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After subduing Carthage, the Romans turned their attention towards the east.  They defeated King Antiochus III of the Seleucid kingdom, and warned his son, Antiochus IV, not to conquer Egypt.  This humilation may have led to the decision of Antiochus IV to force the Jews to live as Gentiles.  While the Maccabees fought against the Greeks, the Roman world enjoyed long periods of peace, even while Roman power extended even further to the east.

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After the Romans threw off Etruscan domination, they expanded from the city of Rome.  In a long series of tough wars, extending for a couple hundred years, the Romans conquered the entire Italian peninsula.  Then they took on Carthage in three memorable wars, and controlled the western part of the Mediterranean Sea.  Some people, however, believed that the extended empire caused the inhabitants of Rome to grow soft and weak, unlike the previous generations, who grew tough through desperate struggles.

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The Romans had come to Judea.  How did these people make such a powerful empire?  In this episode, we take a quick look at the strengths of the Romans- their strong sense of family and their ability to adapt, to adopt new ways of thinking (as they incorporated the Greek religion) and to change their own government (as they allowed the plebeians more input).

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After Alexander Jannaeus died, his wife Salome Alexandra took over as Queen of Judea.  She brought healing between the Pharisees and Sadducees.  When Salome died, her two sons fought over the kingdom.  Neither was strong enough to defeat the other, so they asked the Romans to step in, and they did.  The Romans took one side, defeated the other, and took over Judea.  The independent state of Judea came to an end.

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King Alexander Jannaeus expanded the kingdom of Judea to its greatest size since the days of King David and Solomon, but animosity grew between the Pharisees (who lived mostly among the common people) and the Sadducees (who came from the wealthy families).  A major incident happened at Sukkot one year, and then the Pharisees rebelled against their king, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives.

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John Hyrcanus lived to an old age and died peacefully.  His son, Aristobulus, became the new High Priest and King, but he murdered people in his family who might have gotten in his way.  Aristobulus died after a reign of one year, and his brother, Alexander Jannaeus, became the new High Priest and King, and quickly went embarked on war- and very nearly lost Judea’s independence.

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Simon, the brother of Judas Maccabaeus, lived to an old age but died a violent death just like his brothers.  Simon’s son, John Hyrcanus, became the new High Priest, and led his people through times of despair and triumph.  The Romans helped keep the Jewish state going, but a sense of secularism began to spread among the Jews.

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Jonathon the High Priest was tricked and captured by the Seleucids, and they killed him.  Jonathon’s brother, Simon, became the new High Priest.  The Seleucid kings kept fighting each other, each offering the Jews more concessions, until they finally gave independence to the state of Judea.

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After the death of Judah ha-Macabi, the Jews who opposed Hellenism were in trouble.  That is, until the Seleucid kingdom faced some difficulties.  Two kings struggled to control the Seleucid throne, and each one offered concessions to the Jews to gain their support.  That’s how Jonathon, Judah’s brother, became the High Priest.

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Judah Ha-Maccabi was dead.  Did he throw his life away in a foolish attack against a huge enemy force?  Or did his death inspire the Jews to carry on the fight against the Greeks?  Perhaps the death of Judah served the same purpose as the death of the Texans in the Alamo during the fight against Mexico.

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