Hellenistic Jerusalem

There were three groups of Jews during the Hellenistic Period: the Jews that stayed behind in Babylon, the Jews that came back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, and the Jews that were left behind in Jerusalem during the exile. There were few sources during this period.

Alexander the Great defeated Persia’s King Darius at Battle of Issus in 333 BCE. Jerusalem capitulated to Alexander. He died in 323 BCE, and the kingdom was divided between the Ptolemies (Egyptians) and the Selecuids (syrians). The line High Priest came to dominate as the noble line was fading. The High Priest oversaw administrative and religious affairs.  

The Greeks regarded the Polis as the highest and most natural Civil Institution. The Greeks were pretty successful in Hellenizing Jerusalem during 201 to 164 BCE. Political uncertainty in Jerusalem attracted social and economic experimentation, such as the construction of the gymnasium and the theatre. Every aspect of Jewish life was affected. Jewish tombs look Greek, and there were Jewish funerary inscriptions in Greek. Some Jewish homes had Greek art. Even the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek and came to be the most widely used by Greeks and Jews.