HELLENISM
The conquest of immense territories in Asia by Alexander the Great and the maintenance of those territories under the dynasties of Alexander’s generals, paved the way for the influence of Greek culture in its multiple forms in much of the ancient world.
Hellenistic customs, language and ways of thinking infiltrated Judea itself, especially among elitist and collaborationist layers of the population. This provoked the Maccabean reaction.
The Judaism of the dispersion was more especially subjected to the influence of Greek thought. Philo of Alexandria is one of the Jewish thinkers who shows a great influence of Greek conceptions on his way of thinking.