In about 233 B.C., Antiochus III, surnamed the Great, became king of Syria, continuing the dynasty founded by Seleucus, another of Alexander's generals. Antiochus attempted to wrest control of lower Syria, Phoenicia and Palestine from Egypt, whose reigning monarch was then Ptolemy IV.

After the death of Ptolemy IV in 203 B.C., Antiochus IV invaded the Holy Land, and, in 198 B.C. was victorious at the battle of Panias, adding Palestine to the Selecuid Empire.It was not long, however, before Antiochus IV was forced to pay a heavy tribute to the Roman emperor.

The Bible Almanac, published by Thomas Nelson Publishers, states:

"To raise this money, he [Antiochus IVT decided to sell the office of Jewish high priest. First, he sold it to Jason, a brother of the high priest Onias III. Two years later, Jason's friend Menelaus offered to pay 300 talents more for the office; Antiochus deposed Jason and put Menelaus in his place.

Antiochus then went on a rampage. He confiscated the property of Jerusalem's citizens and ransacked the temple to fill his treasury. Then he set up a pagan altar in the temple, where he sacrificed a pig - an outright violation of Mosaic Law. Antiochus ordered his subjects to build Greek altars in all the villages of Palestine. He outlawed the Mosaic rituals, punishing those who attempted to observe them.

"The insults of Antiochus IV enraged the Jews of Palestine. In 166 B.C. a group of Jewish rebels gathered around Mattathias and his five sons in the village of Modein, a few miles northwest of Jerusalem. They began a series of attacks on Antiochus and his successors. Historians call this conflict the Maccabean Wars, after Mattathias' son, Judas Maccabeus. The Jewish guerrillas fought their Hellenistic rulers from 166 B.C. to 143 B.C.

"Mattathias called for everyone who was `zealous for the law, and maintained the covenant' to join the struggle. We are not sure how many Jews cast in their lot with the Maccabeans, but the rebels seemed to have broad popular support. We are told that Antiochus' army massacred 1,000 Jewish warriors because they refused to fight on the Sabbath. This disaster caused the Maccabeans to relax their observance of the Sabbath, at least for the duration of the war."

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(ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)

Articles on this page may be used in conjunction with the Gospel Doctrine course of study.

Information compiled by Gerry Avant

Sources: The Bible Almanac, Thomas Nelson Publishers; Dictionary of the Bible, Charles Scribner's Sons Publishers; New Analytical Dictionary and Concordance of the Bible, John A. Dickson Publishing Co.