The book by the famous historian of Russian origin V. Cherikover, who emigrated from Russia in the 20s of the 20th century and is much more famous in the West than in his homeland, is dedicated to the history and culture of the Jews of the Hellenistic era, i.e. it covers the period from campaigns of Alexander the Great before the appearance of the Romans in the Middle East and the accession of Herod the Great in Palestine. Unlike the authors of well-known works on the same topic, M. Hengel and E. Bickerman, V. Cherikover pays attention not only to the Jewish people themselves, but also to the Hellenized population of the entire the Middle East, trying to consider and analyze the phenomenon of Hellenism as a whole. In addition to its breadth of view, this study is distinguished by its thoroughness, balanced conclusions and genuine historicism, for it is much less burdened by extra-scientific political or confessional considerations than the works of the above authors, although it is also not completely free from them. If we talk about the coverage of the material and the number of sources used by the author, then we can say with confidence that the work of V. Cherikover to this day remains the most fundamental of all existing on the topic “Hellenism and Jews”. This book, written in simple and clear language, Without a doubt, it will be of interest to both professional historians and everyone interested in ancient history and the history of the Ancient Near East. Table of contents: A. G. Grushevoy. Victor Cherikover (1894-1958) and his legacy ... 5 Introduction ... 15 Part I HELLENISTIC CIVILIZATION IN PALESTINE Chapter 1. Political events before the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes ... 57 Chapter 2. Greek cities of Palestine .... 142 Chapter 3. Jerusalem on the eve of the Hellenistic reform ....186Chapter 4. Hellenistic Reform ..237Chapter 5. Antiochus' Persecution of the Jewish Religion .269Chapter 6. War of Liberation ..311Chapter 7. The Age of the Hasmoneans 353Part IIHELLENISTIC CIVILIZATION IN THE DIASPORAChapter 1. Political History .397Chapter 2. Jewish Community and greek city ....437Chapter 3. Economy and Society ..489Chapter 4. Cultural climate..507APPENDICESAppendix I. Sources on the period of Hellenizer rule in Jerusalem ..561Appendix II. Origin of the family of Simon, Menelaus and Lysimachus ..587Appendix III. Antioch in Jerusalem ....589Appendix IV. Edict of Claudius in "Antiquities of the Jews", XIX,...595List of abbreviations....603Bibliography....606Index of geographical names ..622Name index 630