Tutorial: Hellenization in Judea and the Definition of Greekness

The lecture focuses on three specific primary texts to understand the process of Hellenization in Judea: - Second Maccabees (Passages 1 and 2): Written approximately at the midpoint of the $2^{nd}$ century BC. These passages originate from the peak of Hellenization in Judea and the "savage pushback" that followed. The author is explicitly opposed to Hellenization, so the descriptions are one-sided and should be taken "with a grain of salt." - Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities (Passage 3): Published in the early $90$ s AD. Josephus is a Jewish historian writing in a later period.
Narrative Perspective: The texts reveal Greekness not necessarily through the eyes of Greeks, but through non-Greeks (Judeans/Jews) who are either imitating Greek culture or criticizing those who do. Their imitation defines what they perceive as the essential markers of Greek identity.

The Gymnasium: The first and most essential step for a city or people wishing to be seen as Greek was the construction of a gymnasium. In the eyes of the Judeans, a city could not be considered "Greek" without a gymnasium.
Civic Identity: Building these structures was a prerequisite for Judeans who wanted to live in a Greek-style city and be recognized as part of the broader Greek world.

Superficial Assimilation: The Jewish religion was subjected to a process where the God of the Jews was given Greek epithets to make the religion look more Greek to outsiders.
Temple Renaming: - The Temple in Jerusalem was renamed the Temple of Olympian Zeus. - The temple in Samaria on Mount Gerizim was renamed the Temple of Zeus Xenios.
Relabeling vs. Reforming: The instructor notes this was likely just a "relabeling exercise" rather than a fundamental theological change, though it served as a visible indicator of Greek influence.
Greek Rituals and Altars: The texts mention that altars were covered with "abominable offerings" forbidden by Jewish laws, suggesting the introduction of Greek sacrificial rituals.
Dionysian Festivals: The introduction of festivals for Dionysus (a Greek god) involved public parades where participants were compelled to wear wreaths of ivy and walk in processions. While traditionalists viewed this as "base apostasy," for many participants, it may have been seen as simple fun or social revelry, comparable to how non-Christians celebrate Christmas today.

Celebration of Birthdays: This was a Greek habit not traditionally practiced by Jews.
Seleucid Ruler Cult: The Greeks paid great attention to the birthdays of rulers. Specifically, rulers often celebrated $12$ birthdays a year—one for every month on the specific day of their birth (e.g., if born on the $10^{th}$ of a month, the $10^{th}$ was celebrated every month).
Greek Fashions and the "Petasos": Judeans began adopting the latest fashions from major cities like Pelahnes and Philadelphia. One specific item mentioned is the Greek hat (likely the petasos).
Modern Parallel (Ataturk): The instructor compares this to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in $1920$ s Turkey, who outlawed traditional headgear and insisted on Western-style hats (like the Homburg or Fedora) to force Westernization.

Judeans began adopting Greek names to interact more easily with the non-Jewish world. Often, these names were chosen because they sounded similar to Hebrew names or were inspired by Greek literature.
Jesus (Yeshua/Joshua) to Jason: Yeshua adopted the name Jason, the hero of the Argonautica (the saga of the Argonauts).
Onias (Yohanan/John) to Menelaus: Yohanan adopted the name Menelaus, a character from Homer—specifically the Iliad.
Literary Interest: This shows that the Judean elite were not just relabeling things but were actively reading and engaging with classic Greek literature.
Methods of Name Adoption: - Similarity in Sound: Like Yeshua to Jason. - Translation of Meaning: The name Yonathan ("God has given") might be translated into Greek as Theodoros, Theodotus, or Diodotus. - Nicknames: The Aramaic word for twin, Thomas (Pulma), could be translated into the Greek Didymos.
Case Study (Yohanan/Alexander): In the early $1^{st}$ century BC, a Jewish king used bilingual coins. The reverse side featured his Hebrew name, Yohanan, while the front (obverse) featured his Greek name, Alexander, written in Greek letters.

Sports: Judeans began practicing Greek sports, specifically discus throwing and wrestling (specifically the form now known as Greco-Roman wrestling).
The Nudity Problem: Greeks exercised and competed in the nude ("stripping for exercise"). This was a novelty or offensive in Jewish culture.
Circumcision and Epispasm: Since circumcision was not practiced by Greeks and was considered "ugly," Jewish males who wished to exercise in the gymnasium attempted to hide the effects of their circumcision (a process called epispasm) to conform to Greek standards of beauty.
Priestly Neglect: 2nd Maccabees complains that the priests were so enamored with the gymnasium that they abandoned their service at the altar as soon as they heard the signal for the discus throwing.

The Argument of Compulsion: The author of 2nd Maccabees claims the Jews were "forced" and "taken under bitter constraint" to participate in sacrifices and wear ivy wreaths.
The Reality of Participation: The text inadvertently reveals that many Jews, including the nobility and high priests, were "happily assimilating." - The high priests were the ones choosing Greek names and reading Greek epics. - Young men were "induced" to wear Greek hats, likely because it made them look sophisticated and cultured. - The priests skipped religious duties not because of force, but because the athletic games were "too much fun."
Internal Conflict: The tension was between "traditionalists" (who were often seen by progressives as being $40$ years behind the times) and those who wanted to "get with the program."

The Maccabean Revolt: A traditionalist revolt eventually broke out against the Seleucid Empire, leading to an independent Kingdom of Judea. From a political and military standpoint, the traditionalists won.
The Linguistic Victory: In the long term, the Hellenizers won because the Greek language became the dominant medium for the educated elite. - Evidence in the Texts: Both 2nd Maccabees (an anti-Greek text) and Josephus wrote in Greek. Although an Aramaic version of the Jewish War existed, it was lost, while the Greek version survived in hundreds of manuscripts. - Bilingualism: Judea became a bilingual society: Aramaic was spoken at the "hearth and home," while Greek was used for merchants, authorities, transactions, and the outside world.
Modern Parallel (Nigeria): The instructor mentions a $1960$ s video of an anti-British campaigner in Nigeria complaining about British colonialism in perfect "Oxbridge English" with references to Shakespeare—mirroring the author of 2nd Maccabees complaining about Greeks while using the Greek language.
Longevity of Hellenization: In the western sections of the Seleucid Empire and Egypt, the Greek language survived even past the Arab conquests, remaining in use until at least the $10^{th}$ century AD.