In 332 B.C. Alexander the Great, the young King of Macedonia (now in
northern Greece), conquered Palestine. He went on to conquer the
whole Persian Empire. Though Alexander soon died, the Middle East
remained in the hands of Greek-speaking rulers. They built new
cities and settled many Greeks in the area. Greek art and literature,
the Greek love of athletics, and the worship of the Greek gods were
also brought into the Middle East. In Palestine, the spread of Greek
culture was opposed by many religious Jews, who weren't prepared to
give up their own culture and religion. The Jews revolted, and
reestablished an independent state in the second century B.C., but
it didn't last long. In 65 B.C. the Romans conquered Palestine.
NEW TESTAMENT: THE JEWS UNDER ROMAN RULE
The Jews of the Roman Empire were in a complex social, religious,
and political situation. Many lived in Palestine, but many others
lived in towns all over the Middle East and the Mediterranean lands.
Although Aramaic remained the principal language of Palestinian Jews,
many Jews--especially outside Palestine--spoke Greek, the common
language of the Middle East under Roman rule. Translations of the
Old Testament into Aramaic and Greek circulated among those who knew
little Hebrew.
The Jewish religion had also changed since the days of the Israelite
monarchy. Parties had arisen, which differed on important points of
belief and practice. Members of the Pharisee party stressed the
study and observance of the law, both the written law of the
Scriptures and a body of traditional law that was handed down orally.
They believed in the existence of angels and spirits and in the
doctrine of resurrection--the belief God would eventually reunite
the souls of the dead with their bodies. The Sadducee party, led by
the priests who presided over the sacrifices in the Temple, accepted
only the written Scriptures and denied resurrection and the
existence of angels and spirits. The Sadducees apparently were fewer,
wealthier, and more inclined to accept Roman rule than the Pharisees.
A third party, the Essenes, is thought to have produced the Dead Sea
Scrolls, which were discovered starting in 1947. The scrolls were
the library of a Jewish community that lived at Qumran in the desert
east of Jerusalem and practiced strict religious observance and self-
denial. The members of the community believed that the Temple
worship and the practices of other Jews had become corrupted, and
they expected a great war through which God would restore the
religious practices they believed proper. Lastly there were Jews who
adopted Greek language and culture while trying to remain faithful
to their own religious tradition.
Most Jews didn't belong to any of these groups. They revered the
Temple, attended meeting-houses, and observed the law as best they
