Christianity started as a movement inside Judaism during a time when Jews had long been subject to political and cultural domination by foreign powers and had discovered that their religion served as the foundation of their community rather than their political views or artistic accomplishments. Israel’s religion was characterized by conflict, starting with the book of Amos (8th century BCE), between the idea of monotheism, with its universal ideal of salvation (for all nations), and the conviction that God specifically chose Israel. This universalistic inclination was strengthened during the Hellenistic Era (323 BCE–3rd century CE) by the Jews’ dispersion throughout the eastern Mediterranean kingdoms and the Roman Empire. However, many Jews fiercely resisted foreign rulers’ attempts to impose Greek culture in Palestine, particularly those of the Syrian monarch Antiochus IV Epiphanes (168–165 BCE), which resulted in Judas Maccabeus’s uprising against Antiochus. Separation and exclusivity were major themes in Palestinian Judaism. Jewish missionaries were obligated to enforce the unique Jewish practices of kosher eating, Sabbaths, and other holidays on non-Jewish missionaries. On the other hand, some Jews were not as closed off, appreciating Greek culture and allowing converts without circumcising them.