Hellenism Research Paper

Judea was governed by a Roman procurator who achieved its political, military, and economic activities. Its organizational creation was restructured by Gabinius, the Roman governor of Syria. He alienated the country into five or administrative dis¬tricts. This plan was clearly intended to abolish the age old structure of toparchies, dating from the reign of Solomon, and taken over in turn by the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians, and then by the Ptole¬mies and Seleucids. The intent of this reform was to strike at the foundations of the nations and thus make certain that popular resis¬tance would be unbearable.

Hellenistic means to 'imitate Greeks', and the Hellenistic period states to a period of time dominated by a combination of Greek language and customs with the culture of the Near East. The real era of the Hellenistic civilizations began with the life and death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. and finished with Rome's conquest of Egypt. The Hellenism did change the Jewish leadership from the God-ordained clergy to the Sadducee-controlled Sanhedrin, and the law of the land strictly reflected Grecian laws than those given through Moses. Hellenism also stated itself in petty means, such as Saul taking the name Paul. Hellenism had a great inspiration during the early years of Christianity. Sometimes the effect was felt indirectly (safe roads) and directly (spiritual synergism).

Christianity is not a system of ideas but a religion, a way of salvation. But as a religion becomes a distinguishable strand of human history, it absorbs philosophical assumptions from its environment and generates new philosophical constructions and arguments both in the formation of doctrines and in their defense against philosophical objections. Moreover, philosophical criticism from both within and without the Christian community has influenced the development of its