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[German Version] There were contacts between Greece and the land of Israel at least from Persian times, but these greatly increased after the conquests of Alexander the Great. In the 3rd century bce, the contacts were largely commercial. An illustration can be found in the Zenon papyri. Wealthy Jews developed a Hellenized life (cf. Jos. Ant. XII 160–224 on the Tobiads). In the early 2nd century, in the reign of Antiochus IV (Antiochus III and IV), an attempt was made to make Jerusalem a Greek polis. The Oniad Jason persuaded the king ¶ to appoint him high priest in return for a large pa…

[German Version] I. Overview – II. Origin of the Book – III. The Tales in Dan 1–6 – IV. The Visions in Dan 7–12 – V. The Influence of Daniel I. Overview The book of Daniel is found among the Ketuvim (Writings, Old Testament) in the Hebrew Bible, but among the Neviʾim (Prophets) in the Greek and Latin (Christian) scriptures. The first six chapters tell the story of Daniel and three companions who are taken to Babylon by Nebucha…

Few episodes in ancient history have had more profound and lasting implications than the encounter of Judaism and Hellenism. The spread of Greek culture to the east was the first great encounter of east and west, the first instance of a clash of civilizations that has been repeated in various forms down to the present. Few people in antiquity could have anticipated that the Jews would be the most enduring representatives of ancient Near Eastern culture. Alexander can scarcely have given Judea a …