Transcript File
A Brief History of Palestine
Forged in Continuous Conflict
Week 3
Slides may be found at www.wllc.org/adult-education.html
Palestine has been controlled by
numerous different peoples,
including the Ancient Egyptians,
Canaanites, Philistines, Hyksos,
Hittites,Tjekker, Ancient Israelites,
Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians,
Ancient Greeks, Romans,
Byzantines, early Muslims
(Umayads, Abbasids, Seljuqs,
Fatimids), Crusaders, later Muslims
(Ayyubids, Mameluks, Ottomans),
the British, the Hashemite Kingdom
of Jordan (1948–1967, on the "West
Bank") and Egyptian Republic (in
Gaza), and modern Israelis and
Palestinians.
The Situation
• Palestine located in Fertile
Crescent, between Egypt
and a continual line of alien
forces, each hostile to
Egypt, each of which wants
to control the trade routes
through the area.
Last Time:
• Abraham – patriarch of 3 faiths , Called to moves to
Canaan. ~1800 B.C.
• Isaac, son of Abraham, father of Jacob and Ishmael
• Jacob- ancestor of the Hebrews, Ishmael – ancestor of
the Arabs
• Hyksos - Semitic Canaanites invade and seize Lowe
Egypt – become Egyptianized, establish a Dynasty of
Pharaohs 1630 B.C.
• Joseph, son of Jacob, sold into slavery in Egypt rises to
rank of Viceroy
• Ahmose I, Pharaoh of Upper Egypt, expels Hyksos and
unifies the Egypt 1532 B.C.
• Akhenaten, monotheist Pharaoh, causes domestic
crisis
• Tutankhamun restores polytheism, ends crisis 1336
B.C.
• Egyptian Rule extended from Nubia through Canaan to
the Euphrates River
• Rameses II, Pharaoh of the Exodus, suppresses
Egyptian monotheism 1279 B.C. Clashes with Hittites
• Last Time:- Exodus
• Moses born under Rameses
II rule
• Probably after 1271 B.C.
• Placed the Nile in a reed
boat, drawn out by a
daughter of Rameses and
adopted (Ex 2:1)
• Mose means “son of” and
should have included a god’s
name, as in Thutmose,
Ahmose
• Moses kills Egyptian, flees to
Midian. (Ex 2:11-15) Marries
Zipporah, daughter of Jethro.
• Sees burning bush (Ex. 3:1)
returns to Egypt (Ex. 4: 18),
through Aaron, demands
release of Hebrews (Ex. 7)
• 10 Plagues (Ex. 7-11)
• Mt. Sinai Moses receives 10
Commandments (Ex. 20:1)
• God bars Moses from
entering Canaan.(Dut. 3:21)
David and Solomon
• Saul (1082 B.C. – 1010 B.C.) appointed the 1st King of
Israel
• Battles Philistines, David kills Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
• Saul later rejected by God for not following instructions
• Saul falls on sword to avoid capture by Philistines
• David anointed king of Judah (1010 B.C. – 970 B.C.);
War ensued between Judah and Israel, Saul’s son
murdered, David made King of Judah and Israel.
Captured Jerusalem.
• Had affair with Bathsheba, wife of his friend Uriah the
Hittite. Arranged for Uriah to be killed in battle.
• Solomon son of David and Bathsheba succeeded him
(970 B.C. -931 B.C.). Built 1st Temple.
• 1 of 48 Prophets (Talmud), a major prophet (Qur’an)
• 931 B.C. After David, the kingdom is split into Israel
and Judah
Rise of Assyria
•1220 BC - Babylon is under Assyrian control.
•1115 BC - Assyria conquers Phoenicia.
•841 BC - Israel pays tribute to Assyria.
•745 BC - 727 BC - Tiglath Pileser III expands
empire. Adopts Aramaic as the Official Language
•729 BC - Babylon is occupied by Assyrians.
•729 BC - Tiglath Pileser III King of Babylon and
Assyria.
•727 BC - 722 BCE - Reign of Shalmaneser V.
•722 BC - 705 BCE - Reign of Sargon II of
Assyria.
•721 BC - Israel is conquered by Assyria. 1st Exile
•705 BC - 681 BC - King Sennacherib attacks
Judah but fails to take the capital Jerusalem.
•671 BC - Egypt is conquered by Assyria.
•668 BC - 627 BC Reign of Ashurbanipal, the last
great king of Assyria.
•653 BC Egypt expels Assyrians.
•627 BC - Revolts break out following the death
of Ashurbanipal, empire begins to fail.
•612 BC - Downfall of the Assyrian empire.
•605 BC - 549 BC Babylon rules over the
Assyrian regions.
The Exiles
734 B.C. Assyria invades Israel and begins
deporting populace.
724 B.C. - Judah becomes Vassal of Assyria in
return for Military Aid (2 Kings 16:7-9)
Assyria conquers Samaria, deports Israelites
Assyrian cuneiform states 27,290 deported
Sargon II repopulates with Gentiles
No edit was ever issued for the return of the
people of the Kingdom of Israel – Lost 10
Tribes
King Hezekiah revolts against Assyria;
Sennacherib attacks Judah (2 King 18:17),
but fails to take Jerusalem. Assyria is
attacked by Babylon.
605 B.C. Babylon defeats Assyria.
604 B.C. Exiles Jews to Babylonia.
597 B.C. 2nd wave of deportation by
Nebuchadnezzar
586 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar takes Jerusalem –
destroys Temple of Solomon
539 B.C. Exiles ends – Cyrus the Persian
What Effects did the Babylonian Exile have on the Jews?
• Destruction of Temple – No ability to sacrifice animals
• Rise of Synagogue system – focus on study and teaching of Torah
• Creation of new class - Rabbi’s
• Exposure to Zoroastrian Religion (monotheistic)
• Before Exile, Jews likely followed monolatry (monolaterism)
• After Exile, Jews likely followed monotheism
• Books of Daniel and Esther written during exile
Palestine Under the Persians
539 B.C. Cyrus II (the
Great) of Persia defeats
The Babylonians. Releases
Jews from Captivity (Ezra
1:7) he is referred to as
“Messiah” (Isaiah 45:1)
and is the only non-Jew to
be called so.
Jews prospered under
Persian Rule which lasted
until 332 B.C.
334 B.C.- 324 B.C.
Alexander the great
defeats Darius II and takes
the entire Persian Empire
Hellenization of Palestine
• Hellenization: The spread of Greek language and
culture (Hellenism) across the Mediterranean,
starting with the conquests of Alexander the
Great.
• 323 B.C. Ptolemy Took control over Egypt
• Control of Palestine changed between Ptolemies
and the Seleucids 5 times.
• By 301 B.C. Ptolemy had control
• Greek institutions were open to all
• Greek Language adopted as Lingua Franca
• Greek Culture was highly valued among the
aristocracy
• 201 B.C. (Syrian Greeks) gain control
• Antiochus IV Epiphanes implements aggressive
Hellenization (de-Judaization)
Maccabeans
• “Line in the sand” – at war with
Egypt. Stopped by 1 old Roman
Senator
• Hellenized Jews wanted to abolish
Jewish practices and adopt Greek
ways; opposed by Traditional Jews.
• Attempted coup for office of High
Priest.
• Antiochus IV outlawed Jewish
Religious Rites, ordered worship of
Zeus
• 168 B.C. – 160 B.C. Maccabean
Revolt - Mattathias the Hasmonean
• 164 B.C. Judah Maccabee drives out
Seleucids, restores worship in Temple
– celebrated as Chanukah
• Ushers in 100 year period of SelfRule until Roman occupation in 63
B.C
• Merger of Priesthood and Political
Rule – Rise of the Sadducees,
Pharisees, etc.
Next Time:
Rome