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The Paralia ( - ''beach''), also known as Medinat HaYam ( - ''country by the sea'') was a coastal
eparchy Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an Ecclesiology, ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administra ...
in
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
during Hellenistic and Roman times, ruled by the Seleucid Empire between 197 and 99 BCE, as part of the Coele-Syria province. According to Josephus, the inhabitants of the region were primarily Greek city-dwellers. The name appears in the 6th-century Madaba Map, appended to the town of Ashdod-Yam, as ''Azotos Paralos'' (), ca. 3 kilometers south of Modern Ashdod. The region was originally set up by the Seleucids, along with the eparchies of Idumea and Galaaditis and neighbouring the eparchy of Samaria. Josephus wrote that the Paralia was outside Jewish jurisdiction throughout the
Second Temple Period The Second Temple period or post-exilic period in Jewish history denotes the approximately 600 years (516 BCE – 70 CE) during which the Second Temple stood in the city of Jerusalem. It began with the return to Zion and subsequent reconstructio ...
, except for a short period under the Hasmoneans and during the reign of
Herod the Great Herod I or Herod the Great () was a History of the Jews in the Roman Empire, Roman Jewish client king of the Herodian kingdom of Judea. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea. Among these works are the rebuilding of the ...
and the Agrippas.


Etymology

The region was described as the ''Coastal Country'' in 1 Maccabees (; ) and 2 Maccabees ().The Apocrypha, edited by Martin Goodman, John Barton, John Muddiman
p.154
In earlier
Halakha ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Torah, Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is ...
it was described at "Medinat HaYam" (cities of the sea).


History

The region was originally set up by the Seleucids. The eparchy bordered Samaria, Idumea and Galaaditis, all part of the Coele-Syria province. Nicanor son of Patroclus was likely one of the governors of Paralia district, and was titled Cypriarch - apparently commanding some Cypriot garrison troops in the region, when Antiochus V Eupator acceded to the throne.B. Bar-Kochva. ''Judas Maccabaeus: The Jewish Struggle Against the Seleucids''. Cambridge University Press. p239. Part of the Paralia region was first conquered by Jews under the Hasmoneans. Simon Thassi captured Joppa in 143 BCE,
John Hyrcanus John Hyrcanus (; ; ) was a Hasmonean (Maccabee, Maccabean) leader and Jewish High Priest of Israel of the 2nd century BCE (born 164 BCE, reigned from 134 BCE until he died in 104 BCE). In rabbinic literature he is often referred to as ''Yoḥana ...
captured Jamnia and Ashdod in 125 BCE, and between 103 and 99 BCE Alexander Jannaeus conquered the areas from Dora, northwards to Acra, and from Gaza, southwards to Rinocorura. The first penetration of Hasmoneans to Joppa was gradual - first a garrison was set up in the city, with later replacement of the pagan population by incoming Jews. Only Ashkelon was never conquered by the Hasmoneans.


Demographics

According to Josephus, the inhabitants of the region were primarily Greek city-dwellers.


See also

* Phoenice (Roman province)


Footnotes


Sources

* {{citation, title=Flavius Josephus and His Portrayal of the Coast (Paralia) of Contemporary Roman Palestine: Geography and Ideology, first=Ben-Zion, last=Rosenfeld, journal=The Jewish Quarterly Review, year=2000 , volume=91, issue=1, pages=143–183, publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press, doi=10.2307/1454789 , jstor=1454789 2nd-century BC establishments in the Seleucid Empire Jewish Seleucid history History of Palestine (region) Political entities in the Land of Israel Seleucid colonies