Greetings Bible Adventurists,
This week we start the New Testament. Merry Christmas. In the last few weeks, we have seen some great Bible heroes in Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. I thought I’d try to link these stories to the regional political events that serve as the background for the New Testament. Sorry, I’m just like that.
Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon until 562BC. His son Evil-Merodach ruled 2 years until killed in a military coup by Neriglissar who lasted until about 556. Neriglissar’s son succeeded him for a couple of months until killed by Nabonidus, who ruled from 556-539. Nabonidus let his son, Belshazzar, be a co-regent over Babylon. This is the guy who saw the writing on the wall with Daniel as he celebrated his first night as king, implying that Nabonidus either surrendered to or was killed by the Medes (or both). Anyway, Belshazzar lasted one night as Cyrus the Great (a Mede) conquered Babylon. You may want to look back at Daniel 11 and follow along to see what many people think is prophesy played out.
Cyrus the Great ruled until 530BC, followed by his son and then his brother. Cyrus authorized the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Darius (also the Great) usurped the throne in 522. Darius confirmed Cyrus' decision to rebuild the temple and allocated resources to complete the work. Darius’ son was Xerxes. He was most likely Esther’s king. He held the big party recorded in Esther before invading Greece and fighting the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae. Xerxes’ son was Artaxerxes. He sent Ezra to resume worship in the temple and restore Jewish law. Nehemiah was Artaxerxes' cup bearer and sent to rebuild Jerusalem's city wall. The family line of Darius and Xerxes ruled until 330BC when Alexander (again, the Great) conquered the entire region.
Alexander died young and his kingdom split into 4 parts, but the principal players were Seleucid in Syria (the North) and Ptolemy in Egypt (the South). These two dynasties fought each other for several generations. Jerusalem was in the middle getting tossed back and forth like a rag doll. The Seleucids won the 6th war between the two countries in 168BC. Seleucid King Antiochus Epiphanes went into Jerusalem, plundered the temple, and tried to force the Hellenization (or Greek-ifying) of the Jews. He outlawed Sabbath, owning or reading scripture, and circumcision. He tried to forced Jews to eat pork. He killed a pig on the alter in the temple, then set up a shrine for Zeus (see Daniel 11:31 abomination of desolation). A priest named Mattathias led a remnant group away from the city, and he and his 5 sons started a revolt. One of these sons, Judas ‘Maccabeus,’ led the small rebel force to defeat the Seleucids in several battles despite overwhelming odds. They recaptured Jerusalem and reestablished the temple (see Hanukkah). The Maccabees kept control of Jerusalem and signed a mutual protection treaty in 161BC with an up-and-coming military power called Rome.
As Rome grew in power, they eventually conquered the Seleucids. Roman Emperor Julius Caesar placed General Mark Antony in charge of the military in Syria and Judea. Caesar then put a guy named Antipater in charge of Judea’s government. Antipater made his son, Herod, a co-ruler. Antony then teamed up with Egypt’s Ptolemaic leader, Cleopatra, to lead a rebellion against the Roman Emperor. Julius Caesar was assassinated in 42BC. Herod played both sides of this Roman civil war, switching allegiance to better his chance of survival. In 40BC Antony had the Roman Senate declare Herod “King of the Jews.” Antony was defeated in battle in 31BC and Augustus took over as the next Caesar.
Now we are ready for the story of a girl named Mary. Thanks for reading along with me. I hope you are enjoying the adventure.
Tom