Page 6 - Life of Christ - textbook (3)

During this time, the land of Israel passed from the Medo-Persian Empire to Greece. During the
occupation of the Greeks, Alexander sought to “Hellenize” the land; to change the culture, language,
architecture, and practice of the Jews to become more Grecian. Greek became the spoken language,
and Greek gods and religious worship, while resisted, were promoted and practiced. Alexander sought
to create a world united by Greek language and thinking. This policy, carried on by Alexander’s
successors, was at first offensive to the Jews, but became attractive and humanly appealing and
eventually was adopted by many living in Israel.

Following the death of Alexander, control of Israel fell to one of Alexander’s generals, Seleucus I Nicator,
but a continuous battle was fought with Ptolemy I Satar, who controlled the land of Egypt. Eventually
Antiochus III defeated Ptolemy V Epiphanes who had desecrated and plundered the temple in Jerusalem
in 170 B.C. In 167 BC, Antiochus ordered the Hellenization in Palestine and forbade the Jews from
keeping their laws, observing Sabbath, keeping festivals, offering sacrifices, and circumcising their own
children. Copies of the Torah were ordered to be destroyed. The Jews were commanded by Antiochus
to eat swine’s flesh and Antiochus strongly persecuted the Jews for their faith.

An old priest, Mattathias, and his five sons led the Jewish revolt against Antiochus and his Seleucid
successors. This was known as the Maccabean Revolt. After a 24-year war, the Jews were able to gain
their independence from Syria because of the growing Roman pressure on the Seleucids. The
descendants of Mattathias eventually followed the Hellenistic ways - the very practice that the revolt
resisted. This Greek influence continued in Palestine from 142 BC to 63 BC. Jewish freedom ended with
the conquest of Pompey, a general of Rome in 63 BC. The entire land of Palestine passed into Roman
1
rule. Thus, is the setting for the coming of the Messiah.

The 400 Silent Years

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_history

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