Judas Maccabeus

Judas Maccabeus (or Judah the Maccabee from the Hebrew ????? ????? transliteration: Yehudah HaMakabi) was the third son of the Jewish priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire (167-160 BCE). His epithet Maccabeus is from the Syriac word maqqaba (hammer), and this name was granted to him in recognition of his ferocity in battle.

Related Topics:
Hebrew - Transliteration - Jew - Mattathias - Maccabean revolt - Seleucid Empire - 167 - 160 BCE - Syriac

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In 175 BCE, Antiochus IV Epiphanes assumed the emperorship of the Seleucid Empire and began a campaign of assimilation against the Jews in Palestine. In an effort to unify the Greek elements of his empire, Antiochus determined to destroy the Jewish faith and Hellenize the sons of Jacob. However, a priest from Modiin, Mattathias, resisted assimilation and instigated a rebellion when he killed one of the emperor's officers. The resistance he started was to be nurtured and led by his son, who would go on to join Joshua, Gideon and David as one of the greatest warriors in Jewish history.

Related Topics:
175 BCE - Antiochus IV Epiphanes - Assimilation - Jew - Palestine - Greek - Jewish faith - Modiin - Joshua - Gideon - David - Jewish history

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