The officers charged with carrying out these commands did so with great rigor; a veritable inquisition was established with monthly sessions for investigation. The possession of a sacred book or the performance of the rite of circumcision was punished with death. On Kislew Nov. This was probably the Olympian Zeus, or Baal Shamem.
See Abomination of Desolation. Antiochus, however, had misunderstood the true character of Judaism, if he thought to exterminate it by force. His tyranny aroused both the religious and the political consciousness of the Jews, which resulted in the revolution led by the Maccabees. Antiochus realized that a serious attempt must be made to put down the rising, but was himself too busily occupied against the Parthians to take personal charge.
Lysias, whom he had left as regent in Syria, received instructions to send a large army against the Jews and exterminate them utterly. Lysias himself was forced to flee to Antioch, having been completely routed by the victorious Jews. By: Louis Ginzberg. Table of Contents. Bibliography: Holm, Griechische Gesch. An account of these relations, seen through the lens of prophetic visions, can be found in Daniel Throughout most of this period, Judea remained in the periphery and was left alone.
However, when Antiochus IV came to power c. Embracing a form of imperial colonialism, Antiochus sought to bring about a sense of cultural uniformity in the hope of creating more socioeconomic stability. This included embracing the Hellenistic way of life and the worship of the Greek pantheon, especially Zeus. Many of the pagan nations embraced and welcomed these policies, but in the land of Judea they caused a cultural civil war, notably among members of the high priestly families.
In the midst of this turmoil, according to the books of Maccabees and the Jewish historian Josephus, Antiochus plundered the Jerusalem Temple and carried off the sacred vessels—to help finance his campaigns.
Following stories of intrigue, bribery, and military coups among the Jewish ruling class that could rival any on television these days, Antiochus arrived in Jerusalem to find the people in an open state of revolt against him and each other. The chaos he found in Judea immediately followed a humiliating defeat in Egypt, and the ruler took out his frustrations on the Jewish people.
Antiochus took control of the situation by slaying many innocents and brutally enforcing his cultural and religious policies on the population. A time of great tribulation occurred as traditional practices such as circumcision were outlawed, sacred scriptures were burned, and violators were brutally punished even unto death.
As a culmination, he proceeded to profane the Temple of Yahweh by erecting idols within it and even going so far as to sacrifice pigs upon the altar, presumably to Zeus.
Following these atrocities and abominations, Antiochus left his generals in charge of Judea as he went to fight wars in the East against the Parthians. The Jews went on to revolt under the leadership of the Maccabees and throw off the yoke of the Seleucids, winning their political and religious freedom.
The memory of this great event is celebrated by the Jewish people each year during Hanukkah. Meanwhile, the great villain Antiochus, Zeus-incarnate himself, suffered a military defeat in the East, contracted an illness, and subsequently died. Soon after, the Seleucid kingdom crumbled as well. Oxford Reference. Publications Pages Publications Pages.
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