Israel and the Palestinian Territories/History: Hellenistic rule and the Hasmoneans

Alexander the Great conquered the Levant in 331 BCE, annexing the region into his Empire as part of the Governorate of Coele Syria. According to Josephus, the Jewish historian, the Samaritans got the permission to build their own Temple from Alexander, and as Alexander entered Jerusalem, he received a vision from the God of the Jews, and re-affirmed the privileges Jews had under the Persian Empire.

After Alexander died, the region was fought among his successors, and when Ptolemy, Satrap and later King of Egypt, took over the region, he took a number of Jewish notables to Alexandria.

Under the Ptolemies, existing cities along the coast of modern-day Israel were given the status of poleis, and Hellenistic culture gradually developed in the region. The Jewish self-governing system remained mostly intact, while government held a monopoly in trade in the region.

Throughout 3rd  Century BCE, Ptolemies and Seleucids were fighting over the region of Coele Syria, and ultimately the region was conquered by Seleucids.

Seleucids encouraged Hellenization while allowed local autonomy, and Judaeo-Hellenistic synthesis gradually developed in much of the region. Under Antiochus Epiphanes, however, situation deteriorated as Antiochus IV, after failing to conquer Egypt, decided to turn his focus on Jerusalem. He established a royal citadel, tried to Hellenize the Jewish population by force in order to consolidate control. This caused a Jewish revolt under the leadership of Mattityahu and his son Judas Maccabaeus(Yehuda Hammakkabi), which, after 3 years of fighting, resulted in partial Jewish victory and the re-dedication of the Holy Temple, the anniversary of which is still celebrated as a major Jewish holiday, the Hanukkah.

Fighting over Judaea continued under the Hasmoneans(Mattityahu and Judas Maccabaeus’ family) and the Seleucids, and Simon Thassi(Shim’on Hattassi) became the first Hasmonean High Priest and Prince of Judaea, ruling over a self-governing entity.

Under John Hyrcanus(Yoẖanan), the Hasmonean state expanded, Samaria was destroyed and Idumea(Edom) was conquered and its people forcefully Judaized. The policy continued under his successor Aristolobus(whose Hebrew name was Yehuda), who, during his brief reign, conquered Galilee and Judaized parts of Ituraeans in areas he took over. Aristolobus’ brother, Alexander Jannaeus(Yannai), succeeded him and continued expansion of the Hasmonean state, conquered Gaza and Gadara, but was later defeated by the Nabataeans.

During the time large number of Jews settled in Galilee. Meanwhile, Judaism had split into multiple sects during the Hasmonean period, include the Pharisees, who believed in ritual purity and the inspired traditions and wanted to preserve the Jewish religion to the common Jews; Sadducees, who tried to preserve the priestly privilege and who refused to acknowledge the existence of hell and extra-Torah sources of religious teachings; Essenes, who lived in a strict life in the desert, and ultimately the Hellenists, who tried to synthesize Judaism with Hellenism. From the later parts of John Hyrcanus, the Hasmonean rulers usually sided with Sadducees, and Alexander Jannaeus’ contempt for Pharisees caused a Judaean civil war. At the end, Queen Shlomitzion(Shelometsiyyon, who was also called Salome Alexandra), who was a Pharisee and the sister of the deputy Pharisaic leader Shimˈon ben Shetaẖ, recalled Shim’on from exile, and Pharisees became dominant from then on. Alexander Jannaeus continued his wars for 7 years, until his death. It was likely during this period when the idea of collective schooling emerged in Jewish society, as Jewish sources credited Shim’on for establishment of formal schools among Jewish society.

Queen Shlomitzion ruled for 9 years, re-organizing the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Assembly, and brought Judaea to a high level of prosperity, while trying to prevent another Sectarian war. After her death, conflict resumed among her sons Aristolobus and Hyrcanus, and Judaea was reduced to a Roman vassal in 63 BCE as Gnaeus Pompeius, the Roman general,  entered Jerusalem and (against the Jewish law) the Holy of Holies. Antipater, a Judaized Idumean, arose into prominence during the time.