The arrival of Alexander the Great in the Land of Israel in 332 B.C.E. at the
head of a large conquering army launched the encounter between Judaism
and Hellenism. For Jews, this encounter would challenge a way of life that
heretofore had been defined by the laws of the Torah as interpreted by the
prophets and, since the time of Ezra, by the scribes. To be sure, Judaism and
its antecedent Israelite traditions already reflected some influence of foreign
cultures. Amid the varied Jewish responses to Hellenism would emerge for
the first time several distinct conceptions of Judaism, each reflecting
Hellenistic influence in its own way. For more than a century, these Jewish
sects would vie to be the true expression of Judaism and to be sole heir of the
ancient Israelite tradition. In retrospect, the destruction of the Temple would
eventually render the final decision in this contest, allowing the Judaism of
the Pharisees to win by default.
Hellenism affected neither Judaism nor Jews evenly. As a rule, the most
developed aspects of Jewish life – specifically, its powerful religious component –
were least affected. The religious dimension of Hellenism – that is, worshiping
the pantheon of Greek gods in various cultic rituals – made the narrowest
inroads into Jewish society. The non-religious dimensions of Jewish culture –
language, philosophy, poetry, dress and other aspects of material culture, and
the celebration of the body – were most visibly affected.
The material cost of immersing oneself in Hellenistic culture, moreover,
was substantial; thus, Hellenism was more widespread among the more
affluent elements within Jewish society: the Jewish aristocracy and the upper
echelon of the priesthood. The impact of Hellenism also varied geographi-
cally. Jews in diasporic centers such as Alexandria tended to be more
Hellenized, as did Jews in urban centers in the Land of Israel, including
Jerusalem. Jews in the small towns and villages in the Galilee, southern
Judah, and the Golan tended to be the least Hellenized. Geographic and eco-
nomic factors affected both men and women. Affluent Jewish women in the
diaspora were no less drawn to Hellenistic culture than their male counter-
parts. The upshot was a tapestry of Hellenism and Judaism blended
together, sometimes seamlessly, at other times awkwardly, that formed a
Chapter 2