Jews in Judah After Antigonus Mattathias

 Nadene Goldfoot     IRAN'S ANCESTOR, PARTHIA                         

 The Persians were an ancient southwestern Iranian ethnic group native to the region of Fars (Persia), famous for founding the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great, while the Parthians were an eastern Iranian people who originated as a nomadic tribe (the Parni) from northeastern Iran and later ruled the Parthian Empire from 247 BCE to 224 CE

I left the period  from the time of Darius I in 486 BCE to Antigonus Mattathias ruling in Judah in 40 BCE, in which Judeans were living in Judah under the Parthians  for the past 526 years. 

Greeks entered and took control of Judah in 332 BCE when Alexander the Great led his Macedonian and Greek forces to conquer the Persian Empire, bringing Judea under Greek rule. 332 BCE: Alexander the Great sweeps through the eastern Mediterranean, defeating Persia/Parthia and taking control of Judah (Judea) without major resistance.

323 BCE: Alexander the Great dies, and his empire splits among his generals into rival Hellenistic kingdoms.
3rd Century BCE: Judah is ruled largely by the Ptolemaic Kingdom (Egypt), bringing Greek culture, language, and administration.The Ptolemaic Kingdom was connected to the Greeks through its Macedonian-Greek royal family, its Hellenistic culture, and its political and economic roots in the empire of Alexander the Great.  The dynasty was founded in 305 BCE by Ptolemy I Soter, a trusted Macedonian general and companion of Alexander the Great. Greek Ruling Elite: The government, military, and upper classes were dominated by Macedonian and Greek immigrants who held key administrative posts and used Greek as the official language
200 BCE: The Seleucid Empire (based in Syria) gains permanent control over Judah.



168–167 BCE: The Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrates the Temple and bans Jewish practices, sparking the Maccabean Revolt and temporary Jewish independence. The Seleucid Empire ruled Judah for about 58 years (from 200 BCE to 142 BCE).   Conquest: King Antiochus III the Great won Judah from the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt at the Battle of Panium in 200 BCE. Initial Governance: At first, the Seleucids allowed local Jewish self-rule, lowered taxes, and let people practice their religion freely. Forced Hellenization: Under King Antiochus IV Epiphanes (beginning around 175–167 BCE), policy changed. He banned the Torah, made Jerusalem a Greek city called Antioch in Judaea, and turned the Second Temple into a shrine for Zeus. 

                   Judas Maccabeus:  Judah was the third son of Mattathias, the Hasmonean, a Jewish priest from the village of Modi'in. In 167 BCE, Mattathias, together with his sons Judah, Eleazar, Simon, John, and Jonathan, started a revolt against the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who since 169/8 BC had issued decrees that forbade Jewish religious practices. After Mattathias died in 166 BC, Judah assumed leadership of the revolt per the deathbed disposition of his father. The First Book of Maccabees praises Judah's valor and military talent, suggesting that those qualities made Judah a natural choice for the new commander.
The Maccabean Revolt: The extreme religious oppression led to a Jewish guerrilla rebellion (167–142 BCE) led by the Hasmonean (Maccabee) family.  End of Rule: Judas Maccabeus and his brothers fought off the Seleucid armies, recaptured the Jerusalem Temple (celebrated as Hanukkah), and won full autonomy and independence by 142 BCE                             

Antigonus II was High Priest of Israel, and also the last Hasmonean king of Judea. He was the son of King Aristobulus II.  Antigonus II Mattathias ruled Judea for 3 years (from 40 BCE to 37 BCE).  He was  proclaimed king and high priest in 40 BCE with the help of the Parthians.  He had to fight  approximately 3 years of continuous war against Roman forces and Herod the Great. Then he was  captured and executed in 37 BCE, which ended the Hasmonean dynasty.

                        The Siege of Jerusalem (37 BCE)              

• The Forces: After the Roman Senate declared Herod "King of the Jews" in 40 BCE, he returned to Judea with Roman legions led by Sosius, the governor of Syria. 
• The Assault: Herod and the Roman forces surrounded the city, amassing a massive army. The siege lasted 4 to 5 months of brutal, bitter fighting.  Starvation was happening as they had no food.  People were desperate.  
• The Breach: Roman forces breached the city walls, resulting in a massacre of the inhabitants. Herod famously had to step in and pay the Roman soldiers out of his own pocket to stop them from completely pillaging the city and desecrating the Holy of Holies. 
• The Execution: King Antigonus Mattathias surrendered to Sosius and was sent in chains to Mark Antony, who had him beheaded. This brought a definitive end to the century-long Hasmonean dynasty.  

 

Earlier Than Israel To Ottoman Empire What Land Was Ruled By

 Nadene Goldfoot                                    

  A mosque in Ottoman Empire:  Prophet Muhammad (c. 570 – 632 CE) was the founder of Islam and is revered by Muslims as the final prophet and messenger of God. 

Before World War I, the lands of modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories were not divided by modern national borders; instead, they formed an interconnected geographic and cultural region known historically as Greater Syria (Bilad al-Sham) under the control of the Ottoman Empire.  The Ottoman Empire took control of Syria in 1516 and lost control of the region by 1918.

Stories are of seeing David in all the lands doing his job of a sheepherder, like greater Syria's landscape.  

The Ottoman Sultan Selim I conquered Syria in 1516 after defeating the Mamlukes at the Battle of Marj Dabiq near Aleppo in northern Syria.

-- Wikipedia. 

This victory ended Mamluk rule and brought Greater Syria (including modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan) into the Ottoman Empire. 
AI Overview
Greater Syria was ruled by a sequence of major empires and dynasties from ancient times until the Ottoman conquest in 1516  (CE -AD).
Let's go back:   Ancient and Classical Rulers
Canaanite and Amorite City-States: From 3000 BC to 1200 BC (Local independent kingdoms like Ugarit and Ebla). Also:  
King Saul's Israel empire (1030 BCE-1010 BCE) 
(1010 BCE-920 BCE King David's Israel Empire) 
933-912 BCE King Jeroboam I of Israel Empire
Neo-Assyrian Empire: From 911 BC to 609 BC (Conquered the region under kings like Tiglath-Pileser III). 912-911 BCE) -King Nadab of Israel )
(911-888 BCE) King Baasha of Israel )
(888-887 BCE) King Elah of Israel)
(887) King Zimri of Israel ) 
((887-876 BCE) King Omri of Israel)
(876-853 BCE) King Ahab of Israel)
(853 BCE) King Ahaziah or Uzziah of Israel)
(853-843 BCE) King Jehoram of Israel)
(843-816 BCE) King Jehu of Israel)
(816-800 BCE) King Jehoahaz of Israel)
(800-785 BCE) King Jehoash of Israel)
(785-745 BCE) King Jeroboam II of Israel) 
(744 BCE) King Zechariah of Israel)
(743 BCE) King Shallum of Israel)
(743-736 BCE) King Menahem of Israel)
(736-735 BCE) King Pekahiah of Israel)
(735-730 BCE) King Pekah of Israel)
(730-721 BCE) King Hoshea of Israel) 

The north was Israel.  Judah was made up of Judah and most of Benjamin and absorbed the tribe of Simeon which was isolated in the extreme south.


      when Solomon died, the tribes divided up into Israel and Judah...  
(735-720 BCE) King Ahaz of Judah)
(720-692 BCE) King Hezekiah of Judah) a period of religious revival.  The Assyrian expansion, which had ovewhelmed the Northern Kingdom of Israel was checked before he walls of Jerusalem in 701, but the ciyil and state succumbed to the Babylonians in 586, large numbers of the people being deported.  An attempt to perpetuate a subject state under Gedaliah, a member of the former royal house, ended with his assassination in 582.  
The descendants of the exiles in Babylonia continued to love their national and religious ideals so steadfastly as to make possible the renewal of Jewish life now and during king Josiah's time.  In contrast to its relative political obscurity, the intellectual and spiritual life of Josiah rich.  It was there that most of the canonical prophets carried on their activity, great parts of the Bible were composed and the essential traditions of Judaism were developed and preserved.  
(692-638 BCE) King Manasseh of Judah
(638-637 BCE) King Amon of Judah) 
637-608 BCE) King Josiah of Judah);
Neo-Babylonian Empire: From 605 BC to 539 BC (Ruled after defeating the Assyrians and Egyptians).
(608 BCE) King Jehoahaz of Judah)
(608-598 BCE) King Jehoiakim of Judah) 
(598-597 BCE) King Jehoiachin of Judah)
(597-586 BCE) King Zedekiah of Judah) 


After King Zedekiah, no other kings ruled the land of Judah because the Neo-Babylonian Empire dissolved the kingdom following the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple in 586 BC.
Instead of a native monarch, “Judah was conquered in 587 or 586 BC, by the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuzaradan, captain of Nebuchadnezzar's body-guard. With the death or deportation of most of the population and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, the Kingdom of Judah was dissolved.”, as noted by Kings of Judah.
Instead of appointing a new puppet king after Zedekiah's rebellion and capture, King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon placed the region under direct imperial Babylonian control.
Achaemenid (Persian) Empire: From 539 BC to 332 BC (Organized Syria into a formal satrapy or province).
The Rise (539 BC): Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539 BC, marking the official beginning of Persian dominance over the region. The Fall (332 BC): 
Darius I c. 550 – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his death in 486 BCE. Xerxes inherited the throne from his father, Darius the Great, after being chosen over his older brother. He crushed a revolt in Egypt with harsh measures, ravaging the Delta region in 484 BC. He suppressed subsequent Babylonian rebellions, tearing down the fortresses and destroying the idol,Marduk. 
  Queen Esther's husband was King Ahasuerus, who is commonly identified by historians and scholars as the Persian ruler Xerxes I (who reigned from 486 to 465 BC).Biblical Name: The Hebrew text of the Book of Esther names him Ahasuerus, a title corresponding to the Old Persian name Xšayāršā.  Most scholars connect Ahasuerus to Xerxes I, the famous king of the Achaemenid Empire.Campaign: Seeking to avenge his father's previous setbacks, Xerxes launched a massive invasion of Greece in 480 BC.His forces defeated the Spartans at Thermopylae and sacked Athens, but suffered a devastating naval defeat at the Battle of Salamis.Following the naval defeat, Xerxes retreated to Asia, leaving his generals to finish a campaign that ultimately failed.  
Alexander the Great of Macedon invaded the region, defeating the Persian forces and taking control of the Levant and Egypt by 332 BC, which ended Achaemenid 
 rule.  Alexander the Great became the ruler of the Middle East after defeating the Persian Emperor Darius III at the Battle of Issus in 333 BCE. Asia Minor and Levant: Alexander marched through Asia Minor, capturing key coastal cities and defeating Persian forces. He famously besieged and conquered the Phoenician city of Tyre in 332 BCE after a grueling seven-month siege.  Moving south into Palestine and Egypt, Egyptian priests dedicated themselves to Alexander, crowning him pharaoh and proclaiming him the son of Ammon. He also founded the major port city of Alexandria in the Nile Delta. Mesopotamia and Persia: After Egypt, he advanced into Mesopotamia and decisively defeated Darius III again at the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BCE. This victory led to the occupation of major Persian power centers like Babylon, Susa, and Persepolis.
Administration and Cultural Impact
Governance: Alexander kept parts of the existing Achaemenid administrative framework while placing military commanders in direct control to limit the power of civil satraps.
Cultural Blending: He adopted local Persian customs and dress, integrated Persian nobility into his administration, and encouraged a fusion of Greek and local cultures across the conquered territories.
Macedonian and Seleucid Empire: From 332 BC to 64 BC (Started by Alexander the Great, followed by his Greek generals).
The Roman Empire 27 BCE-476 CE was a massive ancient state that ruled the Mediterranean region, much of Europe, parts of Western Asia, and North Africa. The empire began in 27 BCE when Octavian became Augustus, the first emperor, after the end of the Roman Republic.  Under leaders like Trajan, the empire reached its largest size around AD 117, covering three continents. The empire split into a Western and an Eastern half in AD 395.The Western Roman Empire fell in AD 476 when the last emperor was forced out of power. Government: Power shifted from the Senate and elected leaders to a single emperor. Engineering: Romans built advanced roads, aqueducts, and large stone buildings like the Colosseum.  Language and Religion: Latin spread across the region and helped shape modern Romance languages. Christianity also grew from a small group into the main religion of the empire. The Eastern part, known as the Byzantine Empire, lasted until 1453 CE. 
Islamic Caliphates and Regional Dynasties
Rashidun Caliphate: From 634 CE/AD to 661 CE/AD (Brought Islam to the region following the Battle of Yarmouk).
Umayyad Caliphate: From 661 AD to 750 AD (Ruled the vast Islamic empire directly from Damascus).
Abbasid Caliphate: From 750 AD to 878 AD (Moved the capital to Baghdad, reducing Syria's central political role).
Tulunid Dynasty: From 878 AD to 905 AD (An independent dynasty based in Egypt that seized Syria).
Abbasid Restoration and Ikhshidids: From 935 AD to 969 AD (Brief return of Abbasid control and another Egyptian-based dynasty).
Fatimid Caliphate: From 969 AD to 1078 AD (Shiite caliphate ruling from Cairo that took over southern and central Syria).
Great Seljuk Empire: From 1078 AD to 1174 AD (Turkic rulers who took northern and central Syria, creating local emirates).
Zangid Dynasty: From 1127 AD to 1174 AD (Turkish rulers who fought Crusaders and unified parts of Syria and Mesopotamia).
Ayyubid Dynasty: From 1174 AD to 1260 AD (Founded by Saladin, uniting Egypt and Syria against the Crusaders).
Mamluk Sultanate: From 1260 AD to 1516 AD (Ruled from Cairo, defeating the Mongols and driving out the last Crusaders before falling to the Ottomans).
Ottoman Empire
Edited: 8:38pm 9/7/2026
Resource;


The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
AI, 








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