CHRISTOLOGY PART 2 (THE GREEK PERIOD. ( 332-167-BC)

in #greek6 years ago

Image Source: mmerlino.com

CHRISTOLOGY PART 2 (THE GREEK PERIOD. ( 332-167-BC)

The Persian Empire Crashed violently in 332 BC. A young Macedonian warrior called Alexander the great swept out of Greece with his invincible Greek armies and destroyed mighty Persia and went a head to conquer and slashed across the ancient lands of the Eastern Persia, Syria, and Egypt. All the nations fell before Alexander’s sword and Greece attained mastery of the world.

During the time of his swift conquering of the then Nations of the world Israel was favored by Alexander the great because, when he was marching southward from Syria, Egypt, and other places, the Jews sent delegates to proffer Jewish friendship and loyalty to him. A Jewish historian relates that Alexander was very much impressed by the gesture that he spared Jerusalem from plunder and destruction, but came into their temple to worship in Jerusalem before setting out again.

Image Source: upload.wikimedia.org

His attitude towards the Jews was so charitable that he encouraged them to settle throughout his vast empire, that is why many Jewish communities can be seen settled in Antioch-Greek capital of Syria and Alexandra Greek capital of Egypt.

They were so highly regarded in Alexander that, the city became a renowned center of both Jewish population and learning. This encouragement Alexander the great gave the Jews gave them the privilege to disperse more and more, a habit they imbibed from the time of their captivity and this dispersion played important role in the spread of the Christian Gospel.

Alexander spread Greek culture and language everywhere he went. This was called “Hellenism”, which is drawn from Hellas, early name for Greece. However, upon all his achievements Alexander could not live a disciplined life, and died in a drunken stupor at the age of thirty-three (in 323 BC). The “Hyalinization” he fostered, took root and flourished in Palestine.

The Jewish youths were taught Greek arts and Sciences.

At Alexander’s death, his empire was divided between his generals Ptolemy and Seleucids, only two of the smaller kingdoms were of consequence to biblical history. Egypt was under Ptolemy; and Syria under Seleucids. Judea at first came under the domain of Egypt, but Syria also laid claim to the little land. Lying as it did between these lands (Egypt and Syria).

Judea was made a battle ground as the two powers wrestled for supremacy. Under Ptolemy and his descendants the Jews enjoyed a golden age of prosperity and the Jewish faith was greatly advanced, it was in Egypt that the Greek version of the Old Testament (called the Septuagint) was translated.

Between 204-194 BC Seleucids in Syria took over Palestine
From the Ptolemy’s control. Israel there upon passed into one of the darkest, most oppressive period of all Jewish history; for the Seleucids were cruel, arrogant, and hostile toward the Jewish religion.

Antiochus Epiphanies (the sixth son of Seleucids, one of the generals of Alexander the great) became ruler of Syria in 175 B.C and immediately set out to impose complete Hellenism upon his empire. In Palestine, he determined to wipe out Judaism and replace it with Greek religion.

Image Source: myjewishlearning.com

This Antiochus was vile, wanton and brutal toward the Jews.
He issued an edict that in all his realm there should be but one religion; that of the Greeks.

But he found it hard to break the Jewish Spirit. The Jews will only accept much of Greek culture, which was advanced and admirable, but not Greek religion, which was Polytheistic and Mythological.

In rage and vengeance, when the Jews of Alexandria refused to help him in a military campaign against Egypt, Antiochus struck Jerusalem with full force, of his fury. Without mercy, he slaughtered forty thousand Jews mercilessly. He also plundered and desecrated the temple. Sacrificed a cow on the alter, sprinkled its blood over the sanctuary, burned the Holy Scriptures, and shut up the temple so that the Jews could not worship their God in the Temple.

To The Jews, that was too much. Israel resisted quietly at first. Then entered into one of the most glorious periods of her long history; the period of Meccabean.
The period of Meccabean will be discussed in the next post. Watch out.

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