Reading Quiz 2 (pg.42-50/Matt. 5-7) Flashcards
Who took over the Middle East after Cyrus’s Persian Empire began crumbling in 4th Century BC?
Alexander the Great
Was Cyrus successful in expanding Persian borders into Greece (explain)?
No, they pillaged Athens, but had to withdraw back to Asia Minor after a naval defeat at the Sea of Salamis (480 BC)
Was Alexander successful in establishing Greek borders (explain)?
Yes! In order to avenge the temple of Athena, he established the rule of Greek civilization, which once belonged to Persia
What were Alexander the Great’s military successors called?
Diadochi
What areas were seized after Alexander’s death (and by whom)?
Antigonus Cyclops: whole of Asia Minor, including Syria and Palestine
Ptolemy: Egypt and North Africa
Seleucus Nicator: territory stretching from Mesopotamia east to India
Who took Antigonus’s land (what battle)?
Battle of Ipsus; Seleucus
Who founded the city of Antioch in Syria?
Seleucus after defeating Antigonus
Who gained control of the Holy Land to the south of Syria?
Ptolemy
Who allowed the conquered people to return to their homeland (what was this time called)?
Cyrus; time of restoration
Who annexed Palestine into his territory in 198 BC (how)?
Antiochus the 3rd, the Great ruler of Syrian Empire, defeated his Ptolemaic rival at the Battle of Panias
Who defeated Antiochus?
Scipio of Rome
Who did Rome allow to become ruler of the Seleucid Empire in 175 BC?
Antiochus the 4th, Epiphanes
What did Antiochus the 4th do that caused outrage for over two years (give examples)
He tried Hellenizing (forcing Greek ways) all territories including worshiping Greek gods in ways such as ACRA (pagan citadel in Jerusalem) which became an altar to Zeus
Who resisted Antiochus the 4th and how?
A priest named Mattathias killed the king’s representative
Who were Mattathias’s 5 sons?
John, Simon, Judas (Maccabeus meaning “the hammer”), Eleazer, and Johnathan
Hasidim
a group of pious warriors
Hasmoneans explained
Mattathias’s family and the Hasidim group who waged war against Syrians and ruled for the next 103 years until Pompey conquered Jerusalem
Who took over after Mattathias died?
Judas (Maccabeus), his son
Explain the Feast of Dedication (and what it is also called)
Also called Festival of Lights (Hannukah); under Maccabeus, the Syrians were defeated at Emmaus and Beth-Zur, the temple mount was cleansed and rededicated. The celebration lasted 8 days and they lit lamps in the temple.
Hasmonean Dynasty
Mattathias - Simon - John - Alexander - Aristobulus - Antigonus
Whom followed Judas?
Johnathan (re-established relations with Rome), then Simon (kept calm peace)
Pharisees
descendants of Hasidim
Who had a falling out with the Pharisees
Hyrcanus
Where was Herod made king of?
Judea
Who did Herod side/befriend with?
Octavian
Herod’s rule timeline
Herod conquers Jerusalem, Herod defeats Nabateans, Herod confirmed as king by Octavian, Herod’s wife (Mariamme) executed, Herod rebuilds Samaria and renames it Sebaste, Herod begins to build Caesarea, Herod starts to build the temple, Herod’s sons have a falling out (Alexander and Aristobulus) that is solved by Augustus, dedication of Caesarea, Alexander and Aristobulus executed at Sebaste, Herod grows ill, Herod names Archelaus king and dies five days after Antipas’s execution
Herod’s first descent
Archelaus: brutal and tyrannical
Pontius Pilate
harsh and intensive ruler that was a Roman governor during the rule of Archelaus
Herod’s second descent
Philip: quiet and calm ruler
Herod’s third descent
Antipas: vain and arrogant
Who engineered the death of John the Baptist (and why)?
Herodias (Antipas’s lover) did because John the Baptist denounced her and Antipas’s marriage as illegal
Who is the Grandson of Herod the Great?
Herod Agrippa (son of Aristobulus)
Who executed James (the apostle) and sent Peter to jail?
Herod Agrippa
What started the Jewish war and destruction of Jerusalem?
A fire began in Caesarea where a synagogue was desecrated
What caused the Jewish War?
Romans and Jews had conflicting political and religious views paired with a failing economy
