Page 118 - Advanced Biblical Backgrounds Revised

Aristobulus (104–103 BCE) conquered Galilee, and
Alexander Janneus (103–76 BCE) completed the
conquest of almost the whole of Palestine. Thus, by
the end of his reign, the Maccabean kingdom
included Galilee, Samaria, Judea, and Idumea west
of the Jordan River; and the Golan, Perea, Moab,
and part of Edom east of the Jordan.” 167

Government

In 198 BCE, the Seleucids took control of Palestine from the
arm of the Ptolemies. With their capital at Antioch, Syria,
Seleucid kings ruled as autocrats – their word passed as law.
The Seleucids were themselves strong proponents of
Hellenism. Hence, it is expected that they governed with the
help of a ruling elite mostly consisting of Greek aristocrats.
The appointment of these officials was rarely based on
wealth or socio-economic standing but on loyalty. These
loyalists surrounded the king, but some were also appointed as representatives in conquered territories
– Palestine was no exception.

Tolerance to non-Hellenist cultures was different from one ruler to another. In some of the cities they
found, other groups (Jews, Syrians, Persians) were welcome to make contributions to economics and
politics but mostly excluded. Individuals from these groups could still be lifted to prominence based on
loyalty and commitment to Hellenism.

It is interesting to note that Seleucus Nicator (306–280 BCE) made the Jews citizens of the cities
he built in Asia and Syria and in Antioch itself and gave them privileges equal to those of the
Macedonians and Greeks. These privileges they continued to enjoy down through the first
Christian century. As citizens, they would have had the protection of local laws and access to the
courts, the right to establish businesses and to trade freely, and the opportunity to serve in local
government agencies. 168

Arguably, the later Seleucid kings seem to be more power-hungry and less tolerant of non-Greco trends.
The later kings propagated Hellenization by way of forcing it on their subjects. The main motivation for
this was to establish unifying trends among the different people groups. Extreme Hellenization usually
birthed two outcomes: First, loyalists trying to outdo each other in their Hellenization campaigns.
Second, a repudiation of the unaccommodating subjects. These results often gave potential to the rising
of revolts and factions. The events of 167 BCE can serve as a primary example: In his Hellenization
campaign, Antiochus IV desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem and attempted to bring Judaism to an end.
Leading up to this, factions and in-fights erupted in Jerusalem between those who embraced Hellenism
to the core and those who resented it, a situation that infuriated Antiochus. Some have added that his

167 Vos, H. F. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible manners & customs: how the people of the Bible really lived (p.
367). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.
168 Ibid, p. 368.

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