Page 49 - BV15

49

Is Judaism the Religion of

Moses?

At last we come to that shocking period in Jewish
history when "Judaism" commenced. Here is how
Greek tradition replaced the Law of Moses in the third
century before Jesus' birth.

by Ernest Martin
Part Six

THE ONE hundred years following Ezra and Nehemiah can properly be described
as a time of peace and prosperity for the Jews (Graetz, History of the Jews, vol. i, pp.
406, 407). The Jews had established themselves firmly in Palestine-- in every section of
the province of Judaea. They were observing the Law of Moses in its entirety. It was the
constitutional law of the land.

The Great Assembly, established by Ezra and Nehemiah, was the head of Jewish
state under the Persian governor. This great religious assembly of priests directed the
people in observing the Laws of Scripture. The priests saw that thepeople had proper
religious instruction every Sabbath in the local synagogues scattered throughout the land.
The children were educated in the elementary schools that were attached to the
synagogues.

As long as the Jews were under the authority of the Persian Empire, they were
allowed to carry on their own religious customs without interference. The Persians
seemed to care little how the Jews worshipped God as long as the tax was being paid and
a respectable amount of loyalty was being shown to the governor and king. The Jews
were disposed to keep the good graces of the Persians by submitting to their benevolent
rulership.

The extraordinary goodwill that the Persians had for the Jews came to a sudden
end in 332 B.C. At that time, Palestine -- a part of the Persian Empire -- was conquered
by a rising young Empire in the West -- the Empire of the Greeks!

Alexander the Great

Beyond the western frontier of the Persian Empire, while the Jews were enjoying
their peaceful existence in Palestine, a young general was preparing an army for the
conquest of Persia and the East. In 334 B.C., after amassing an army of considerable
strength, Alexander the Great swept over the Hellespont and into Persian territory.