Genesis of the Jewish people (4)

The first refers to the presence of Jews in the islands and the coasts of Greece dates back to the third century before Christ. According to Raphael Pata, during this period, the Jews were under a lot of impact of Hellenistic culture and lost many of their traditions. The Jews spoke Greek and dissemination of Greek names among them reflects the strong influence of Hellenistic culture to the extent that even family members of House of Sadoughi (pontiff) also had Greek names. In the future we will get familiar with the royal families of Hashmuny and Hyrud and we will see widespread propagation of Greek and Roman names among Jewish aristocracy.
Jewish aristocracy and the Roman Empire
Since the third century BCE, the Seleucid Empire began to wane and new states emerged on its ruins.
Parthian created their state by through armed struggle with Seleucid rule in 247. At this time the Arab state of Nabataean was born in Jordan which was the most important commercial highway of that era. Nabataean state dominated on a huge territory of Damascus to the Red Sea at the time of the advent of Jesus Christ until the year 106 AD that was incorporated into the Roman Empire with the name of the "State of Arabia". With the collapse of the Syrian Seleucid government, in the middle of the second century BC Jewish state of Hashmuny was born in Palestine as well. The Jewish Hashmuny state knew the Arab state of Nabataean as his most important foreign enemy.
Hashmuny’s origin of the name is unknown. Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian of the first century AD, attributes it to the ancestor of a family called "Asamunayius", and some attribute it to an area called "Hashmuneh" or a village named "Hashmun".
The family of Hashmuny was a high Jewish priest family which began a rebellion at the time of the demise of the Seleucid family, led by his boss, a cleric named Metatyas Ben Yohanan. Metatyas died in the year 166 BC. His son was called Judas Maqabi who continued his father's work and after a few war with the Seleucid army and people of the region occupied Jerusalem in the year 163. After his death, his sons conquered neighboring countries including Ephraim and Lydia and the port of Haifa and established their own state.
In the year 152 BC, Jonathan Afus, Little son of Metatyas, was appointed as "a great priest" of the Jews. A large meeting was held in 140 BC and Simon, another son of Metatyas, was appointed as the pontiff and head of the armed forces and head of the state of Hashmuny and the position became hereditary in his family. Son of Simon, named John Hyrkanus continued the policy of military expansion in the 30 years of his rule (134-104). He took over parts of the territory of Jordan and its the surrounding areas and its inhabitants converted to Judaism forcibly. Hashmuny people’s victories were obtained with the support of the governments of Rome and Patulmayi of Egypt and they were considered as united of Egypt and Rome in the region.
Hyrkanus’ son, named Judah Aristobulus, during his one-year reign was dubbed the king. He seized new areas and its inhabitants converted to Jewish by force. With his fall, his brother Alexander Yanayi came to the throne. 27-year-old reign of Alexander Yanayi (103-76) was evaluated as the peak of authority of Hashmuny state. At this time the Jewish aristocracy military expansion continued as well and Yanayi to grab the Red Sea’s trade began a war against Palestinian state of Gaza and its Nabataean supporters. Alexander Yanayi was an autocratic king monarchy and had the position of "pontiff" of the Jews.
During the Hashmuny era, the Jewish aristocracy, in conjunction with the Romans and the Macedonian government in Egypt gradually became an influential force in the region which its scope of authority was beyond the Jewish land. For example, we know two brothers named Ananyas and Helkyas that were the commanders of the army of Cleopatra III, the Queen of Egypt (114-110). They were at the head of the Egyptian army in the war with the Queen’s wayward son and went to Palestine campaign. In the Egyptian inscriptions (102 BC) the name of Helkyas has been registered as governor of Heliopolis.
After Alexander Yanayi’s death, Hashmuny government got involved in conspiracies and domestic wars among his sons. In the year 63 BC, when princes and nobility of the Jews were struggling hard in civil war among themselves, the Roman Empire occupied the territories of the Jewish state on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, and only "Jewish state" of Hashmuny family remained in the realm of rulership; "Judea" became as a small function state of the Roman empire. Roman rulers divested "The King" title from Hyrkanus II, son of Alexander Yanayi, and only recognized him as "head of the Jewish people" and the "great priest". "State of Judea" was under the supervision of the Syria’s Roman governor.
At this time, among the Jewish aristocracy a midst, tough group associated with the Romans and embedded in Rome’s culture and politics was created. The most powerful one of these Roman oriented Jews was a man named Antipater. Around half of the first century BC Roman politics link culminated with the Jewish aristocracy. Both Hyrkanus Hashmuny and Antipater participated in bloody battles between Roman rulers for conquest of political power and after the victory of Julius Caesar, consoles and the powerful men of the Roman Empire (48 BC), were placed in front of his fans, when Caesar’s superiority over his rivals was obvious. What Jewish history calls as "exploratory force of the Jews" helped him when Caesar's position was at risk in the port of Alexandria. The purpose of this "exploratory force" is the same of "intelligence force". According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, Julius Caesar in his campaigns knew Jews as his "allies" and to reward Jewish aristocracy, he gave the port of Haifa's to Antipater after the occupation. Jewish history adds: "Julius Caesar was fond of Jews throughout the Roman Empire and knew them as his valuable allies."
Jews’ position was consolidated in the region during the reign of Caesar. Julius Caesar not only strengthened Hyrkanus Hashmuny’s authority, "the great priest of Judea", but Antipater and his sons were appointed to high political officials due to being friends with him. The elder son of Antipater called Fasayel became the governor of Jerusalem and another son of his named Hyrud became the governor of Galilee. Hyrud formed a close bond with the Roman governor of Syria and became such a "Roman" that murdered a group of people from Galilee, that some of them "Jews", without trial on charges of opposition to the Romans. These cruel events provided a massive revolt in Galilee, shortly after the region became the cradle of Christianity and the epicenter of the revolution, and raised such a wave that not only rocked vast Roman Empire, but the whole world of those days was rocked.
In 44 BC, Julius Caesar was killed in a bloody conspiracy and his opponents came to power. By the murder of Caesar assassination riots swept across the Eastern Mediterranean Region until one of the main leaders of the conspiracy in the name of Cassius became the governor of Syria. During the riots, Antipater was murdered in Judea as well. However, not only Antipater’s sons were not hurt due to the crime of having friendship with Julius Caesar, but also became close allies and friends of Cassius and helped this cruel Roman ruler in the suppression of popular uprisings. In the year 42 BC, Roman conspirators fell and Mark Antony, the powerful Roman general, took over the Syrian government. This development also did not harm the domination of Jewish aristocracy and Antipater’s sons, and their authority continued.
In the year 40 BC, East Mediterranean lands became the focus of the most important political event in the world of that day. Iranian, led by Parthian government, began invasion to Eastern colony of the Roman Empire, and in the middle, the land of Palestine found strategic importance.
With the beginning of the Iranian advance towards the Mediterranean, one of the younger members of the Hashmuny family, called Metatyas Antigonus despite his pro-Roman uncle Hyrkanus and "pontiff" of Judea and despite the Antipater family, fled to the Iranians. He was warmly welcomed and entered the area at the head of a unit of the Iranian army. The people, who were tired of the oppression of the Romans and the Jewish aristocracy, enthusiastically joined him. Metatyas at the head of a great force from the Iranian people entered Jerusalem and took power as the King of Hashmuny. Fasayl, governor of Jerusalem and older brother of Hyrud, committed suicide. The new king cut his uncle’s ear so that can no longer take place in the bench of "great priest of Judea". Hyrud fled to Rome.
Metatyas’ government did not last more than three years. Aktavyn and Marc Anthony, the rulers of the Roman Empire, welcomed the Hyrud warmly and appointed him as the "King of the Jews" by Emperor Claudius’ command. Hyrud equipped at the head of the Roman armed Legion began invading the area. People, especially in Erbil and Galilee, went hard to resist. Finally, after bloody battles between the Iranians and the people on the one hand, and Romans on the other hand, in the year 37 BC the Jerusalem was occupied by Hyrud. The city's defenders were massacred and Metatyas was beheaded. This is the beginning of the 33 years reign of Hyrud. Jewish historian not only does not make a legend of resistance and bloody collapse of "Jerusalem" in the year 37 BC, but calls Hyrud, the puppet king of the Romans, as "Great Hyrud" despite all his cruelty.
Jewish Hyrud ruled over a vast area of colony of the Roman Empire in the East Mediterranean’s range of sectors, including important areas of Palestine, Jordan, and today Syria, and it is clear that his subjects were not only "Jews". Hyrud had no base among the people and a Roman legion stationed in Jerusalem protected his authority and domination. Hyrud was executer os policy of the Roman Empire in the region. In order to achieve the goals of Marc Anthony and his mistress Cleopatra VII, Egyptian queen of the Macedonian, restored the policy of violation to Arab Nabataean state, which was started from the time of Alexander Yanayi. Since 31 BC, war with Nabataean Arabs began, and according to Jewish history, Hyrud showed the Romans how much his existence is invaluable "as responsible of order and security in this part of the world."
The fall of Mark Antony (30 BC) did not make any hesitations in position of Hyrud and the Jewish state in the East Mediterranean. Now Hyrud was the most important key in Eastern policy of the Roman Empire that was linked with an extensive network of Roman political figures and focuses. He had a friendly relationship with the Roman general in Syria; sometimes, he invited them to magnificent feasts in Jerusalem, and they presented perfect victims to the "Temple of Solomon".
Hyrud’s was an authoritarian, oppressive, and corrupted rule. He killed his wife of the family of Hashmuny and his three sons, and married a woman from the Jewish plutocracy family in the port of Alexandria. Since then, many women entered the harem of Hyrud.
In the light of the Hyrud’s authority and Jewish aristocracy, Jews were given a prominent position throughout the Roman Empire. In this time, we see the massive Jewish presence in the commercial centers of Europe, especially on the coasts of Greece and Italy. Jews in Rome are sometimes estimated 40 thousand ones out of 800 thousand inhabitants of the city. Association of Jewish nobbles with the Romans was so much that in years 14 and 12 BC began to establish two synagogues in Rome. At the end of the first century AD in Rome, there were 12 synagogues.
In the fourth year BC, Hyrud died and the land which was under his command was divided among his three sons (Rkhelayus, Hyrud Antipas, and Philip).
Rkhelayus, the eldest son, was relentless like his father. His rule coincided with the popular uprisings that eventually emerged within Christianity. In one of the communities of pilgrims to Jerusalem Rkhelayus issued an order to kill people, and about 3,000 people were killed. In the strong public protests, in the sixth year, finally the emperor of Rome deposed and exiled him.
Hyrud Antipas, Hyrud’s son from his Samaritan wife, was the Roman ruler in multiple areas, such as the Galilee, Farayeh, and Judea. He had a close relationship with Tiberius, Roman Empire (14-37 AD), and was friendly with him and the link remained until the death of Tiberius. According to Flavius Josephus’ writing, the Jewish historian, in talks between Iran and Rome, which led to the conclusion of a peace treaty between the two governments, Hyrud Antipas was interface between the Parthian king and the third Roman Emperor. He was disfavored by Caesar Drosos by the first Agrypay’s conspiracy, his nephew, and went into exile.
Agrypay the First, like other Jewish members of the royal family, was educated in Rome and was childhood and teenager friend of Caesar Drosos, Roman consul, and son of Emperor of Tiberius. He was the ruler of Bashan, Galilee, and Farayeh between the years of 10-44 and in the 41 -44 was the King of Jewish. At this time, the scope of his reign included all the land of Palestine. The story continues. In the first century AD, Hyrud’s family members were the authoritarian rulers of Roman Empire in different territories. What is more important in our study is the Dynasty of Hyrud on Armenia. After Roman domination over Armenia (the sixth century) one of the family members of the Hyrud nicknamed Tigran the fourth was appointed as king of Armenia. Then, his sons and nephews ruled the land for years. This is the era of a mass immigration of Jews to Armenia. In the late fourth century AD, Armenia was conquered by Shapur II. Shapur, who was closely associated with Jewish oligarchs settled in Mesopotamia, moved the Jewish community in Armenia to Iran. The number of Jews sometimes has been reported in exaggerated figure of 83 thousand households.
Hyrud family had close links with the plutocracy oligarchy of Jews settled in the port of Alexandria. During the Hellenistic / Roman era, a new class of rich Jews was created in this important commercial port that was engaged in money exchange and trade. Jewish settlement in the port of Alexandria begins around half of the third century BC and the occupation of the port is done by Alexander the Macedonian. On the outskirts of Christ’s Birth, Alexandria was considered as one of the most important centers of political, financial and cultural activity of Jews, and it is estimated that about 40% of the population were Jews.
The most Jewish celebrated cultural figure who was created in the lap of the culture of Hellenistic / Roman was Philo of Alexandria, philosopher and politician of the first half of the first century AD. Philo’s House had a close relationship with the Rome’s Court and was head of the Jewish of Alexandria. His brother, Alexander, was known as the richest and most influential Jewish banker in the city of Alexandria. In addition to Hyrud that married with Jewish women of Alexandria, the first Agrypay’s daughter married with son of Alexander of Alexandria (brother of Philo), and Agrypay’s sister also married to Demetrius, of the leaders of the Jews of Alexandria.
Jewish aristocracy stepped in the first century AD with such face and experienced its hardest and most bitter history experience with the great revolution of Christianity. Christianity Revolution collapsed religious and political structure of Judaism of ethnic / aristocratic, and on its ruins new rabbi oligarchy and Judaism emerged. Some scholars, such as Rabbi Ellen Miller American, know the begging of emergence of a new identity called "Jewish people" just from the late first century AD. The purpose of this new identity of "Jew" is the psychology of ethnic and cultural and religious beliefs and customs that today Jews are familiar with it. From this viewpoint, Rabbi Miller’s terms are acceptable. This evolution is marked by the emergence of rabbi oligarch, a phenomenon that Hebrew historians of the University of Jerusalem call the "fundamental change in the structure of the Jewish community" with adding: "The most remarkable aspect of the social evolution of the Jewish people at this time is undoubtedly the emergence of pro-Rabbi as an influential and respected group".