. ____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER ____________________________________________________ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ February 1, 2009 ____________________________________________________ The Historical-Political Background of the New Testament (Part 1 of 2) by Russell H. Dunaway Jr. Beginning in 606 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon launched the first of three successive attacks upon the city of Jerusalem and the people of Judah. During the second attack (597 B.C.) Ezekiel, Daniel, and about 10,000 other inhabitants of Jerusalem were carried into captivity. During the third attack (587-586 B.C.) Jerusalem was completely destroyed. Her walls were broken down. The gates were burned. The temple was destroyed. The city was left desolate in shambles. While in captivity Daniel foretold that the Babylonian Empire would be overtaken by the Medes and the Persians, the Medes and the Persians would be conquered by the Greeks, and the Greeks would be conquered by the Romans. He further foretold that the establishment of the kingdom of God would take place during the days of the Roman kings (Dan. 2:41-44). Under the leadership of Cyrus, the Medes took control of Babylon (539 B.C.). It was during the reign of Cyrus that the first remnant of the Jews, under the leadership of Zerubbabel, returned to Jerusalem with instructions to rebuild the temple (536 B.C.). They began to rebuild the temple, but due to apathy and opposition the work soon stalled (Ezra 4:4-5). For a period of nearly twenty years, nothing was accomplished, until the prophets Zechariah and Haggai, during the reign of Darius I (522-486 B.C.), motivated the people to finish the task. The Temple was rebuilt in 516 B.C. During the reign of Artaxerxes I (464-423 B.C.) a second remnant of Jews returned under the leadership of Ezra to restore the worship (458 B.C.). A third remnant returned under Nehemiah in order to rebuild the walls of the city (445 B.C.). The Medo-Persian dominion continued until 334 B.C. Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military leaders in history, became the king of Macedonia (Greece) when his father, Philip of Macedonia, was killed (336 B.C.). He immediately made plans to lay siege against Persia and expand the borders of his kingdom. In 334 B.C. he led his troops into Asia Minor where they won a series of victories over the Persians. He continued his victorious military march into Syria and Egypt. From victories there, he led his troops into Persia, Media, and as far east as northern India. He returned to Babylon, where he died in 323 B.C. at the age of thirty-three. Upon the death of Alexander the Great chaos resulted in his empire. Five of his prominent generals established themselves over different parts of his empire. Ptolemy chose the land of Egypt, Cyrenaica, Palestine, Phoenicia, Cyprus and some parts of western Asia Minor and the Aegean Sea. Seleucus took control of Babylonia. Antigonus became ruler of Asia Minor and northern Syria. The other two ruled in Europe and did not have direct influence over events in Palestine. From the beginning, however, Ptolemy and Seleucus struggled over the control of Palestine. Ptolemy treated Judea as a Temple state, given over by the king, in trust, to the high priest at Jerusalem. Authority in religious and most civil matters was granted the high priest in lieu of a yearly tax. The Jews fared well under the Ptolemies. They enjoyed a great degree of liberty and self-rule. Their religious practices were not hampered. Greek customs gradually became more common among the people. The translation of the Old Testament into Greek (the Septuagint) began during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, 285-246 B.C. During the reign of Ptolemy II, the first of five wars with the Seleucids over possession of Palestine broke out. Egypt successfully resisted the Seleucid challenge under the first three Ptolemaic rulers. However, Ptolemaic power began to wane under Ptolemy IV Philopator (221-204 B.C.). In 200 B.C., Antiochus III defeated the Egyptian army at Banyas (Caesarea Philippi) and seized control of Palestine. Antiochus was succeeded by his son Seleucus IV (187-175 B.C.). When he was murdered, his younger brother, Antiochus IV, became ruler (175-163 B.C.). Antiochus IV is often referred to as Antiochus Epiphanes ("manifest" or "splendid"), though some called him Epimenes ("mad"). During the early years of his reign, the situation of the Jews became worse. Part of it was due to their being divided, especially over the priesthood. The office of high priest had been hereditary and held for life. However, Jason, the brother of the high priest, offered the king a large sum of money to be appointed high priest. Antiochus needed the money and made the appointment. Within a few years, Menelaus, a priest not of the high priestly line, offered the king more money to be named high priest in place of Jason. At this point, the office of high priest became a political office awarded to various individuals not according to Zadok lineage but according to political favor. Menelaus stole vessels from the Temple in order to pay what he had promised. Antiochus IV sought to add Egypt to his territory. He was proclaimed king of Egypt; but when he went to Egypt to take control of the land, the Romans confronted him and told him to leave. Knowing the power of Rome, he returned to Jerusalem (167 B.C.), only to discover that Jason had driven Menelaus out of the city. He saw this as full revolt. He allowed his troops to kill many of the Jews and determined to put an end to the Jewish religion. He sacrificed a pig on the altar of the Temple. Parents were forbidden to circumcise their children. The Sabbath was no longer to be observed. All copies of the law were to be burned, and it was, in fact, made a capital offense to have a copy of the law. The zeal of Antiochus to destroy Judaism was a major factor in its salvation. When the Seleucids sent officers throughout the land to compel leading citizens to offer sacrifice to Zeus, open conflict flared. In the village of Modein, about halfway between Jerusalem and Joppa, an aged priest named Mattathias was chosen to offer the sacrifice. He refused to do so, but a young Jew volunteered to do it. Angered by this display of infidelity to Jehovah, Mattathias killed both the Jew and the officer. He then fled to the hills with his five sons and others who supported his action. The Maccabean revolt had begun. Leadership fell to Judas, the third son of Mattathias. Nicknamed Maccabeus, the hammerer, probably because of his success in battle, Judas was the ideal rebel leader. He fought successful battles against much larger forces. Under his leadership, the office of high priest was combined with that of military leader. A group called the Hasidim (later giving rise to the sect known as the Pharisees) made up the major part of his army. These men were devoutly committed to religious freedom. They were dedicated to obedience to the law and to the worship of God. Judas was able to gain control of Jerusalem within three years. The Temple was cleansed and rededicated exactly three years after it had been polluted by the king (164 B.C.). The Hasidim were satisfied with this conquest and left the army. Judas, however, wanted complete political freedom for the Jews. In 160 B.C., with a force of 800 men, Judas Maccabeus engaged a vastly superior Seleucid army and was killed in battle at Elasa. Four years later (160 B.C.), Jonathan Maccabeus was awarded the position of High Priest. Jonathan too was a brilliant military leader, but was seized through treachery and later murdered (143 B.C.). His brother, Simon, was chosen by the people to be their new high priest and governor. Simon ruled as high priest and governor until he was murdered by his son-in-law (134 B.C.). With Simon, however, the office of high priest was restored to a hereditary office. His son, John Hyrcanus, became the high priest and civil ruler (134-104 B.C.). Under the leadership of Hyrcanus the Jews broke free from the control of the Seleucids. Hyrcanus began to expand the territory of the Jews. In the north he destroyed the temple of the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim. He moved southeast and conquered the land of the Idumeans, the ancient kingdom of Edom. The residents were forced to either emigrate or convert to Judaism. The oldest son of Hyrcanus, Aristobulus I (104-103 B.C.), succeeded him. He had his mother and three brothers put in prison. One brother was allowed to remain free, but he was later murdered. He allowed his mother to starve to death in prison. He extended his rule to include part of the territory of Iturea, north of Galilee. He was the first to take the title of king. When Hyrcanus died, his wife, Alexandra, released his brothers from prison and married the oldest of them, Alexander Jannaeus. He became high priest and king (103-76 B.C.). He made many enemies by marrying the widow of his brother. The Old Testament stated that a high priest must marry a virgin (Lev. 21:14). Alexander was an ambitious warrior and conducted campaigns by which he enlarged his kingdom. He used foreign soldiers because he could not trust Jews in his army. As high priest, he did not always follow prescribed ritual. On one occasion, when the people reacted to his improper actions by throwing citrons at him, he allowed his soldiers to kill six thousand of them. At another time he had eight hundred of his enemies crucified. As they hung on the crosses, he had their wives and children brought out and slain before their eyes. Alexandra succeeded her husband as ruler (76-67 B.C.). Being a woman, she could not serve as high priest, so the two functions were separated. Her oldest son, Hyrcanus II, became high priest. He was not ambitious. Her younger son, Aristobulus II, was just the opposite. He was waiting for his mother to die so he could become king and high priest. When Salome died, civil war broke out and lasted until 63 B.C. Aristobulus easily defeated Hyrcanus, who was content to retire. This might have been the end of the story were it not for Antipater, an Idumean. He persuaded Hyrcanus to seek the help of the king of Nabatea to regain his position. Aristobulus was driven back to Jerusalem. At this point Rome arrived on the scene. Both Aristobulus and Hyrcanus appealed to Scaurus, the Roman general charged with the administration of Palestine. He sided with Aristobulus. When Pompey, the Roman commander, arrived, both brothers appealed to him. Aristobulus tried to fight the Romans. He was defeated and taken to Rome as a prisoner. The Romans, took control over Palestine in 63 B.C. (to be concluded next Sunday) -- Via Truth Magazine Vol. XLIV: 9 p. 14 May 4, 2000 ____________________________________________________ CHURCH OF CHRIST 201 Rushing Road (at the Hampton Inn) Denham Springs, LA 70726 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 tedwards@onemain.com http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go DIRECTIONS: Take the Denham Springs exit (exit 10) off of I-12. At the end of the exit ramp, turn north. Go about a stone's throw to Rushing Road. (You'll see a Starbucks, Circle K, and two other gas stations; with each on each corner.) Turn left on Rushing Road, and go less then 0.3 of a mile. Hampton Inn will be on the right. We assemble in its meeting room, which is very close to the reception counter. ____________________________________________________