Treść książki

Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
1.MATTATHIASANDJUDAH:
INDEFENSEOFTHEANCESTORSRELIGION
IntheHellenisticperiod,independenceofpeoplesinhabitingmultiethnicempireswas
notthesubjectofanyrecognizedregulations,theveryconceptofindependence(as
understoodtoday)beingunknown.FollowingthedeathofAlexanderofMacedon,the
politicalorderintheeasternMediterraneanwasbasedonstatesthatroseoutofhiscol-
lapsedempire,headedbythedeceasedking’sgenerals.Eventhoughthemonarchies
thuscreatedexhibitedmanysimilaritiesinpoliticalstructureandorganization,ineach
ofthemsocialrelationsfollowedaslightlydifferentpath,withdifferenteconomiesand
culturaltraditions.IntheSeleucidEmpire,amajorfactordeterminingstateorganiza-
tionwastheAchaemenidheritage.ItsimpactmadeitselffeltespeciallyinMesopotamia
andintheeasternprovinces.TheuseofPersianadministrativepatternsallowedthe
Seleucidstomanagefairlyefciently,forawhile,thevastmultiethnicandmulticultural
territory.Yet,severaldecadesintotheirreign,theyhadtofacestrongseparatisttenden-
cies.Thoseledtothecreationwithintheirempireofanumberofseparatepoliticalenti-
tieswhoseleadersmadeittheiraimtowinfullindependencefromSyriankings.
Seleucidattitudestowardtheirsubjectsseekingindependencefromtheirrulearean
importantprobleminstudyingSyriankings’philosophyofgovernmentwhichdeter-
minedtheirinternalpolicy.SourcesareoflittlehelpinpinpointinghowtheSeleucids
wentontolosecontroloverrespectivelandsintheirempireandhownewstatescame
toarisetherein.ExceptionalinthisrespectisthecaseofJudea,aswehavesources
availablethatpermitustofollowthestrugglesthatresultedinitsindependencefrom
Syriankingsaswellastostudythechangingrelationsbetweenbothsidesofthecon-
ict.WeowethisinsightchieytotheFirstBookofMaccabees(henceforthreferred
toas1Macc)andtheworksofJosephusFlavius.Somevaluablehintsabouttheearly
stageintheprocessareofferedbytheSecondBookofMaccabees(henceforth2Macc),
whichcontainsafairlydetailedaccountofeventsprecedingtheJudeanuprisingand
muchotherinformationomittedby1Macc.1Otherthenthesesources,wehavesome
fewmentionspreservedinfragmentsbyotherancientauthors,eveniftheirvalueinre-
constructingeventsintheHasmonean-ledJewisharmedstruggleagainstSeleucidrule
ismorethanlimited.2Jewishsources,whethercomposedintheHasmoneanperiodor
later,contributelittletoourknowledge,withfewexceptions.
1Cf.Sievers1990:4ff.;Troiani2008:365ff.
2Worksbytheseauthorsfrequentlycontainedcomprehensivediscussionsofeventscontemporary
tothedevelopmentsinJudea,buttheyhaveonlybeenpreservedinfragments,typicallyasquotationsor
paraphrasesinlaterworks;someofthemweowetoJosephus.