The Maccabees sparked a Jewish uprising against the Seleucid Empire and its ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanes. This is the tale of the Maccabean Revolt.
In the 2nd century BCE, a small Jewish family took a stand against the harsh rule of the Seleucid Empire and King Antiochus Epiphanes, who thought of himself as a god and aimed to wipe out Judaism and its followers. Matthias, a Jewish man, along with his five sons, decided to fight back against this oppression, leading what became known as the Maccabean Revolt—a time when heroes emerged, tyrants were toppled, and a nation was reborn.
Mad King Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Maccabean Revolt
Antiochus IV, who fancied himself as “God-Manifest,” or Epiphanes, earned a different nickname—Epumanes, meaning “The Mad”—thanks to his unpredictable behavior. Still, he was a significant and formidable ruler.
In 170 BCE, after conquering Egypt, Antiochus set his sights on Jerusalem when a rebellion broke out there. Even though Judea was under the Seleucid Empire’s control, the Jewish people had been simmering with resentment towards the Greeks and wanted independence. The rebellion that got Antiochus all worked up might not have even been about him; it could have just been some internal squabbling among the Jews over leadership.
Feeling betrayed by the Jews, Antiochus marched into Jerusalem, deported 10,000 of them, and committed an outrageous act by entering the Holy of Holies in the Temple—a place reserved for the highest priests only. He then looted the Temple of its gold and treasures and demanded that the Jews worship him like a god.
Naturally, the Jews were furious at being told to abandon their faith for this mad king. In response, Antiochus went even further than before, ditching the tolerance that had kept his empire stable and trying to wipe out Judaism altogether.
Persecution and Rebellion: The Maccabees Strike Back
In 167 BCE, Antiochus IV Epiphanes showed his true colors when he seized and plundered Jerusalem on the Sabbath. He didn’t just kill thousands of residents; he also banned Judaism and made it a capital offense. Anyone caught practicing their faith—whether by observing the Sabbath or getting circumcised—faced brutal execution. Crucifixion became a common fate for Jews, while others were burned alive or tossed off city walls, including infants. Even possessing a copy of the Torah was a death sentence; the sacred text was outlawed in Jerusalem, and its copies were destroyed along with their owners.
Antiochus Epiphanes didn’t stop at torturing Jews; he aimed to wipe out their religion completely. He defiled the famous Temple by bringing pigs into it and then dedicated it to Zeus, a Greek god. Still thinking he was divine, he demanded sacrifices to himself in the Temple, where wild parties took place. To add insult to injury, Antiochus had a fortress built within Jerusalem called the Acra. Believing he had successfully crushed Jewish resistance, he installed a Greek named Menelaos to manage the city while he returned to Antioch to celebrate what he thought was a huge win.
But as often happens in history, Antiochus Epiphanes’ brutality had the opposite effect than he intended. Instead of scaring the Jews into submission, he actually strengthened their resolve. Rather than turning away from their beliefs, they found new inspiration.
His supporters tried to force local villagers to make unholy offerings to Antiochus and other Greek gods near Jerusalem. Among those villagers was a priest named Matthias and his five sons.
Matthias refused to give up his faith and perform the sacrifice. He got furious when another Jewish man complied and tried to follow the Greeks’ demands. In a fit of rage, Matthias drew his sword, killing the man who had betrayed their faith and then struck down Antiochus’ agent, destroying the altar.
Realizing they had crossed a line by attacking the King’s men, Matthias and his sons knew there would be consequences. They fled to the mountains and rallied anyone willing to fight for their laws and covenant to join them in their war against Antiochus Epiphanes and the Seleucid Empire.
Judah Maccabee: The Hammer
Though Matthias would soon pass away, his third son Judah took the lead in the revolt and earned the nickname Judah “Maccabee.” The name Maccabee became associated with all who fought in the rebellion, formally known as the Maccabean revolt.
The origin of the name Maccabee is somewhat unclear. It means “Hammer” and could refer to either the weapon Judah chose to wield against the Greeks or a clever play on words reflecting how he crushed his enemies in battle.
Regardless of its meaning, Judah Maccabee quickly proved to be a tough opponent. His father chose him as leader due to his bravery and spirit, even though he was the third son. Judah decided that guerrilla warfare against Antiochus and the Seleucid forces would be the best strategy as they grew stronger.
As support for the Maccabean revolt surged in the Judean hills, Matthias’ five sons took the fight to the Greeks. Their first real challenge came when they faced a much larger army of Syrian Greeks reinforced by Seleucids from Jerusalem.
Using surprise to their advantage, Judah and his small force of 600 attacked the Syrian troops at night and achieved a solid victory in the Battle of the Ascent of Lebonah. In a foreshadowing of future events, Judah challenged the leader of the Syrian army, Apollonius, to single combat. After defeating him, Judah took Apollonius’ sword, which he carried throughout his life as a symbol of defiance against what had been done to his people. The Maccabees were on the rise!
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The Ascent of the Maccabees
After scoring some big wins, the Maccabees, led by their fearless leader, quickly took down a larger Seleucid army that was sent to stop them. With two major victories under their belt, they felt more confident and became a bigger threat to the Seleucid Empire. No longer were they just dealing with small forces; now they had to face well-equipped armies commanded by smart generals like Nicanor and Gorgias.
These Seleucid generals came up with a sneakyWhile some Hellenized Jews were all for the proclamation and thought the battle was over, not everyone felt that way. Judah The Hammer and the Maccabees weren’t interested in apologies or second thoughts. Even if they accepted the deal, their lives would just go back to how they were before the oppression—free to worship but still under the control of the Seleucids.
The Maccabees turned down the offer as the fight raged on. Meanwhile, Antiochus IV Epiphanes faced a short, painful illness and suddenly died in 164 BCE. Even though he was gone, the struggle for independence kept going strong.
Victories and Defeats: The Maccabean Revolt Rages On
After Antiochus IV Epiphanes kicked the bucket and the Seleucid Empire was struggling in Palestine, the Maccabees were ready to wrap up what they started three years earlier when Matthias, the old priest, took down the traitor and sparked the rebellion.
As 164 BCE rolled on, that’s exactly what happened. Judah the Hammer and his crew managed to take back Judea from the Seleucids. They even reclaimed Jerusalem, except for the Acra fortress, which held out thanks to a solid garrison.
The recapture of Jerusalem in 164 BCE was huge—not just for the Maccabees but also for history and the Jewish people today. When Judah saw how badly the Temple had fallen apart during Antiochus IV’s reign, he felt a deep sadness, but his determination was even stronger. He had the Temple rededicated and lit the candles, which miraculously stayed lit despite an oil shortage. This victory and the Temple’s rededication are still celebrated today in the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
Judah and his brothers kept pushing through Palestine, racking up victories and smashing false idols wherever they went. Even when they faced setbacks, things seemed to be going their way, and eventually, the Seleucid Empire let the Jews practice their laws while they dealt with revolts back home in Antioch.
But the Seleucids weren’t about to give up their territories easily. Regaining Jerusalem became super important for them, and it was General Nicanor—Judah’s old rival—who successfully led the charge to take it back.
This major defeat set the stage for a final showdown between Judah and Nicanor. To end things quickly, Judah figured he should go straight
The Fall of Maccabee
The Battle of Elasa, painted by Augustin Calmet in 1730, marks a turning point for the Maccabees. By 160 BCE, the Seleucids were no longer letting the Maccabees chill in Judea. While Judah was busy trying to get some help from the Romans against the Greeks, a huge Seleucid army of over 20,000 troops was on its way to take full control of Judea.
This battle saw the Maccabees face off against the Seleucid commander Bacchides. Like many historical events, there are different versions of what went down. According to the Biblical Book of Maccabees, which is considered pretty reliable, many of Judah’s followers suggested they pull back when they saw how outnumbered they were. They thought it was pointless to fight such a massive force head-on.
But Judah, known as “the Hammer,” wasn’t about to back down. Even with his smaller army of just 1,000 men facing 20,000, he refused to surrender. Some of his guys decided
The Maccabean Revolt: Independence Won
Even though they lost their legendary leader, the Maccabees didn’t back down. Judah’s brothers, Jonathan and Simon, took charge and kept the fight against the Greeks alive.
Jonathan was a skilled negotiator who not only scored military wins against the Seleucids but also made diplomatic moves with the kings of Syria and Egypt. He managed to regain control of Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple in 153 BCE. Sadly, the Greeks eventually captured and killed him, leaving Simon to lead the Maccabees.
Simon the Great, as he was called, rallied the Maccabean army back to full strength. By 141 BCE, they finally breached the gates of Acra, the fortress that Antiochus IV Epiphanes had built to mock them nearly 30 years earlier.
With Simon in charge, the Maccabees gained significant autonomy, leading to the birth of the Hasmonean Dynasty, which emerged from the Maccabean revolt. In the 130s BCE, Simon’s grandson declared himself King of Judea. The Seleucids were too weak to challenge them. After almost 40 years, the Maccabean revolt wrapped up successfully, and the dynasty lasted for about a century until the arrival of new threats—Herod and the Romans.
