Times for the Jews after Malachi
by Sue Wilson
The Jews were barely comfortable back in Jerusalem after Malachi’s passing when things in the world turned upside down. But this time the Jews had little political pull or power. They were washed back and forth by the rest of the world.
Alexander the Great’s army marched to Egypt almost within the hearing of Jerusalem. His new empire, whether they really knew it or not, included Judah and all of what was about to become Palestine. Fortunately for Jerusalem, Alexander was no Assyrian.
The city of Ephesus, for example, was destroyed by an enemy after Alexander had freed the area and began assimilating the inhabitants as allies instead of serfs. Alexander stepped in, saved the ruined Ephesus, and forced her enemies to rebuild the city and its temples.
When only 33, and shortly after declaring himself a god, Alexander died while getting ready to lead his army to India. He took power at age 22 and had led his army on foot 20,000 miles in 11 years, never losing a battle. He is also credited with initiating what would be called Hellenism.
Greek culture flooded into the area of Jerusalem along with Alexander. The Jews were appalled. Hellenism (Greek culture) was very man-centered. Their gods were just like men and women. The Jews rejected all of what the culture upheld.
After Alexander’s death in 323 B.C. his heirs were killed and his four generals divided up the empire. Palestine fell to Ptolemy.
The Ptolemys and Jews coexisted peacefully. This continued when a second general’s family, the Selucids took over rule in 195 B.C. Though there was no actual religious persecution in these years, the silent imbedding of Greek culture went on.
Due to the influence of Greek culture, young Jewish men gave in to the popularity and promise of glory in the naked games at the gymnasiums built in Palestine, including Jerusalem. Because they were ridiculed by their naked opponents, many young Jews had surgery done to erase the appearance of being circumcised--the symbol of the covenant erased. Their parents were horrified not only at the destruction of the covenant symbol but at the games themselves, which were dedicated to Zeus and Apollo.
Greek settlers considered the Jews superstitious atheists since they would not erect statues of their God.
Peace ended in 175 B.C. with the coming to power of the Selucid, Antiochus Epiphanes IV (ruling 175 to 163 B.C.) Antiochus seized control of the priesthood. High Priest became a political appointment that could lead to great power. Antiochus delighted in appointing puppet priests chosen on the basis of their politics and bribery skills.
A group of orthodox Jews joined together to fight this affront. They were the Hasidim that later developed into the Pharisees.
In 169 B.C. the Jews thought they had a chance for freedom when reports of Antiochus’ death came from his campaign in Egypt. The Jews drove out the puppet High Priest, Menelaus, and installed an orthodox Jew, Jason.
Unfortunately, the reports of Antiochus’ death were greatly exaggerated. He returned with a vengeance aimed at Hellenizing or destroying the Jews. He had threats from the outside (mostly from growing power of Rome) and it was imperative that Palestine was at peace. If the Jews would not unify with Greek culture, they would die.
168 B.C.: Antiochus plunders the temple, tortures and kills many Jews. Circumcision, sacrifice, and feast days were outlawed. All copies of the Torah were to be destroyed, and Jews were ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods. Builders erected a an altar to Zeus in the temple courtyard and the people sacrificed pigs on it. To disobey was to die. Josephus described the torture of those who defied the king. Even Nero’s persecution of Christians did not surpass Antiochus’ brutality.
That same year (168) the king sent representatives to little Modin, about 20 miles from Jerusalem, to enforce pagan worship laws. A Jew named Mattathias killed one of the king’s high officials and also a fellow Jew who had complied with the new worship laws.
This action began what is known as the Maccabean Revolt, led by Mattathias’ son, Judas Maccabaes. The Hasidim supported the revolt.
In 165 B.C., after three years of fighting, the Jews won their religious freedom, cleaned and rededicated the temple. It was the first celebration of Hanukkah (“dedication”), also called the Festival of Lights was in December of 164 B.C.
The Hasidim were happy, but the Maccabeans continued to battle for political freedom. It was won in 142 B.C. Political freedom would only last about 70 years.
Did the Jews defeat Antiochus? No. Rome was growing in power too rapidly for Antiochus to ignore. He realized he could not fight a 2-front war (unlike Hitler), and settled with the Jews so he could concentrate on Rome.
During the following years the Jews were ruled by a group called the Hasmonean princes. Politics, materialism, and a love of the Greek culture that had overtaken Rome led the princes to thirst after any bone the Romans would toss the yet independent state.
In 109 B.C. things got worse. The Jewish faith was virtually discarded by a Hasmonean named Hyrancanus, who moved closer and closer to Rome. He obtained a paper of confirmation of independence and Roman “protection.”
Feeling that being that close to Rome and that friendly to Greek culture finally resulted in civil war in 76 B.C. when a Aleander Jannaeus ruled. It was Jannaeus’ total elimination of priestly office and Jewish faith that finally caused the war. Jannaeus, as High Priest, poured the water libation upon his own feet instead of the altar.
The Pharisees (the earlier Hasidim) led the revolt but failed to dislodge Jannaeus. Eight hundred Pharisees were crucified by their own countrymen and their families killed. Another group, the Sadducees, did not lift a hand to aid the Pharisees--widening the gap between the two.
Off and on civil strife continued through the rule of Jannaeus’ wife, who took power when he died. The dispute continued until a pivotal year in Jewish history.
In 63 B.C., so the tradition goes, one of the warring Jewish groups went to the Roman general, Pompey, in Rome. Pompey, fearing the consequences if the inter-Jewish squabble continued any longer had the answer. Rome will rule over Palestine. Pompey then installed a puppet king in the new province of the Empire.
In 63 B.C. the Jews lost their status as a free nation for the next 2,000 years.
In 37 B.C. the soon-to-be-hated Herod the great, through manipulation of the rulers in Rome, became King of Palestine.
Synopsis of the primary New Testament leadership:
Pharisees: most popular with the people; 5% of the population; orthodox; anti-Rome; expected the resurrection; would not anger Rome, but encouraged very conservative religious practice in the people. Josephus says that when judging, they were gentler on the people than the Sadducees.
Sadducees: Second of the most influential among the people; members of the aristocracy; complete cooperation with Rome; very political, they controlled the office of High Priest; 2% of the people; with their aristocratic air, they were not as popular with the people; Josephus says that during the attempted revolt against Rome in 70 A.D. many were hunted down and killed by their countrymen as collaborators; their final extermination came in 135 A.D. during another revolt against Rome. They were found and killed in the ruins of the temple. They did not accept a resurrection because they only accepted the first five books of the Bible as canon.
What about Rome in this time period?
- During Jesus’ lifetime, Rome was at its pinnacle of power, virtually unchallenged in the world.
- Hannibal and the Punic Wars were 200 years in the past.
- Spain had been annexed two centuries before Jesus was born.
- As early as 185 B.C. Rome’s population was as large as 275,000
- One hundred and forty-six years before Jesus’ birth, Rome had conquered so much land and wealth that the people were no longer paying taxes to support the Empire. Politician Cato then said, “The citizens no longer listen to good advice, for the belly has no ears.”
- The empire was so filled with slaves that a revolt led by Spartacus almost succeeded in 73 B.C.
As a result of that near disaster three generals, Crassus, Pompey, and Julius Caesar rose to power. Caesar ousted Pompey from power. He then affirmed his own rule in 49 B.C..
Caesar assassinated in 44 B.C. Fifteen years of civil war followed until Caesar’s grandnephew, Octavian, battled his way to power in 30 B.C. (Caesar Augustus, who ruled until A.D. 14.)
It was the perfect time for Jesus’ birth; for God incarnate to come:
- Times in the Empire were bad morally and spiritually
- Travel around the empire was easy with the vast Roman road complex (easing the spread of the Gospel)
- There was peace! (Pax Romana) as well as religious toleration
- Rome gave the entire known world a common language, Greek, so all could understand the Gospel
- The Empire was so large that there were no physical or political barriers to the Gospel
Sources:
A History of Israel, John Bright
Caesar and Christ, Will Durant
Antiquities of the Jews, Flavius Josephus
The Bible as History, Werner Keller
The Jews from Alexander to Herod, D.S. Russell
Between the Testaments, D.S. Russell
A History of the Ancient World, Chester G. Starr
