In the 2nd century BCE, Judea lay between the Ptolemaic Kingdom (based in Egypt) and the Seleucid empire (based in Syria), monarchies which had formed following the death of Alexander the Great (356–323 BCE).
I det 2. århundrede f.v.t., lå Judæa mellem det ptolemæiske Kongerige baseret i Egypten og Seleukiderriget baseret i Syrien, kongeriger dannet efter døden af Alexander den Store (356-323 f.v.t.).