Bibliography
| Title: How Much Hellenism in Jewish Palestine? Secondary Title: HUCA Volume: 57 Pages: 83-111 Type: Journal Article Year: 1986 Abstract: "M. Hengel's contention that Hellenization was deep-seated in language, literature, art, and religious expression in Palestine before the Maccabees is invalid. Even after the Maccabees the degree of Hellenization was hardly profound. Far more were attracted to Judaism as proselytes than deviated from it through apostasy and intermarriage". - D.J.H.
"In the period from Alexander's conquest to the Maccabean revolt and even thereafter the influence of Greek culture upon the Jews of the Land of Israel was not profound. The predominant language of the Jews was not Greek but Aramaic. In Upper Galilee, in particular, to judge from the inscriptions, there was little Hellenization, perhaps because the Jews lived in townlets similar to the shtetlach of Eastern Europe. As for literature in Greek, even Josephus admits that he needed assistants in writing the Jewish War. Moreover, the archaeological evidence shows that the Jews prior to 70 generally refrained from using pagan symbols in art; and even after that date, to judge from the Talmudic tractate Avodah Zarah, the rabbis did not regard idolatry as an immediate problem. Hellenization could hardly have been profound, since we hear of few apostates; on the contrary, there were apparently far more pagans who were attracted to Judaism either as proselytes or as "sympathizers". As for the alleged Greek influence on the rabbis, unlike the case in the medieval period, we know of no one who distinguished himself in philosophy. The fact that the Diaspora did not produce yeshivot or a Mishnah, whereas the Land of Israel did, indicates that there was distinction in the degree of Hellenization between the diaspora and the Land of Israel". Keywords: Hellenism, Hellenistic Judaism, Philo |