Maccabees literature as a whole (Maccabees XNUMX to Maccabees XNUMX) disapprove, either mildly or harshly, of Yason's course in Jerusalem, which indicates, by the way, that there is no smoke without fire, because the gymnasium was indeed established in Jerusalem and was active for a long period of time
Editor's Note: Due to a glitch, the chapter was not published in the correct order.
Maccabees literature as a whole (Maccabees XNUMX to Maccabees XNUMX) disapprove, either mildly or vehemently, of Jason's course in Jerusalem, which indicates, by the way, that there is no smoke without fire, because indeed the gymnasium was established in Jerusalem and was active for a long period of time.
It is possible to understand the overflow of Maccabean literature in view of Yason's works since he was seen as laying the cornerstone for Hellenization in Judea, although it had begun many years before him. On the other hand, this literature is full of words of praise and praise for the Hasmonean kings, the successors of the rebellious Maccabees. It is true that not one of them built a gymnasium or an abvion, but an examination of the Maccabean literature reveals that physical activity, according to the Hellenistic formula, was not at all far from the Jews who lived under the Hasmonean rule (67-140 BC) during the days of the Roman rule.
Moreover, archaeological excavations in Jericho brought up interesting findings that prove that the Hasmonean house was not at all far from the world of hedonism and the court life of the Hellenistic princes. A swimming pool was revealed on the spot, as an integral part of the Hasmonean palace, one that would not be ashamed of a classical Hellenistic palace. Also, a courtyard bordered by a pillared courtyard was discovered near it, which may have been used as a space for ball games.
Moreover, the Hellenistic influence on the Hasmonean house is not a hypothesis but a solid fact: the Hasmonean army was built in the Hellenistic format, court life was also according to the example of court life in the Hellenistic kingdoms, the names of the Hasmonean kings were double, that is, in addition to the Hebrew name, there was also a Greek name . Even the Hasmonean army was built in the Hellenistic format, and from this it is therefore not unreasonable to prove that their connection to physical culture is self-evident.
The work emanating from the Yeson and Beit Hashmonai factories is embodied in the abundance of evidence about Jewish physical activity embedded in the external literature written during the period in question. From the selection of relevant metaphors, the description of the character of Eleazar stands out, whose mental struggle against Menu is described in a scene taken from the world of wrestling, and a parable: "But he (Elazar) bore the agony and was tired of the pressure and endured the abuse, and as a fine athlete who struggled, the old man overcame Meno" (Maccabim 10 9:XNUMX-XNUMX). The juxtaposition of the images drawn from the essence of wrestling corresponds well with the primacy of this branch in classical gymnastics and agonistics.
Moreover, starting from the point of departure that the Jewish authors used common images in the minds of the readership, there is a fairly solid basis for assuming that the Jewish audience, mainly the urban ones, understood the parable and its counterpart - as evidence of a certain prevalence of the Hellenistic sport and the audience's positive awareness of it.
Similar phrases arise, it will be noted, from Job's struggle against Satan. These are borrowed from the world of the Greek pankration, and from the end of the competition in connection with the awarding of the victory crown. Even here, as in the previous example, the mention of terms and procedures from the world of physical activity, would not be used if it were not certain that these terms are well embedded in the mind of the reader.
Although, and it is difficult to prove this in practice, the specific contribution of the Hasmoneans to the development of physical activity among the Jews was certain, it is clear that they played an important role in the field between the biblical era and the days of the Second Temple until the works of Jason and the Roman period, and especially the Herodian period in Judea.
6 תגובות
It is said in the Torah that Japheth of God will dwell in tents there, and this is interpreted as saying that the language of Japheth will dwell with the Israelites and this may explain the fact that the Greek hare ruled then
The Hasmonean dynasty behaved in a holy and pure manner befitting a people who prevailed by the strength of their strong faith with the ease of their devotion to the Torah and their zeal for desecration
The swimming pools may have been built by Herod and his successors who were slaves and conquered the government or they were used for the needs of purification and were built in a beautiful way and according to the construction of that generation
What is clear is that the kingdom of the Hasmonean dynasty was only threatened by Maccabi Pi. Who is weak in the light and the form of their war was done in the most natural way possible and try to hide the miracle
that it is the purpose of the Creator that creation will stand in the form of nature, even though nature is a miracle
There has always been a strong influence of the environment and the dominant culture on the Jewish/Hebrew culture.
a few examples:
1) The "Hebrew" months that today are so sacred by the ultra-Orthodox are actually the names of Babylonian gods. The original Hebrew months had other names.
2) Some chapters of the Bible were written in Aramaic
3) Maccabi's book in its own right, which comes out in a flood of foam against Hellenization, was written in...? Greek!
4) The names of the Hasmonean kings who supposedly eliminated Hellenism are mostly Greek - Alexander, Helena, etc.
5) Pendel, Hambarsk, Neutral, King George arrived during the mandate period.
6) Super Pharm, Orange, Hot are all fucking Americanized today.
There is nothing new under the sun
Shay is absolutely right. In fact the Greeks won, and not only in Judea. All Western culture, except for the plurality of gods, is a direct continuation of the Hellenistic culture.
really that bad? Helena herself did not look so bad, as I recall.
It arrived, I will take care of it at the end of the week, there is currently a picture problem.
Now only chapter XNUMX is missing
Judah adopted Hellenism - evidence of this is the desire of some of the people to turn Jerusalem into a polis, many foreign beliefs also entered the Jewish religion (such as belief in life in the next world, the appearance of the Pharisees and more), so anyone who tells you that the Jewish religion today is a continuation of the ancient religion - wrong and misleading.