More comments on the
Hellenisation of Palestine.
These comments are
from Geza Vermes’* “The Complete Dead
Sea Scrolls in English” – ( the Penguin
2004 revised edition, for anyone
that wants to check page references).
Commencing Page 52,
of that book Vermes describes the increasing Hellenisation of Palestine.
Hellenistic (i.e.Greek) cities were built along the coast-Gaza, Joppa, Dor and
Acco. To the south of Lake Tiberias, Beth Shean-an old existing village was
re-built as the Greek city of Scythopolis and others, with the result that
Greek culture, thinking and civilization spread throughout the land.
As far back as 200
BCE there was evidence of Jewish culture succumbing to Greek culture but the
strongest evidence of change came, when Antiochus IV Epiphanes set in motion a Hellenising
program in Judea, that the Jewish elite eagerly accepted and embraced. Their
leader was Jesus, the brother of the high priest Onias III, who changed his
name to Jason. This Jason began to Hellenise Jerusalem, built a Greek style
gymnasium there and persuaded young Jews to participate in athletic exercises
there. Even young priests in the temple exercised there naked. Evidence? Yes! Read
2 Maccabees: (iv, 13-15, New Revised Standard Version)
Quote: “There was such an
extreme of Hellenization and increase in the adoption of foreign ways because
of the surpassing wickedness of Jason, who was ungodly and no true[e] high
priest, 14 that the priests were no longer intent upon their
service at the altar. Despising the sanctuary and neglecting the
sacrifices, they hurried to take part in
the unlawful proceedings in the wrestling arena after the signal for the
discus-throwing, 15 disdaining the honors prized by their
ancestors and putting the highest value
upon Greek forms of prestige. 16 For this reason heavy disaster overtook
them, and those whose ways of living they admired and wished to imitate
completely became their enemies and punished them. 17 It is no light thing to
show irreverence to the divine laws—a fact that later events will make clear.”
What did that writer mean when he wrote. “putting the highest value upon Greek forms of prestige?” He was referring to
their acceptance of Greeks cultural standards, including the already mentioned
matter of wrestling naked. And, that brought a big problem for young Jews, in
ancient Greek culture, men could be naked, but it was shameful for them to
expose the head of their penises. This led to these young men, circumcised when
young, to try to reverse their circumcised state by lengthening the remains of
their foreskins. (You can do your own research on that matter).
In169 BCE, Antiochus IV prohibited Judaism, mandating the
death penalty for those who tried to practice it. For many Jews that was too
much, and a rebellion commenced (the Maccabean rebellion). In 171 BCE High
Priest Onias was murdered and the Zadokite family lost their centuries old hereditary
right to the High Priest position. So the process of Hellenization was slowed
for a while, but not stopped, and by the time of Jesus, Palestine under mainly
Roman control, was again strongly influenced by foreign culture.
Which brings us to
the matter of ‘God’ and ‘Gods’ – in my next post.
*Vermes was a British academic and Biblical
scholar, born into a Hungarian family of Jewish descent that was forced to
convert to Christianity. As a young man he became a Catholic priest and later
became a scholar focusing on ancient Judaism and early Christianity.
