Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 13.djvu/437

 421 priest. To secure still further the favour of the king, Jason held himself out to be an enlightened friend of the Greeks, and begged for leave to found in Jerusalem a gymnasium and an ephebeum, and to be allowed to sell to the inhabitants there the rights of citizenship in Antiocli, a request which was readily granted. cllen- The malady which had long been incubating now reached m. its acute phase. Just in proportion as Hellenism showed itself friendly did it present elements of danger to Judaism. From the periphery it slowly advanced towards the centre, from the diaspora to Jerusalem, from mere matters of external fashion to matters of the most profound convic tion. 1 Especially did the upper and cultivated classes of socie y begin to feel ashamed, in presence of the refined Greeks, of their Jewish singularity, and to do all in their power to tone it down and conceal it. In this the priestly nobility made itself conspicuous as the most secular section of the community, and it was the high priest who took the initiative in measures which aimed at a complete Helleniz- ing of the Jews. He outdid every one else in paganism. Once he sent a considerable present for offerings to the Syrian Hercules on the occasion of his festival, but his messenger, ashamed to apply the money to such a purpose, set it apart for the construction of royal ships of war. The friendship shown by Jason for the Greek king and for all that was Hellenic did not prevent Antiochus IV. from setting pecuniary considerations before all others, lelaus. Menelaus, entrusted with the mission of conveying to Antioch the annual Jewish tribute, availed himself of the opportunity to promote his own personal interests by offering a higher sum for the high priesthood, and, having otherwise ingratiated himself with the king, gained his object (171). But though nominated he did not find it quite easy to obtain possession of the post. The Tobiadse took his side, but the body of the people stuck to Jason, who was compelled to give way only when Syrian troops had been brought upon the scene. Menelaus had im mediately, however, to encounter another difficulty, for he could not at once pay the amount of tribute which he had promised. He helped himself so far indeed by robbing the temple, but this landed him in new embarrassments. Onias III., who was living out of employment at Antioch, threatened to make compromising revelations to the king ; ITS was, however, opportunely assassinated. The rage of the people against the priestly temple-plunderer now broke out in a rising against a certain Lysimachus, who at the instance of the absent Menelaus had made further inroads upon the sacred treasury. The Jews defence before the king (at Tyre) on account of this uproar resolved itself into a grievous complaint against the conduct of Menelaus. His case was a bad one, but money again helped him out of his straits, and the extreme penalty of the law fell upon his accusers. The feelings of the Jews with reference to this wolfish shepherd may easily be imagined. Nothing but fear of Antiochus held them in check. Then a report gained currency that the king had perished in an expedition against Egypt (170), and Jason, who meanwhile had found refuge in Amrnanitis, availed himself of the prevailing current of feeling to resume his authority with the help of one thousand men. He was not able, however, to hold the position long, partly because he showed an unwise vindic- tiveness against his enemies, partly (and chiefly) because the rumour of the death of Antiochus turned out to be false. The king was already in fact close at hand, on his return from Egypt, full of anger at an insurrection which he regarded as having been directed against himself. He 1 The Hellenizing fashion is amusingly exemplified in the Gvecizing of the Jewish names ; e.g., Alcimus Eljakim, Jason = Jesus, Joshua; Menelaus = Menahem. inflicted severe and bloody chastisement upon Jerusalem, carried off the treasures of the temple, and restored Menelaus, placing Syrian officials at his side. Jason fled from place to place, and ultimately died in misery at Lacedaemon. The deepest despondency prevailed in Judsea; but its cup Antio- of sorrow was not yet full. Antiochus, probably so 311 chusEpi- after his last Egyptian expedition (168), sent Apollonius l lianes - with an army against Jerusalem. He fell upon the unsus pecting city, disarmed the inhabitants and demolished the walls, but on the other hand fortified Acra, and garrisoned it strongly so as to make it a standing menace to the whole country. Having thus made his preparations, he proceeded to carry out his main instructions. All that was religiously distinctive of Judaism was to be removed ; such was the will of the king. The Mosaic cultus was abolished, Sabbath observance and the rite of circumcision prohibited, all copies of the Torah confiscated and burnt.- In the desecrated and partially destroyed temple pagan ceremonies were performed, and upon the great altar of burnt offering a small altar to Jupiter Capitolinus was erected, on which the first offering was made on 25th Kislev 168. In 25th the country towns also heathen altars were erected, and the Kudev Jews compelled, on pain of death, publicly to adore the false gods and to eat swine s flesh that had been sacrificed to idols. The princes and grandees of the Jews had represented to Antiochus that the people were ripe for Hellenization ; and inasmuch as, apart from this, to reduce to uniformity the extremely motley constituents of his kingdom was a scheme that lay near his heart, he was very willing to believe them. That the very opposite was the case must of course have become quite evident very soon ; but, the resistance of the Jews taking the form of rebellious risings against his creatures, he fell upon the hopeless plan of coercion, hopeless, for he could attain his end only by making all Judaea one vast graveyard. There ex- State of isted indeed a pagan party ; the Syrian garrison of Acra was partly composed of Jews who sold themselves to be lia the executioners of their countrymen. Fear also influenced many to deny their convictions; but the majority adhered firmly to the religion of their fathers. Jerusalem, the centre of the process of Hellenization, was abandoned by its inhabitants, who made their escape to Egypt, or hid themselves in the country, in deserts and caves. The scribes in especial held fast by the law ; and they were joined by the party of the Asidseans (i.e., pious ones). 12. At first there was no thought of meeting violence with violence ; as the book of Daniel shows, people con soled themselves with thoughts of the immediate inter vention of God which would occur in due time. Quite casually, without either plan or concert, a warlike opposition arose. There was a certain priest Mattathias, of the family of the Hasmonteans, a man far advanced in life, whose The Has- home was in Modein, a little country town to the west of monseans. Jerusalem. Hither also the Syrian soldiers came to put the population to a positive proof of their change of faith ; they insisted upon Mattathias leading the way. But h was steadfast in his refusal ; and, when another Jew addressed himself before his eyes to the work of making the heathen offering, he killed him and the Syrian officer as well, and destroyed the altar. Thereupon he fled to the hill country, accompanied by his sons (Johannes Gacldi, Simon Thassi, Judas Maccabocus, Eleazar Auaran, Jonathan Apphus) and other followers. But he resolved to defend himself to the last, and not to act as some other fugitives had done who about the same time had allowed themselves to be surrounded and butchered on a sabbath day without lifting a finger. Thus he became the head of a band which defended the ancestral religion with the sword. They