Ptolemy in Biblical History

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Schaff's Bible Dictionary

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Who is Ptolemy?
PTOL'EMY or PTOLEMAE'US
is the common name of the Egyptian kings of the Greek dynasty. 1. Ptolemy I. Soter, b.c. 323-285, the founder of the dynasty; probably an illegitimate son of Philip; served as a general in the army of Alexander; seized Egypt in 323, and maintained himself there against Perdiccas, 321, Demetrius, 312, and Antigonus, 301. When invading Syria, in 320, he swept down upon Jerusalem on a Sabbath-day, occupied the city, and carried away a number of Jews as prisoners to Egypt. But he treated them well, and founded a flourishing Jewish colony in his kingdom. It is commonly supposed he is meant, in Dan 11:5, by "the king of the south." 2. Ptolemy II Philadelphus, b.c. 285-247, son of the preceding; reigned in peace after the marriage of his daughter, Berenice, with Antiochus II. of Syria, Dan 11:6; founded the great library and museum in Alexandria; attracted to that city such men as the poet Theocritus, the geometer Euclid, the astronomer Aratus, etc.; is said to have given the first impulse to the Septuagint translation of the O.T.; and was prominent in bringing about that amalgamation of East and West, of Jewish wisdom and Greek philosophy, which left so deep traces in the history of both Judaism and Christianity. 1. Ptolemy III. Euergetes, b.c. 247-222, son of the preceding; invaded Syria to avenge the repudiation and murder of his sister; conquered the country as far north as Antioch and as far east as Babylon; offered sacrifices in the temple of Jerusalem, according to the custom of the Law; and brought back to Egypt the gods and their molten images, which Cambyses had carried to Babylon. Dan 11:7-9. 2. Ptolemy IV. Philopator, b.c. 222-205, son of the preceding; defeated the army of Antiochus the Great at Raphia, near Gaza, 215, Dan 11:10-12; offered sacrifices of thanksgiving in the temple of Jerusalem; but when he attempted to penetrate into the sanctuary, he was suddenly struck by paralysis. 3. Ptolemy V. Epiphanes, b.c. 205-181, son of the preceding; was only five years old when his father died. During his minority Antiochus the Great conquered Coele-Syria, Phoenicia, and Judaea, and a great number of Jews who remained true to the Ptolemaean dynasty fled to Egypt, where the high priest, Onias, founded the temple at Leontopolis. By the mediation of the Romans, Ptolemy and Antiochus were afterward reconciled, but the Egyptian power was now rapidly decreasing. Dan 11:13-17. 4. Ptolemy VI. Philometor, b.c. 181-140, son of the preceding; was a mere infant when his father died. Up to her death, in 173, his mother, Cleopatra, reigned in his stead, and she kept peace with Syria. But, in 171, Antiochus Epiphanes sought and found an occasion to attack Egypt, defeated Ptolemy VI., and carried him away a prisoner. Again it was the interference of the Romans which saved Egypt, 168; but the power of the country was now really broken, and it gradually glided into the position of a Roman province. Dan 11:25-30. Under the reign of Ptolemy VI. the Jewish temple at Leontopolis was completed; and thus there existed a Judaism independent of Jerusalem and in intimate contact with the classical civilization.

Bibliography Information
Schaff, Philip, Dr. "Biblical Definition for 'ptolemy' in Schaffs Bible Dictionary".
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