by hadassah | Nov 24, 2015 | Hellenism and Hellenistic Trends in Judaism
The Talmudic version of the meeting of the Jews and Alexander is preserved in a baraita which correctly identifies the place of the meeting as Antipatris. This version also points to the Jewish-Samaritan conflict and to Alexander’s recognition of the Jews and...
by hadassah | Nov 24, 2015 | Hellenism and Hellenistic Trends in Judaism
The story of the ascension of Joseph, the Tobiad, as a tax farmer in the Ptolemaic period, illustrates the rise of a new Hellenistic Jewish elite which gained power through Hellenization and which, in turn, fostered further Hellenization of the society. It is probable...
by hadassah | Nov 24, 2015 | Hellenism and Hellenistic Trends in Judaism
Josephus transmits what must have been an old tradition regarding early contacts between the Jews and Alexander the Great. This legendary account portrays the rival of the Jews and the Samaritans while claiming that Alexander paid homage to the Jewish high priest to...
by hadassah | Nov 24, 2015 | Hellenism and Hellenistic Trends in Judaism
The Parthenon was a temple on the Athenian Acropolis in Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Construction began in 447 BCE when the Athenian Empire was at its peak and was completed in 438 BCE.
by hadassah | Nov 24, 2015 | Hellenism and Hellenistic Trends in Judaism
For nearly 600 years, some Jews tried to remove the mark of the covenant “Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised on the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” So said God to Abraham, establishing the covenant of...
by hadassah | Apr 9, 2008 | Greco-Roman Period, Hellenism and Hellenistic Trends in Judaism, The Talmud
The holiday of Hanukah, celebrating the Jewish victory over the Seleucids and the rededication of the Temple in 164 B.C.E., was observed by the lighting of lamps, symbolizing the relighting of the Temple menorah. The Babylonian Talmud explained the significance of the...
