A Brief History of Palestine
Forged in Continuous Conflict
Week 4
Slides may be found at www.wllc.org/adult-education.html
Palestine has been controlled by
numerous different peoples,
including the Ancient Egyptians,
Canaanites, Philistines, Hyksos,
Hittites,Tjekker, Ancient Israelites,
Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians,
Ancient Greeks, Romans,
Byzantines, early Muslims
(Umayads, Abbasids, Seljuqs,
Fatimids), Crusaders, later Muslims
(Ayyubids, Mameluks, Ottomans),
the British, the Hashemite Kingdom
of Jordan (1948–1967, on the "West
Bank") and Egyptian Republic (in
Gaza), and modern Israelis and
Palestinians.
Last Time: The Exiles
734 B.C. Assyria invades Israel and begins
deporting populace.
724 B.C. - Judah becomes Vassal of Assyria in
return for Military Aid (2 Kings 16:7-9) .
Assyria deports at least 27,290 Israelites.
Sargon II repopulates with Gentiles
No edit was ever issued for the return of the
people of the Kingdom of Israel – Lost 10
Tribes
605 B.C. Babylon defeats Assyria.
604 B.C. Exiles Jews to Babylonia.
597 B.C. 2nd wave of deportation by
Nebuchadnezzar
586 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar takes Jerusalem –
destroys Temple of Solomon
539 B.C. Exile ends – Cyrus the Persian
Last Time: Palestine Under the Persians and Greeks
• 539 B.C. Cyrus the Great
of Persia defeats The
Babylonians. Ends
Captivity (Ezra 1:7)
• Jews prospered under
Persian Rule which lasted
until 332 B.C. when
Alexander the Great
defeats Darius II and takes
the entire Persian Empire.
• Hellenization: The spread
of Greek language and
culture across the world.
• 201 B.C. (Syrian Greeks)
gain control
• 168 B.C. Antiochus IV
implements aggressive
Hellenization (deJudaization)
Last Time: The Maccabean Revolt
• Hellenized Jews wanted to
abolish Jewish practices and
adopt Greek ways; opposed by
Traditional Jews.
• Attempted coup for office of
High Priest.
• Antiochus IV outlawed Jewish
Religious Rites, ordered worship
of Zeus
• 164 B.C. Judah Maccabee drives
out Seleucids, restores worship
in Temple – celebrated as
Chanukah
• Ushers in 100 year period of SelfRule until Roman occupation in
63 B.C
• Merger of Priesthood and
Political Rule – Rise of the
Sadducees, Pharisees, etc.
Rome – Quick History
• 753 B.C. - Rome founded as a kingdom
• 509 B.C. - Start of Republic, period of
expansion
• 209 B.C. - all of Italy under Roman rule
• 264 B.C.-241 B.C. conquest of Sicily 1st
Punic War
• 218 B.C.-201 B.C. 2nd Punic War,
Hannibal defeated
• 149 B.C. Macedonia under Roman
Rule
• 146 B.C. Carthage destroyed end of 3rd
Punic War
• 63 B.C. Syria made a province; Fall of
Jerusalem
• 44 B.C. Julius Caesar assassinated
• 27 B.C. Octavian named Emperor
Augustus Caesar
Judea Under Roman Rule
• 36 B.C. Herod appointed Client-King by
Romans – Brutal madman; considered a
“half-Jew”, Rebuilt the Temple.
• 4 B.C. Birth of Jesus
• 4 B.C. Herod the Great dies; Romans
divide Kingdom; Archelaus became
ethnarch of the tetrarchy of Judea, Herod
Antipas became tetrarch of Galilee and
Peraea, and Philip became tetrarch of
territories east of the Jordan.
• 6 A.D. Judea becomes a Roman
Province – Archelaus removed
• 16 A.D. Pontius Pilate - 5th Prefect of
Judea. 36 A.D. deposed by Syrian Legate
Lucius Vitellius
• 18 A.D. Caiaphas - appointed High Priest
of the Temple. 36 A.D. deposed by
Syrian Legate Lucius Vitellius
• 30 A.D. Death of Jesus
Judeans Under Roman Rule
• 300 B.C. – 300 A.D. Greco-Roman period
• Romans keep Greek as Official language of Empire
• Jews allowed Religious Freedom
• Jews exempt from serving in, or supporting, Roman Army
• Judeans taxed to pay for Herod’s building projects
• Judeans include both Gentiles and Jews – Herod also built
pagan temples
• Most Judeans never saw a Roman soldier in everyday life
• Prefect kept his personal cohort at his residence in
Caesarea on the coast. Only brought troops to Jerusalem
once per year, at time of Passover.
• Passover recalls the freeing of the Jews from foreign
oppression, but also looks ahead.
• Prefect had only two responsibilities: Keep peace and
collect taxes
Comparison of Pagans and Jews
Pagans
Jews
Ethnic background
Non-Semitic
Semitic
Religion
polytheistic
monotheistic
Religious Basis
Practices and Sacrifices
Practices, Sacrifices, and
partially text-based – Torah
Devotion
Periodic
Continuous
1st Century Jewish Sects
Focus
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pharisees
Sadducees
Essenes
4th Philosophy
Generate rules to
enable Jews to
better keep the Law
Sacrifices in the
Temple
Individual purity,
Separation from
corrupt ways
Israel is the land
given to Jews by
God; foreigners
must be expelled
All of the above agreed that the Law of Moses as set forth in the Torah must be followed
Disagreements were: which aspect were most important, and how the Law should be followed
Oddly enough, the only Pharisee to leave us any writing was Paul
Essenes formed their own communities (Qumran), shunned Jerusalem and the Temple as corrupt
Dead Sea Scrolls (Essene writings) discovered in 1946
Sadducees were the real power – they ran the Temple – they had the ear of the Roman Prefect
Sadducees left us no writings
Disastrously, 4th Philosophy (also known as Zealots) had its way in 70 A.D.
Pax Romana
• 27 B.C. – 180 A.D. A
“miracle” never been so
many centuries of
widespread peace before
• Not necessarily local peace,
especially for Palestine and
Hispania
Jewish Revolts
• Judaea was the stage of three major rebellions against Roman rule:
• 66–70 A.D. - first rebellion, followed by the destruction of Herod's Temple and
the siege of Jerusalem (Josephus) Josephus was commander of the rebels in
Galilee. Vespasian crushed Josephus’ troops. 97,000 enslaved.
• 115–117 A.D. - second rebellion, called Kito’s War, in Egypt, Libya, Judea, Cyprus,
(Lukuas or Andreas) Spread to Mesopotamia and Syria; Jews expelled from Cypus
• 132–135 A.D. - third rebellion, Bar Kokhba's revolt (Simon Son of a Star); When
ended, 580,000 Jews were dead (Cassius Dio) “Romans killed until the blood
reached the nostrils of the horses” (Talmud)
• Following the suppression of Bar Kokhba's revolt, the emperor Hadrian changed
the name of the province to Syria Palaestina and Jerusalem became Aelia
Capitolina to erase the historical ties of the Jewish people to the region. Jews
forbidden to enter the city except for day of Tisha B’Av
Constantine the Great
• Constantine (272 A.D. – 337 A.D.)
• Declared Emperor in the West 306 A.D.
• 311 A.D. Edict of Toleration – with Licinius and Galarius grants and indulgence to the Christians.
Christians, who had "followed such a caprice and had fallen into such a folly that they would not
obey the institutes of antiquity", were granted an indulgence.
• "Wherefore, for this our indulgence, they ought to pray to their God for our safety, for that of the
republic, and for their own, that the commonwealth may continue uninjured on every side, and that they
may be able to live securely in their homes.“ (Eusebius, History of the Church)
• 312 Battle of Milvian Bridge – “In this sign, conquer” Defeats Maxentius.
• 313 A.D. Edict of Milan – He and Licinius agree to treat Christians benevolently.
• Defeats Licinius to reunite Empire by 324 A.D., after 1st split
• 380 A.D. Christianity made state religion by Theodosius I – Edict of Thessalonica
Roman Empire Divides
• Never regarded as 2
empires, just 2
administrative districts
•
Divides 3 times. 3rd time
final.
• Empire in the West later falls
under attacks by Visigoths,
Huns, and Vandals
• Last attempt to reunite
under Eastern Emperor
Justinian failed.
Next Time: The Crusades