JUDAS MAC'CABIE'US. The hero of the Jewish war of independence waged against the Syrian kings in the second century B.C. Ile was one of five brothers, all distinguished for bravery and skill, sons of Mattathias, a priest of the or der of Joarib. whose home was at Modin, a town about IS miles northwest of Jerusalem. When the emissaries of Antiochus Epiphanes. in the at• tempt to uproot the Jewish faith. in n.c. 16S, reached Modin. Mattathias slew the King's officer, raised the standard of revolt, and with his sons tied to the mountains. At his death, shortly after, he committed the cause to sons. appointing Judas their military leader. The surname of Judas was Maccabus (I. Mace. iii. 1). commonly supposed to mean hammerer,' though this is by no means certain. Judas was, after David. the greatest of heroes. With a few thousand followers he defeated four Syrian armies in sue cession, two of them immensely superior to his own in numbers, and was able, in December, B.C. 165. to restore the Jewish worship at the temple, which had he2n discontinued for three years. The memory of this event was commemorated in the annual eight-day Feast of Dedication on the 25th Chislev (November-December). From now on until hi-, death Judas was the virtual head of the Jewish though he bore no official title. He did not assume the office of high prie.t as his brother Jonathan did later. Extensive campaigns were undertaken against enemic of the Jews on all The Edomites to the south. the Ammonites to the the and other people were conquered or punished for mal treatment of On the death of Antiochus Epiphanes guard ian of the young AntioelluA \'., invaded
.Judea with an army of men and ad vanced to after a vain attempt by Judas to check his But troubles at Antioch compelled ias to retire, and Judas took advantage of the opportunity to secure Syrian recognition of the religious liberty of the This worked toward political To this end he dispatched an embassy to Rome proposing an alliance, hop ing thereby to secure against further sub jection. The answer came too late, for dis sensions among the .Jews and the intrigues of the pro-Syrian party had proved fatal to hi: plan. Though he won a glorious victory over the forces of Demetrius I. of under Nieanor (n.c. 163-162), he was unable to rally the full strength of the .Jews against a second and died in battle against hopeless odds at Elasa 161). He was buried in the family sepulchre at Modin, and succeeded by his more shrewd and political brother, Jonathan (q.v.).
The main sources of informa tion are and and Josephus's xii. Of these the narrative in 1. Maccabees is the most reliable. Schii rer, Histor.' of the Jemeish People in the Time of Jesus Christ London. 1SS5-911 : Stade, Geschiehte des Israel 1SSS) : I.sraelitische and jddi.sehe Geschichte : H. Judas Jlakkaba'us : Streane, The Age of the Jlaecabees 1S9S).