Ptolemaic Dynasty

Background

When Alexander the Great of Macedon died in 323 BC, the vast territories he had conquered were divided among his generals, who are known as the Diadochi ("successors"). One of them, Ptolemy, became governor of Egypt, and around 305 BC he assumed the title of king. The dynasty he founded is named the Ptolemaic dynasty after him, and its male rulers all bore the name Ptolemy.

Under this dynasty, a Greek-speaking Macedonian and Greek ruling class governed Egypt. To their Egyptian subjects, the kings presented themselves as traditional pharaohs. The spread of Greek culture into the eastern world and its blending with local cultures is known as Hellenism, and the Ptolemaic kingdom was one of the leading states of the Hellenistic age.

History

• c. 305 BC: Ptolemy I ascended the throne. His capital was Alexandria, the port city founded by Alexander.
• c. 301 BC: Ptolemy I took control of southern Syria and Palestine, including Judea. For roughly a century thereafter, Jerusalem and the land of Judea remained under Ptolemaic rule.
• 3rd century BC: Under Ptolemy I and Ptolemy II, the Mouseion, a scholarly institution, and the Great Library are believed to have been established in Alexandria. Alexandria became the intellectual center of the Mediterranean world.
• 3rd–2nd centuries BC: The Ptolemies fought a series of wars with the Seleucid dynasty to the north over southern Syria and Palestine. These conflicts are commonly called the Syrian Wars. At the Battle of Raphia in 217 BC, Ptolemy IV defeated the Seleucid king Antiochus III.
• c. 200 BC: The Ptolemies were defeated by Antiochus III at the Battle of Panium. As a result, Judea passed under Seleucid rule.
• 2nd–1st centuries BC: The dynasty weakened amid continuing strife within the royal house and the growing influence of Rome.
• 31–30 BC: The last ruler, Cleopatra VII, allied herself first with the Roman Julius Caesar and then with Mark Antony. However, she was defeated by Octavian at the naval Battle of Actium in 31 BC, and with her death in 30 BC the dynasty came to an end. Egypt became a territory of Rome.

Consequences and Influence

In church history and biblical studies, the dynasty is remembered above all in connection with the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. An ancient document known as the Letter of Aristeas relates that during the reign of Ptolemy II, seventy-two Jewish scholars translated the Law in Alexandria. Scholars do not accept the details of this account at face value. There is broad agreement, however, that at least the Pentateuch was translated into Greek in Alexandria around the third century BC. The Septuagint was widely read by Greek-speaking Jews and early Christians, and when the New Testament quotes the Old Testament, it frequently agrees with the Septuagint.

A large Jewish community developed in Alexandria. It became one of the centers of the Hellenistic Jews, who spoke Greek while maintaining the Jewish faith. Acts 18:24 mentions Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria.

In addition, many interpreters read the conflict between the "king of the south" and the "king of the north" in Daniel 11 as referring to the wars between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid dynasties. Views of this passage differ, however. Traditional and conservative interpreters regard it as predictive prophecy that was fulfilled. Most historical-critical scholars date the Book of Daniel to the second century BC and understand the passage as reflecting the history of that period.

Assessment

The Ptolemaic dynasty ruled Egypt for about three hundred years and is credited with providing a setting in which Greek culture met Egyptian and Jewish traditions. In biblical studies, it is regarded as essential for understanding the intertestamental period, the era between the last book of the Old Testament and the New Testament. In particular, the transfer of Judea from Ptolemaic to Seleucid rule set the stage for the later Seleucid persecution, the Maccabean revolt, and the origin of Hanukkah.