Hellenism

Map of Alexander's empire, extending east and south of ancient Macedonia.

The conquests of Alexander in the late fourth century BCE spread Greek culture and colonization—a process of cultural change called Hellenization—over non-Greek lands, including the Levant.

This gave rise to the Hellenistic period, which sought to create a common or universal culture in the Alexandrian empire based on that of fifth-century Athens, along with a fusion of Near Eastern cultures.^[3]

The period is characterized by a new wave of Greek colonization which established Greek cities and kingdoms in Asia and Africa,^[4] the most famous being Alexandria in Egypt.

New cities established composed of colonists from different parts of the Greek world, and not from a specific metropolis ("mother city") as before.^[4]

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)Mosaic floor of a Jewish Synagogue Aegina (300 CE).

These Jews living in countries west of the Levant formed the Hellenistic diaspora.

The Egyptian diaspora is the most well-known of these.^[5]

It witnessed close ties.

Indeed, there was firm economic integration of Judea with the Ptolemaic Kingdom that ruled from Alexandria, while there were friendly relations between the royal court and the leaders of the Jewish community.

This was a diaspora of choice, not of imposition.

Information is less robust regarding diasporas in other territories.

It suggests that the situation was by and large the same as it was in Egypt.^[6]

Jewish life in both Judea and the diaspora was influenced by the culture and language of Hellenism.

The Greeks viewed Jewish culture favorably, while Hellenism gained adherents among the Jews.

While Hellenism has sometimes been presented (under the influence of 2 Maccabees, itself notably a work in Koine Greek) as a threat of assimilation diametrically opposed to Jewish tradition,

Adaptation to Hellenic culture did not require compromise of Jewish precepts or conscience. When a Greek gymnasium was introduced into Jerusalem, it was installed by a Jewish High Priest. And other priests soon engaged in wrestling matches in the palaestra. They plainly did not reckon such activities as undermining their priestly duties.

— Erich S. Gruen^[7]: 73–74

Later historians would sometimes depict Hellenism and Judaism uniquely incompatible, likely due to the influence of the persecution of Antiochus IV.

However, it does not appear that most Jews in the Hellenistic era considered Greek rulers any worse or different from Persian or Babylonian ones.

Writings of Hellenized Jews such as Philo of Alexandria show no particular belief that Judaism and Greek culture are incompatible; as another example, the Letter of Aristeas holds up Jews and Judaism in a favorable light by the standards of Greek culture.

The one major difference that even the most Hellenized Jews did not appear to compromise on was the prohibition on polytheism; this still separated Hellenistic Jews from wider Greek culture in refusing to honor shrines, temples, gods, and so on other than their own God of Israel.^[8]

Hellenistic rulers of Judea[edit]

Under the suzerainty of the Ptolemaic Kingdom and later the Seleucid Empire, Judea witnessed a period of peace and protection of its institutions.^[9] For their aid against his Ptolemaic enemies, Antiochus III the Great promised his Jewish subjects a reduction in taxes and funds to repair the city of Jerusalem and the Second Temple.^[9]

Relations deteriorated under Antiochus's successor Seleucus IV Philopator, and then, for reasons not fully understood, his successor Antiochus IV Epiphanes drastically overturned the previous policy of respect and protection, banning key Jewish religious rites and traditions in Judea (although not among the diaspora) and sparking a traditionalist revolt against Greek rule.^[9] Out of this revolt was formed an independent Jewish kingdom known as the Hasmonean kingdom, which lasted from 141 BCE to 63 BCE. The Hasmonean Dynasty eventually disintegrated due to a civil war.