1 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:06,960 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday. Since this Saturday Classic is coming out during Hanukkah, 2 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: we thought we would rerelease our December one episode on 3 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: the Maccabean Revolt, which is the historical event associated with 4 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:18,639 Speaker 1: the Jewish holiday of Hanakah. While hanaka isn't one of 5 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,320 Speaker 1: the primary Jewish holidays from a religious perspective, it has 6 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 1: become culturally important in a lot of Jewish communities and 7 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 1: families around the world. So if you are observing Hanakah 8 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,680 Speaker 1: this week, Happy Hanukah from us to you. Our thoughts 9 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:33,800 Speaker 1: are especially with you if you're having to do so 10 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 1: at a distance from the people that you love and miss. 11 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff you missed in History Class A production 12 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 13 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: I'm Tracy D. Wilson and I'm Holly fry. So we've 14 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: got a lot of requests over the years to talk 15 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 1: about the Maccabean Revolt. We've also had a lot of 16 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:05,520 Speaker 1: good intentions over the last few years to talk about it. 17 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 1: It's the historical event that's connected to the Jewish holiday 18 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: of Hanakah, and two things have thwarted our plans to 19 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:15,759 Speaker 1: talk about this repeatedly. And the first is that since 20 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 1: Hanakah falls on the Jewish calendar, which doesn't sync up 21 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: with the Gregorian calendar. Uh. I kept being surprised by 22 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:29,480 Speaker 1: the fact that Hanka was imminent every year or or 23 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 1: head started. That's always mine already, yeah I um. And 24 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:40,320 Speaker 1: also because this historical event is in a piece of 25 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 1: ancient history that doesn't get as much coverage in a 26 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: lot of classrooms. When I would be surprised by the 27 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: eminent arrival of Hanakah, I would also realize I just 28 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: did not have enough foundational knowledge to be able to 29 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: put an episode together in that period of time, because 30 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: it's this is after Alexander the Great and before Rome, 31 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: so it's in the it's in the Hellenistic period. So 32 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: that is just one of the places that I have 33 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:09,919 Speaker 1: not had a whole whole bunch of history education. UM. 34 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 1: My ancient history education kind of went Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, 35 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:18,959 Speaker 1: Classical Greece, Rome, and skipped the Hellenistic period almost entirely. Uh. 36 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: This year, however, I had my act together ahead of time, Tracy, 37 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: so we finally have our episode on the Macabean revolt. Uh. 38 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:33,639 Speaker 1: I will say that every Hanaka observance I have ever 39 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:36,920 Speaker 1: been to is just full of warmth and love and 40 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,720 Speaker 1: comfort and light, and it's it all feels very beautiful 41 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 1: and friendly. And this history is not really that. So 42 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:48,919 Speaker 1: if you're coming into this episode expecting like a story 43 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: of warmth and love and triumph, this is not really 44 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: going to be that. And then also having heard multiple 45 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: experts pronounce a lot of the names in this episode 46 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:00,679 Speaker 1: completely differently from one another, I'm just gonna have a 47 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 1: blanket apology in advance. I'm sorry if we land on 48 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: the one that's either not how you say it or 49 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: is just not right. I really did have just contradictory 50 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: responses and how to say a lot of these words 51 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 1: and names. Alexander the Third of Macedon, also known as 52 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 1: Alexander the Great, famously built a massive empire through a 53 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 1: series of conquests, including conquering the Persian Empire in the 54 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:31,079 Speaker 1: fourth century b c. And at its height, this empire 55 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: included a huge swath of territory around the Mediterranean energy 56 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 1: and seas, and then it stretched west across what's now Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, 57 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: and Pakistan. Greek culture also spread through and influenced Alexander's 58 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:50,640 Speaker 1: territory to varying degrees. Even before Alexander's death in early 59 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: June of three BC, this massive empire was starting to fracture, 60 00:03:56,080 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 1: and after he died, his generals divided it up among themselves. 61 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 1: Of the two most relevant to what we're talking about today, 62 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 1: both controlled territory along the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. 63 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 1: These were the Seleucid Empire, named for Seleucis Nicotour, to 64 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: the north, and the Ptolemaic Kingdom, named for Ptolemy first Soto, 65 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:20,599 Speaker 1: to the south. At first, the Seleucid Empire controlled what 66 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:24,440 Speaker 1: is now Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan's and from there 67 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: this territory stretched east to Central Asia. In the Ptolemaic 68 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:32,440 Speaker 1: Kingdom primarily controlled what's now northern Egypt, including the city 69 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 1: of Alexandria. Even though the Ptolemaic Kingdom was initially much smaller, 70 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: it was also one of the most prosperous and influential 71 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 1: of all of the Hellenistic kingdoms, with Alexandria becoming one 72 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 1: of the most important cities. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these two neighbors 73 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 1: spent a lot of time at war with each other 74 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:55,359 Speaker 1: over territory, including who would control Syria and the Levant 75 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 1: in the eastern Mediterranean. This ongoing struggle played out in 76 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 1: fight of a number of diplomatic and family connections that 77 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,920 Speaker 1: existed between the Ptolemys and the Seleucids, and the fact 78 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,920 Speaker 1: that both Ptolemy and Seleucists themselves had teamed up together 79 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 1: against rival h and Antigonus the first just after Alexander's death. 80 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: During many of these wars, Judea, which is the area 81 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 1: between the Mediterranean Sea on one side and the Dead 82 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,520 Speaker 1: Sea on the other, was caught in the crossfire, and 83 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: it was passed back and forth between the Ptolemy's and 84 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:35,160 Speaker 1: the Seleucids as the territory changed hands. The city of Jerusalem, 85 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:39,960 Speaker 1: which is important some multiple religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, 86 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: is also located in Judea, although at the time we're 87 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:46,719 Speaker 1: discussing today, Christianity and Islam both had not yet been founded. 88 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:50,720 Speaker 1: Jerusalem had been home to Solomon's Temple, also known as 89 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:53,719 Speaker 1: the First Temple, which was destroyed in five eighties seven 90 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 1: b c e. And at the time that this story 91 00:05:56,279 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 1: takes place, it was home to the Second Temple, built 92 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 1: in roughly five twenty See these temples are of enormous religious, spiritual, 93 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:08,039 Speaker 1: and social importance in Judaism. During the Fifth Syrian War, 94 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:12,360 Speaker 1: which spanned from two o two to one, the Seleucids 95 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 1: soundly defeated the Ptolemy's at the Battle of Panias or Banias, 96 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,360 Speaker 1: also known as the Battle of Panneum and The details 97 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: of the battle itself are mostly lost to time, but 98 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:26,840 Speaker 1: we do know that following this defeat, the Ptolemy's lost 99 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:31,920 Speaker 1: most of their territory in the Lavant, including Judea. At first, 100 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:35,480 Speaker 1: the region's Jewish population continued to live mostly as they 101 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: had been. Many of the Ptolemaic leaders who had controlled 102 00:06:38,839 --> 00:06:42,680 Speaker 1: Judea had been relatively tolerant of religious diversity. There was 103 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 1: definitely a social hierarchy at play, with the Greeks having 104 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 1: higher social and economic status than everyone else, but for 105 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:53,239 Speaker 1: the most part, throughout the Ptolemaic kingdom, people were allowed 106 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 1: religious freedom and expression. For example, under Ptolemaic rule, native 107 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 1: Egyptian religious treaty sans continued to be upheld, and newly 108 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: built Greek temples and other religious sites often drew inspiration 109 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 1: from Egyptian deities. The city of Alexandria in the Ptolemaic 110 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: kingdom also had a sizeable Jewish population, and it was 111 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:17,440 Speaker 1: in Alexandria that the Torah was translated into Greek for 112 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:22,080 Speaker 1: the first time. The degree to which Jews and Alexandria 113 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: and elsewhere in Ptolemaic territories spoke Greek and adopted Greek 114 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:29,920 Speaker 1: customs really really varied from community to community, in person 115 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 1: to person. There were, of course, a lot of different 116 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: schools of thought about how much assimilation with Greek culture 117 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 1: was acceptable. Some Jewish religious religious leaders advocated for a 118 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 1: total rejection of all things Greek, while others thought that 119 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 1: some degree of assimilation was fine as long as certain 120 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: Jewish laws and customs were still upheld. Later on, Jewish 121 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:58,120 Speaker 1: religious texts written during this period would be viewed with 122 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:02,520 Speaker 1: some suspicion because of this Greek influence. So that was 123 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 1: before the Fifth Syrian War and the Battle of Pennius. 124 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:09,280 Speaker 1: After Judea became part of the Seleucid Empire, at first 125 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:13,480 Speaker 1: things stayed more or less the same. Seleucid rule continued 126 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 1: to allow free observance of the Jewish religion. Antiochus the Third, 127 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 1: also known as Antiochus the Great, then ruler of the 128 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 1: Seleucid Empire helped rebuild parts of Jerusalem that had been 129 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:29,080 Speaker 1: damaged or destroyed in the war. He suspended taxes in 130 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 1: Jerusalem for three years and banned the import of animals 131 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:37,160 Speaker 1: that were unfit for consumption under Jewish law into Jerusalem. 132 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,640 Speaker 1: He also allowed the Jewish population of Jerusalem to govern 133 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:46,599 Speaker 1: itself according to Jewish law. However, all that changed radically 134 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:50,319 Speaker 1: after the death of Antiocus the Third. He was succeeded 135 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 1: by his son Selucius the Fourth, who was then assassinated 136 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:56,720 Speaker 1: by one of his ministers who tried to take the 137 00:08:56,760 --> 00:09:01,360 Speaker 1: throne for himself, and ti Akus the Fourth Epiphanies, another 138 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:04,439 Speaker 1: of Antiocas the third sons, managed to take control of 139 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 1: the Seleucid Empire in one s b c. And his 140 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:11,640 Speaker 1: ideas on religious freedom were completely different than anti Acas 141 00:09:11,679 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 1: the Thirds had been completely different than the Ptolemy's had been. Basically, 142 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 1: it was a huge shift from what had been going 143 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:23,079 Speaker 1: on in Judea over the hundreds of years and many 144 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:26,120 Speaker 1: not hundreds, but over the many decades and wars that 145 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:29,720 Speaker 1: had seen it passed back and forth between different ruling 146 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: empires over time. We are going to talk about exactly 147 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:45,760 Speaker 1: how after a quick word from a sponsor, Antiocas the 148 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 1: fourth wanted to restore the Seleucid Empire to its former grandeur, 149 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: and to that end, he started actively promoting and even 150 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 1: requiring explicitly Greek customs, language, and ideals. All the people 151 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:01,760 Speaker 1: in his empire s be one people, and their culture 152 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 1: should be Greek. Monotheistic religions, including Judaism, were expected to 153 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:11,160 Speaker 1: abandon their own customs and practices and instead begin worshiping 154 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: the Greek Pantheon of Gods. The high priest at the 155 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:19,839 Speaker 1: Jewish Temple had been resisting Greek influence, so Antiochus replaced 156 00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:24,240 Speaker 1: him with his brother, that's the priest brother, not Antiochus's brother, 157 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:28,320 Speaker 1: with his brother Jason. Jason had hellenized his own name 158 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:32,400 Speaker 1: from Hebrew, and he built a Greek style gymnasium adjacent 159 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 1: to the temple. A gymnasium in Greece was a gathering 160 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 1: place and a training facility for athletes, and it was 161 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 1: also an emblem of Greek culture, and men who used 162 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:46,240 Speaker 1: the gymnasium did so naked. This is a problem because nudity, 163 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: especially public nudity, was against Jewish law, so building this 164 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 1: gymnasium near the temple was not only a reminder of 165 00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:56,880 Speaker 1: Greek supremacy, but also something that was abhorrent in the 166 00:10:56,880 --> 00:10:58,880 Speaker 1: eyes of many of the people who were going to 167 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:02,840 Speaker 1: the temple for both social and religious reasons. Jason was 168 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:07,120 Speaker 1: later replaced by Menelaois, also a Hellenizer, who continued to 169 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:11,560 Speaker 1: promote Greek ideas and customs among the Jewish population. In 170 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:15,440 Speaker 1: one sixty eight b c. Antiochus was away fighting the 171 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:18,960 Speaker 1: sixth Syrian War in Egypt, and rumors started to spread 172 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:22,600 Speaker 1: that he had been killed. This prompted some of Jerusalem's 173 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:26,360 Speaker 1: more traditional Jewish population to rebel against Menelaois, who fled 174 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:30,200 Speaker 1: the city. When Antiochus returned to Jerusalem and learned what 175 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 1: had happened, he was outraged and ordered his army to 176 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:39,679 Speaker 1: attack the Jewish population. Thousands were killed or enslaved. Antiochus 177 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:45,160 Speaker 1: then issued a decree outlawing Judaism. He specifically forbade Jewish 178 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:49,640 Speaker 1: religious observances and customs. He outlawed Jewish modes of worship 179 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:53,200 Speaker 1: and observances of the Sabbath and Jewish festivals, and he 180 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:57,679 Speaker 1: also outlawed the practice of circumcision. The decree also required 181 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:01,600 Speaker 1: Jews to sacrifice pigs to Greek idols, and the Second 182 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 1: Temple was rededicated to the Greek god Zeus. Failure to 183 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:09,760 Speaker 1: obey all of this was punishable by death, and many Jews, 184 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:14,720 Speaker 1: possibly thousands of them, were martyred as a result. Although 185 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:18,800 Speaker 1: this decree stood in direct opposition to Jewish law, a 186 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,520 Speaker 1: portion of the Jewish community did follow it. Many but 187 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:26,760 Speaker 1: not all, certainly did so under extreme darrests, but people 188 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:29,800 Speaker 1: who had not considered Hellenization to be bad or threatening 189 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:34,080 Speaker 1: often followed the law willingly. This meant that soon the 190 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:37,880 Speaker 1: most traditionalist parts of the Jewish population were at odds 191 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:41,640 Speaker 1: both with the Seleucids and with Hellenistic Jews who willingly 192 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:47,120 Speaker 1: followed the law. And Tiakas's decree was not just directed 193 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 1: at the city of Jerusalem. It also applied to all 194 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 1: of Salucid territory, and he sent armed officers from town 195 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:57,960 Speaker 1: to town to enforce it. This included This included demanding 196 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:01,680 Speaker 1: that priests publicly make sacrific isis to Greek idols or 197 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 1: consumed pork, under penalty of death if they refused. During 198 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:10,040 Speaker 1: this time, a Jewish priestly family led by Patriarch met 199 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:13,200 Speaker 1: at Yahoo or Matthias or Matthias, depending on how you 200 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:17,199 Speaker 1: pronounce it, was living in moda Een, west of Jerusalem. 201 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:20,280 Speaker 1: When Antia kisses men came to moda Een to demand 202 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:25,160 Speaker 1: sacrifices to Greek gods, Matthias refused. As recorded in First 203 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:28,600 Speaker 1: Maccabee's he said, even if all the nations that live 204 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:31,000 Speaker 1: under the rule of the king obey him and have 205 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:34,600 Speaker 1: chosen to do his commandments, departing each one from the 206 00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:37,920 Speaker 1: religion of his father's, yet I and my sons and 207 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,720 Speaker 1: my brothers will live by the covenant of our fathers. 208 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:44,000 Speaker 1: We will not obey the King's word by turning aside 209 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:48,360 Speaker 1: from our religion to the right hand or to the left. Then, 210 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:52,000 Speaker 1: when when a Hellenistic Jew approached this Greek altar to 211 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:56,319 Speaker 1: make a sacrifice as ordered, Matthias grabbed an officer officer's 212 00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:59,839 Speaker 1: sword and killed him, before then killing the officer. And 213 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:02,880 Speaker 1: then he rallied the people who had witnessed this to 214 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 1: join him in a rebellion against the Seleucid Empire. Although 215 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:10,640 Speaker 1: some of the traditionalist Jews in the Seleucid Empire had 216 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:15,520 Speaker 1: already been resisting Antiochus's decree non violently Matthias and his 217 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:19,640 Speaker 1: five sons started a campaign of guerrilla warfare. They recruited 218 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:22,880 Speaker 1: others and based their operations in hills and caves, eating 219 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,320 Speaker 1: plants they could scavenge to avoid the need to eat 220 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:28,960 Speaker 1: food that wasn't kosher. This revolt was the first war 221 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:32,120 Speaker 1: for religious freedom in the West and possibly in the world. 222 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:36,440 Speaker 1: Matthias was already quite old when this resistance started, and 223 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:40,080 Speaker 1: he passed away not long after. His third son, Juda 224 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:43,080 Speaker 1: Maccabee or due to the Hammer, became the leader of 225 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:45,800 Speaker 1: this resistance, and estimates really vary about the size of 226 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,480 Speaker 1: the fighting force that he recruited. It was somewhere between 227 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:51,440 Speaker 1: six thousand to twelve thousand people, but that's still really 228 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:55,400 Speaker 1: com paled in comparison to the Seleucid force of forty thousand. 229 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:59,080 Speaker 1: Even so, thanks to their superior knowledge of the hills 230 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 1: and caves around Judea and the fact that the Soleucids 231 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:06,120 Speaker 1: originally underestimated what they were up against, they were able 232 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 1: to successfully resist and ultimately defeat the Greek force. It 233 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:14,040 Speaker 1: wasn't only the Greek force that the Maccabee army was fighting, though. 234 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:16,600 Speaker 1: They were also fighting back against the people they saw 235 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:21,240 Speaker 1: as godless or Jews who are willing to follow Greek law. Today, 236 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:24,200 Speaker 1: there's actually some debate among scholars about how much of 237 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:27,160 Speaker 1: this resistance was really about the Greeks and how much 238 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:31,920 Speaker 1: was about the Hellenistic Jews. When Antiocus the fourth died, 239 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 1: he was succeeded by his son anti Acaus the fifth. 240 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:37,360 Speaker 1: He ruled from one sixty four to one sixty two BC, 241 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 1: and anti Acus the fifth repealed his father's decree, saying 242 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 1: that he wanted the subjects of the kingdom to be 243 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 1: undisturbed in looking after their own affairs. He left the 244 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:51,840 Speaker 1: Jewish community free to quote follow the customs of their ancestors. 245 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:56,160 Speaker 1: Following anti Acis the fifth decree, the Jewish community in 246 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 1: Jerusalem began cleaning the temple and removing the Greek idols 247 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:04,320 Speaker 1: had been placed there. In mid December of one b C, 248 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:08,840 Speaker 1: or kiss Lev in the Jewish calendar, it was ready 249 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:12,520 Speaker 1: to be rededicated, and this rededication was an eight day 250 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:16,960 Speaker 1: observance that included songs, prayers, and burnt offerings. The word 251 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,680 Speaker 1: Hanakah means dedication, and the holiday is in celebration of 252 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:25,880 Speaker 1: this cleansing and rededication of the temple. The Hanukkah story 253 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:28,520 Speaker 1: that most people are the most familiar with is that 254 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 1: consecrated oil was needed to re light the temple's manora, 255 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 1: but there was only one day's worth of oil and 256 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:38,520 Speaker 1: it would take a week to consecrate more of it. However, 257 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:42,120 Speaker 1: in this story, a miracle occurred and that one day's 258 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:45,400 Speaker 1: worth of oil burned for eight keeping the manora lit, 259 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:49,640 Speaker 1: when more keeping the manora lit until more consecrated oil 260 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:52,840 Speaker 1: was ready for it. This story was first written down 261 00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:56,720 Speaker 1: hundreds of years after the temple's dedication, so many people 262 00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:59,760 Speaker 1: view it as symbolic rather than as a historical fact, 263 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:03,040 Speaker 1: and instead of being about burning oil, the miracle of 264 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:06,680 Speaker 1: Hanukah becomes a twofold miracle, combining the spiritual victory of 265 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:10,960 Speaker 1: Jewish values over Greek values and the military victory of 266 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:14,919 Speaker 1: the Jewish force over the Seleucid army that vastly outnumbered 267 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:20,240 Speaker 1: them and had far superior training, equipment, and supplies. And 268 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:22,600 Speaker 1: if the story ended here, it would be kind of 269 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:30,720 Speaker 1: the like peaceful, happy, warm, delicious fried food time that 270 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:35,440 Speaker 1: I have experienced with Honka but and ti Akuss decree 271 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:38,439 Speaker 1: and the rededication of the temple and the restoration of 272 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:42,120 Speaker 1: religious freedoms did not put an end to the Maccabean revolt, 273 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:45,119 Speaker 1: and we will talk about how and why it continued. 274 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:55,480 Speaker 1: After a sponsor break. After the restoration of Jewish religious 275 00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:58,600 Speaker 1: freedom and the rededication of the Temple, the maccabee's went 276 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 1: on to start another revolt, this time with the ultimate 277 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:07,440 Speaker 1: goal of obtaining total independence from the Seleucids. Judah mccabee 278 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:10,439 Speaker 1: won a major victory against the fighting force led by 279 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:15,080 Speaker 1: Seleucid general nicaaner In, and much of the Salucid army 280 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:19,000 Speaker 1: was destroyed in this battle. This decisive victory caught the 281 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:22,439 Speaker 1: attention of Rome. The mccabee's went on to sign a 282 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:26,080 Speaker 1: treaty with Rome that same year. Rome had become a 283 00:18:26,119 --> 00:18:29,080 Speaker 1: threat to both the Ptolemy's and the Sleucids, so doing 284 00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:31,280 Speaker 1: this was a little bit of, you know, the enemy 285 00:18:31,359 --> 00:18:35,200 Speaker 1: of my enemy is my friend kind of thing. After 286 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:39,800 Speaker 1: Judah mccabee died in battle, his brother Jonatan or Jonathan 287 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:43,360 Speaker 1: took over and established himself as the leader in Judea, 288 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,680 Speaker 1: which soon became an autonomous part of the Sleucid Empire. 289 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:52,119 Speaker 1: Through a treaty with Seleucid king Alexander Balas Following the treaty, 290 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:55,520 Speaker 1: Jonathan established himself as ruler in one fifty three b C. 291 00:18:56,119 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: And at the same time, Jonathan was also a high priest. 292 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:03,639 Speaker 1: This was a massive upward move in status for the Maccabee's, 293 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:06,040 Speaker 1: who also came to be known as the Hasmanian family. 294 00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:09,680 Speaker 1: They had been village priests, and now they were both 295 00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:13,440 Speaker 1: the ruling family of an autonomous Jewish state and also 296 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:18,200 Speaker 1: the high priestly family of the Jewish temple. However, simultaneously 297 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:21,840 Speaker 1: being the secular leader and the high priest was contrary 298 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:25,560 Speaker 1: to Jewish law and to the hereditary lines of secular 299 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:31,760 Speaker 1: and religious succession within Judaism, so Jonathan's leadership over religious 300 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:36,159 Speaker 1: matters became especially problematic because he had been leading battles 301 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:40,359 Speaker 1: during the revolt. All of this created big, big divisions 302 00:19:40,359 --> 00:19:44,080 Speaker 1: within the Jewish population because there were people who supported 303 00:19:44,119 --> 00:19:47,720 Speaker 1: the Maccabean leadership over both civil and religious matters, and 304 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:51,119 Speaker 1: then other people who thought this combination of roles and 305 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:55,080 Speaker 1: disregarding the way that that civil and religious leadership had 306 00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:58,159 Speaker 1: been passed down through generations, felt like that violated the 307 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:02,280 Speaker 1: law and was wrong. When Jonathan was killed, his brother 308 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:06,240 Speaker 1: Shimune or Simon took over, and under Simon's rule, the 309 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:10,040 Speaker 1: Maccabees overthrew Acra, which was the Greek stronghold in Jerusalem, 310 00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:14,399 Speaker 1: in one forty two b C. Afterwards, Simon declared total 311 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:18,680 Speaker 1: independence from the Seleucids, establishing an independent Jewish kingdom that 312 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:22,359 Speaker 1: came to be known as the Hasmanian Kingdom. This was 313 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:26,280 Speaker 1: a dynastic kingdom, with leadership passing down from father to son, 314 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:29,600 Speaker 1: although it was later on in this dynasty before anyone 315 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:33,480 Speaker 1: actually took the title of king. When Simon died, his 316 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:38,080 Speaker 1: successor was Johannan's Hercanus or John Hercanus, the first, who 317 00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:42,200 Speaker 1: threw a series of military conquests made the Hasmanian dynasty 318 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:46,879 Speaker 1: about as powerful as the Seleucids. He also forcibly converted 319 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:53,359 Speaker 1: people to Judaism in this conquered territory. John Hercanus's successor 320 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:57,639 Speaker 1: was his son Alexander Yanni, who also conquered new territory 321 00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:00,960 Speaker 1: and added it to the Hasmanian Kingdom. And in addition 322 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:04,520 Speaker 1: to fighting with his Seleucid neighbors, he also took sides 323 00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:07,760 Speaker 1: in a conflict among the various factions that had arisen 324 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:10,560 Speaker 1: in response to has Many in rule, at one point, 325 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 1: reportedly executing eight hundred pharisees who opposed him. The hasmany 326 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:19,639 Speaker 1: And dynasty was in power for about eighty years until 327 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:23,280 Speaker 1: sixty three BC. It started to decline after the death 328 00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:26,280 Speaker 1: of Queen salome A Alexandra and sixty seven b C, 329 00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:31,600 Speaker 1: and in fighting between her sons weakened the kingdom. Roman 330 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:35,199 Speaker 1: general Pompey took advantage of these two stones rivalry with 331 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 1: each other to lay siege to Jerusalem, which ended in 332 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:42,240 Speaker 1: a massacre, and that was really the end of the dynasty. 333 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:45,440 Speaker 1: As we mentioned earlier in the show, the first Hanukkah 334 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:49,520 Speaker 1: celebrations were in recognition of the cleansing and rededication of 335 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:52,879 Speaker 1: the Second Temple in Jerusalem, but as the hasmany And 336 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:57,280 Speaker 1: dynasty evolved, the celebration of Hanukah served another purpose as well. 337 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 1: Because the has many And dynasty's dual role as both 338 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:05,120 Speaker 1: priests and secular rulers was not met with universal approval, 339 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:08,600 Speaker 1: they established a holiday that would reframe the revolt as 340 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:13,440 Speaker 1: a noble struggle and ultimately Victoria's struggle against Greek oppression. 341 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:17,159 Speaker 1: After the end of the Hasmanian dynasty, there was a 342 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:20,840 Speaker 1: move away from celebrating Hanakah as a major Jewish holiday, 343 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 1: both due to its origins through the Hasmanian dynasty, the 344 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:27,840 Speaker 1: fact that that dynasty was problematic for a lot of 345 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:30,359 Speaker 1: people in terms of Jewish law, and the fact that 346 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:33,880 Speaker 1: it isn't mentioned anywhere in the Torah. Today, though, hanaka 347 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:36,919 Speaker 1: has become a really a culturally important holiday for a 348 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:40,399 Speaker 1: lot of Jewish people, particularly in the Jewish diaspora. A 349 00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:43,720 Speaker 1: lot of the traditions that are most associated with Hanakah today, 350 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,280 Speaker 1: like eating latka and other fried food from that has 351 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:49,840 Speaker 1: been fried and oil, come from these family and community 352 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:53,440 Speaker 1: celebrations that started long after the end of the Hasmanian dynasty, 353 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:57,040 Speaker 1: and they've mostly been about, you know, a community, a 354 00:22:57,080 --> 00:22:59,760 Speaker 1: minority community that has often been living in a place 355 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:03,720 Speaker 1: where where it's been oppressed and discriminated against. So Hanukah 356 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:06,879 Speaker 1: celebrations around the world have come to reflect that the 357 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:10,760 Speaker 1: communities and the traditions and the cultures where they take 358 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:15,520 Speaker 1: place uh much more so than the story that originally 359 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:20,760 Speaker 1: launched the holiday, which as I was researching this um, 360 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 1: I would find I would find things about the history 361 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:28,600 Speaker 1: of Hanakah that would basically stop at the rededication of 362 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:30,639 Speaker 1: the temple and not really talk about what went on 363 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:34,200 Speaker 1: with the Hasbanian dynasty after that. And then I would 364 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:38,880 Speaker 1: find others by modern Jewish scholars and you know, rabbis 365 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:43,359 Speaker 1: living today who were like, this was anti Jewish, Like 366 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:47,000 Speaker 1: this was not this, this later part of this history 367 00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:50,520 Speaker 1: is not what we as Jews believe today about religious 368 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:54,320 Speaker 1: freedoms and about Jewish law. So it was really interesting 369 00:23:54,359 --> 00:23:59,960 Speaker 1: as an outsider's perspective to see how like multiple person 370 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:04,880 Speaker 1: infectives within one faith about how how this has talked 371 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:07,920 Speaker 1: about in discussed because like they're there's are definitely people 372 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 1: who were like and this was an independent Jewish state 373 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,439 Speaker 1: and that was great, and people who are more like 374 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:16,720 Speaker 1: this was an independent Jewish state, but they were making 375 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:19,199 Speaker 1: a lot of decisions that I don't know that I 376 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:25,240 Speaker 1: don't agree with. So uh, there is definitely diversity within 377 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:29,879 Speaker 1: basically all religions, including Judaism as far as um, you know, 378 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:33,520 Speaker 1: interpreting events from their past and interpreting events that are 379 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:36,720 Speaker 1: now holidays with celebrations that are in some ways disconnected 380 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 1: from what actually happened to spawn that holiday. Fay so 381 00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:51,160 Speaker 1: much for joining us on this Saturday. 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