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Following the conquests of Alexander the Great (356–323 BCE), for the majority of the population in the eastern Mediterranean, life was lived under the deep influence of Hellenism, with Greek culture affecting all areas of life: in language and literature, religion and philosophy, science and the arts, politics and economics, training and education. Hellenism first placed its stamp as a universal model for civilization on the upper strata of society, and its influence was far more apparent in the urban metropolises than in the hinterland. In the long run, however, no one was able to escape. Cultures quickly became intertwined on practically every level. People enthusiastically grasped the opportunities for personal education now made available to them, and the individual social mobility open to them.

Depending on their individual position and personal circumstances, Jews in the mother country and in the Diaspora saw the clash between traditional ways of life and the dominant Greek culture as a threat, a challenge, or an enrichment.¹ In the context of this diverse cultural encounter a rich Jewish literature developed, giving expression to a variety of Jewish positions from acculturation to demarcation.