Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/691

635 ;

Antiochus IV. Antiochus VI.

THE JEWISH EXCVCLUI'EUIA

635

of the Sanctuary frustrated all [he attempts of Jason and the other Tobiads to Helleuize the people, for even the most well-disposed of Hellenizers among them feltoulragedat this desecration. They must have j;iven vent to their setiliineiit very freely; for only thus can the policy of e.xlerniination waged by Antiochus against the Jews and Judaism, two As long as lie was years later, 108. he e.vplaineil. occui)ied with preparations forhise.peditionagainst Egypt. Antiochus had no time for Palestine; but when the Konians compelled hin to forego his plans of conquest, his rage at the lUKXpeeted impediment was wreaked upnu the iiniocent Jews. An ollleer, AjMillonius, was sent through the country with an armed troop. commis.sioned to slay and destroy. He tirst entered Jerusalem amicably; thensuddeidy turning upon the defenseless city, he murdered, plundered, and burnt through its length and breadth. The men were butcliere(l, women and children sold into slavery, and in order to give permanence to tlic work of desolation, the walls and numerous The old (ily of David liouses were torn down. was forlitied anew by the Syrians, and made into a very strong fortress completely dominating the city. Having thus madc^ Jerusalem a Greek colony, the king's attention was lu'.xt turned to the destruction of the national religion. A royal decree iiroclainied the abolition of the Jewish mode of worship; Sabbaths and festivals were not to be observed; circumcisiiin was not to be |iiTfnrmed the sacred books were ti> be surrendcreil and the. lews were compelled to olTer sacritices to the idols that had been erected. The olHcers charged with carrying out these commands did so with great rigor; a v<'rital)le inquisition was established with monthly sessions for The possession of a sjicred book or investigation. tile perfoniianee of the rite of ciieumcision was puri1(!S, On Kisli-w Nov. -Dec. islied with death. the "abomination of desolation" iDDICO }1ptJ'. Ran.

(dlssprtatlon), Lelpsle, ls7:(F.wald. JlMnm. v., Iiulex; driilz. Selmrci-. (iif<i}t. iwU'X ; Wellliauseii. /. J. Oearlt. it. /», tiulex G. -d eci., ;JVi it w;.; Willrii-h, Jnitt it ititd (triix-fiiii, pp. tu tt «f';. ; iiii'iii, ./iiWdirK (senlndcx). t

p

ANTIOCHUS

v., E'UPATOR ("Well bom"); King of Syria, son of Antiochus IV. born ITI! n.r. died Idi. He succeeded his fathe rat the age of twelve (according to some at the age of nine), and reigned

for two years (l-4-l(i2 B.C.). Lysias made himself guardian of the young king and regent of the empire. He thought the time had come to retrieve the los.ses sulfered under the jireceding monarch, and with an enormous army, accompanieil by the young king, he set out against Judea. Against such an overwhelming array of force, the heroism of the compai-.itively small band of Judas Maccsibeus could avail nothing.

On the held of Heth-Zechariah. between Jeru.salem and Heth/.ur. the Jewish army was defeated, Bethzur wascaptuH'd, and thedwellei'son the Temple-mount (Zion) in Jerusalem were brought near to capitulation by lack of food, due to the fact that it was a Sabbati<-al year. Ihit in their extremity the Ji-ws were unexpectedly helped by the political distiirbiuices in the Seleucid empire. In order to oppose I'hili]). who had been designated by the preceding king as the guanlianof his son and regent of the kingdom, and who was then threatening Ant ioeli, Lysias proclaimed full religious fieedom for the Jews. Antiochus V., or rather his guardian, may thus be said to have subjugated the. lews, but the latter at

least

gained

all

)

(

-,.'.),

xi. 31, xii. 11) was set up on the altar of burnt offering in the Tem|ile, and the .lews reiiuired to make obeisance to it. This was ]ir(ibubly the OlymSee Aiiomination kv pian Zeus, or Haal Sliamein.

Mlver Culn of Auttut-tais V.

I)Ks<)i,.Trox.

of Anllncluis, Blleted. Rf rernf ; B.Sl.KnS EYUATOPOS. Zeus seaU'd, boMlne Nike.

Antiochus, however, bad misunderstood the true cli:iracter of Judaism, if he thought to exterminate His tyniiiny aroused both the religious it by force.

Oliivm-

cdiisciousness of the .Tews, which resulted in th<> revolution led by the M.vcc.MiKKS. After the pa.ssive resistance of the l.Iasidim (pious onis). who. much to thi^ surjuise of the Hellenes. suiTered martyrdom by hundre(ls, tlu' Hasmonean Mattathias organized open resistance in KiT-lOti. which, through the heroii' achievements of liis son and successor Judas the .Maceahee in difeating two large and well ecpiipped armies of . tioehiis. grew to forniidal)le ])roportioMs. Antiochus leali/ed that a serious attempt must l>e niaile to put down the- rising, but was himself too busily occupii'd against the Par Lysias. whom he hail thians to take personal charge. left as regent in Syria, received instructions to send a large army against the Ji «s and exterminate them utterly. Hut the genemls Ptolemaus, Nicunor, and Oorgias, whom Lysias despatchecl with large armies against Judali, were (h'fealed one after thi' other ( MHilOrO, anil compelled to take refiigi' upon Philistine soil. I.ysias himself (Ui,">) was foried to tlee to Anlioch, having lieen lomplc'tely routed by the vie torious Jew.s. Hut although he began togather new forces, nothing was accomplishecl in the lifetime id' Antiochus. wlio died shortlv thereafter in Taba' in

that they had successfully fought for against Antiochus IV. namely, the free exercise of their religion. This imciticatiiui of Palestine was not long

and the

Persia.

])olitical

KM.

ItnilliiiiKArHV: Ilnlm. (Irirrhlyihr r,V«r/i. Iv.: Fllitlli'. licitrh. MnhiiUtiiitnit, It.; 1. F, IliifTlimnii, Anlittchun IV., Kiiiphiiiiiii

Heiiil



ANTIOXOY

(Afl«r 6]iri]n«r. " CxUtoipi* of

S«littH-lil

Colni,")



enjoyed by Antiochus V.. for he aial his guardian were niunlered in Ui'i by Demetrius I. IliHi.io(KAPtiv

(iimh.

I.

Iik'i



Vlnlu tifm-li. ^f^lfil•^ll^nullH, vul. It. : f^hilivr, and tile lluniliin' (|iiuteil therr; Wlllrieli,

it .>o(..

Jllilinnl. hnlrX. j^

Q

ANTIOCHUS

VI.: King of Syria, son of Al.F.xLike his predeces.sor, M>Klt Bai.as; died 14'.J H.c.. tio(hus VI. was king only in name. He was proclaimeil king whileslill a minor. 1411 n.c. by Diodotus. eallid Tiyphon. former gem-iiil of Alexander The Jews at first sich-d with Demetrius II.. Halas. Nicator. his rival for the tlinaie; hut in vii'wofthe vaiillalion ami tlw treacherous character of Deiue trills, they held it advisa'ile to give their allegiance to . tioehus VI. Like his father. Antiochus VI. was well ilisposeil towiird the .lews. He not only contirmed Ihi' Hasinonean Jonathan in j>os.session of all that Demetrius had gnuited him. but In- also nppointed his brolhir Simon as military commander district reaching to the Kgvptian frontier. . tiocliiis' conlideiiee in these brothers was not in vain; Jonatlian defeateil Demetrius' military ciaiiniandcr in the plain of Ha/.<>r. while Simon capturi-d

over the