A decree was then promulgated by A. through- jut his kingdom that in religion, law, and custom 'all should be one people' (1 Mac 1"; Polyb. xxxviii. 18). In Judaea alone the edict seerns to have met with serious opposition. Accordingly the observance of the Saboath, circumcision, and abstinence from unclean food were specifically for- bidden under the penalty of death. Upon the altar of bumt-otfenng a smaller altar was built, and on the 25th of Chislev (Dec. 168) sacrifice was offered upon it to the Olympic Zeus (1 Mac 1", 2 Mac 6'; Jos. Ant. XII. v. 4: see Dn 11". The phrase in Dn, c;i?D ppi}!i, may have other refer- ence, and is not without linguistic difficulty ; but its oldest interpretation, in the LXX, is liSi\vytia ipr}/iwaeuf, which exactly agrees with the expression in I Mac 1"). The courts, too, of the temple were polluted by indecent orgies. At the same time the worship of Zeus Xenios was instituted in the Sam. temple on Mt. Gerizim. The festivals of Bacchus were introduced into the various towns, and the Jews compelled to take part in them (2 Mac 6"). A monthly search was made (1 Mac 1") ; and the possession of a copy of the book of the law was punishable by deatli. Similar measures were taken in all the cities frequented by the Jews in
the Syrian kingdom, and even in Egypt (2 Mao 6*- '). The efi'ect upon the better J e ws was to arouse a spirit of heroism, which showed itself at first only in an infiexible refusal to renounce Judaism. ' They chose to die . . . and they died' (1 Mac 1°) ; and 2 Mac 6"-7*' records with licence certain instances which are further elaborated in 4 Mac, and of which Philo makes use in Quod omnia prob. lib. § 13 (Mang. ii. 459). Open resist- ance occurred first at Modin (MaSety or Mai5cel/i), a mountain village E. of Lydda and N. W. of Jerus. When the king's commissioner came to see that the edict was obeyed, Mattathias, the head of the priestly Easmonsean family, refused compliance, killed the officer, and fled to the hOls (1 Mac 2«-«8 ; Jos. Ant. XII. vi. 2 : a tradition ascribes the first rising to an outrage attempted upon a Jewish bride). His example was imitated by many others (1 Mac 2^) ; but a great slaughter of them took place through their refusal to defend themselves on a Sabbath (1 Mac 2*-"^). Mattathias persuaded his followers that the law of the Sabbath did not override the right of defence, and was joined by many of the Asidseans ( 'AffiSaioi, on'tiq 0ASIDIM). His bands traversed the country, harassing the Syrians with a guerilla warfare, everywhere de- stroying the symbols of idolatry ( 1 Mac 2*'"''*).
Towards the end of B.C. 167 Mattathias died, and was succeeded in the military chieftainship of his party by his son Judas Maccabaeus (wh. see). After pursuing for a time ^vith invariable success his fatner's practice of cutting oS' small companies of the enemy by surprises, Judas found his followers strong and expert enough to be trusted in larger enterprises. In turn he routed an army of Syrians and Samaritans under the command of ApoUonius, and a greater host at Bethhoron under Seron, the general of Coele-Syria (1 Mac S'""** ; Joa. A nt. XII. vii. 1). When news of the revolt of Judsea reached A., he himself was obliged to set out upon an expedition into Parthia and Armenia, where insurrection was spreading and the taxes were withheld (Tac. Hist. v. 8 ; App. Syr. 45 ; Miiller, Fragm. ii. 10). But he left Lysias behind, as regent and guardian of his son, with orders to depopulate Jud«a(l MacS'^-'*; Jos. Ant. XII. vii. 2). Lysias at once despatched a large body of troops under the command of Ptolemy, Nicanor, and Gorgias ; and with them came merchants to purchase the expected Jewish slaves (1 Mac 3^*""). At Emmaus ('E^^aoi!^, the modem Amwfts), Judas inflicted so signal a defeat upon Gorgias tbat the Syrian troops fled out of the country (1 Mac 4'-'). In B.C. 165 Lysias in person led a still larger army against Judas, but was completely defeated at Bethzur (1 Mac 4="-"; Jos. Ant. XII. vii. 5). Jndas regained possession of the entire country except the citadel in Jerus., and on the 25th or Chislev the daily sacrifices were restored (1 Mac 4", 2 Mao 10*; Jos. Ant. XII. vii. 6 and 7; Middoth, i. 6; Meaillath Taanitk, §§ 17, 20, 23). Meanwhile A had been baffled in an attempt to plunder in Elymais (1 Mac 6') the temple of Nanaia ('the desire of women,' Dn 11*", identified with Artemis, Polyb. xxxi. 11; with Aphrodite, App. Syr. 60; or more probably with Adonis or Tammuz). He retired to Babylon, and thence to Tabae in Persia where he became mad and died (B.C. 164).
LiTERinmii.— Liv. xll. -xlv.; Polyb. xx>4.-xxx].; App. Sf. 46, 66 ; Justin, xxiv. 3, are the principal classical authorities. Dn ll2l-4i is generally interpreted of A. iv. (Jerome, ad Dan. c. 11), and he la Bupposed to have been in the thought of the writer of Kev 13*. The Megillath Antiochue is legendary, post-Talmudio in date, and of little worth as history. Derenbourg, HUt. 5I>-63, extracts from Megillath Taanith, which, with 1 and % Mac and Jos. Ant. xn. v., is the only Jewish source of value.