Revolt of the Maccabees
Shore Fleury
"Only One World To Conquer"
- Phillip of Macedon brought most of Greece under his rule by a combination of wars and diplomacy
- Philip's son, Alexander conquered Egypt and the Persian Empire
- "Greeks called themselves "Hellenes" so that the Hellenized civilization after Alexander is known as "Hellenistic" to historians"
"Jerusalem In The Middle"
- After Alexander the Great died at a very young age and wars took place, his empires were divided into three ways which was one ruler in Greece, one in Egypt, and one holding the territory of the Persian Empire.
- Greek Rulers: Ptolemies (Seleucids ruled the old Persian Empire and Syria)
- Reign of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV
- Antiochus IV called himself Epiphanes (Greek for "God Manifest") The Jews called him Epimanes (Greek for "Out of His Mind")
- Under Antiochus IV's Empire: Jewish high priest was also the secular ruler of his people
"Success Of The Maccabees"
- "An old priest named Mattathias and his five sons retreated tot he countryside and started organizing the resistance"
- "Trusting in God, the sons of Mattathias began to take back bits and pieces of territory
- Judas Maccabeus gained victories against the pagan armies
- The Jews were able to rededicate the Temple and celebrate an event as the festival of Hanukkah
- pagan kings were forced to come to terms with the Maccabees
- Israel was now an independent power and now is finally restored
Why Do Jewish People Celebrate Hanukkah?
The Story of Hanukkah