Anti-Semitism Ism

Varieties of Greek Culture.

Two circumstances are note worthy at this juncture. First, though an Athenian was deputed to be the new guide to the Jews, it was not true Hellenism that he brought to their notice. In the Diaspora, the Jews grew ac quainted with genuine Athenian culture : in Palestine they saw but the dregs, the debased provincialism which lacked the pure spirit of Hellas. The travelling Jew could visit the Stoa : the Alexandrine Jew could study in Greek schools. But in the home land all that came from Greece was brought by the soldier, the trader, the slave dealer or the brothel-keeper. It was not against the teachings of Plato but against Antioch and the groves of Daphne' that loyal Jews rose in revolt. Secondly it would seem that the cities were more easily won by Antiochus than was the countryside. The perversion of the Temple, accompanied by the treason of the High Priest and many of his subordinates, may "'Four miles west (of Antioch) lay the paradise of Daphne . . . the beauty and lax morals of which were celebrated all over the western world. . . Antioch shared in both these titles to fame. Its amenities awoke both the enthusiasm and the scorn of many writers of antiquity. . . . The mass of the population seems to have been only superficially Hellenic." D. G. Hogarth in Enc. Brit. ed. xi., vol. ii., pp. 13o-31.

largely account for this. Jerusalem and Garizim followed the State religion also because, to gain obedience for the royal de crees, force was at hand, which was absent elsewhere.

Rise of the Maccabees.

Resistance came soon. At Modein, a small town north-west of Jerusalem, when the officer of Anti ochus raised a heathen altar and invited the people to sacrifice on it so as to demonstrate their acceptance of the new cult, Mattathias, an aged priest of the order of Jehoiarib, slew both the officer and a Jew who stepped forward to comply with the royal order.

In order to strengthen their position and gain adherents, the loyal Jews fled to the mountains. This is undoubtedly alluded to in Mark. xiii., 14, and Matt. xxiv., 15 ("When ye see the abomina tion of desolation . . . let them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains"), where a possible Roman desecration of the Temple or Temple-site analogous to that by Antiochus, is contemplated. (See C. G. Montefiore, Synoptic Gospels, Lond., 1927, vol. i., p. 300: vol. ii., p. 311.) Whether Mattathias himself led the band is uncertain. The leader very soon was Judas, his third son, who, with his four brothers, collected the scattered Jews and prepared for defence. The brothers are known by two names, (I) Has moneans, 'Aciu.ovalos (Jos. Ant. xii., § 1, etc.) or 'N'ai');:r (Middoth I., 6) from Hasmonai, the grandfather of Mattathias and (2) Maccabees. This name was strictly applied to Judas only. The etymology is doubtful. The suggestion is that the initials of ("who is like unto Thee among the Gods, 0 Lord," Exod. xv., I I) which was said to have been emblazoned on

Judas's banner, cannot stand because Maccabee is spelled not 'om. The derivation from mp:, i.e., "hammerer" (cf. Charles Martel) is unlikely, if only because the root means "to pierce" and not "to hammer." Curtiss suggests rr= as the origin, while others favour liana, "He who hides himself" (sc. in the mountains) in defiance of the Hebrew orthography. The most plausible solu tion is that offered by F. Luzzatto, i.e., OtatbAaxos or iletX11 H. Hirschfeld, in Jew. Quart. Rev., new series, vol. xviii., No. 1., July, 1927, p. 57, rejects Perles's hypothesis (loc. cit. ib.) that is correct and favours '3n which he derives from Ain ti expressing "a family tragedy coinciding with the birth of the future hero . . . or anxiety about the political state of the country." The name Benjamin = Benoni would offer a parallel.' The Campaigns of Judas.—Antiochus's generals, Seron, from Syria, and Apollonius, from Samaria, failed to overcome Judas, who defeated them by sudden night attacks, winning the battle of Beth Horon. At this time the Parthians were revolting against the Seleucids, Mithridates I. (17o-138) was making himself in dependent, and Antiochus was seriously embarrassed. He deter mined to deal with the Parthians in person but he ordered Lysias, his Viceroy in Syria, to suppress the Jews. Lysias sent 47,000 men, infantry and cavalry, under Nicanor, Gorgias and Ptolemy. Judas defeated Nicanor at Emmaus and Gorgias's army fled. Fresh Syrian forces, under Timotheus and Bacchides, were des patched from the south. Either Judas routed them at Beth Zur, by Hebron, or else they retired in consequence of the death of Antiochus. In any case, Judas gained his end. The road to Jerusalem lay open to him, though the Greek garrison still held out and could not be dislodged. But the Temple was free. It was cleansed and rededicated on 25 Kislev, three years to a day from the time when it had been defiled.

Sabbath Observance.

Scholars are generally agreed that the book of Daniel was probably composed during the Maccabean struggle : its purpose was to encourage the faithful to endure martyrdom. At the same time Mattathias succeeded in obtaining the adoption of a new and important principle. Hitherto the Jews had refused in all circumstances to fight on the Sabbath and the enemy had both noted this rule and profited thereby. Thus Antiochus had entered Jerusalem on the Sabbath and under Mattathias some of the earliest defenders had been slain without resistance on the sacred day. It was now ordained that Jews should defend themselves on the Sabbath if attacked. It is possi ble that on this account the Maccabees became unpopular with 'A new theory was advanced by Prof. A. A. Bevan at the Cambridge Theological Society in December 1928.