BETWEEN THE TESTAMENTS

The Hellenistic Period

366 thru 165 BC

 

            When the Persian Empire fell to Alexander the Great, it effectively ended the great Eastern empires.  The Greek Empire of the West came to completely dominate the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions. The Greek Empire became the largest the world had ever seen up to that point in history. It even extended into western India. 

            Although Alexander the Great died young under suspicious circumstances, his empire continued, ruled by his generals, who were part of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. * Four generals, Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy, split the empire into 4 sections; Syria, Egypt, Babylonian, and Macedonia. 

Politically, not much changed for Israel under Greek and Ptolemaic rule.  They continued to live and worship under the authority of a distant and foreign ruler, much as they had for generations. Culturally, they became more influenced by the Greek (Hellenistic) culture. 

            The Ptolemaic dynasty carried out Alexander’s strategy of uniting diverse peoples around one common culture. The generals promoted the Greek language and thought by any means necessary. In addition, they forced the Jews to resettle in Alexandria. Jews, both home and abroad, did their best to resist the Greek religion, but they found it impossible to avoid every aspect of the Hellenistic influence. They soon began to speak Greek, which was the trade language of the empire. It was at this time in history that Jewish scholars translated the Old Testament into Greek, which was called the Septuagint. This Greek translation became widely used by the Jews pretty much everywhere. Jesus himself quoted from the Septuagint, as did many New Testament authors.

            In 198 BC, the Syrian section of the empire overthrew the Egyptian section. For the first time Israel faced a tyrannical leader in Antiochus Epiphanes, who tried to eliminate Judaism altogether. The ruler desecrated the Temple, disallowed sacrifices to Yahweh, outlawed circumcision, forced Jews to eat pork, and cancelled all Sabbaths and feast days.

There were some Jews who attempted to cooperate with Antiochus’ demands; others resisted.  These two groups were known as the Hellenists and the Hasidim (‘pious ones’), who were the forerunners of the Pharisees. There was also a group loyal to the Jewish High Priest; they were the precursors of the Sadducees.

            These events resulted in a conflict in Israel which reached a boiling point when an elderly priest named Mattathias refused to offer a required pagan sacrifice. Mattathias killed a Syrian officer and reprobate Jew, fled to the hills, and called faithful Jews everywhere to join him in a rebellion. During the ensuing guerrilla war, Mattathias’ son, Judas Maccabeus, eventually overcame the Syrians and achieved independence for Israel. This happened to be the final time Israel lived under self-rule until the emergence of the modern state of Israel in 1948.

            Next we will look at the Maccabean Period. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name and for His Glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

RESOURCE: The MacArthur Bible Commentary, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2005; The Life Application Study Bible; pp.1980-1981.

* The Ptolemaic Dynasty was a Macedonian royal family that ruled Ptolemaic Egypt from 323 to 30 BCE. It was founded by Ptolemy I, a general and successor of Alexander the Great. They built Alexandria, including the Lighthouse of Alexandria and the Great Library of Alexandria. The dynasty ended when Rome conquered Egypt in the reign of Cleopatra VII.