Philo's Hellenization After Attempts To Halt Syrian Greeks'

 Nadene Goldfoot                     

       Imaginative illustration of Philo made in 1584 by the French portrait artist André Thevet

Philo, (20 BCE- after 40 CE) a Jew from Alexandria, Egypt,  is a good example of a Hellenized Jew.  He made a visit to Judah (not to become Palestine until 135 CE).  He had participated in the deputation of Alexandrian Jews to Emperor Caligula of maniacal reputation  during the anti-Jewish outbreaks in 40. 

Caligula  31 August 12 AD – 24 January 41 AD), formally known as Gaius (Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 to 41.  The Jewish community in Alexandria, which fell under Caligula’s rule, had sent an envoy to the Roman palace to discuss their issues with the emperor. Recorded by Philo, the conversation shows Caligula a bit miffed that the Jews wouldn’t worship him as a god: “You are haters of god,” Caligula tells the Jewish envoy, “as you do not think that I am a god, I who am already acknowledged to be a god by every other nation.” He then asks why the Jews don’t eat pork, to which their envoy replied, For the same reason “some people don’t eat lamb.” To which Caligula ripostes, “They’re quite right, it’s not very nice.”

But rather than murder the Jews—that would fall to Caligula’s successors, thirty years later, who ultimately massacred hundreds of Jews as they destroyed the Second Temple, in 70 A.D.—he adopted a tone of resigned pity. “These men,” Caligula said of the Jews, as their envoy left, they “do not appear to me to be wicked so much as unfortunate and foolish in not believing that I have been endowed with the nature of god.” Better he mete out only pity on the Jews, and not deadly wrath.

                                            
Philo's family was one of the wealthiest in Egypt.  He received a Hellenistic education and his writings evidencing his familiarity with Greek literature, philosophy, etc., even his name shows his family's involvement.  His command of Greek stems from his acquaintance with the philosophers, especially PLATO. 

 

His Jewish education was slight:  It is doubtful if he knew Hebrew, and his knowledge of the Bible appears to be derived from the Septuagint and from Hellenistic commentaries current among Alexandrian Jewry.  These commentaries were allegorical and Philo adopted this approach in his own writings.  His literary output was considerable, including metaphysics, ethics, and Bible commentary.  He also wrote an historical work, parts of which survive in his account of the persecution by and retribution of Flaccus, governor of Egypt, during the anti-Jewish disturbances, and in a vivid description of the deputation to Caligula.  

Hellenizing Israel:  Hellenistic Judaism was a form of Judaism in classical antiquity that combined Jewish religious tradition with elements of Greek culture.  The main centers of Hellenistic Judaism were Alexandria in Egypt and Antioch in Syria (now in southern Turkey), the two main Greek urban settlements of the Middle East and North Africa region, both founded at the end of the fourth century BCE in the wake of the conquests of Alexander the Great. Hellenistic Judaism also existed in Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period when it was destroyed in 70 CE where there was conflict between Hellenizers and traditionalists.                         

                                                  

Upon the death of King Alexander the Great of Macedonia of Greek antiquity, said to be very handsome, in 323 BCE his huge empire, spanning from Greece to Pakistan, was divided among his generals. The three most powerful factions which emerged from the ensuing wars were the Seleucids, the Ptolemies and the Antigonids. From the years 274 – 168 BCE the Ptolemies and the Seleucids waged a dynastic war for the control of Syria which became Coele-Syria later as a Roman province."Syria" historically referred to a wider region, broadly synonymous with the Levant.  The modern state encompasses the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires, including the Eblan civilization of the 3rd millennium BCE. Aleppo and the capital city Damascus are among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. 

It happened in ancient days when Syria was not Muslim.   From Palestine to Persia one may trace the rise of Wisdom literature (the teachings of a sage concerning the hidden purposes of the deity) and apocalyptic traditions (referring to a belief in the dramatic intervention of a god in human and natural events) that represent these central concerns—i.e., national destiny, the importance of traditional lore, the saving power of kingship, and the revival of mythic images. Each of these native traditions likewise underwent hellenization (modifications based on Greek cultural ideas), but in a manner frequently different from their diasporic counterparts. The Greeks brought their polytheistic religion with them.

The major literary product of the contact of Second Temple Judaism and Hellenistic culture is the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible from Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Aramaic to Koine Greek, specifically, Jewish Koine Greek. Mentionable are also the philosophic and ethical treatises of Philo, a Jew, and the historiographical works of the other Hellenistic Jewish authors.

                                              

In 223 BCE, an 18 year old  Antiochus III, a Greek King from the House of Seleucus who ruled Syria in the Hellenistic Period, ascended to the Seleucid throne after his brother Seleucus III, was murdered by his soldiers in Upper Asia (modern day central-western Turkey). Despite his youth, Antiochus soon proved he was both eager and shrewd as a ruler. Yet at times, he misplaced his trust in certain people: no more so than with a man called Molon.                       

Molon  Ancient Greek:  died 220 BC) was a general and satrap of the Seleucid king Antiochus the Great (223–187 BC). He held the satrapy of Media at the accession of that monarch (223 BC); in addition to which, Antiochus conferred upon him and his brother Alexander the government of all the upper provinces of his empire. But their hatred of Hermeias, the chief minister of Antiochus, soon led them both to revolt in 222 BCE. The two generals at first sent against them by the king were unable to oppose their progress, and Molon found himself at the head of a large army, and master of the whole country to the east of the Tigris. Molon committed suicide  on the battlefield avoid capture. His body was impaled on the slope of the Zagros Mountains at the urging of Hermeias.

                                How did Syria turn into a Greek country?  

Antiochus  reigned from(223-187 BCE and conquered Judah in about 200 BCE, but granted privileges to the Temple.  He settled 2,000  Babylonian Jewish families to the cities of Phrygia and Lydia from Babylon, entrusting them with an important role in securing those  regions of his empire.                 

The Dying Galatian was a famous statue commissioned some time between 230–220 BCE by King Attalos I of Pergamon to honor his victory over the Celtic Galatians in Anatolia.  a Celtic people dwelling in Galatia, a region of central Anatolia surrounding present-day Ankara, during the Hellenistic period. They spoke the Galatian language, which was closely related to Gaulish, a contemporary Celtic language spoken in Gaul.

                                                   

 

Panoramic view of Istanbul from the confluence of the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. Several landmarks—including Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace, and Dolmabahçe Palace—can be seen along their shores.

Phrygia, ancient district in west-central Anatolia, named after a people whom the Greeks called Phryges and who dominated Asia Minor between the Hittite collapse (12th century BCE) and the Lydian ascendancy (7th century BCE). In classical antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centred on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empires of the time.  Anatolia, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey.                   

 Among the various Phrygian religious practices, the cult of the Great Mother (Cybele) predominated and was passed on to the Greeks.  The religion of Phrygia, like the culture in general of the region, was a mix of Greek, Anatolian, and Near Eastern elements. In Rome, Cybele became known as Magna Mater ("Great Mother"). KYBELE (Cybele) was the great Phrygian mother of the gods, and goddess of motherhood, fertility and the mountain wilds. Her orgiastic cult dominated the central and north-western regions of Anatolia and was introduced to Greece via the island of Samothrake and the Boiotian town of Thebes.

                                              

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeks_in_Syria

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philo

https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/caligula-and-the-jews/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coele_Syria_(Roman_province)

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/explore-the-bible/15-things-about-syria-s-people-and-history-as-found-in-the-bible.html

Putting One Over the Assyrian-Greeks and Romans: Survival From Roman Deaths and How It Changed the World

 Nadene Goldfoot                                              

I had a little dreidel  I make it out of clay, and when it's dry and ready, then dreidel I shall play... A dreidel is a 4-sided spinning top, and each side has the 1st letter of the Hebrew words that form the sentence:  A Great Miracle Happened "Here."  To play, everybody puts an ante into the pot before each spin.  One person spins the dreidel and looks at the letter that is face-up.  Letters used are:  gimmel (take all the pot;  hey (take half the pot;  nun (take none;  shin (put 2 in).                                               

  The perfect place to study Torah, but were sure to have dreidels with them for a cover-up.  

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel...sang Jewish student of the Torah as they sat in fields studying...They were sure to have their dreidels with them and some coins as they were playing a gambling game.  They gambled only when Greek and then Roman soldiers came upon them, hiding the fact that they were studying Torah.  Such a subject was not allowed during this Roman occupation of Judah, and the penalty for it would have been death upon the upteen thousand crosses that lined the country.                                        

This occurred in 165 BCE at the time of Judah Maccabee when the immense Assyrian-Greek Empire was in power and had occupied Judah.  This empire was attempting to replace Judaism with the worship of idols. After Judah Maccabee and his small army drove the Assyrian-Greek army out of the Temple, which was the holiest site in Jerusalem, they performed a rededication ceremony to reclaim their sacred space.                             

 Judah was the eldest son of Mattathias the Hasmonean and succeeded his father as leader of the revolt against Antiochus Epiphanes in 167/6 BCE.  He inflicted successive defeats on Syrian armies by his exploitation of ambush, rapid movement and night-attack.  he has become the prototype of heroism among the Jews and was regarded by others as one of the military celebrities of antiquity.  This historic even led to the Jewish holiday of Hannukah.  

                                                       

                  Antiochus IV Epiphanes Coin

Seleucid coin depicting Antiochus IV Epiphanes, silver, circa 175-164 BC.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes was a Hellenistic king of the Seleucid Empire and was the first Seleucid king to use divine epithets on coins. This coin is stamped with King Antiochus God Manifest, Bearer of Victory.

The obverse or front side is stamped with an image of Antiochus IV with a royal diadem. The reverse side shows Apollo sitting on the omphalos or the navel of the world at Delphi. He holds an anchor, the symbol of the Seleucid empire, as well as a bow and arrow.

 Antiochus III conquered Eretz Yisrael in about 200 BCE and granted privileges to the Temple.  In the time of Seleucus IV (Hellenistic royal dynasty founded by Seleucus Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's (king of Macadonia-Greece's  generals). , relations between Jews and Seleucids deteriorated and the Seleucids resorted to all possible financial extortions to meet its depressed monetary situation.  The religious and cultural policy of Antiochus IV (Epiphanes)   led to the Hasmonean revolt with the result of the Jews freeing themselves from the Seleucids.  Antiochus VII Sidetes invaded the country in the time of Simon the Hasmonean in 138 BCE and again with greater success in 134 BCE.  On Antiochus' death in 129 BCE, the Jews revolted, and the Seleucid rule in Eretz Yisrael ended in 128 BCE.                                   

Not much later, in about 63 BCE, the Romans invaded Judah.  replacing the Seleucids   As the great power in the region, they granted the Hasmonean king, Hyrcanus II, limited authority under the Roman governor of Damascus. The Jews were hostile to the new regime, and the following years witnessed frequent insurrections. A last attempt to restore the former glory of the Hasmonean dynasty was made by Mattathias Antigonus, whose defeat and death brought Hasmonean rule to an end (40 BCE), and the Land became a province of the Roman Empire.      

Because of the Roman method of punishment of the people by putting them on crosses for any little misbehavior, like practicing their religion, the Jews had to continue to hide their religion, and that meant continuing to hide their studies of the Torah.  Caves were found in the land where they could feel more secure.  Their lives and religious experiences were rocked by this constant infiltration

of enemies trying to put an end to their religion, and Essenes developed, men who questioned their religion who lived together like monks of today. 

                                                 

 Barbara Thiering, Phd, born November 15, 1930--died November 16, 2015. Australia.  She's an authority on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Essenes who wrote them.  

The Essenes covered their tracks in what they were writing.  Barbara Thiering, PhD rocked the world in her discovery of a secret code used to fool the Romans in their writings. She was an Australian historian, theologian, and Biblical exegete specializing in the origins of the early Christian Church. In books and journal articles, she challenged Christian orthodoxy, espousing the view that new findings present alternative answers to its supernatural beliefs. Her analysis has been rejected by both New Testament scholars and scholars in Judaism.  

Born in Sydney, Australia, as Barbara Houlsby, she married the Reverend Dr. Barry Thiering in the late 1940s. Barry moved on to serve 27 years as Chaplain of Cranbrook School and head of the 150 person staff there for ten years; briefly also at St. Paul’s School (Bald Hills) and on the faculty of St. Francis Theological Seminary (QLD), before migrating to the U.S. 

She graduated in 1952 from the University of Sydney with First Class Honours in Modern Languages, was a high school teacher of languages for several years, and then, while caring for her three young children, continued study and research privately. She obtained an external B.D. degree from the University of London, a M.Th. degree from Melbourne College of Divinity, and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Sydney in 1973.

                                                         

She wrote of how the Essenes covered up who they were writing about so as not to get attention from the Roman soldiers.  ""Professor Barbara Thiering's reinterpretation of the New Testament, in which the married, divorced, and remarried Jesus, father of four, becomes the "Wicked Priest" of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and this has made no impact on learned opinion. Scroll scholars and New Testament experts alike have found the basis of the new theory, Thiering's use of the so-called "pesher technique", without substance."

                                                             

She writes on page 21:  The word "pesher" is used in the Old Testament to mean "interpretation of dreams".  A specially gifted person , a Joseph or a Daniel, could discover the hidden meaning of a dream, that was not apparent to others.  The meaning had been put into the dream by G0d;  the interpreter only had to see it, drawing on his special knowledge.   In simpler terms, the pesher is like a solution to a puzzle, .  A rough analogy might be the solution to a cryptic crossword.  

                                                           

In other words, there was a hidden message under the words they found on scrolls found in the Dead Sea caves in Qumran.  You have to know the meaning under these words used; who and what they were really referring to. it made perfect sense, knowing the times and dangers involved.

                                                      

Unfortunately, when found, no one had been aware of such devious writing by the Essenes.  They were just shocked at what they were reading about, the way of life and the thoughts of the Essenes, a religious sect of Jews at the close of the 2nd Temple period.  They were much like the Pharisees in their outlook  of the Torah but had their own newly hatched beliefs and customs. 

As mentioned by Thiering, whereas traditional midrash expands on the Biblical text with fictional narratives, the pesharim, although not intended to be a history, allude to historical events. Although cryptic and bias to the perspective of the Qumranites, much can be learned about the development of the sect as well as the political and religious climate within the Second Temple period. 

The Bible Code has been discovered about the Torah.  Mankind has been trying to find a special code in the Bible since ancient days, but with the advent of the computer, one has been found by a mathematician in Israel who put the Torah into the computer and used a coded system, similar to old ones, like a skip of every 5 words or so, and out came a meaning and facts under the written meaning.  It seems as if G-d through Moses has covered much up right under its subjects with prophesy and such.  

                                                      

From the Qumran Essenes, came many remnants of their past which has been studied and studied.  Whether the Dead Sea Scrolls were speaking of Jesus or another has led to seeing the group in a new light.   

The early Christians had to hide their beliefs from the Romans which had altered from Judaism.  Early Christianity was taken over by the Roman emperors.  This led to more decisions about Jews and its discrimination laws which led to anti-Semitism. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKjbc66qp3Y on Dead Sea Scrolls 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roQ7QT-CMuU on Essenes 

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antiochus-IV-Epiphanes

The New Standard Jewish encyclopedia 

http://www.peshertechnique.infinitesoulutions.com/

Jesus and the riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls 

The Jewish Kings : Dynasties of Israel and Judah

Nadene Goldfoot                                             

                     The Three Founding Fathers of                                        Israel

1. The first king of Israel was Saul in the 11th Century BCE.  He was son of Kish of the tribe of Benjamin.   The people were threatened by the Philistines and Ammonites, and wanted a king over them to show their power.  The prophet Samuel chose Saul.

2. David of the tribe of Judah took over from Saul in 1000-960 BCE.  He ruled from about 1010 to 970 BCE.  He was the youngest son of Jesse, born in Bethlehem and at age 25 was Saul's armor- bearer.  David and Jonathan, Saul's son, were good friends.  He married Saul's daughter, Michal.  Saul became very jealous of David and his popularity.  First David was king of Judah.  After 8 years, David captured Jerusalem, making it his capital.  David won many battles and became king over all the area.  It is believed that he had written the Book of Psalms.

3. Solomon succeeded his father, David as the next king and reigned from 961 to 920 BCE. Where David had to engage in battles, Solomon was the creator and built the Temple.  Solomon was king of Israel from 961 to 920 BCE.  His mother was the Bathsheba.  He became king because of the help of his mother and the prophet Nathan before his father had died.  King Hiram of Tyre helped him by sending materials for the Temple which was completed in his 11th year of his reign.  Solomon divided his empire into 12 districts and built many cities such as Meggiddo and Hazor.  He had a harbor built on the Red Sea.  It is said that he had 1,000 wives and concubines, procured many by making peace with smaller kingdoms and marrying the daughters of the kings.  His realm extended from Egypt to the Euphrates River and was the most energetic in the entire region.  The arts of historiography, parables, and elegant writings were developed and many biblical works such as the Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Psalm 72 were attributed to Solomon.  His reputation was his great wisdom.  His downfall was the forced labor that was part of his building program and it impoverished the country.  The Edomites and Arameans started revolts.  Inside Israel was malcontent of the people.  When he died, there was the problem of who the next king would be.  This is when Judah pulled out of the statehood of Israel.

                                                       ISRAEL'S  KINGS

4. Jeroboam became king from 930 to 910 BCE.  He was not a son of Solomon.  Instead, he was an Ephraimite, one of the 12 tribes of Jacob.  He had been a superintendent of Solomon' forced labor gangs who had led the revolt.  He hid out in Egypt after Solomon's death.

5-19.  Nadab (912-911 BCE)                           Jehoahaz   (816-800 BCE)
          Baasha (911-911 BCE)                          Jehoash     (800-785 BCE)
          Elah     (888-887 BCE)                          Jeroboam II  (785-745 BCE)
          Zimri   (887 BCE)                                 Zachariah  (744 BCE)
          Omri   (887-876 BCE)                          Shallum     (743 BCE)
          Ahab  (876-853 BCE)                           Menahem  (743-736 BCE)
          Ahaziah/Uzziah  (853 BCE)                 Pekahiah   (736-735 BCE)
          Jehoram  (853-843 BCE)                      Pekah        (735-730 BCE)
          Jehu   (843-816 BCE)                           Hoshea      (730-721 BCE)
     
                 ASSYRIA ATTACKED IN 721 BCE AND CARRIED OFF THE BEST OF THE PEOPLE INTO CAPTIVITY.  ISRAEL HAD LOST TERRITORY OF TRANSJORDAN AND GALILEE IN BATTLE.  PHILISTIA, TYRE, MOAB AND EDOM BECAME ASSYRIAN PROVINCES.  SAMARIA WAS TAKEN BY SARGON WHO ANNEXED ISRAEL AND DEPORTED 27,290 ISRAELITES TO ASSYRIA AND MEDIA.  REPLACED THEM WITH SYRIAN AND BABYLONIAN PRISONERS.                                     
                                                      

                                                   JUDAH'S KINGS

  Southern part of Israel, which divided in 933 BCE when Solomon had died,
                         maintained the Dynasty of Solomon

4. Rehoboam (933-917 BCE), son of Solomon and his Ammonite wife, Naamah.  He had not listened to the people who wanted relief from heavy taxation.  The tribes of Judah, the largest, and Simeon and mosat of Benjamin remained loyal to him because of the Temple.  Egypt invaded and plundered the Temple at this opportune time.

5-20  Abijam  (917-915 BCE)                    Jotham  (740-735 BCE)
         Asa        (915-875 BCE)                    Ahaz     (735-720 BCE)
        Jehoshaphat  (875-851 BCE)              Hezekiah  (720-692 BCE)
        Jehoram  (851-844 BCE)                    Manasseh (692-638 BCE)
        Ahaziah  (844-843 BCE)                    Amon       (638-637 BCE)
        Athaliah  (843-837 BCE)                   Josiah       (637-608 BCE)
       Joash       (837-798 BCE)                    Jehoahaz  (608 BCE)
       Amaziah  (798-780 BCE)                   Jehoiakim  (608-598 BCE)
       Azariah/Uzziah  (780-740 BCE          Jehoiakin   (598-597 BCE)
                                                                   Zedekiah   (597-586 BCE)
                                      
                                    On Mount Moriah in Jerusalem

Temple built by Solomon was destroyed in 586 BCE
It was rebuilt from 538-515 BCE (2nd Temple)
519 BCE-RENEWED TEMPLE WORSHIP
A 50 YEAR INTERVAL
by the returning Babylonian Jewish exiles.
This was destroyed in 70 CE by the Romans
The Romans built a temple over this site.
A mosque has stood there (Mosque of Omar)

                BABYLONIANS(Chaldees where Abraham was born) , WHO HAD TAKEN OVER ASSYRIA, ATTACKED IN 597 BCE AND AGAIN IN 586 BCE WITH NEBUCHADNEZZAR, LAND OF INSOLENT PAGAN TYRANNY, EXILED MANY JEWS TO BABYLON.  MANY JEWS REMAINED HERE AFTER FREED BY CYRUS WHO HELPED THEM TO RETURN TO JUDAH.  THE JEWISH POSITION WOULD BE IN PERIL UNTIL THE ARAB CONQUEST IN 7TH CENTURY CE.

  538 BCE  CYRUS II, KING OF PERSIA (IRAN TODAY) was in power so granted permission to the exiles of Judah in Babylon to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple.  The Jewish exiles regarded Cyrus as a Divine agent.  Ezra led them back.  Not all followed.  
He overran the Babylonian Empire which then included what was later called Palestine by the Romans in 135 CE.  Cyrus died in 529 BCE.  It's thought that he may have been the son of Queen Esther, the Jewish beauty who was married to King Ahasueros.  

312-198 BCE:  Ptolemaic rule and then under                Seleucids-growing Hellenization
           Macedonian king of Egypt
                One of Alexander the Great's generals.  

250 BCE:  PARTHIA RULED JUDAH: This was an empire of Iranic people.  from 3rd century BCE-226 CE it ruled over the vast mass of the Jewish population in Mesopotamia, Babylonia and Media.  
200 BCE:  Antiohus III conquered Eretz Yisrael  and granted privileges to the Temple.  Seleucids had financial problems and had a hard time eeting its depressed monetary situation.  Here we have the Hasmonean revolt.  

                             

            2 CENTURIES OF PERSIAN RULE OVER JUDAH

                                                

                                         HASHMONEAN DYNASTY

168 BCE  Mattathias the Hashmonian revolted against Greek Syrians who had  occupied Jerusalem.  5 sons, Judah, Jonathan, Simon John and Eleazar  with him.  

Judah Maccabee   d: 160 BCE
145 BCE Jonathan, Judah's brother, added Lydda to Judah
142 BCE Simon , brother of Judah Maccabee, became leader and high priest  died in 135 BCE:  
135 BCE  John Hyrcanus aka Yohanan Cohen Gadol (John, the high priest) was Simon's son, 
first to force people to become Jewish which he did to Idumaea.  
Preferred Sudducees over Pharisees.  
was defeated by Antiochus Vii Sidetes. 
     Aristobulus I, son of Hyrcanus last reign with Judaea being powerful and united as a state.
 Jerusalem was taken by the Syrians after a prolonged siege.
     Judea once more became a Seleucid province.    

105-104 BCE  Judah Aristobulus, son of Aristobulus King. 
104-76 BCE  Alexander Yanai, son of Aristobulus, now King. He set up a standing mercenary army and conquered Transjordan, Idumea and the coastal plain.  The Pharisees opposed his war policy so he was antagonistic toward them.  This led to a Civil War.  After a bloody struggle, he won.  
76-69 BCE He was married to Salome Alexandra who ruled after his death.  She died and the Hashmonean Dynasty declined.  

Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II were sons of Salome and Alexandaer Yanai had strife between them as leaders.  

63-43 BCE: Antipater saw a door open during this strife and became ruler of Judea.  He supported Hyrcanus in his war against his brother Aristobulus.  Then he assisted the Romans.  He joined up with Julius Caesar after his victory over Pompey, and recruited Jewish and Nabaean troops for his army.  He became financial administrator of Judea in 47 BCE.  
Father of Herod.  
47 BCE;  Antipater became effective ruler of the country.  He was also ruler of Idumea in 1st century BCE.  He grew rich from  trade with Arabia.  

Phasael and Herod: were sons of Antipater.  Appointed to chief administrative posts by their father.  
. 
73-4 BCE:  Herod I:  King of Judea by the Senate of Rome, son of Antipater the Idumean by his Nabatean wife, Cypros.

 Parthias restored: 40-37 BCE: King Antigonus Mattathias restored  to the throne of Judah .  he had been the last Hasmonean king, son of Aristobulus II.  when Pompey captured Jerusalem in 63, he was taken as a hostage to Rome.  He returned to Judea in 49.  He captured Jerusalem in 40 with the support of the Parthians.  Herod's brother, Phasael put him to death and mutilated his own uncle Hyrcanus so as to disqualify him for the high priesthood.  He then ruled as king of Judea and high priest.  

40 BCE  Parthians made Antigonus king who was the son of Aristobulus II. Antigonus was put to death.  

4 BCE-6 CE   ARCHELAUS, Son of Herod  ruled Judah as king.  A Jewish delegation requested Emperor Augustus.of Rome to dethrone the herodian dynasty.  Augustus did but gave him the title of ethnarch of Judea, Idumea, and Samaria.  Archelaus's rule was marked by severity, leading to his removal from office by Augustus.  He sent him to Gaul where he died in 16 CE.  

6 CE:  Romans created a province out of Judea,       Samaria and Idumea, naming it Iudaea

6 -66 CE:  Archelauas, son of Herod, Jerusalem            was ruled by Roman Procurators.
Procurators of Judea usually lived in Caesarea, the administrative capital of Roman Judea.  They went to Jerusalem to maintain order during holidays where they stayed in Herod's palace.  There were 14 of these governors:  7 between 6-41 CE.  Others ruled between 44-66.  

29 CE: Pontius Pilate was a procurator.  During his time, Jesus was crucified. 
37 CE  Herod captured Jerusalem with help of large Roman force.   
37 CE Herod married Mariamne, granddaughter of the high priest, Hyrcanus, a Hashmonean.  Herod murdered all rivals to his new power including his own brother in-law, Aristobulus III, the last Hasmonean high priest.  He put to death his own wife Mariamne, their 2 sons Alexander and Aristobulus, and his firstborn, Antipater.   

He rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem on a magnificent scale and erected the 2 new cities of Sebaste and Caesarea.  When he died, his will read that his kingdom was to be partitioned among his sons Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Philip. 

39: Romans drove the Parthians from Syria.  Herod attacked Antigonus and won.  Antigonus then fortified himself in Jerusalem, but was captured after a 5 month siege and put to death. 

  Herod Antipas. Herod Antipas, (born 21 BCE—died in 39 CE), son of Herod I the Great who became tetrarch of Galilee and ruled throughout Jesus of Nazareth's ministry.  His mother was Malthace of Samaria.  Herod died in 4 BCE and he became tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, founded Tiberias for the emperor.  He married Herodias, wife of his brother Herod.  

41-44: Agrippa (10 BCE-44 CE)  ruled in Jerusalem as king.  Son of Aristobulus and grandson of Herod.  He began to build a 3rd wall to the North
It was Caligula, Roman Emperor from 37 -41 the title of king to rule NE Palestine.  Caligula was touched in the head, insisting on being worshiped as a divinity causing disturbances in Alexandra when he visited.  

64–68 CE: Nero, Roman Emperor 54-68,  persecutes Jews and Christians throughout the Roman Empire.  His wife was sypathetic to Judaism.  This was a period of turmoil in Judea ending with war against Rome.  

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• 70 CE: Siege of Jerusalem (70) Titus, eldest son of Emperor Vespasian, ends the major portion of Great Jewish Revolt and destroys Herod's Temple on Tisha B'Av. The Roman legion Legio X Fretensis is garrisoned in the city.

• The Sanhedrin is relocated to Yavne. Pharisees become dominant, and their form of Judaism evolves into modern day Rabbinic Judaism (whereas Sadducees and Essenes are no longer recorded as groups 
• in history. 
• 130 CE Hadrian, Roman Emperor, built a new city over Jerusalem, calling it Colonia Aelia Capitolina.  

132 Revolt against Roman Emperor Hadrian (117-138) led by Bar Kokhba. He tried to end circumcision.  Turning Jerusalem into Roman colony to be called after himself. 

135 CE  General Bar Kokhba died after retaking Jerusalem and holding it for 3 years from the Romans.  Nephew of Rabbi Eleazar of Modiin, of David descent.  

324 – Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire Constantine the Great, having defeated Emperor Maximian, Caesar of the Western Roman Empire at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge becomes the sole ruler of the re-united Roman Empire with its capital at Byzantium (New Rome) and legalizes Christianity and other religions. Queen Helena, a devout Christian, wife of Eastern Roman Emperor Constantius and mother of Constantine the Great, departs for the Holy Land and begins the construction of churches.

https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2019/08/who-was-to-be-king-of-judea-during.html

• The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Jerusalem
• https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2019/08/who-was-to-be-king-of-judea-during.html
• https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2019/03/721-bce-israel-and-judahs-kings-and-all.html
• https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2018/10/kings-of-judah-after-solomon-until.html
• https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2018/06/judge-and-kings-samuels-selection-of.html
• https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2015/11/ancient-politics-in-israel-rehoboam-son.html

Updated with additional information going to 324 CE:  12/31/19 

352 CE  An upriing in Lydda happened causing Jews to be nearly exterminated by Constantius Gallus.  Now Christians made up the population.  
After Arab conquest, Lydda became the capital of Palestine until: 700 CE.  Arabs left in 1948.  
700 CE when the capital became Ramleh nearby.  

1950  Lydda holds the airport of modern-day Israel.