DIGGING DEEPER with Dr. Jim Eckman Steadfast Bible Fellowship | DIGGING DEEPER with Dr. Jim Eckman Course Notes | © 2019 All Rights Reserved. | Not to be reprinted without permission. HISTORY OF ISRAEL, PART 2 Session 7: The Hellenistic Challenge, I (400-167 BC) About 400 years separated the close of the Old Testament canon with Malachi and the opening of the New Testament canon with Matthew. Although there were no inspired texts written during this period, Judea played an increasingly important role in the geopolitical forces shaping the eastern Mediterranean. It was caught in a confrontation between the emerging power of the West - Greece-and the last major force of the East - Persia. As Alexander the Great and his successors won that struggle, the clash between the Greek and Hebrew worldviews shaped the Jewish community as they found it more and more difficult to endure as an isolated and pure community. Greek presence in the eastern Mediterranean produced a further fragmentation of Judaism and heightened the expectation, and hope, of a new deliverer, a Messiah, who would deliver Israel from a new western power, the mighty Roman Empire. VanGemeren summarizes the change: Judaism at the end of the Old Testament writings was confined and comfortable, but Judaism some four hundred years later was cosmopolitan and constantly adjusting to change. The Jewish world in the time of Jesus and the apostles was in flux and hence shows little in common with the era of Ezra and Nehemiah. THE LATE PERSIAN EMPIRE, 400-331 B.C. After the death of Artaxerxes in 424 BC, Persia consolidated its control of the Greek city states on the western coast of Asia Minor (Turkey), largely due to the two Peloponnesian Wars (460-404 BC), which utterly decimated the Greek city-states. But from 404 to 338 BC, Persia began to decline. The western satraps were in rebellion and Persia’s control over Egypt was weakening. The rise of Macedonia (north of Greece) under Philip II would challenge Persian rule everywhere. During these latter years of Persian rule, several important developments occurred in Judea. The tightness of Judaism accomplished by the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah widened the spilt between the Jews and the Samaritans. The political separation occurred when Nehemiah was made governor of Yehud. There was no hope for Samaria under, Sanballat, to absorb ancient Judea into its province. Further, the spiritual renewal under Ezra and Nehemiah made the religious division inevitable. The Samaritans could no longer worship in the Temple at Jerusalem. Thus the Samaritans built their own temple on Mount Gerizim during the reign of Darius III of Persia (336-330 BC). Since the Samaritans only accepted the Pentateuch as sacred, this exacerbated the growing split. The province of Yehud during this time was somewhat of an autonomous province, for there is evidence that it could strike its own coins and levy its own taxes. During this period, there are also fragmentary pieces of evidence indicating that the high priest in Jerusalem was becoming both a political as well as a religious leader. Further, although Hebrew remained the language of religious and theological discourse, Aramaic, the lingua franca of the western satraps of Persia, was becoming the preferred spoken language of Yehud. EXCURSUS ON DANIEL The Old Testament book of Daniel is quite central to understanding this period. Daniel was exiled to Babylon during the first wave taken by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC. Daniel served in the courts of both Babylonia and early Persia. The first 8 chapters of Daniel’s book (written in Aramaic) outline the contours of Gentile world history, positing four great empires, followed by a final form of the fourth empire, and culminating in the Kingdom of God ruled by one “like a son of man” (7:13). Chapters 9 to 12 (written in Hebrew) itemize the prophecies that focus on the people of Israel and detail their future from the end of the Exile through the culmination of history in God’s Kingdom. The vision Daniel received in 11:2-12:13 is astonishing, for it provides a detailed overview of history. For the faithful followers Dr. Jim Eckman Page 2 of God, this vision affirmed His sovereignty and providence over history. This is a summary of the historic details prophesied in Daniel’s vision: • 11:2 - Three more Persian kings (Cambyses, Smerdis, Darius I Hystaspes) would follow Cyrus the Great of Persia, followed by a fourth (Xerxes), who would attack Greece • 11:3 - Alexander the Great would destroy Persia • 11:4 - Upon his death, his generals would divide his kingdom into four parts • 11:5-20 - Two of the four generals and their descendants, “the kings of the north” and “the kings of the south” (the Ptolemies and the Seleucids) would fight one another for the control of the Land • 11:21-38 - The appalling reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, whose brutality and self-elevation produced the Maccabean Revolt • 11:39-12:13 - Israel’s suffering and persecution associated with “the time of the end” under Antichrist would be followed by the triumph of God’s Kingdom. The material in Daniel was important information for the Jewish community as they returned from the Exile. Even though they could return to their land, they were still a vassal state of Persia - and would remain subjects of Greece, then Rome and all future conquerors through 1948 AD, when the modern nation-state of Israel was created. Daniel gives comfort, hope and an assurance that indeed God would fulfill His covenant promises to Abraham and David. Dr. Jim Eckman Page 3 THE HELLENISTIC PERIOD 331-63 BC Since Darius I and Xerxes I had invaded Greece in the 5th century BC, hostilities between Persia and Greece were ongoing. With Philip II of Macedon, those tensions took a different turn. Philip trained a formidable army, united the Greek city-states, still reeling from the disruptive Peloponnesian Wars, and launched a sacred war of revenge against Persia. When Philip was assassinated in 336 BC, his son, Alexander, seized the throne and invaded the East. In 333 BC, Alexander defeated Darius III of Persia at Issus. He then moved along the coast, and, according to the ancient Jewish historian, Josephus, went up to Jerusalem and offered sacrifices to Yahweh. This is probably apocryphal, but he did evidence a degree of favoritism toward the Jews. He then conquered Egypt, declaring himself Pharaoh in 332 BC and founded the important city of Alexandria on the Nile Delta. In 331 BC, Alexander decisively defeated the armies of Darius III at the battle of Gaugamela, thereby bringing the Persian Empire to an end. He continued his conquest east, going as far as the Hindu Kush Mountains. When his armies would go no farther, he returned to Babylon, where he died unexpectedly in 323 BC. He was 33. His conquest broke down most of the political and cultural boundaries that had existed for centuries in the eastern Mediterranean world and throughout much of southwest Asia. Alexander’s vision was to unite the world around Greek culture - its architecture, language, philosophy, thought and ethics. Tutored by the philosopher, Aristotle, Alexander believed in the superiority of the Greek way of life, and that Greek culture (Hellenism, from Hellas, the Greek word for “Greece”) would be the unifying center of his empire. He settled veterans of his wars all over his empire and encouraged the overpopulated Greek city-states to migrate to these colonies; a virtual mass migration followed. Even though he died, the process of Hellenization continued. Greek colonies were established everywhere, each “an island of Hellenism.” Alexandria, Egypt became the intellectual and cultural center of Hellenism. It boasted a great library and its intellectual climate fostered impressive works by scientists, philosophers and historians, all promoting the Hellenistic worldview. Dr. Jim Eckman Page 4 The Jewish communities all over the eastern Mediterranean were affected by Alexander’s Hellenistic vision. The Greek language, plus the building of Greek temples, gymnasiums, and theaters characterized the cities and colonies Alexander and his successors founded. Increased trade and prosperity accompanied Hellenism. Could Jewish monotheism and the deep-seated spiritual forces re-awakened by Ezra and Nehemiah survive Hellenism’s onslaught? Or would Hellenism change Judaism? When Alexander died in 323 BC, his kingdom was torn by civil war as his generals fought for predominance. Eventually, Alexander’s empire was divided into four parts, with only two of real concern for this study: General Ptolemy controlled Egypt, while general Seleucus controlled the entire eastern part stretching to the Hindu Kush Mountains. Ptolemy and Seleucus formed a coalition to defeat Antigonus, who had been awarded Asia Minor. Judah and Samaria were caught in the middle of this civil war. Eventually, Ptolemy and Seleucus defeated Antigonus in 301 BC, and these two powerful generals divided the spoils. Ptolemy reasserted control of Egypt with Alexandria as his capital, and took control of Phoenicia and Palestine. The Ptolemaic dynasty would rule Judah for the next one- hundred years. Seleucus claimed everything to the East. The Ptolemy Dynasty and the Seleucid Dynasty would fight five major wars over the land of Israel. Dr. Jim Eckman Page 5 Dr. Jim Eckman Page 6 The Ptolemy’s Rule over Israel 301-200 BC Under the Ptolemies, the Jews enjoyed a status similar to that under the Persians. But taxes were high, and the high priest in Jerusalem had the responsibility for tax collection and paying the annual tribute to Alexandria. Since Judea was a “temple state” under the Ptolemies, the high priest in Jerusalem was both the spiritual and political leader. This comparative religious autonomy under the Ptolemies was contrasted with a significant degree of economic control, which included trade, finance and agriculture.