
This volume provides a reconstruction of the history of Judea and its neighboring regions from 334 BCE, when Alexander's eastward conquests brought Judea into the Greek empire, through 135 CE, when Hadrian re-founded Jerusalem as Aelia Capitolina and banished Jews from the city limits -- a formative period both for early Judaism and the Christian movement. This history unfolds against a backdrop of international politics that constrained developments within Judea, including wars between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires for control of Palestine, internal wars that led to the decline of the Seleucid empire, and the eastward expansion and consolidation of Roman rule.Judea under Greek and Roman Rule focuses on the Hellenizing Reform that precipitated the Maccabean Revolt, the establishment of an independent kingdom under the Hasmonean Dynasty, the rule of Herod and transition to Roman rule, the circumstances that precipitated two devastating revolts against Roman domination, and constructive responses (both literary and practical) within Judaism to both revolts and the consequences.
This volume investigates the political, social, and religious evolution of Judea during the period of Greek and Roman hegemony from 334 BCE to 135 CE. David A. deSilva, a scholar of New Testament and early Christian history, utilizes primary historical sources and archaeological data to reconstruct the complex environment that shaped early Judaism and the nascent Christian movement. The work argues that the external pressures of imperial expansion and internal cultural conflicts were the primary drivers of the region's transformation during these four centuries.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars and students of biblical history frequently cite this work as a reliable and accessible synthesis of a complex historical era. Readers often note the clarity of the prose, which effectively organizes dense political and military history for those studying the context of the New Testament.
Page Count:
176
Publication Date:
2024-10-25
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190263253
ISBN-13:
9780190263256
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