Preparing to Read Mark · Unit 14 of 16
From the Hellenistic world to Roman rule
Historical scope: the later Persian period to Roman rule in Judea (approximately the fourth to first centuries BC)
In the previous stage, we saw Jews return from exile and rebuild Jerusalem and the Second Temple, but David’s kingdom was not restored. They still lived under foreign imperial rule. Over the following centuries, control of Judea changed repeatedly, gradually creating the political, cultural, and religious setting of Jesus’ time.
1. What Does “Between the Testaments” Mean?
Christians often call the period from the later composition of Old Testament books to the beginning of New Testament times the “intertestamental period,” or “between the Testaments.” This is simply a convenient label. It does not mean these centuries left no historical records or that Jewish religious life stopped.
On the contrary, many important changes occurred. Without this background, readers turning straight to the New Testament find that Pharisees, Sadducees, synagogues, the Herodian family, and Romans all seem to appear out of nowhere.
“Between the Testaments” was not an empty gap, but the centuries during which the Jewish world of Jesus’ time gradually took shape.
2. Alexander the Great Brings the Hellenistic World
In the fourth century BC, Alexander the Great of Macedonia rapidly conquered the Persian Empire and vast areas of the Near East. Judea thus passed from Persian rule into the Greek world’s sphere of influence.
Alexander’s conquests changed not only political boundaries but also spread the Greek language and culture widely. This cultural diffusion is usually called “Hellenization.”
3. What Is Hellenization?
Hellenization did not mean everyone abandoned their own people and religion. Rather, Greek language, education, urban culture, philosophy, art, and ways of life gradually became shared features of the contemporary world.
Many Jews remained faithful to their religion while living in a Greek-speaking environment. The New Testament’s later composition in Greek is directly related to this historical setting.
By Jesus’ time, Greek had become a major common language of the eastern Mediterranean world.
4. After Alexander’s Death, His Empire Is Divided
After Alexander the Great died, no single stable successor took over his entire vast empire. Instead, his generals fought for control, eventually establishing several major kingdoms.
Situated between Egypt and Syria, Judea was long affected by two Hellenistic dynasties: the Ptolemies to the south and the Seleucids to the north. Its rulers changed between these two powers.
5. Antiochus IV and Religious Oppression
In the second century BC, the Seleucid king Antiochus IV imposed harsh measures on Jewish religious life. He sought more thorough Hellenization and interfered with traditional Jewish worship.
Under his rule, some Jewish legal practices were prohibited, and Jerusalem’s temple was desecrated. For many Jews, this was no longer merely political domination but a direct threat to their faithfulness to God.
Foreign rule was now forcing Jews to abandon their own law and worship with unprecedented directness, and resistance broke out.
6. The Maccabean Revolt Begins
Around 167 BC, a Jewish priest named Mattathias refused the royal command to take part in pagan sacrifice and began a revolt with his family. His son Judas Maccabeus later became a leading figure.
“Maccabeus” was originally a title associated with Judas. “Maccabean” later came to describe the resistance movement and the related family.
The revolt did not initially aim to establish a new world empire, but to defend Jewish faith, law, and temple worship.
7. The Temple Is Cleansed Again
Maccabean forces later regained control of Jerusalem and cleansed and rededicated the temple around 164 BC. The Jewish Feast of Dedication, commonly known today as Hanukkah, commemorates this event.
This history made “faithfulness to God and refusal of foreign religious oppression” a deeply rooted collective memory for later Jews.
8. The Hasmonean Dynasty: A Period of Jewish Self-Rule
After the revolt succeeded, the Maccabean family gradually established the Hasmonean dynasty. For a substantial period, Judea gained greater autonomy and even became a state governed by Jewish rulers.
For Jews who had experienced centuries of foreign rule, this was a major turning point: once again they could see the possibility of their land being governed by their own people.
The Hasmonean dynasty, however, was not a restoration of David’s dynasty. It also developed internal power struggles and political conflicts. Expectations for a king and kingdom truly pleasing to God therefore persisted.
9. Different Jewish Groups Gradually Emerge
Amid these centuries of political and religious conflict, different religious outlooks gradually emerged within Jewish society. Some stressed strict observance of law and tradition, others maintained close ties to temple priests and political power, and still others chose to withdraw from mainstream society.
Groups familiar from the New Testament, such as the Pharisees and Sadducees, developed gradually through these historical changes in the Second Temple period. Their differences will be introduced separately before we begin reading Mark itself.
10. Jews Also Live in Many Other Places
Not all Jews returned to Judah after exile. By the Hellenistic period, Jewish communities were scattered across Egypt, Syria, Asia Minor, and many other places. This scattered life is commonly called the “Diaspora,” or life away from the homeland.
Many Diaspora Jews primarily spoke Greek, so important Greek translations of the Hebrew Scriptures gradually emerged. This allowed Jewish faith to be read and shared throughout the Greek-speaking world.
The Greek language, Diaspora Jews, and Greek Scriptures all provided important background for the New Testament’s later rapid spread.
11. Rome Enters Judea
Internal power struggles arose late in the Hasmonean dynasty. In 63 BC, the Roman general Pompey entered Jerusalem, bringing Judea under Roman power.
Jews retained some religious and local autonomy, but Rome now held ultimate political authority. This is the historical origin of Roman imperial rule over Judea at the opening of the New Testament.
12. Herod the Great and Judea before Jesus’ Birth
Later, Herod the Great ruled Judea with Roman support. He was not the hoped-for messianic king of David’s house, but a ruler who gained his position through Roman political power.
Herod greatly expanded Jerusalem’s Second Temple, making it a magnificent building. The Jerusalem temple people saw in Jesus’ time was this extensively enlarged Second Temple.
13. Why Does This History Matter for Reading the New Testament?
Before Jesus was born, Jews had experienced Persian rule, Hellenistic dynasties, a brief period of Hasmonean autonomy, and finally Roman domination. This intensified many people’s hope that God would intervene in history and restore his people and kingdom.
Yet Jews did not agree completely on how God would save them. Some hoped for a king like David, some placed greater emphasis on law and holiness, and others expected God himself to bring judgment and renewal in the last days.
When Mark announces that “the kingdom of God is near,” those words are heard against centuries of foreign rule and enduring hope.
14. Key Points from This Stage
- Alexander the Great’s conquests brought the Greek language and culture widely into the Jewish world.
- Antiochus IV’s religious oppression prompted the Maccabean revolt; the temple was later cleansed and rededicated.
- The Maccabean family established the Hasmonean dynasty, giving Judea greater autonomy for a time.
- The different Jewish religious groups familiar from the New Testament gradually formed during the Second Temple period.
- Rome entered Jerusalem in 63 BC; later, Herod the Great ruled with Roman support and expanded the Second Temple.
15. Where Do We Go Next?
The stage for Jesus’ time is almost ready: Judea is under Roman rule, the Second Temple remains the center of worship, Greek is widely used, and different religious and political groups coexist in Jewish society. Next we consider what people were waiting for: what are the “Messiah” and the “kingdom of God”? Why did people have different expectations of salvation?