History of Ancient Israel

Maccabean Rebellion

164

The Hasmon family of priests led a rebellion against Atiochus IV, winning a small amount of independence for Israel. The Hasmonean rule was established under the new kingdom created, also called Israel.

Antiochus IV

175

Antiochus IV was a Hellenistic ruler of Syria, and attempted to create one religion across his kingdom. To do so, he abolished the Torah and worshipped Greek gods such as Zeus, to whom he sacrificed animals to inside the Temple of Solomon.

Ezra

430

As a priest and scribe, Ezra took it upon himself to rewrite many of the stories of his people. He also began the tradition of reading hours of the Torah at a time, and it is largely due to him that the Jewish accept the Torah as their scripture.

Cyrus and the Return

510

Cyrus the Great, the king of Persia, conquered Babylon, and allowed the Jewish to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple.

Assyria

Feb 17, 722

The Assyrian Empire invaded Israel and scattered the Jews into Assyria. Those scattered throughout the Empire lost their culture and became known as "The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel".

King Solomon

Feb 17, 1000

1000 - 931 BCE
King Solomon was the son of David and made a great temple to house the Ark and to make sacrifices to it. He began worshipping other gods in his life and God divided the kingdom after Solomon's death into Israel and Judah.

King David

Jan 1, 1040

1040 - 970 BCE
King David was the second, and greatest, king of Israel. He was chosen by the prophet Samuel and brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.

The Greeks

Mar 2, 2022

Greek influence into Jewish society led to more Hellenistic beliefs among scribes and priests, who became more skeptical of the beliefs they had accepted unflinchingly before.

Babylonian Invasion

Mar 2, 2022

The king of Babylon, King Nebudchanezzer, captures Jerusalem and scatters the rest of the Jews, destroying the Temple of Solomon in the process. This scattering is known as the Diaspore.