Ancient Israel survives to modern days ?

[Grey Wolf]

Rome is the bugger here, turning vassals into provinces

So to achieve this you either need Egypt to reclaim its independence from Augustus, or the Parthians to break through and vassalise the area

Obviiously either one fucks massively with OTL, but it would allow Israel [sic] to continue to rule itself

 

[oshron]

depending, i could believe Ancient Israel surviving not necessarily as being independent throughout, but retaining its distinct identity like many other places did. get up to the modern period and the end of other dominating powers in the region and then what was Ancient Israel could become a modern Israel, and this time without as much stigma since it isn't seen as just another Western colonization project

 

[alex costa]

Ancient Israel to survive to this ATL 2018 would require a lot of effort. Of course said world would be totally unrecognizable in our eyes. One key factor could be Cyrus the Great's favouring of the Jews, he did give the funds to rebuild the temple. Maybe as a PoD he also allows Israel to reform as a Vassal Satarapy of Persia and you can go from there perhaps?

 

[Don Corleone]

You would need the Israelites to keep the Mosaic covenant. Most of Israel's kings and the majority of Judah's abandoned YHWH.

Semitic tribes of that era typically ascribed military defeats to the other tribe's god being stronger, or to fighting on the other god's turf. The Israelites were unique in seeing defeat as punishment for their sins.

 

[Thanksforallthefish]

Not exactly "ancient" Israel, but the Hasmonean Kingdom surviving and even becoming a Middle-Eastern power is perfectly likely in a TL with no Rome or a lesser version of it. Though it would be threathened by states based in Mesopotamia/Persia.

From what I've read contemporary writers of the time complained that the kingdom was too hellenized. But I think Jewish culture would remain prevalent.

Of course a world without Rome and Christianity would be unrecognizable ~2000 years later

 

[Masked Grizzly]

Could OTL Armenia serve as a rough template of sorts in terms of an Armenian majority population more or less staying put in their ancestral homeland instead of being exiled (albeit up til recently) and outlasting the Romans, Persians, Caliphate / Muslims and Mongols as well as managing to establish a few Armenian kingdoms along the way?

What PODs would be needed and what other indigenous peoples in the area could inspiration be drawn upon besides the Armenians?

 

[Kaiser Wilhelm]

Maybe have Alexander the Great not die in India and create a stable Greek Empire, which IOTL mostly respected the rights of the Jews until ~100-200 years after Alexander’s death IIRC?

 

[Kaiser Wilhelm]

Alexander the Great not dying in India also probably eliminates the rise of the Romans, as he’d likely focus on expanding Magna Graecia’s territories in Italy, which would mean a defeat of the Romans. This means no Roman Empire->no Roman oppression of the Jews->no Jewish revolt->no destruction of the Second Temple->no major diaspora

 

[Mike Louis]

Not exactly "ancient" Israel, but the Hasmonean Kingdom surviving and even becoming a Middle-Eastern power is perfectly likely in a TL with no Rome or a lesser version of it. Though it would be threathened by states based in Mesopotamia/Persia.

From what I've read contemporary writers of the time complained that the kingdom was too hellenized. But I think Jewish culture would remain prevalent.

Of course a world without Rome and Christianity would be unrecognizable ~2000 years later

Much of the problems Israel experienced during the Hasmonean dynasty came from the fact that the Hasmoneans were kings as well as high priests. Also the later Hasmoneans sided with the pro hellenizing Sadducees which were the source of complaints by various writers of the time that they “sold out” in order to gain power which opened the door for the Romans to come in and take over.