Greeks/Athenians in Early Jewish Literarature

In contrast to rabbinic texts that depict Alexander the Great in a fairly positive light (see Alexander the Great), many Jewish texts of the Hellenistic period express hostility toward the conquering Greeks. First and Second Maccabees denounce the Greek “way of life” as antithetical to the norms of Torah and lament the attraction of Greek cultural practices (costume and hairstyles, gymnasiums, and public games) that led young Jews to remove the marks of circumcision, abandon the covenant, despise the sanctuary, and neglect the sacrifices.