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Home , 160 BC, 162 BC, Antiochus I Soter, Solomon

THE LIFE AND TEACHING OF CHRIST

HOW PREPARED THE WORLD FOR CHRIST, 2 BETWEEN THE TESTAMENTS: FROM TO MATTHEW1

What happened between the end of the OT (approximately 428 B.C.) and the beginning of the NT (approximately 5 or 4 B.C.)? As the journey from Malachi to :11 is made, numerous changes took place during this period of . Observing these changes, makes us more aware of how that world into which came was shaped. Notice especially how God at this time prepared the world for the coming of Jesus.

The Babylonian Empire (586 B.C.—539 B.C.) preceded the Persian Empire and formed a prelude for this larger period that transpired between the testaments. It was during the Persian Empire (536 B.C.—332 B.C.) that the voices of the grew silent. The silence of these years was broken by the voice of the as he announced to Zachariah that he would father a son who would prepare the way for the coming of the . The third period of interest was the Greek Empire (330 B.C.—167 B.C.), which was founded by . The influence of this empire, its spreading of the Greek culture and language, remained through the first century and beyond. When Alexander’s kingdom was divided up after his , the fourth period brought an Egyptian rule to (315 B.C.—198 B.C.). The fifth period brought a Syrian rule over Palestine.

THE FIFTH PERIOD: THE SYRIAN RULE OF PALESTINE (198 B.C. TO 83 B.C.)

The Type of Rule The nation of the had existed as a tributary to the kings of for about a hundred years. During the last sixty to eighty of these years, it enjoyed almost uninterrupted tranquility under the shadow of their power. However, it became subject, in the reign of III (the Great), to the kings of (B.C. 198), whose seat of government was at of Syria.

The Syrians divided the land into five provinces; three of which were on the west side of Jordan, namely, , , and , though the whole country was frequently called Judea after this time. Two provinces were on the eastern

1This title was used by G. T. Manley in his The New Handbook (The Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship: Chicago and Toronto, 1949, p. 2760.

9 side, namely, Trachonitis and Perea. During this time the Jews were still allowed to be governed by their own laws, under the high-priest, and under the council of the nation.

The Syrian kings ruled over Palestine during this period of time. These kings are designated “the kings of the north” in the great prophecy of 11. The following would be a list of them.

Seleucus I (Nicator), 312 B.C. Antiochus I (, “Deliverer”), 280 B.C. Antiochus II (Theos, “God”), 260 B.C. Seleucus II (Callinicus, “Victorious”), 246 B.C. Seleucus III (Ceraunus, “Thunderblot”), 225 B.C. Antiochus III (“The Great), 223 B.C. Seleucus IV (Philopator), 187 B.C. Antiochus IV (Epiphanes, “The Illustrious”), Great Persecution, 175 B.C. Antiochus V (Eupator), 164 B.C. Demetrius I (Soter), 162 B.C. Demetrius II (Nicator), 146 B.C. Antiochus VI (Trypho), a child Antiochus VII (Sidetes), 137 B.C. Demetrius II restored, 129 B.C. Antiochus VIII (Grypus), 125 B.C. Seleueus V (Epiphanes), 96 B.C. Tigranes, the Armenian, 83 B.C.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes Upon Philopator’s (187 B.C.) death, “a king of fierce countenance’ (Daniel 8:23) succeeded him to the . This king’s has become a byword for evil. He was Antiochus IV, Epiphanes, “the Illustrious one.” He was an aggressive Hellenizer, and was determined to bring his subjects together by enforcing Greek ways upon them.

Through the intervention of Rome, Antiochus was robbed of the fruits of victory in a military campaign in Egypt, and this loss infuriated him to no end. Rome’s military power was now gradually extending eastwards and had intersected with him. After the defeat, Antiochus, deeply angered, started to his home. On his way, he stopped and vented his rage on . Trouble had been arising out of the practices of the high priest, and Antiochus became determined to stamp out once and for all. The temple was sacked, a statue of the Olympian Zeus was erected in the temple court, and a sow was offered upon the altar of burnt offering. This year of 167 B.C., the year of this desecration, will live in history perhaps until the end of time.

THE SIXTH PERIOD: THE MACCABEAN REVOLT FOR NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE (167 B.C. TO 141 B.C.)

10 The Maccabean Revolt Two tendencies, at this point, became clearly at work in the land of Palestine. The Hellenizers, those who favored conformity to Grecian ideas and ways, grew very active. On the other hand, other people clung doggedly to the traditions of their fathers, and they believed strongly that separation from the Grecian culture was the only course to take. The Jewish hopes for the future would align themselves with the latter tendency, but a trumpet call was needed to rouse the party of the “godly” or “the pious ones” (the Hebrew word is Hasidim) to action. A war erupted when, in the town of Modein, northwest of Jerusalem, an agent of the Syrian government attempted to make a old priest named offer a sacrifice on a pagan altar. Mattathias refused. When another Jew started to offer the sacrifice, Mattathias killed him as well as the Syrian agent. Then Mattathias, along with his five sons, fled to the mountains. Other zealous Jews joined them.2

This revolt that followed was led by the family of Mattathias, who were known as the Hasmoneans because they were of the “House of Hasmon.” They were also called the because Mattathias’ son, Judas, was nicknamed “Maccabee,” which meant “the Hammer.”

Judas Maccabeus When Mattathias died in 166 B.C., the leadership fell to his third son , or Judas “the Hammer.” By a series of almost incredible victories he drove back the Syrians so that on the 25th of the Jewish month Chisleu, in 165 B.C., he was able to cleanse the defiled temple and restore the daily sacrifices at Jerusalem. The great event was afterwards remembered in the Feast of the Dedication, a national festival which appeared at that time for the first time in Israel’s history. A reference is made to this feast in John 10:22. Judas Maccabeus’ name came to be applied to the family, to the revolt, and to the era that followed.

Freedom of religion satisfied the Hasidim, who were content with the privilege of appointing a high priest from the tribe of Levi; but it was not enough for Judas Maccabeus. He continued to fight for political independence until he was killed on the battlefield in 160 B.C. He was succeeded by his brother Jonathan, who was assisted by another brother, Simon. Ultimately, about 143 B.C., the Jews—more through negotiation than military action—were granted independence by Syria. Jonathan was killed; but in 142 B.C., Simon was recognized as high priest and ethnarch (both as the religious and civil leader) of an independent Jewish state. Further, Simon’s position was made hereditary for the duration of “the Hasmonean House.”

An Appointed High Priest Only a few years previously, Jonathan had been a fugitive in the Judean hills. Now he was being offered the highest religious office in the land, an office that for nearly thirteen centuries had followed the Aaronic line. This succession was being set aside without so much as a protest from some quarters.

21 Maccabees 2:1–30.

11 However, many of the Hasidim were far from happy about this new development. They believed that Jonathan’s ideas about political independence went unnecessarily beyond the religious aims of the early days of the struggle. More than ever these people turned their thoughts to the past, to their lofty traditions, and to the glories of the Law. A gulf was growing between the priest and the scribe. This rift was to eventually grow into two distinct and hostile parties.

Simon Maccabeus The otherwise astute Jonathan was put to death in 142 B.C. Now Simon, the last remaining of the five sons of Mattathias became the leader. He was a capable ruler, and his days were marked by the growing prosperity of his people. Although still nominally under Syrian control, Judea in his time enjoyed what amounted to a practical independence. The Syrian garrison, which throughout the years had held possession of the , the temple-fortress, was now forced to surrender. Commerce developed through the passing of the port of Joppa into Simon’s control. The law was given an honored place in the land. Jonathan had been appointed high priest, and then, the position was regularized, and in 140 B.C. the hereditary high priesthood was formally vested in the Hasmonean family. Simon’s prosperous period of leadership came to an end when he was treacherously murdered by his son-in-law Ptolemy in 135 B.C.

THE SEVENTH PERIOD: THE HASMONEAN PRIESTS (141 B.C. TO 63 B.C.)

John Hyrcanus (135–105 B.C.) Jewish influence increased still further during the high priesthood of Simon’s son and successor, . Two events in particular had great influence. The first was the conflict that arose between the Jews and the Samaritans. The borders of Judean power had extended northward, southward, and eastward, and during the progress northward, the city of and the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim had been destroyed. Syria at the time was too busy with its own troubles to be in a position to interfere. The returning exiles, so proud of their race-purity and Jewish exclusiveness, had rejected the help offered by the mixed inhabitants of Samaria, and later, the hatred resulted in the destruction of their temple on Mount Gerizim.

When John Hyrcanus destroyed their temple, the bitterness between the two people greatly intensified. During the days of the the atmosphere of hostility is clearly obvious between Jew and Samaritan (John 4:9). When the woman at Sychar’s (Shechem’s) well said to the Lord Jesus, “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain,’ she referred to Mount Gerizim, on which the rival had formerly stood.

The other great event of the period was the conquest and forcible conversion of the Edomites, a people on the southern border of Judea. The significance of this is more clearly seen during the time of Herod. Once the Edomites had been

12 conquered and included in the Jewish nation, they became the most ardent of all the Jews. It was a strange irony of history that descendants of the hated Edomites, who had refused the people of Israel a safe passage on their way to the promised land (Number 20:14–21), should rise to such importance among the Jews in later years.

The Sadducees In connection with the Hellenizing tendencies of the high priestly party and the conservative determination of the Hasidim, two distinct parties emerged.

Those who favored conformity to the Grecian culture, chiefly those of the high priestly family and of the classes of nobles, tracing themselves back to the priest, became known as “Sadducees”—the sons of Zadok.

The The Hasidim went into still greater exclusiveness, determined “to make a hedge round the law,” and became known as the separate ones—“Pharisees.” The word Sadducee refers to a class; the word Pharisee referred more to an organized sect. Both were destined to play an important part in New Testament . John Hyrcanus at first leaned towards the Pharisees, even though he was high priest, but later joined the Sadduccees.

Alexander Janneus (104–78 B.C.) John Hyrcanus died in 105 B.C. and was succeeded by his eldest son Aristobulus, who after a brief reign as king was followed by his brother Alexander Janneus. This period marks the decline in the once noble family of Mattathias. Alexander’s long reign was one of cruelty, lust of conquest, and self-aggrandizement. At one time his territories included more than the original possessions of the twelve tribes. However, throughout his reign there were constant domestic troubles, particularly between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, Alexander himself supporting the latter. At the conclusion of a bitter civil war, heard for the first time in is death by crucifixion, when at an impious disturbance in Jerusalem, Alexander ordered eight hundred of the leading Pharisees to be crucified. Little more than a hundred years remained before the cross would be set in place outside the same city.

Civil War and Confusion (78–65 B.C.) Alexander Janneus died in 78 B.C, and for some years his widow Alexandra reigned wisely, and in comparative peace, but her chief trouble came from her two sons. She had appointed Hyrcanus, the elder, a weak and unambitious character, to the High Priesthood, but when she died, the young one, Aristobulus, managed to take over the throne. He was bold and aggressive, and his ways continue the dispute between the two Jewish factions. In the midst of this struggle the might of Rome appeared on the scene.

THE EIGHTH PERIOD: THE (63 B.C. TO 4 A.D.)

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Pompey The Roman general Pompey had been occupied with his eastern conquests, and in the year 65 B.C., his lieutenant Scaurus appeared in . Both of the bothers, Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, immediately appealed for his help. This was granted to Aristobulus, but in the year 63 B.C. Pompey himself arrived at Jerusalem, and decided that the elder brother Hyrcanus was the legitimate ruler. In addition, the Roman general knew that an unambitious king would be a useful puppet king. After a siege of three months and the massacre of 12,000 Jews, Jerusalem was crushed, and, to the horror of its inhabitants, Pompey dared to enter the inside the temple. This time the astonishment was his when, within the veil, he found no idol or object of worship. Tacitus said that he found only a vacant shrine.

Pompey proceeded to act with typical Roman speed and efficiency. Hyrcanus was allowed to retain the office of high priest, but could no longer use the title of king. Instead he would be called “ethnarch.” All her acquired territorities were taken away from Judea so that the new ethnarch ruled over the tiny kingdom of only. Jewish independence had been brought to an end. When Pompey returned to the imperial city and celebrated the greatest triumph Rome had ever seen, one of the captives in that great procession was “Aristobulus, once king of the Jews.”

Hyrcanus was not, in actuality, the ethnarch of Judea. The real local power lay in the hands of the Idumean Antipater. Rome’s intervention had meant for him a tremendous gain, and he determined to maintain friendly relationships with the mistress of the world. However, his plans received a sudden check when one of Aristobulus’ sons, Antigonus, escaped from Rome and renewed the struggle in Palestine. Aristobulus soon met with an untimely death, but Antigonus survived to make one more futile bid for power.

In 49 B.C. civil war broke out between the Roman generals Pompey and Caesar. Antipater and Hyrcanus supported their patron Pompey; but when Caesar conquered Pompey at Pharsalia (48 B.C.), Antipater deserted his cause, and hurried to Rome to offer friendship and help to the victor.

Antipater, the Procurator In 47 B.C. Antipater was made a Roman citizen and appointed “procurator” of Judea, a term with which NT readers are familiar in connection with the account of the crucifixion under the procuratorship of the Roman Pontius Pilate. Julius Caesar showed favor to the Jews, granting them tax remission, religious liberty, and permission to rebuild the that Pompey had destroyed. It was therefore with sincere regret that they learned of his death in 44 B.C. In the next year Antipater himself was poisoned, but he had already made one of his sons, Phasael, governor of Jerusalem, and another, Herod, governor of Galilee. The mention of the name of Herod is a reminder that the time of the advent of Jesus is approaching.

The Last of the Hasmonean Line

14 Alexander Janneus had three sons: Hyrcanus who was still high priest in Jerusalem, Aristobulus whose son Antigonus was still at large, and Alexander who had died, leaving a daughter Mariamne, and a son, named also Aristobulus. The general unrest which followed the assassination of Julius Caesar had drawn Herod and Hyrcanus together, and now this connection was strengthened by Herod’s marriage to Mariamne. However Antigonus remained an obstacle to the Idumean’s progress, and in 40 B.C. he entered Jerusalem, aided by an army of Parthians. This move was popular with the people, who thought they now saw in his arrival an opportunity to be delivered from Roman oppression. Hyrcanus was cruelly mutilated, and Phasael committed suicide in prison. Herod himself managed to escape with Mariamne and her brother Aristobulus. Antigonus then assumed the kingship and the high priesthood for a brief—but precarious— period.

Meanwhile the crafty Herod made his way directly to Rome. He wanted to secure the support of Antony and Octavian for the claims of the young Aristobulus. Doubtless to his own surprise and delight, the Romans decreed that Herod himself should become the king of the Jews. Herod returned to Jerusalem, and in the 37 B.C. the city fell to a combined Herodian and Roman army. The brief and unhappy reign of Antigonus was cut short by the Roman executioner. With his death, died the last of the Hasmonean princes, bringing to an end one of the greatest families in all history. True, there were yet three survivors, but these were not to live very long. The aged Hyrcanus, the young Aristobulus, and his sister Mariamne were all soon to fall victims to Herod’s murderous suspicion. Of the Hasmonean family wrote: “This family was a splendid and illustrious son, both on account of the nobility of their stock and of the dignity of the High Priesthood, as also for the glorious actions which their ancestors achieved for our nation; but these men lost the government through their dissensions one with another, and so it came to Herod, the son of Antipater, who was of no more than a vulgar family and of no eminent extraction, but one that was subject to other kings.”

Herod, the Great This man was called “the Great,” and great he was in vices as well as in personal abilities. Throughout his reign he was hated by the Jews: they saw in him an Edomite and a friend of Rome, and he had replaced the of the most popular Hasmoneans. In the early years of his reign he met with constant difficulty from the scheming of his court, and his later years were darkened by trouble from his own sons. Caught up in this maelstrom of evil intrigues, he sank from excess to excess, putting out of the way any who seemed to stand in his path, including even his Mariamne. In the conflict between Antony and Octavian for Roman power, Herod’s friendship with Antony fell on the losing side. However, after Antony’s defeat at Actium in 31 B.C., the Idumean again hastened to greet the victor, and succeeded in gaining his friendship.

Herodians Throughout his reign, Herod sought to maintain a kingdom at least outwardly peaceful and prosperous. His brilliant organizing gifts were never seen more clearly than in his public enterprises and magnificent buildings. He rebuilt the

15 temple on a scale that eclipsed even the glories of the days of (John 2:20). The existence of the Herodian party in the NT times is an indication that there were some among the people who appreciated his efforts (Mark 3:6; 12:13).

Zealots On the other hand, there was a party called the Zealots (Luke 6:15) who went further than the Pharisees in their refusal to swear an oath of allegiance or to pay taxes to this Idumean or to Caesar.

Last Days of Herod Herod’s last days were tragic indeed. His body was afflicted by a loathsome disease, and his mind tortured by guilty remembrances and constant fears. Small wonder was it that Herod was alarmed when “wise men from the east” appeared in the Judean capital with the question: “Where is He is born king of the Jews?” Was he to be defeated at the eleventh hour, the who for years had steered a throne past every rock and shoal of hatred and intrigue? The massacre of the innocents at was as nothing to him. Throughout his reign, the murder of the greatest in the land had been an instrument of Herodian policy.

So we come to the end of this story covering the period from Malachi to Matthew. We have arrived at the “the days of Herod the king” (Matthew 2:1) when “there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed” (Luke 2:1). This Augustus was the Octavian to whom Herod had hurried to ask for friendship after the battle of Actium. So it happened that while Herod was tossing in pain inside the palace at Jerusalem, and Mary were making their way southwards from Galilee to Bethlehem, the city of .

CONCLUSION

Observations to be made: The outstanding fact in the world situation was the political, social, and cultural unification of the Mediterranean world under the dominion of Rome. The and culture had gone a long way in bringing about this unity and cohesion. Back behind the facts as we know them, the hand of God was at work, moving, shaping the world for the arrival of His Son.

Important lessons to be drawn: Paul wrote that in the “fullness of time” Jesus came (Galatians 4:4). World history, going along on its on, was overruled by the providence of God, and became the time of God’s choosing for the bringing in of His Son. The Roman empire was sometimes very hostile to Christianity, and persecuted the church for centuries. However, in many respects the historical situation at the beginning of our era was definitely favorable to the preaching of a universal ; and at that point Christ came with the gospel that was to make disciples of all nations.

Key Ideas: The Maccabean Revolt. Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The Hasmonean family. The Sadducees. The Pharisees. Herod the Great. Herodians. Zealots.

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