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Text | Historic Exploration
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Although many of the Jews who settled in Egypt migrated to Egypt voluntarily, they still had a deep attachment to their homeland. And from 301 BC to 198 BC, the Palestinian region was under the control of the Ptolemaic dynasty.
To a certain extent, this facilitated the contact of Egyptian Jews with their homeland. In addition, the geographical proximity of the two places makes the two places travel more frequently than other regions.
As a result, "many tributes are sent to Jerusalem every year, and large numbers of pilgrims arrive at great festivals, especially at Passover."
Egyptian Jews are closely associated with the Palestinian region
Although Egyptian Jews were not subject to the ethnic regime in Palestine, they still had great respect for the regime, even during the reign of the Hasmonean dynasty.
"After the fall of the southern kingdom of Judah, a rule gradually developed among the Jews: the high priest must be a descendant of the house of Sadhu, and the king must be a descendant of the house of David."
The newly formed Hasmone, on the other hand, did not belong to either of the two. Thus, from the point of view of Jewish tradition, their position does not have legitimacy.
But the Jews of Egypt still gave it great recognition. According to Josephus, in 55 B.C., Gabineu, the Roman governor of Syria, came to Egypt to restore Ptolemy XI Oltais to the throne by passing through the beach of Rusium, where the Ptolemaic dynasty was garrisoned by Jews.
The Roman army sent Antipate, the Jewish chief of Palestine, and under his orders, the local Jewish army let the Roman army pass through and into Egypt. The same event is still happening.
In 48 B.C., a Roman army on its way from Perucium to Memphis encountered a Jewish army stationed in the territory of Onia, which was initially reluctant to give up access to foreign troops.
However, after Antipatus presented the letter of the Jewish high priest Hulccan, the Jews not only did not prevent the Roman army from passing through the area, but also promised to provide for their journey.
In both cases, the Jewish troops, who were stationed as Ptolemaic troops, were supposed to be under the command of the Ptolemaic rulers, to maintain their own security and interests, and to prevent the passage of foreign troops.
But they didn't. On the contrary, out of consideration of the Jewish national identity, they obeyed the orders of the Jewish regime in Palestine and gave way to foreign troops.
It can be seen that in the eyes of the Egyptian Jews, Jilestan still has an important place. In addition, the rulers of Palestine actively promoted the connection of the Jews of the diaspora with Jerusalem. During the Hasmon dynasty, Jews from all over the world were encouraged to make pilgrimages to the Jerusalem Temple.
During Herod's time, he not only allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem for a visit, but also seemed to involve them in local affairs. Herod "brought several families of priests from Egypt and Babylon to replace the Hasmonean priests," believing that they would be more open-minded and conducive to the implementation of his plans in Jerusalem.
Jewish reverence for the temple in Jerusalem
Although the Egyptian Jews left the ancient Canaan land, left the Jerusalem Temple, and established numerous synagogues in Egypt, their affection for the city of Jerusalem and the temple was inseparable.
Philo believed that for the Jews in the diaspora, the place where they grew up and lived was the motherland, and Jerusalem was their mother city. Egypt did not build a temple for all Jews to worship.
"Jewish law decrees that the temple of God can only be built in Jerusalem and no other place" because the God Jahvi is the only one, and the temple should be only one.
Although there were many synagogues in Egypt, the Jews only "read the scriptures, preach the scriptures, and pray" in the synagogues, and did not perform sacrifices, which they believed were the exclusive preserve of the Jerusalem Temple.
For this reason, some scholars believe that the Temple of Onia, built during the time of Ptolemy VI, may have been intended to replace the Temple in Jerusalem.
For the temple had always been "the practice of sacrificial worship in the manner of Jerusalem." However, it is located in a remote village in the province of Heliopolis, Leontopolis, about 180 skids from Memphis, and the Jewish population is sparsely populated, and it was never part of the Egyptian Jewish community.
It is likely that the synagogue was built for other purposes, or was the idea of a very small number of local Jews. In the eyes of most Jews, the temple was irreplaceable.
"Anyone who sees the statue that has been carried to the temple in a group will be 'turned to stone,' just as the people who saw the 'head of the gorgon'. ”
Egyptian Jews had a tradition of going to Jerusalem for worship and sacrifice. The proper functioning of the temple is inseparable from the devotion of the faithful. According to the Bible, when a Jew reached the age of 20, whether rich or poor, "every man was to take half a shekel of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which was a gift to Jehovah."
In order to rebuild the temple, Nehemiah proposed that "every man donate 1/3 of the silver shekel every year for the use of our temple." By the time of the Hasmonean dynasty, for the first time, the ruler fixed the amount of the temple tax to include not only the Jews in the country, but also the Jews in the diaspora.
In order to pay the holy money on time, "every city had a bank for the holy money, and people came here regularly to give it. When the appointed time is reached, envoys selected according to their merits, those of high moral respect, are sent to take away the holy money from all the towns."
Even when they emigrated to other countries, Egyptian Jews did not forget this tradition. In Philo's account, the Jewish populace and the upper class of Alexandria, who made offerings to the temple in Jerusalem through messengers.
The Messengers traveled long distances and often encountered many difficulties that were difficult to complete. In addition, Jews often went to the temple in person for worship. For Yahvi "disapproved of those who wished to perform rituals in their own homes, and commanded them to come to this temple even in the polar regions."
Throughout the Hellenistic period, "the Jews of Egypt visited the temple in Jerusalem as pilgrims, which was also a fact of no doubt in the time of Oniya, after the repeal of the Antiochus decree and the restoration of holy worship in Jerusalem".
The Jews in the diaspora also built their own synagogue in the city of Jerusalem.
The Influence of Palestinian Regional Culture on Egyptian Jews
The respect of Egyptian Jews for the Palestinian regional government and the city of Jerusalem made it inevitable that they would be influenced in all respects. However, due to the fact that the area was often under foreign rule, its influence on Egyptian Jews was more cultural or religious.
Prior to the establishment of the Hasmonean dynasty, Palestine was often contested by the Ptolemaic and Seleucid dynasties, and the local Jews were in dire straits.
Especially after the failure of Jason's Hellenistic reforms in 175 BC, the Seleucids reversed their previous tolerant attitude towards the Jews.
In 169 B.C., Antiochus IV Epiphine "broke into the temple and plundered the golden altar, the lampstand, and all its accessories...... He also took away all the gold that was in front of the temple, and ransacked all the gold and silver treasures that were stored there."
In 167 B.C.E., he issued a decree ordering the Jews in Jerusalem and all Jewish towns to follow foreign customs and Xi in an attempt to replace the Mosaic Law with Greek law.
He sent to Jerusalem to "compel them to treat the Sabbath and the feast as they do the normal working day." They were even told to read the temple and its holy vessels. They were forced to build cult altars, temples, and ancestral halls, where they were sacrificed with pigs and other unclean animals.
forbidding them to circumcise their own sons" and so on, and sent officials to supervise them, and those who disobeyed the edict were to be put to death. Antiochus IV's persecution of Judaism caused some Jewish intellectuals to turn their search for national survival and revival to a purely spiritual pursuit.
As a result, a large number of apocalyptic literary works were produced, such as the Book of No, the Apocalypse of Zephaniah, the War of the Children of Light and the Children of Darkness, and the Apocryphal Book of Zezekiel.
These works often bear the names of ancient scholars, indicating their authority, but they mostly depict bizarre and bizarre phenomena about the end of the world, heaven, and hell. In these bizarre phenomena, the Messiah usually comes to humanity at the end of the day to assist God in his judgment, after which he will rule the new world forever.
The image of the Messiah has also changed from a traditional earthly role to a heavenly one. The last judgment is rarely mentioned in the Thornsaiah thought of the Qumran Jewish community, but there is a clear heavenly tendency in its discussion of the Messianic attributes.
It is mentioned several times in the text that the Messiah is surrounded by angels and is on the side of God. It can be seen that he was not a mortal person like a Jewish priest or a leader, and he was not a terrestrial character.
He comes from heaven and is immortal. The flourishing of apocalyptic literature greatly contributed to the development of messianic thought in Palestine. Because of their religious belonging, there are close ties between Egyptian Jews and Palestine.
This allowed their messianic ideas to be influenced by the local culture to some extent. As the only book of Revelation to be included in the Greek version of the Bible, the pioneering work of Apocalyptic literature had an important influence on the messianic thinking of Egyptian Jews.
Behind this settlement and connection, in addition to the convenience of location, there are a number of other factors. First, the Ptolemaic dynasty ruled the Palestinian territories relatively steadily, maintaining a relatively relaxed religious and cultural policy. This allowed Egyptian Jews to freely maintain their religious beliefs and Xi without excessive interference.
Secondly, Egypt, as an ancient and prosperous center of civilization, is rich in resources and opportunities. For some businessmen and craftsmen, Egypt offers better development opportunities and economic conditions.
This attracted some Jews to Egypt in search of a better life and career development.
However, despite settling in Egypt, Egyptian Jews did not forget their homeland. Every year, thousands of pilgrims flock to Jerusalem on important festivals, especially Passover, to express their faith in Judaism and their attachment to their homeland.
This pilgrimage is an important link between Egyptian Jews and their homeland, allowing them to maintain their cultural heritage and connections.
summary
The Ptolemaic dynasty ruled the Palestinian region relatively steadily, maintaining a relatively liberal religious and cultural policy. This allowed Egyptian Jews to freely maintain their religious beliefs and Xi without excessive interference.
In general, the Jews who settled in Egypt maintained close ties to their homeland in various ways, although they were in a foreign land.
Whether it is emotional attachment or religious involvement, they always see themselves as members of the Jewish nation and contribute to the transmission and development of Jewish culture. Egypt became their new home and a constant bridge to their homeland.
bibliography
[1] Fu Youde, "The Messianic View of Judaism and Its Divergence from Christianity", World Religions Studies, No. 2, 1997.
[2] Liang Gong, "An Examination of the Concept of Messiah", World Religion Studies, No. 1, 2006.
[3] Liang Gong, "A Brief Treatise on Ancient Jewish Apocalyptic Literature", Studies in Foreign Literature, No. 3, 1998.
[4] Liu Jingzhong, "Religious Mysticism and Jewish Messianic Beliefs", Journal of Chang'an University, No. 4, 2002. [5] Ma Rong, "Jews in the Hellenistic World: Philo", Cultural Perspective, No. 318, 2011.
[6] Rao Benzhong, "On the Eschatology of Judaism", Studies in Religious Studies, No. 3, 2007.
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