The influence of Hellenism was seen in politics, science, philosophy and literature. The critical faculty of the Greeks made them realists. In their estimate of men and things the Greeks were guided by an innate and strongly marked sense of proportion. In the domain of religion it is to be noted, first, that Hellenistic philosophy soon developed into theology; the Hellenistic period was, therefore, not one of irreligion. But the critical attitude of the philosophers towards the traditional religion made it impossible, at any rate for the cultured classes, to believe in it as heretofore. It was, however, all to the good that the essence of the ancient myths was transformed while their form was retained. Another and most important fact to be noted is the religious syncretism which was a characteristic of this period; the intermingling of races brought about the intermingling of worship. The Hellenistic Movement was the means of a great development of religious thought; and the resultant effect on the religious literature of the age is difficult to exaggerate. CHAPTER II Hellenistic Influence upon the Jews of Palestine [LITERATURE.—Stade, _Geschichte des Volkes Israel_, II, pp. 273-310 (1888); this part of the work is done by O. Holtzmann; Toy, _Christianity and Judaism_, pp. 173-214 (1891); Schürer, II, i. pp. 1-149, German ed. II, pp. 1-267; Swete, _Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek_, pp. 1-9 (1900); Bousset, _Die Religion des Judentums im neutestamentlichen Zeitalter_, pp. 448-493 (1903); Hölscher, _Palästina in der persischen und hellenistischen Zeit_ (1903); Zeller, _Die Philosophie der Griechen_, III, ii. (1903); Edwyn Bevan, _Jerusalem under the High-priests_ (1904); M. Friedländer, _Die religiösen Bewegungen innerhalb des Judentums im Zeitalter Jesu_, pp. 1-168 (1905); Krüger, _Philo und Josephus als Apologeten des Judenthums_ (1906); Krüger, _Hellenismus und Judenthum im neutestamentlichen Zeitalter_ (1908); Wendland, _Die Hellenistisch-Römische Kultur_ ... pp. 187-211. See also the articles “Hellenism” in the _Encyclopædia Biblica_, and “Griechenthum” in Hamburger’s _Realencycl. für Bibel und Talmud_.] I. HELLENISM AND JUDAISM The influence which Greek thought and culture exercised upon the Jews and the Jewish religion differed both in its extent and intensity upon the Jews of Palestine on the one hand, and upon the Jews of the Dispersion on the other. It will, therefore, be necessary to deal separately with these two parts of the subject, although a great deal of what we shall have to say about Hellenistic influence upon the Jews of Palestine will naturally apply also to the Jews of the Dispersion.