Page 26 - The Glad Tidings of the Messiah

24 The Glad Tidings of the Messiah (pbuh)

family of priests, began a rebellion (167-42 bce) that led to a Jewish
kingdom that survived for 80 years. Its ruling family, the
Hasmonaeans, became widely influential, but their kingdom col-
lapsed because of fierce competition for its leadership. The Roman
general Pompey, who obtained the backing of the warring fac-
tions, entered Palestine by taking Jerusalem in 63 bce and confined
the Jewish state to Judea. The Hasmonaean King, Hyrcanus II, en-
joyed limited autonomy under the rule of the Roman governor.
From that day on, resentment toward this idolatrous government
began to grow in the Jewish community. In 37 bce, Rome abolished
this kingdom and appointed Hyrcanus II's son-in-law, Herod I, as
the new "King of Judea."

The Era of King Herod I

The Roman leadership's primary concern in Palestine was to
collect taxes. An excessively high tax rate was imposed on the
Jewish community, and Rome built a state machinery loyal to it-
self. Herod I (73-4 bce), known for his admiration of Hellenistic
culture, managed to have himself appointed the King of Jews with
Rome's help and by taking advantage of Roman weaknesses and
the changing landscape of power since Caesar's assassination (44
bce). He expanded the Jewish province's borders to cover all of
Palestine and actively promoted Hellenistic culture in order to
gain Rome's favor. In addition, he advocated Hellenism's architec-
tural and artistic aspects and wished to impose its materialistic
worldview on the Jewish masses. Herod I had Solomon's Temple
restored, in order to win popular Jewish support, and commis-
sioned many statues and works of architecture. As a result of his
popularity, he became known as "Herod the Great." However, de-