Posted in Maccabees on Jan 29th, 2009 No Comments »
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.
Posted in Maccabees on Jan 22nd, 2009 No Comments »
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.
Posted in Maccabees on Jan 15th, 2009 No Comments »
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.
Posted in Maccabees on Jan 8th, 2009 No Comments »
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.
Posted in Uncategorized on Jan 1st, 2009 No Comments »
Judah continued the war against both the Seleucid kingdom and the influences of Hellenism, even though he sufferd defeats on both fronts. The Seleucid king did grant religious freedom to the Jews, but a new High Priest was appointed who favored Hellenism- he embraced the ideas of pagan Greek civilization. Many Jews supported the new High Priest, and Judah lost much of his support. In the end, Judah made one last hopeless attack against another massive Greek army, where he lost his life.
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