Start Date
4-20-2017 10:30 AM
End Date
4-20-2017 11:45 AM
Disciplines
Ancient Philosophy | Classical Literature and Philology | History of Religion
Subjects
Maccabees -- History, Maccabees -- Influence of Hellenism on, Maccabees -- Style -- Analysis
Abstract
The Jewish people living within Hellenistic Greece experienced great freedoms, and many assimilated into the non-Jewish societies around them. Yet, under the Seleucid King Antiochus IV in the 2nd century BCE, the Jewish people experienced oppression and persecution, which has been chronicled in the books 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. At a glance, these books appear opposed to the blending of Hellenistic culture and society into surrounding Jewish communities, but a deeper analysis of both texts reveals that the authors depended on Hellenistic constructs to effectively tell their story. This paper explores the degree to which the authors of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees were influenced by Hellenism, specifically focusing on how they incorporated Hellenistic styles of literature and language into their works.
Rights
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Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/19791
Included in
Ancient Philosophy Commons, Classical Literature and Philology Commons, History of Religion Commons
The Influence of Hellenism on the Literary Style of 1 and 2 Maccabees
The Jewish people living within Hellenistic Greece experienced great freedoms, and many assimilated into the non-Jewish societies around them. Yet, under the Seleucid King Antiochus IV in the 2nd century BCE, the Jewish people experienced oppression and persecution, which has been chronicled in the books 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. At a glance, these books appear opposed to the blending of Hellenistic culture and society into surrounding Jewish communities, but a deeper analysis of both texts reveals that the authors depended on Hellenistic constructs to effectively tell their story. This paper explores the degree to which the authors of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees were influenced by Hellenism, specifically focusing on how they incorporated Hellenistic styles of literature and language into their works.
Notes
2nd place winner of the Karen E. Hoppes Young Historians Award for Outstanding Research and Writing.