A Study On The Hellenism Of Jews During The Hasmonean Dynasty

Hellenistic period was between Alexander’s Anabasis when during the334BC-323BC Alexanderthe Great led his troops to conquer the countries of the East and the Roman Empire occupied the PtolemaicDynastic in the30BC. During this time the Greek civilization was spread and integrated with the Easterncivilizations including the Jewish. The Hasmonean Dynasty was established in152BC and collapsed in37BC and became one part of the Hellenistic world, so in the aspect of state institutions he followed theHellenistic institutions. The Hasmonean Dynasty imitated Hellenistic political system to implementHellenistic Monarchy, and imitated military system to hire mercenary, and also imitated Hellenisticeconomic system to issue coins. The influence of Hellenism on the Jews was also manifested on thecultural term. During this period, Greek was spread and used among the Jews in the Hasmonean Dynasty,while on the deeply, this influence was symbolized by the permeation of the Greek rational thought. At thistime dualism started to impact the Essenes.But Hellenism only reflected one side of the Jewish society in the Hasmonean period. The Jewsdid not give up their religion belief and their loyalty to the Jewish tradition because of the adaptation of theHellenism. Judaism was still the major religion belief among the Palestine Jews and they also maintained aclose relationship with the Jews of Diaspora through the bond of religion. Even the foreign policy wasmade under the guidance of Judaism.So the Hellenism of the Jewish people was based on the preservation of Jewish tradition, and thespread of the Hellenistic culture did not shake the Judaism’s position among the Jews.