Greek Exile גלות יון (jan 1, 323 BC – jan 1, 164 BC)

Description:

The third of the traditional four exiles.

Following Alexander the Great's death, Greek states ruled over the Land of Israel and over most Jewish populations in the Diaspora. The Ptolemeian Greek state and later the Seleucid Greek state oppressed the Jewish population and encouraged them to adopt the Greek way of life, often by force. While there was no massive displacement of the Jewish population at time, this is considered an exile in Jewish tradition because of the oppression of the Jewish people and because God's presence was eventually "exiled" from the Temple.

The Greek Exile culminated when the Seleucid Greek ruler Antiochus outlawed worship in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in an attempt to force the Jewish people to worship Greek gods and to cease following Jewish law.

This disruption of Temple worship prompted a successful revolt against Seleucid Greek rule by the Jewish Maccabees, which is commemorated in the holiday of Channukah.

During the revolt, the Temple in Jerusalem was rededicated and worship there was restored, and this exile came to an end.

Important figures: Judah Maccabee

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