Faculty Publications

Document Type

Article

Keywords

Dead Sea Scrolls

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Qumran Chronicle

Volume

33

Issue

1-4

First Page

31

Last Page

84

Abstract

The rulers of the Seleucid and the Ptolemaic Empires fought six wars for control of the region known as Coele-Syria during the third and the second centuries BCE. These conflicts weakened both powers, allowing them to be conquered by the Roman Republic. For the Jews of Judea, the Fifth Syrian War witnessed increased conflicts in the country among its high priests regarding the nature of Hellenistic reforms and how to deal with the Seleucid Empire. These difficulties continued and led to the Maccabean Revolt at the conclusion of the Sixth Syrian War, which would eventually culminate in Judean independence from the Seleucid Empire, and the 142/3 BCE creation of an independent Jewish State. What is neglected in studies of these conflicts is the attitudes towards them reflected in the diverse corpus of documents known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. What those responsible for writing, copying, and preserving these texts have to say about this pivotal era of Middle Eastern history sheds new light on the relationship between the Seleucid and the Ptolemaic Empires and the Jews. These documents also shed new light on the origin of the Maccabean Revolt and how it created normative Second Temple Judaism.

Department

Department of History

Original Publication Date

2025

Object Description

1 PDF File

Repository

UNI ScholarWorks, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

Copyright

©2025 Enigma Press. Permission to post the article granted by the publisher.

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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