Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/689

633 THE

633 slew

many Jews and

from

hanislieil the rest

tlic

Antioch Antiochus

ENCYCLOPEDIA

.lEWlSII

city "

(Maliilas. "Tlicopliuiies " and ('hronuini Paschalc fertile year t')l(l). Aiitii)eli sulVeri d mi(li fnim earthquakes, and from incursions of llie Fii-sians. the

Arabs, and the Crusaders. When iiinjamin of 'i'u dehi visited it in the twelftli century, il conlained

m.

that .Judeas long and peaceful (luietiide amid conslant warfare all around, from the days of the Persians down to iViitioclius, was interriipu-d. About 2iy n.c. the .Jews were made to feel what il was to be the bone of contention between two powerful neighbors. Antiochus considered Palestine as a portion of

who supporled themselves by the manufacture of jrlass. There are said to have luen twenty live fatnilies in lUii'.t. all followin!; the f^epliardic ritual (" Isr. Annalen." i. 21S). The liritish consul here in ls,SH wa.sa Jew (Pal. E.xjdor. Fund. (inly ten .lewisli famiiies.

Slatciuent. ISSS. p. (IT). In 1S!)4 il conlained lietween 300 and -100 .lews liaedeker. "Palestine anil .Syria." 2d ed., ]). 41"i). The modern name of the ( ity is Antakieh. (

Binr.ionRAIMiv

Xeulinuer.



(ii'niiniiiliii

Tnlmuil.

ilii

p. :ill;

'i'ltiniirftfi/hi'ich-liiiititrisrhr.H Lrxiciiit ztt Jttsi_i)lms I-htrins. iMilex.w.r. AiiUiHii; .srhiirer. fitjv

Obverse



Head of

AnliiKhti."!,

diiulemed.

«.;rcr»c



AXTIO.VOY; an elephant.

Greeks •Theos" [God|): King of .Syria (2l-246 U.C.); date of hirlli unknown, but set by some cliro-

BASIAEQS

till-

nologisls at 2S(j ii.c. died 240. He is the lirst of the kings of this name referred to in the Bible. For many years he wagetaloini« ft ?*l»iu hi Colii«.">

These (-vents are referred to clearly enniigli. though in an indirect manner, in Dan. i. li. Antiochus II. was prolialily well inclined toward the .lewisli peopli'. bill the slalenieiit madi- by modern scholars. Ilial be graiiteil full cilizenship to. lews re sidiiii; in Hellenic cities, is founded upon a misiuiilerson executed.

.slandiiiir of

a passage in .loscpliiis (" Anl."

.xii. :t.^

2l.

lipivwii. tii-irli.'t'M Ihtlfnimiitin, I. ;lS*W-f «**;.; Iliiliii. til ill ti ill III liiKih. Iv. 'SMit «./.; SeliiinT. (IikiIi. iwe Willrleli. ./i>il>;i iiiiil rVrft'cfuii, |>|i. 37. 38; Idem. Jiiindex

BlIll.liMMtAl'llv I

iltiicit





(we Indexi. L. G.

ANTIOCHUS

THE GREAT:

III. King of Syria; born alniui 242 ui.: reigned trom •,>',':!; died IMT. Eleven verses of Daniel (.i. III-2I are supposed by critics to refer to the wars ami fate of this monarch, who was the lirsl (ireek ruler to exercise considenible inlliienee on ludli the inleiiial and exliriiiil alTairs He was accordingly the lirsl .Scjeiicid of Palestine to occupy the altenlion of .lewisli liimorians, both Palestinian and .Mexaiidriiin and the lirsl book of the Maecabcesi vii til. as well as .losepliils. wliodniws upon older .lewisli Hellenii- sources, devcdes consid crablealtcntion to this monarcli. It was through him I



(After Ganliirr,

•'

CaUlofuc of

S*ku<-I.l

CoiM.")

his Seleucid dominion, invaded the land, and sii/eda large niiniber of its foriilied jilaces. .irreat nuinber of the .lews were of the opinion that Seleucid rule was to be preferred to the Egyptian, since the y<ike

A

Egypt had been severely felt in recent years iii the shape of the pitiless la.xalion of the ToiilAlis. The Toblad family naturally favoreil Egypt, and Ihroiigli of

their inlhience .Jerusjileni did not fall into llic power of Anliochiis. Hut when Antiochus vam|iiished ihe Egyptian general Scopus at Paneas in northern Palestine (lilSl. the gates of .Jerusalem were opemd to Die comiueror by ils citizens, who likewise rendered valuable assistance in the subsei|Uent siege of the citadel while il remained in Egy pi ian hands. ]n the interval between Anliochus' eiiiry into I'alesline (2|H) and llie formal incorporalion of llie counlry with the Seleiicid empire (!!)><). .Judea was. as .Josej)hus says, like a storm-losscd ship on tiie ocean. In addition to the turmoil of war, there arose in the .Jewish nation pro-Seleucid and pro-I'toleniaic parties; anil the schism exercised great inlluence upon the .Judaism of the time. It was in Antioch lliat the .Jews lirsl made the iici|Uaintaiice of Hellenism and of llie more corrupt sides of (Irei'k ciillun-; and it was from Aiilioch that Palestine henceforlh was ruled, although the defeat of. lioclius by the Homans at Magnesia l!IO) nialerially crippled his power. The source of infornialion concerning the alliliide of this Seleiicid toward the .lews is .lose|>liiis. but iinforlunately his aceiisloined desire to represeiil all greal rulei-s as friendly to the .lews has led him lo incorporate in his history much ihat is leLTeiidary. He meiilions lluce decries issiu d by .Vnlioehus concerninir the .lews. Ill llie lirst. ad dressed loan unknown Ploleniy. Ihe king lauds the .lews, and in recognition of their mirils Decrees of he gninis theiii freedom of religious (

Antiochus. worship and

pniciise.

immunily from

taxation forall elders, priests. Templescribes, and singers, and forall wlioseltled iii.Iiriisa lem before a certiiin lime. 1'lieallilude of .Vnlioehiis was especially favorable to llicTeniple. Such tilings as wine. oil. incense, wheal. wi«kI. sail. etc.. Ihat

were needed

for sacrilicial use.

wen-

lo

Ik-

sup|iliiil

Tin- dern-i- eliis<-s with tinthe king's expense. king's command lo his general lo si-l fne all .Ji-w ish prisoners. Objerlions niised lo individual provisions of this decree are not suMicieiil to provi- il spurious; the a.ssunince of free religious jmiclise siiggi-sts an

at