Hellenistic Jerusalem

The Hellenistic period is documented by the Apocrypha and by the historian Josephus. The Hellenistic period began with Alexander the Great's conquests and reached the "Palestine" area in about 333 BCE. The High Priest began to oversee administrative and religious affairs. After Alexander's death in 323 BCE, there was a division of the kingdom between the Ptolemies (Egyptians) and the Seleucids (Syrians). During this period, the Greek "polis" or city structure was developed in Jerusalem. The gymnasium became a center of social and intellectual life, largely replacing the Temple. Hellenization affected Jerusalem's architecture, coinage, house wares, language, philosophy, religion, recreation, and much more. Even the Bible is translated into Greek and features some lines of Greek within the passages.

Antiochus III of hte Seleucids took control of Palestine from the Ptolemies and resisted the conservative High Priest Onias III. Similarly, Antiochus IV thoroughly Hellenized Jerusalem, deposes Onias III, and gives the High Priest position to his brother Jason. He also suppressed Jewish resistance and religion by blatantly disobeying their traditions and looting the Temple, among other methods. The Jewish population received Hellenization in different ways. Some welcomed it, while the more conservative Jews resisted. These opinions led to many conflicts and eventually a large revolt broke out.