CU4-21

 The Ptolomies granted considerable autonomy to the Jews remaining in Judea, and the ease of travel between Judea and Jewish centers elsewhere in the Greek empire resulted in the Hellenization of parts of Judea. Jews increasingly took on a dual identity: ethnically and religiously Jewish; culturally Greek.
 * 4:21 **  **Greek Rule and Wisdom Literature **
 * Goal **Students will discuss the transition of power under Greek rule and the impact of Greek practice on the daily lives of the Jews.
 *  1. **** Gain the attention of the learner ** Read aloud some interesting passages from the book of Proverbs.
 *  2. **** Relevant past learning ** Identify the period and locations to be studied on the timeline. Recall information about the geography of the Judean highlands from lesson 4:3.
 *  3. **** Present new material ** At end of Persian period, the Jewish settlement was, like ancient Judah, limited to the highlands in the vicinity of Jerusalem. Alexander the Great conquered Persia, Palestine, and Egypt, and many Jews traveled from Judea to Alexandria, thereby increasing the Jewish population in Egypt that had begun during the Exile. After Alexander’s death (323 BCE), Palestine is caught in the struggle between the Suleucids in Syria and the Ptolomies in Egypt over Alexander’s empire. When Ptolomy I conquered Palestine (301 BCE), many Jews were deported to Alexandria. This reinforced the pattern of the Diaspora: a religious center in Judea with important Jewish centers in far off regions (Babylon and Alexandria, at this time).
 *  4. **** Provide for guided practice **<span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> During the post-exilic period, the “wisdom” literature in the Bible was produced. Examine some of the passages from the book of Proverbs with the class as an example of practical wisdom literature.
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial"> 5. ****<span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> Provide for independent practice **<span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> Ask the students to compose three to five proverbs that would help people live a happy life.
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"> 6. Close the lesson **<span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"> Come together and share the proverbs.