Loading…
Sparta (Σπαρτη, Spartē). A city on the Peloponnesian peninsula of Greece; also known as Lacedaemon. Sparta is well known from ancient Greek literature, particularly Thucydides’ history of the Peloponnesian War (431–404 bc). Several passages in the books of the Maccabees (1 Macc 14:16; 1 Macc 14:20; 1 Macc 14:23) refer to friendly relations between the Jews and the Spartans.
In the fourth century bc, the Spartan king Arius wrote a letter to the Jewish high priest Onias I (1 Macc 12:19–23). This letter claimed that both the Spartans and the Jews were descendants of Abraham. In the second century bc, Jason the high priest sought asylum in Sparta in 168 bc after an attempted coup (2 Macc 5:9). About 20 years later, during the Hasmonean period, correspondence between the Spartans and Jews resumed under Jonathan Maccabeus (1 Macc 12:5–18) and continued after his death under his brother Simon (1 Macc 14:20–24).
|
About The Lexham Bible DictionaryThe Lexham Bible Dictionary spans more than 7,200 articles, with contributions from hundreds of top scholars from around the world. Designed as a digital resource, this more than 4.5 million word project integrates seamlessly with the rest of your Logos library. And regular updates are applied automatically, ensuring that it never goes out of date. Lexham Bible Dictionary places the most relevant information at the top of each article and articles are divided into specific subjects, making the entire dictionary more useable. In addition, hand-curated links between articles aid your research, helping you naturally move through related topics. The Lexham Bible Dictionary answers your questions as they arise and expands your knowledge of the Bible. |
| Copyright |
Copyright 2016 Lexham Press. |
| Support Info | lbd |