RE 1 - CHRISTIANITY IN A CHANGING SOCIETY

MODULE 3.2:
SOCIO-POLITICAL BACKGROUND
KNOWLEDGE/OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
1. familiarized the world from which Jesus came.

I. The Graeco-Roman World

The Graeco-Roman world was the context of the birth of Jesus. It
consisted of the vast empire of Alexander, the Great, the young conqueror
from Macedonia. In 333, Alexander opened up the way to the Middle East by
his victory at Issos, north of Antioch. In 332, he reached Egypt and founded
his capital city in Alexandria. Alexander dreamt of establishing one great
empire, wielding the east and the west by spreading the Greek culture
(Hellenism) and language (koine) throughout his empire. He did not live long,
however, to see his dream come true. Alexander died at the young age of 33
in Babylon, and his kingdom was divided among his quarreling generals: The
Antigonids in Greece, the Ptolemies in Egypt, and The Seleucids in Syria.

II. The Hellenization of Palestine (Israel) – 333 to 165 B.C.

For more than a century, Palestine was placed under the control of
the Greek rulers from Egypt, the Ptolemies. They named and renamed cities
throughout the countries, introduced Hellenism and Greek language. The
Greek culture and language influenced the Jews and had great impact on
their religion. The Hebrew Scripture was translated into Greek (Greek
Septuagint) as a result of Hellenization. The Ptolemies somehow allowed the
Jews to live in peace so the Jews enjoyed considerable degree of autonomy
but remained passive subjects.
 In 198 B.C. things changed with the coming of the Seleucids led by
Antiochus III. The Seleucids wanted to impose the Greek culture and religion
on the Jews. In 167 B.C. the situation worsened. Antiochus IV came into
power and strictly enforced Hellenism upon the Jews. He claimed he was the
visible manifestation of Zeus (chief god of the Greeks) and called himself
Epiphanes (Revealer of Zeus), thus, demanded that the Jews worship him. He
abolished three important Jewish religious practices: (1) circumcision; (2)
reading of the Torah; and (3) the Sabbath. As a result, people became angry
and crisis arose. Some priests supported the Hellenization, while others
condemned it.

III. The Maccabean Revolt and the Hasmonean Dynasty -165 to 63 B.C.
In response to the religious oppression by the Seleucids, the Jews
revolted. Mattathias, the priest of Modein, led the first revolt. When he died
his son, Judas, succeeded him. Judas was called “Maccabee” which means
“Hammerer”. He wanted to restore religious freedom and independence. In
165 B.C. Judas successfully marched into Jerusalem and on December of that
year, he rededicated the temple and restored temple worship. This event was
celebrated thereafter in the festival of Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication or
the Feast of Lights.
When Judas died, his brothers succeeded him. They established the
Hasmonean Dynasty ruled by priest-kings. The Jews enjoyed relative
independence and autonomy, but soon the descendants of the dynasty
quarreled over the throne. Civil wars broke out.

IV. The Roman Period – 63 B.C. to 70 A.D.

In 63 B.C. the Jews who were divided into rival groups supporting two
different kings appealed to Rome for arbitration. The Roman General
Pompey, supporting one side, captured Jerusalem after a three-month siege.
This marked the beginning of the Roman rule which was to last until the
seventh century A.D., the time of Arab invasions.
In 40 B.C. the Roman Senate named Herod as King of the Jews. It was
not until 37 B.C. that Herod finally ascended the throne. When Jesus was
born, Herod was the ruling king of Palestine. His greatest project in Jerusalem
was the construction of the temple. He was called the “Great” because he
was a powerful ruler who built several structures such as theaters,
amphitheaters, and gymnasiums around Palestine.
Despite all these projects, the Jews still despised Herod. He forcefully
imposed Hellenism upon them. He collected heavy taxes from the people.
Worst, Herod was ruthless and suspicious of people, even his family. He
wanted no rival to the throne so he had spies all over the place to watch out
for any sign of disloyalty. He killed some of his family members on suspicion
that they were plotting against him. Herod was also responsible for the killing
of male babies in Jerusalem when Jesus was born.
The Roman period was the immediate backdrop of Jesus’ birth, life,
ministry, death and resurrection. It extended until the conception of
 Christianity and the beginning of the early church. Many followers of Jesus
and early Christians were martyred during the rule of the Romans in
Palestine, a relatively small region in the whole Roman Empire.

V. The Contributions of the Greeks and the Romans

Just like any colonizer, the Greeks and the Romans left indelible
influences in the nation of Israel. The most remarkable influence of the
Greeks to the Jews was their culture, Hellenism, brought by Alexander, the
Great. Hellenism consisted of arts and literature, sculpture and architecture,
philosophy and religious thought. It is the blending of the best material
cultures from the civilizations of Asia Minor, Egypt, and ancient Greece.
Hellenism is characterized by (a) syncretism; (b) universalism; (c)
individualism; and (d) democratization of learning (Elwood & Magdamo, 38).
The Greek culture was so attractive to the people that it penetrated their
thought and practice.

The Romans, likewise, were very influential to the Jews. Politically,

they were very much powerful in the whole region of Palestine. They were
famous for their efficient government, engineering and military tactics. The
contributions of the Romans to the Jews are the following: (1) Pax Romana
or Roman peace; (2) Safety; (3) Infrastructure; (4) Philosophy; (5) Religion;
(6) Equality; and (7) Education.