The Jews in the time of Jesus were products of their history and environment. For over 500 years they had been ruled by the four world rulers that the prophet Daniel foretold in his vision or four beasts in Dan. chap.7. These were Babylon under king Nebuchadnezzar, and his son Belshazzar, After 50 years of captivity, Belshazzar was slain and Darius the Median took the kingdom (Dan.5:30,31). The Jews were under the rule of the Medes and Persians for the next 205 years. The Persians established the Jews in colonies, and let them prosper to the point that some became very wealthy. It was under Persian captivity that the synagogue was established as a substitute for the temple in Jerusalem. In 516 B.C. Zerubbabel was allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. In 448-445 B.C. under Ezra and Nehemiah the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt, and temple worship reestablished. Nehemiah was the appointed governor of Judea, and upon his death the office of governor was invested in the high priest. This naturally led to abuse of power, and these abuses had reached their peak, when the Lord Jesus cleansed the temple of the moneychangers. From 331-167 B.C. Palestine was ruled by the Greeks. Alexander the Great marched into Jerusalem in 331 B.C. and was met by a torchlight parade led by the High Priest. Alexander conquered Egypt, and proclaimed himself Pharaoh. He built the city of Alexandria in Egypt, and invited the Jews to live there. This city became a center of Jewish worship and learning, which was heavily influenced by the Greek culture of the day.

There was a Hellenistic Jew in Alexandria named Philo who developed the original Logos doctrine. However, Philo saw the Logos or Word as an impersonal agent between God and man. The apostle John took this doctrine, and in the first chapter of his gospel made the Word very personal, showing that the Word was none other than Eternal God. It is interesting to note that Philo developed a system of allegorical teaching, which denied the literal interpretation of God's word, while striving for spiritual truth. He believed that much of the creation account in Genesis was a myth, used only to show some higher principal. The allegorical school of thought is still with us today.

Alexander the Great died in.323 B.C. and his kingdom was divided between four of his generals. Two dynasties emerged from this split. One was the Ptolemaic dynasty which ruled from Egypt, which was south of Judea. The other was the Seleucid empire which was based in Antioch Syria to the North of Judea. Palestine was caught in the middle of these two warring groups of Greeks. For the sake of survival their loyalty was given to the one who seemed to have the upper hand. Under the Ptolemies the Jews fared well. They were allowed a great degree of freedom, and allowed to practice their religion.

The Ptolemies were replaced by the harsher Seleucid Dynasty of Syria. The worst of their rulers was Antiochus IV (Epiphanies) who forbade the practice of circumcision, and also the observance of the Sabbath, and 'the dietary laws. He desecrated the temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar, dedicating the temple to the worship of the supreme deity of the Greeks, Zeus. During this time 40,000 Jews were killed in Jerusalem, so that the blood literally ran in the streets. The Jews revolted under the leadership of a high priest named Mattathias. His son Judas Maccabaeus (the Hammer) led a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Syrian rulers. These Syrian Greeks had other flanks to cover, and were eventually worn down so that the Jews finally had independance. The house of Mattathias established a Jewish dynasty known as the Hasmonean dynasty. In 154 B.C. the temple was cleansed and rededicated. This is still commemorated in the Jewish feast of Hanukkah.

The area of Jewish influence was enlarged, trade routes were established, and the areas of Samaria and Idumea were annexed. It was during this time that the competing factions of Judaism were born. The Pharisees (separatist) who were zealous to preserve the law revolted in 90 B.C. and 6000 were slain. The Sadducees were made up wealthy and educated men who held the vested interest of the Jews in Jerusalem. They held the presidency of the Sanhedrin, and controlled the office of high priest. Later they would be friendly to the Romans. They were survivors, more interested in politics than religion. Another group was the Essenes, who separated themselves to the desert. Their doctrines which originated under Persian influence laid the foundation for the first century heresy of the Gnostics.

This period of independence which was marked by much bloodshed came to an end in BC when the Roman general Pompey besieged Jerusalem. Pompey reduced and divided the kingdom into five regions. Worship was again allowed, and as long as the people paid the heavy taxes, they were allowed some degree of self government. Antipater from the region of Idumea, ruled all Palestine by Roman grant. He placed his sons over the different regions, the most notorious of whom was Herod the Great, Procurator of Judea. Herod brought an end to civil war which had raged for 26 years, since Pompey had first entered Jerusalem. He enlarged the kingdom, built roads, and instituted a massive building program. He built a great palace, and rebuilt the temple on a much grander scale. Herod executed his wife for suspected adultery, his mother- in-law for an attempted coup, two sons for plotting, and another for treason. Caesar Augustus said that he would have a better chance to live if he were Herod's pig rather than his son. Herod died in 4 BC, but not before the King of all the ages, clothed Himself in the flesh of a baby, and was born of a virgin in Bethlehem. Jesus Christ was born at a time of extreme moral degeneracy. There were 6,0OO,OOO slaves in the Roman empire. In the Roman arena human life was sacrificed for the sake of sport. This was a time of either extreme luxury, or extreme poverty. There had not been a prophet for over 400 years, until John the Baptist came as the forerunner of the Lord. Jewish thought and worship was influenced by Greek philosophy and culture, and also the culture of Rome. Roman orators and writers ridiculed the Jews for worshiping an unseen God and for observing the Sabbath.

During this time two other factions arose. The Zealots, who had started in opposition to Rome, but had degenerated into a band of robbers. The Herodians were a faction loyal to king Herod. Palestine was divided into territory under Jewish control and influence, and cities with Greek names and culture, as well as cities built by king Herod where Greek and Syrian worship prevailed. In all this there was a prevailing hope of a Messiah who would rule with all the glory of David and Solomon. Only a faithful few recognized Him when He came. HE WAS IN THE WORLD, AND THE WORLD WAS MADE BY HIM, AND THE WORLD KNEW HIM NOT (JN.l:lO).

The purpose of About-Him.Com is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ whom we preach as the Almighty God manifest in the flesh. It is our desire that everything presented on these pages increases your faith in our God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Last modified: 08-06-2007
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