JUPITER (Zee's, LXX.), the father and kilig of gods and men, and the supreme ruler of the Hellenic race, to whom the Jews, under Antiochus 1V. Epiphanes, were to be compelled to do honour. It is stated in 2 MACCab. VL I, 2, that the king sent an old man of Athens" cAthivaiov, LXX.; Antiachenum, Vulg.) to compel the Jews to part from the laws of their fathers, and not to live after the laws of God; and to pollute also the Temple in Jerusalem, and to call it the temple of Jupiter Olympius (A/bs '0Xunriov), and that in Gerizim, of Jupiter the defender of strangers (Atbs LXX.; haspitalis, Vulg.), as they did sire that dwelt in the place. Olympius was a very common epithet of Zeus, and he is sometimes simply called '0X6p-r-/os (Hom. //., xix. io8).
Olympia was the name of the temple and sacred grove of Zeus Olympius, and it was here that the famous statue of gold and ivory, the work of Phei dias, was erected. Caligula attempted to have this statue transferred to Rome, and it \vas only preserved in its place by the assurance that it would not bear removal (Joseph. Antig. xix. 1. t). An tiochns Epiphanes, as related by Athenteus, sur passed all other kings in his worship and veneration of the gods, so that it was impossible to count the number of the statues Ile erected. His especial favourite was Zeus. He commenced, in B.C. 174, the coinpletion of the temple of Zeus Olympius at Athens (Polyb. Relig. xxvi. to ; Livy, Hist. xli. 2o),
and associated the worship of Jupiter with that ot Apollo at Daphne, erecting a statue to the former god resembling that of Pheidias at Olympia (Arnm. Marcell., xxii. 13. t). Games were celebrated at Daphne by Antiochus, of which there is a long account in Polybius (Reliy. xxxi. 3) and Athenus (v. 5). Coins also were struck referring to the god and the games (Mionnet, vol. v., p. 215 ; Ali:111er, Antiy. Antioch., pp. 62-64). On the coins of Elis the wreath of wild olive (arzvos) distinguishes Zeus Olympius from the Dodo=an Zeus, who has an oak wreath.
Antiochus, after compellin,g the Jews to call the temple of Jerusalem the temple of Jupiter Olym pins, built an idol altar upon the altar of God. Upon this altar swine were offered every day, and the broth of their flesh was sprinkled about the temple (i Maccab. i. 47; 2 Maccab. vi. 5 ; Joseph. Antig. xii. 5. 4 ; xiii. 8. 2; Bell. yua'.i. I. 2). The idol altar which was upon the altar of God (rdv pw,odo Ss ,0 roD Ovo-tao-rnplov) was considered by the Jews to be the abomination of desolation' (135eXu-yita. rijs 4flacbo-ecos, Maccab. i. 54) foretold by Daniel (xi. 31 ; xii. It) and mentioned by our Lord (Matt. xxiv. 15). Many interpretations of the meaning- of this prophecy have been given. [ABOMINATION