Tema 19. La dinastía Asmonea: Juan Hircano, Alejandro Janeo, Salomé Alejandra

#Archaeology #Israel #history #Jerusalem #Maccabee #martyrdom #Hanukkah Biblical Archaeology Seminar of the Major Seminary of Toledo. For a long time, scholars have been skeptical about the historicity of biblical data, but archaeology is uncovering new evidence about this fascinating period in the history of Israel. After the defeat of the Seleucids, the Maccabees came to power, beginning the Hasmonean dynasty. Sadly, the kings who followed were distinguished by their autocratic form of government. They usurped the office of High Priest and generated a growing sense of resentment, to the point that some groups, such as the Essenes, separated from the official worship practiced in the Temple of Jerusalem. Also during this period, the politically very active Pharisee party emerged. Galilee and Idumea were re-Judaized. Grand palace-fortresses like Machaerus and Jericho were built. Ultimately, civil war between various factions precipitated Roman intervention and the end of an independent Jewish state that had lasted for about a hundred years.