In 323 BCE, King Alexander the Great died. As a result, his empire was divided amongst four generals. The Ptolemies were Macedonian Greek and the founder of the last Egyptian dynasty, in which they were in control of Palestine, the Seleucus was given Syria. For more than a century the Ptolemies ruled Palestine while Egypt dominated a large portion of the Jewish population. The Egyptian domination of Palestine came under direct challenge from the Seleucids when Antiochus the Great came to the Seleucid throne. Antiochus the Great was granted the Seleucid throne between 223-187 BCE (Maxey, n.d.). Through numerous battles, Antiochus the Great prevailed in the battle of Panium and were welcomed by the Jewish people (Tullock and McEntire, 2012).