The Effect of Egyptian Colonization on Jerusalem and Judaism

Portrait of Jerusalem capture by Ptolemy Kingdom
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Throughout the entirety of our readings of Armstrong’s Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths, the Jewish people were described as close-knit, highly spiritual, and oftentimes isolated. These values were essential to the Jewish religion and played a large role in the way that Jews worshiped and still worship today. However, after the Ptolemy Kingdom conquered the land following Alexander the Great’s death, these long-practiced traditions slowly became more malleable.

Bust of King Ptolemy II
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At first, the Hellenistic Ptolemy rule was seen as strange and was disliked by Jews under due to its materialistic and secular design. However, during the reign of King Ptolemy II, a Jerusalemite named Joseph would change this perception of Hellenism for many in Jerusalem. After becoming a successful banker and working his way up the political ladder, Joseph found great financial success through Hellenism. Rather than attempt to distance himself from Egyptian rule and revert to traditional practices, Joseph used the new economic boom provided by colonization to accrue wealth and rescue other Jews from poverty. Soon his clan, the Tobiads, followed suit, becoming the “pioneers of Hellenism in Jerusalem,” (Armstrong 106)

The success the Tobiads found in this had a major impact on Judaism at the time. Jewish traditions that had been so integral to the faith were now seen as “inhibiting and parochial," (Armstrong 106). The idea that Jerusalem and its temples acted as an essential link to the heavens slowly became less popular in Jewish culture. Instead, a sense of “rootlessness” was favored. Mimicking Greek and Egyptian culture, many Jews began to view the seclusive nature of Judaism as limiting and stopped adhering to the strict responsibilities and rules of traditional Judaism in favor of practices that did not rely on temples or centralized sacred spaces. 

This growing movement, led by the Tobiads, illustrated the Egyptian influence on the Jewish religion of the time. However, this effect is not isolated to Egyptian rule. Each new conquering of Jerusalem led to a modification, minor or major, to the Jewish religion. For example, this new Egyptian take on Judaism did not go unchallenged. There were certainly those who opposed the abandonment of the old traditions. Led by the Oniad family, this group focused on maintaining the traditions, laws, and religious ideals practiced by pre-colonization Jews (Armstrong 107). These differences led to intergroup tension between Jews that ultimately led to the Seleucid takeover of Jerusalem in 200 CE. This then led to a Jewish faith based much more on temple worship, religious hierarchy and exclusivity. Ultimately, in order to fully understand the changes in Jewish religion throughout time, it is important to note the effects that political power and government control have played on the religion. Just as the city of Jerusalem was modified and rebuilt by differing kingdoms, so too was its religion reshaped by the varying cultures of those kingdoms. 

Works Cited

Armstrong, Karen. Jerusalem : One City, Three Faiths. London, Harper Perennial, 2005.