The Maccabean Revolt

THE MARION COUNTY MANNA PROJECT offers a Printer Friendly Summary of THE MACCABEAN REVOLT Question: "What happened in the Maccabean Revolt?" Answer: The Maccabean Revolt (1) was a Jewish rebellion against their Greek/Syrian oppressors in Israel, c. 167—160 BC, as well as a rejection of Hellenistic compromises in worship. The history of the Maccabean Revolt is found in 1 & 2 Maccabees (2) and in the writings of Josephus. The origin of Hanukkah (3) is traced back to the Maccabean Revolt. First, some background on the events leading up to the Maccabean Revolt. The Old Testament (4) closes with the book of Malachi (5), covering events to roughly 400 BC. After that, Alexander the Great (6) all but conquers the known civilized world and dies in 323 BC. His empire is distributed to his four generals who consolidate their territory and establish their dynasties. Ptolemy, one of his generals, ruled in Egypt. Seleucus, another of his generals, ruled over territory that included Syria. These generals founded dynasties that were often at war with each other. Israel (7), located between the two kingdoms, occupied a precarious position. Ptolemaic rule of Israel (Palestine) was tolerant of Jewish religious practices. However, the Seleucid Empire (8) eventually won control of the area and began to curtail Jewish religious practices. In 175 BC, Antiochus IV (9) came to power. He chose for himself the name Antiochus Epiphanes, which means “god manifest.” He began to persecute the Jews in earnest. He outlawed Jewish religious practices (including the observance of kosher food laws) and ordered the worship of the Greek god Zeus. His ultimate act of desecration, precipitating the Maccabean Revolt, was to sacri- fice a pig to Zeus in the Temple (10) in Jerusalem (11) in 167 BC. Faithful Jewish opposition had been an undercurrent all along, but Antiochus’ overt act of desecration brought it to the surface, and the result was the Maccabean Revolt. Mattathias (12), a Jewish priest, led the organized resistance along with his five sons: John Gaddi, Simon Thassi, Eleazar Av- aran, Jonathan Apphus, and Judas Maccabeus (13) (Maccabeus comes from the Hebrew word for “hammer”). Mattathias started the rebellion by preventing a Jew from sacrificing to a pagan god and then killing an officer of the king. Mattathias escaped with his family to the hills where he was joined by many other faithful Jews. From there, they conducted guerilla warfare against the Seleu- cids, but much of their wrath was also directed against fellow Jews who had embraced Greek cul- ture (Hellenized Jews). The rebels tore down pagan altars, circumcised boys, and forced Hellenized Jews to become “outlaws” with no rights or legal protection. Upon Mattathias’ death in 166 BC, his son Judas Maccabeus took command of the rebellion. Judas saw himself as a leader like Moses (14), Joshua (15), and Gideon (16). www.marionmannaproject.com/maccabean-revolt 1 THE MARION COUNTY MANNA PROJECT THE MACCABEAN REVOLT Under the leadership of Judas Maccabeus, the rebellion continued successfully, and the Maccabees, as they were called, were able to capture Jerusalem and rededicate the temple in 164. (It is from this time that the festival of Hanukkah comes.) From there Maccabeus took the war to Galilee (17) in an effort to reclaim all Jewish territory. In 164 Antiochus Epiphanes died, and his son and successor Antiochus Eupator agreed to peace, allowing the resumption of Jewish practices; however, the war resumed shortly after that, and Judas sought and received help from the fledgling power of Rome (18) to finally throw off Seleucid control. Judas died in about 161 and was succeeded by his brother Jonathan. Finally, under Jonathan’s leadership, peace was made with Alexander Balas (19), the Se- leucid king, in about 153. After Jonathan, his brother Simon ruled over a semi-independent Jewish nation. With the collapse of the Seleucid Empire in 116 BC, the nation of Israel enjoyed full inde- pendence until 63 BC when Rome installed a puppet king in Jerusalem. In spite of the fact that Judas Maccabeus neither started the rebellion nor saw it to its completion, he is considered to be the central figure in it. Mattathias and his family are sometimes called the Hasmoneans; they are also referred to as the Maccabees, after Judas, and the revolt they led is referred to as the Maccabean Revolt. The history of the rebellion is recorded in Josephus’s The Jewish Wars and in the non-canonical books of 1 and 2 Maccabees. (a) + + + + + + + + + The narrative (b) offered herein has been published with permission (b) and no monetary gain is being sought. Footnotes within the narrative have been inserted by The Marion County Manna Project and re-direct to our webpages (unless otherwise noted) for additional spiritual insight and reflection. + + + + + + + + + If you're seeking additional information about Christianity on a more personal level, consider visit- ing a Christian Church here in Marion County (20). Introduce yourself to members and ask to speak with someone to learn more about Jesus. Surrendering your life to Christ (21) (c) is the most rewarding and everlasting decision you'll ever make, and it's comforting to have someone guide you as you begin your new life as a child of the Most High! May God shower you with great favor in this endeavor! + + + + + + + + + Footnotes, Page Credits and External Resources appear on page 3. Consider printing and sharing the offered PDF narrative and other listed resources with family, friends and strangers alike for use in Bible Studies (22), Home/Church Faith Sharing Groups (23), Discipleship Encounters (24) and/ or Personal Faith Enrichment! Modifications are welcome at [email protected]. www.marionmannaproject.com/maccabean-revolt 2 THE MARION COUNTY MANNA PROJECT THE MACCABEAN REVOLT FOOTNOTES: (1) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/maccabean-revolt (2) https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=1+Maccabees&qs_version=NABRE (3) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/Hanukkah (4) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/old-testament (5) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/malachi (6) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/alexander-the-great (7) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/Israel (8) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/Seleucid-Empire (9) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/antiochus-iv-epiphanes (10) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/temple-second (11) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/Jerusalem (12) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/mattathias-maccabees (13) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/judas-maccabeus (14) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/moses (15) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/joshua-son-of-nun (16) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/Gideon (17) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/Galilee (18) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/Rome (19) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/alexander-balas (20) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/listing-by-city (21) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/the-gracious-visitor (22) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/bible-studies (23) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/christian-education (24) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/discipleship PAGE CREDITS: (a) "What Happened in the Maccabean Revolt?," Got Questions Ministries, accessed June 21, 2020 https://www.gotquestions.org/Maccabean-Revolt.html (b) Copyright Policy, Got Questions Ministries, accessed January 11, 2020 https://www.gotquestions.org/about.html EXTERNAL RESOURCES: (c) How Do I Convert to Christianity?, Got Questions Ministries, accessed January 12, 2020 https://www.gotquestions.org/convert-to-Christianity.html BE SURE TO EXPLORE THESE CLOSELY RELATED LINKS: (25) 400 Years of Silence Between the Old and New Testaments https://marionmannaproject.com/400-years-of-silence (8) The Seleucid Empire https://marionmannaproject.com/seleucid-empire www.marionmannaproject.com/maccabean-revolt 3 .

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