PART A

THE COMMON BACKGROUND

The return of exiles to Judea, induced by Cyrus' proclamation 1), unfolds a new era which encompasses six centuries, and is known as the Second Jewish Commonwealth. This era can be studied histori­ cally 2) according to three basic periods; the Persian period, the Greek period and the Roman period. For a better assessment of the religious activities present in the era, and for a better understanding of important changes that evolutionised in the era [that finally brought about the growing pains of a new daughter religion known as Christianity] another division can be introduced as follows: a) the period of Zadokite ministry (536-165 B.C.) 3), b) the period of Has­ monaean part or complete rule (165-37 B.C.) 4), c) the period of Hero-

1) As recorded in II Chr. 36.23 (cf. Ezr. 1.1-3) and as substantiated by the manner Cyrus treated his subjects. Cf. the inscription of Cyrus' cylinder in Prit­ chard's Ancient Near-Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament (Princeton, 1955), p. 315. 2) A division adopted by most eminent scholars writing about this era, as H. Gratz in G.d.J., Vols. II, III; E. Schurer in G.J.V., 3 vols; W. 0. E Oesterley, A History of Israel, vol. II (Oxford, rep. 1957) and J. Klausner, Historia, 5 vols. 3) The chain of high priesthood from the Zadokite stem begins with the restora­ tion of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak (who was exiled by Nebuchadnezzar, I Chr. 5.41) at the time of the erection of the altar (536 B.C. see Ezr. 3.2)-a descendant of Zadok (I Chr. 5.38-40). The following are the high priests in succes­ sion during the Persian period: Jeshua (above), Jehoiakim his son, Eliashib his son, Joiada his son, Jonathan or Jehochanan mentioned in Elephantine papyrus c. 404 B.C. and Jaddua (see Neh. 12.10, 11, Ant. XI. 7.1 § 297, ib. XI. 7. 2 § 302). During the Greek period until ten years before the Maccabean revolt (Josephus, Ant. XII. 5. 1 § 238, maintains that Menelaus in the days of Judas Maccabaeus is to be identified with Onias, a brother of Jason, of the Zadokite line) the follow­ ing high priests served: Onias I, son of Jaddua, his son Simon I the Just, his brother Eleazer (see Ant. XI. 8. 7. § 347 and ib. XII. 2. 5. §§ 43, 44)-the high priest mentioned in Arist. § 35-followed by Menasses, his uncle and Onias II, son of Simon I (Ant. XII. 4. 1. § 157), his son Simon II the Just-praised by Ben Sira, see Sir. 50. 1-and his sons, Onias III (Ant. XII. 4. 10 § 224) and Jason (Jeshua), see Ant. XII. 5. 1. § 237 and II Mace. 4. 7. 4) In the year 165 B.C., after military gains over the forces of Antiochus IV, the Temple was cleansed and rededicated (I. Mace. 4. 52). Three sons of Matta­ thiah the Hasmonaean, of the priestly Watch Jehoiarib, served as leaders and high priests: Judas Maccabaeus, d. 160 B.C., (according to Klausner, Historia III, p. 39), Jonathan, d. 143 B.C., and Simon, d. 135 B.C. John Hyrcanus I, d. 104 12 THE COMMON BACKGROUND dian-procurators administration until the fall of the Second Temple (37 B.C.-70 A.D.) 1). The period of Zadokite ministry is designated by an unbroken chain of high priesthood in the hands of Zadok's descendants, which came to an end several years before the rise of the Hasmonaean family 2). In the days of King Solomon, Zadok served as high priest and of whose descendants Ezekiel, the prophet of Babylonian exile 3), spoke as the true heirs to the priesthood. In the days of restoration of the Second Temple, Zechariah, the prophet of return, is told in a vision of the installation of Jeshua, a direct descendant of Zadok, with a crown made of gold and silver 4). The exiles did not ask for a restoration of a monarchy remembering the closing incidents 5) leading to the destruction of the former state,

B.C., son of the latter, extended his domain and according to Oesterley, op. cit., pp. 285, 286, assumed the kingship. Judas Aristoblus I, d. 103 B.C., succeeded his father as king and high priest, and was followed by his brother Alexander (Yehonathan) Jannaeus, d. 76 B.C. Their wife, Salome (Salom Zion) Alexandra, d. 67 B.C., became the queen after the death of the latter, and her son, Hyrcanus II (Jehochanan), served as high priest, d. 30 B.C. Later he was appointed by Caesar as ethnarch, 63-40 B.C. His brother, Aristobolus II, d. 49 B.C., and son, Alexander II, d. 49 B.C., contested for the Judaic throne. Finally Mattathias Antigonus, d. 37 B.C., the brother of the latter, was in power in the years 40-37 B.C. until he was overthrown by Herod the Great, an Idumean by birth. 1) Herod the Great ruled from 37-4 B.C. His sons were appointed by Augustus: Archelaus as ethnarch over Judaea, Samaria and Idumaea (4 B.C.-6 A.D.). Antipas as tetrach over Galilee and Peraea with districts in East of Jordan (4 B.C.-39 A.D.), and Philip as tetrach over Batanaea, Trachonitis and Auranitis (4 B.C.-34 A.D.). The grandsons of Herod the Great and Mariamne I, a granddaughter of Hyrcanus II the Hasmonaean, ruled over parts of Palestine: Agrippa I (37-41 A.D.) over north of Samaria and from 41-44 A.D. as king over the whole country. Herod of Chalkis ruled there in 41-48 A.D. and from 44-48 A.D. appointed high priests. The son of Agrippa I, Agrippa II, who ruled in Chalkis 50-53 A.D., was given added districts 53-100 A.D. and appointed high priests 50-66 A.D. For a list of procurators refer to Klausner's charts in Historia, vols. IV, V, and Schi.irer, G.J.V. I,§ 19. 2) Two high priests served in the years following the Zadokite period and during Judas Maccabeaus' lifetime: Menelaus, of Miniamin descent (Klausner, Historia II, p. 174) or of Bilgah descent (so in Latin version of II Mace. 3.4)-both are priestly watches (I Chr. 24.9 ff) and Jakim (Alkimus) from another priestly Watch (I Mace. 7.57). Schi.irer, G.J.V. I. 4, p. 215 n. 16, places Onias IV, son of Onias III (cf. Ant. XIII 3.1 § 64 f), who later had built a temple in Alexandria, as a high priest in the span of years left vacant as described by Josephus, Ant. 20.10 and 12.11, 12. See Klausner's argument, Historia III, pp. 38, 39. 3) Ez. 44.15. 4) Zech. 6. 11; see I.C.C., Zecharia, p. 183 ff, on this difficult text. J. Well­ hausen, Israelitische und Ji.idische Geschichte (1904), p. 163 ff, explains that in the years that follow, the high priest became the head of state. 5) Especially the death of Gedaliah in the hands of Davidic descendant which