1. Important Dates
a. 2000BC - Abraham
b. 1500BC - Moses (c. 1445BC)
c. 1000BC - David - Solomon died 931BC ® divided kingdom
d. 722BC - Northern tribes captivity to Syria, leading to Samaritans in their land
e. 586BC - Judah taken to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple
f. 536BC - Judah returned
g. 516BC - New Temple dedicated
h. 444BC - Ezra and Nehemiah lived
i. 435BC - Malachi written
j. 333BC - Alexander the Great conquered the world
k. 40BC - Herod the Great became the King of the Jews until 4BC
2. The four kingdoms in the Book of Daniel.
a. Chapter Two - Babylon (lion), Mede/Persians (bear), Greek (leopard with 4 heads and 4 wings), Roman (diverse beast with 7 heads, 10 horns (Daniel, Chapter Seven)).
b. Chapter Two is probably how man sees those kingdoms. Chapter Seven is God watching as scary beasts struggle for power.
c. Chapter Eight zeroes in on the Mede/Persians and Greek Kingdoms. He-goat conquered ram (Daniel 8:20-21)
d. Chapter Eleven - Seleuthians in the North controlled Syria, and Ptolomies in South controlled Egypt. Israel was right in the middle fighting both.
3. In 612BC, Babylon overthrew Assyria.
4. Alexander the Great was in his twenties when he conquered the world
5. Helle (Greece) - Hellenize was to Greek-ize the world. Spread their language and literature around the world to control it
6. Ephiphanes (Seleuthians) - He got the people riled up.
7. Mattaphias (died 166BC) - led the Jews against Syrians. His son, Judas, got a victory. Hannekah was a feast of celebration to commemorate that victory (John 10:22)
8. Rome ruled in provinces. Israel was in the province of Syria.
9. Maccabees - Idumean (little south of Judea - descendants of Esau) - Herod was the son and grandson of Antipater I and II. By 37BC, he had conquered Israel and become king. Herod was not liked by the Jews. He was always suspicious.
10. Nabateans - nomadic, from Petra (100 miles south of Amman). Herod was son of a daughter of a Nabatean king. He ousted them.
11. Samaritans - foreigners from Syria that had been placed in the land. Often, they were a mixed people racially and religiously. They had opposed Nehemiah.
12. Idumea - Herod was from there.
Tom of Bethany "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
Index to Selected Essays And Book Reviews
Lesson 3 - Understanding Palestine's Physical Geography
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