelve years had they served Chedorlaomer and in the thirteenth year they rebelled

Genesis 19:16

Torah: But he [Lot] lingered, so the men seized him

LXX: But he [Lot] lingered, so the angels seized him

Genesis 34:13-14Torah: The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor with guile, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. They said to them, "We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised."

LXX: And Simeon and Levi, the brother of Dinah, said to them: "We will not be able to do this thing, to give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised."

Exodus 4:6

Torah: And he put his hand to his chest and, when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.

LXX: And he put his hand to his chest, and when he took it out, his hand had become like snow.

Diodorus Siculus

[T]he ancestors of the Jews had been driven out of all Egypt as men who were impious and detested by the gods. For by way of purging the country of all persons who had white or leprous marks on their bodies had been assembled and driven across the border, as being under a curse;

In class Assessment

Jewish Hellenistic Sources

Jewish Sources from Hellenistic Times • Apocrypha

• Pseudepigrapha

• Dead Sea Scrolls (more on these later)

• Philo

• Novels and plays

Apocrypha

• Wisdom Literature - Ben Sira, Wisdom of Solomon

• Narrative Books - Judith, Maccabees

• Additions - Daniel and Esther

Pseudepigrapha

• Attributed to earlier authors - Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs

• Rewritten Bible - Book of Jubilees

• Hellenistic Wisdom - Letter of Aristeas

PhiloProlific Alexandrian Jewish writer. Believed in syncretism - combining Jewish and Hellenistic ideas

Novels and Plays

• Joseph and Asenath

• The Exagoge by Ezekial

And Aseneth's large room, where she spent her time, had three windows. 13. One window looked out over the courtyard to the east: the second looked to the north, onto the street; and the third to the south. 14. And a golden bed stood in the room, facing the east. 15. And the bed had a coverlet of purple woven with gold, embroidered with blue, and fine linen. 16. In this bed Aseneth used to sleep alone, and no man or woman ever sat upon it, except Aseneth only. 17. And there was a great court all round the house, and a wall round the court, very high and built of great rectangular stones. 18. And there were four gates to the court, overlaid with iron; and eighteen strong young men-at-arms used to guard each one of them.

Joseph and Aseneth

Then he first made a shield, broad and solid, adorning it skilfully everywhere, and setting round it a glittering triple rim, with a silver strap attached. Five layers it had, and he decorated it with subtle art.

On it he showed the earth, sea, sky, the tireless sun and the full moon, and all the constellations that crown the heavens, the Pleiades, Hyades, great Orion, and the Bear, that men also call the Wain, that circles round in its place, never bathing in Ocean’s stream, while gazing warily at Orion.

On it he showed two fine cities of mortal men. In one there were marriage feasts, and to the light of blazing torches, the brides were led from their rooms and through the city, to the sound of wedding songs. Young men circled in the dance, whirling round to flutes and lyres, while women stood in their doorways gazing.

The Iliad by Homer

The Exagoge by Ezekiel

Moses: I had a vision of a great throne on the top of Mount Sinai and it reached to the folds of heaven. A noble man was sitting on it, with a crown and a large scepter in his left hand. He beckoned to me with his right hand, so I approached and stood before the throne. He gave me the scepter and instructed me to sit on the great throne. Then he gave me the royal crown.

And got up from the throne. I beheld the whole earth all around and saw beneath the Earth and above the heavens. A multitude of stars fell before my knees and I counted them all. They paraded past me like a battalion of men. Then I awoke from my sleep in fear.

Raguel: My friend this is a good sign from God. May I live to see the day when these things are fulfilled.You will establish a great throne, become a judge and a leader of men. As for your vision of the whole Earth, the world below and that above the heavens - This signifies that you will see what it is, what has been, and what shall be