who led the maccabean revoltwho led the maccabean revolt

. While his aggressive policies towards the Jews and overzealous Hellenization alienated many of his subjects, he managed to consolidate Seleucid power and expand its influence in the Near East. Alongside that, the sacred priesthood had been perverted. Menelaus in particular is portrayed in 2 Maccabees as violent and greedy, willing to do whatever was necessary to maintain his power. Answer. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. It is our sinful nature and the only one who can save us from drowning is Jesus Christ; who not enough people are willing to die for. Menelaus, coming up with a larger bribe, became the High Priest, but was unable to uphold his promise without robbing the Temple. When people reference Matthew 21 and say that Christians should act out of righteous anger, I am not sold that this is an ability humans have. 1:57). These power-plats from rival high priests directly led to the Maccabean Revolt. The company of Greek officers who arrived at Modi'in intending to enforce the king's ordinances addressed Mattathias first, for he was held in high esteem by the villagers. Led by the priestly Maccabees, the revolt aimed to restore Jewish religious autonomy and repel Hellenistic influences. I think that this is still happening very clearly in the church today and the government for sure. When reading this portion of Strauss, I immediately thought of a scripture that my great grandmother would share. Menelaus decided to outbid Jason for the position of the high priest, offering a bigger bribe. Who are the other sheep mentioned in John 10:16? The Maccabean Revolt (Hebrew: ) was a Jewish rebellion led by the Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire and against Hellenistic influence on Jewish life. The historian Josephus mentions the battle briefly in Antiquities of the Jews, but seems to largely be a paraphrase of the 1 Maccabees version. kasliwalalvi24 The Maccabean revolt was a military conflict, which was led by Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire. I literally cannot stand to see how greedy people can be. People were more focused on having power than they were on anything else. The term "Maccabee" is used to describe someone who joined this revolt against the Seleucid Empire. I probably spend more time on my phone, thinking about the phone then praying or reading the bible. It may look like someone offering their ties and connections with other people as a way of advertisement for their church body, etc. Seleucus grabbed Syria and Asia Minor, and Antigonus took Greece. This assumption plays into the idea of glorified martyrdom, however, this just wasnt the case. Their evil seemed to be rooted in fame and money. The most shocking example of this is the action of Menelaus the High Priest. Utilizing guerrilla warfare tactics, the Maccabee rebels ambushed the passing Seleucid force from the pass, pursuing the surprised and fleeing remnants into the plain. When he finished speaking, he rushed suddenly against Seron and his army, and they were crushed before him. I like what you said Ben about being careful with idols that we could possibly be worshiping today. And we are faint, for we have eaten nothing today.' This time things were not to go as well as he had planned. People are more focused on worldly things and having the pleasures of this world. That is a question that Christians need to ask themselves in modern society more and more. People were willing to do whatever it took for people to follow them including killing them. Antiochus Epiphanes was born in 215 BCE as the son of King Antiochus III the Great. The name "Seron" might possibly be of Thracian origin, but the presumed translation of 1 Maccabees from Hebrew to Greek may have distorted the word. Its so sad to say but a lot of people are so stuck on being in control and over things that they miss the true meaning of life. I think this is very applicable in todays society, because money and politics rules the world unfortunately. How long will it take? There are many obvious reasons as to what caused the Maccabean Revolt, however in my opinion the one that I think is the biggest problem and the one that applies to modern day society would be how people see money and politics as the most important aspect of life. Some portray him as a ruthless tyrant whose actions instigated a seminal event in Jewish history, while others argue that his policies were part of a broader cultural and geopolitical struggle between Hellenistic and non-Hellenistic societies. This is a reflection of a very modern problem. The fact that these two men were going for the High priest position for their own doing is a disgrace also. It was during this time that Onias III was the actual High Priest, and his brother Jason traveled to this recently founded Antiochus and bribed the king to be the High Priest. Much of this history is found in Daniel 11:21-35. 2 Maccabees 4:33-35 When Onias became fully aware of these acts, he publicly exposed them, having first withdrawn to a place of sanctuary at Daphne near Antioch. I feel like the main kind of, situation that the Jews are continually facing is the pressure from Hellenistic influences to conform and trying to stay faithful to God and not stray away from Him. Martyrdom should never be our plan B (I know, easier said than done) because scripture is clear that to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). Zeus and several other Greek gods were sinful and full of laws. The Maccabean Revolt, driven by the defiance against oppressive rule, also demonstrates the power of collective action and the ability to effect change. What were Antiochus Epiphanes policies towards the Jews? Antiochus IV was initially known as Antiochus Epiphanes, which means manifest god, a title he adopted to display his elevated status and divinity. I think that the power struggle is something that we see in todays world people get caught up in worldly things and place that before their relationship with God. A lot, actually. Sure, you may disagree with people on different things, but that does not mean going straight to bloodshed as we see in Jerusalem caused by the competing high priests (Long, p.2) or the Romans crushing the rebellion and in AD 70 destroyed Jerusalem and the temple (Strauss, p. 154). Power hungry. The reason such disrespect existed for this position had much to do with the other roles the high priest fulfilled and served in. That is sad! 1 Maccabees follows this story until the death of Simon (the third son of Mattathias to rule over Israel) at the hands of the some Egyptian Greeks (from about 175-134 bc). 35 For this reason not only Jews, but many also of other nations, were grieved and displeased at the unjust murder of the man. Seleucid authority in major cities reestablished from 160. They literally made him sit in a watched area until a decision was made. Either the Jews can fight for what they believe in and die that way or they can go along with it and resist passively and die that way. This did not end well for Menelaus, he did not have support from the people and could not raise enough money to pay off his bribe, so he robbed the temple. What were the long-term consequences of Antiochus Epiphanes rule? Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. ), in which Jewish . Back to my question would I be willing to take up arms and fight with Judas and his brothers, would I be willing to be martyred for my faith and not give up my faith at the face of death. [2] Josephus's account differs in that adds is that he claims that Seron was killed outright, as well as referring to him as a general (strategos) rather than a commander. The Maccabees were Jewish fighters who led the revolt against the Syrian Greek ruling class, who had suppressed Jewish religion in an effort to spread their Hellenistic customs and idolatrous beliefs. Galatians: Freedom through Gods Grace (Wipf & Stock, 2019). Its interesting to see the different powers that come into play throughout this intertestamental time period, and how certain powers are more forceful in their need to conquer and convert. He soon realized that this plan of his was to not go as smoothly as he thought. When people talk about corruption in early or current forms of the church, its interesting to be able to look back at the almost soap-opera like drama the Jews went through with the struggle to have a righteous high priest. While Antiochus Epiphanes is primarily remembered for his tyrannical rule and persecution of the Jews, he also made certain contributions during his reign. Humiliated, Antiochus was forced out of Egypt. He was. Sadly enough but sometimes evil prevails because Satan exists. I also was reminded of a mass of Bible verses that inform Christians that they will face trials in this life. It therefore covers only about 15 years and corresponds to the first seven chapters of 1 st Maccabees. He ascended to the throne after the death of his brother Seleucus IV. 40 Her dishonor now grew as great as her glory; her exaltation was turned into mourning. None of us have experienced turmoil or chaos like the Jews during this period. All around this just seems like a really hopeless situation. For this reason, Menelaus (with the support of the Tobiad party) went to Antiochus and offered the king a larger bribe (300 more talents than Jason) for the office. The Maccabean Revolt is the Jewish rebellion against the Seleucid Empire from around 167 BC to 160 BC recorded in the Apocryphal books of First and Second Maccabees as well as Josephus's The Jewish Wars. Menelaus was not even of a priestly family and was only interested in the priesthood for political power and wealth. Today we refer to these events as the Maccabean Revolt, named after the Jewish leader, Judah Maccabee. This sounds like a very difficult situation that the Jews were put in during this time period, do we fight for our lives or do you become martyrs for your faith. He himself will crush them before us; as for you, do not be afraid of them.'. Youre certainly right in that there are idols that exist in our world even today. In a church perspective this could be the equivalent of a church split. Menelaus was willing to steal from the temple, causing a riot that killed three thousand people so that he could have a say and a power position. After his death, Maccabeus (or Maccabee) became the family name so his brothers and even his father are referred to as "the Maccabees" (also called the Hasmoneans), and the revolt is referred to as "the Maccabean Revolt." The history of the rebellion led by Judas Maccabeus is recorded in Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews and in the . It would be extremely difficult to watch ones own people being martyred for their faith and I find it to be a wonderful example that several of the Jews were willing to die for what they believed in. More disregard came about when Antiochus consistently took bribes for a majority of things such as making Menelaus his High Priest, despite the fact that he knew this was wrong (Tomasino 132). The Jews had a very difficult time trying to remain true to their faith with the ever-growing pressure from Hellenism. James 1:2-4 tells us that we will face trials of many kinds, but should find joy in persevering so that we may be made complete. The non-Jewish Idumeans, Samaritans, and Greek residents of coastal towns would go on to cause quite a bit of trouble for the Maccabees as the Maccabean Revolt proceeded, forcing Judas and his army to protect Jews in the outlying areas and escort them to Judea as refugees during the campaigns of 163 BC. How often do well-intended purposes escalate into violence even now? Antiochus IV Epiphanes made a second campaign into Egypt with the intention of annexing it to his own kingdom. Wealth still seems to run our world. Then Judas and his brothers began to be feared, and terror fell on the Gentiles all around them. The claim that "terror" befell the Gentiles in their vicinity as a result of the victory against Seron seems somewhat overblown; later events in the text would show that they were not so afraid as to avoid antagonizing the Maccabees. In 2019 he published a commentary. Imagine what a Jew could have done with that tool back in these times! We know that the Lord warns us in 1 Timothy 6:10 that the root of all evil is money and Antichous is a good example of how greed and money can affect us. It is not on the size of the army that victory in battle depends, but strength comes from Heaven. I probably spend more time on my phone, thinking about the phone then praying or reading the bible. That is probably true for most Americans, older folks included. The rebellions and subsequent decline of the Seleucid Empire can be partially attributed to the suppression and mistreatment of conquered peoples, such as the Jews. Antiochus Epiphanes reign marked a turning point for the Seleucid Empire. [2] In the narrow terrain of the mountain ascent, the ambush would work better with only a small force anyway, with less risk of being spotted; it would be part of the plan rather than an ominous sign that indicated divine favor was needed to win the battle. 1:56), and killed anyone who possessed a Bible (1 Macc. However, if it were not dedicated to Hermes, then the building of the gymnasium in Judea may not have as big of a deal. Christians know that no matter the circumstances we should be following in the footsteps of Christ. That is the devils work. Antiochus IV Epiphanes fortified the citadel heavily, imposed a heavy tax on the city for the rebellion, and confiscated land. For the Jews, there was like Megan said, very little hope. It is incredible how far the Jews were willing to go to defend their way of life, and their city, and even more admirable in how effective they were at doing it. As the chief Greek deity, Zeus is considered the ruler, protector, and father of all gods and humans. In this, he is considered to be the ruler of heaven. 1 Maccabees 1:62-65 tells of the martyrs that did not fight and died, when do we fight and when do we simply stand our ground? On the brighter side, good did come out of the Maccabean Revolt. [2], .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}315308N 350655E / 31.8855N 35.1154E / 31.8855; 35.1154. What does it mean that God is omnibenevolent? His pro-Hellenism brother Jason traveled to the newly established Antiochus and bribed the king to be appointed as High Priest (1 Mac 1:13-15, 2 Mac 4:7-15). The reign of Antiochus Epiphanes offers valuable insights into the dynamics of power, cultural clashes, and the resilience of religious and national identities. The leadership in this time period it is evident that leadership was corrupt and evil. Antiochus had taken hold of this city and abused the people within the city in nearly every metric. I think it is sad that in order to defend themselves and their faith, they had to break some of the rules of the faith they were fighting to defend. It has been shown time and time again that simply buying power is not the way to go. Apparently, religion was to Antiochus nothing but a tool, a convenient means to an end (Seow, Daniel, 183). On a less dramatic scale, a bribe today may not always be in the form of a check.