Judea under Greek and Roman Rule

Abstract 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 refounded 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 the backdrop of the international politics that largely constrained developments within Judea, including the wars between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires for control of Palestine, the internal wars that led to the decline of the Seleucid empire, and the eastward expansion and consolidation of Roman rule with its own history of civil wars. Particular attention is given to 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 their consequences. Attention is given throughout to economic and social conditions as well as religious developments and movements. The reconstruction relies on the critical analysis of a wide range of ancient literary sources, the archaeological and inscriptional record, numismatics, and modern scholarship.