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THE MAGIC OF MOVIES ft MORE
was Antiochus? The Antiochus we
know from Chanukah was the fifth
king with that name.
When Antiochus III died in 187
B.C.E., he was succeeded by his son,
Seleucus IV Philopater, who, unlike his
father, had no ambitions to expand the
empire, mainly becduse he did not
have the money. His father had lost a
war to Rome, which demanded a
heavy indemnity.
His ministers did not sympathize
with his frugality. Seleucus' son,
Demetrius; was the true heir, but he
was being held hostage in Rome.
Seleucus's younger brother, Antiochus,
saw his opportunity, and in 175 he
seized the throne. He ruled as
Antiochus IV Epiphanes ("God mani-
fest"), the villain of the Chanukah
story.
After his release from Rome,
Antiochus went on to live in Athens,
where he became enamored with
Greek culture, or at least its symbols.
He publicly identified with the Greek
god, Zeus. That was the beginning of
his trouble with the Jews.
Antiochus, under Rome's direction,
rose to power and ruled in Jerusalem,
where he meddled in internal Jewish
affairs. He replaced the High Priest
with Jason, a kohen, who strongly
identified with Hellenistic (Greek) cul-
ture.
In 168 B.C.E., returning from war
with Egypt, Antiochus was convinced
the Jews had rebelled against him. He
stormed Jerusalem, killing thousands
of Jews and selling more into slavery.
Next, he brought in Greeks to establish
a community in Jerusalem. He
stripped the Temple of its treasures
and ordered the Jews, under penalty of
death, to cease the practice of
Judaism.
As the Book of Maccabees records,
Antiochus set up the worship of
Olympian Zeus in the Holy Temple,
including a statue of Antiochus him-
self. Under his orders, Torah scrolls
were burned, pagan altars and idols
were set up throughout the country,
and pigs, rabbits and other treife ani-
mals were sacrificed upon the altars.
Any Jewish newborn found to have
been circumcised was killed, while the
baby's mother and the mohel were
murdered and the baby hung from the
mother's neck.
(The Jews were not the only people
to witness Antiochus's violent out-
bursts and eccentric behavior. Behind
his back, gentiles called him Epimanes
("madman") instead of Epiphanes.)
.
Antiochus did not stay in Judea to
oversee the implementation of his
anti-Jewish policies. Nor did he wit-
ness the revolt led by Judah Maccabee.
In 166, Antiochus left to reconquer
eastern provinces. For the most part,
he was successful.
In the winter of 163, Antiochus died
of tuberculosis in Tabae (Isfahan),
Persia. He was succeeded by his 9-
year-old son, Antiochus V Eupator, in
whose name the empire was ruled by
a group of secret advisers. Their gov-
ernment was feeble and corrupt, no
match for the heroic Hasmoneans.
• Though just about everyone knows
who Judah Maccabee was, we don't
really know the meaning of his name,
which is unusual in Judaism. Judah
Maccabee has inspired numerous
works of art, both within and outside
the Jewish community. Probably the
most famous is Handel's Judas
Maccabaeus, which premiered in
London in 1747.
Though the piece was actually com-
posed in honor of the Duke of
Cumberland's victory at the Battle of
CullOden, Handel's Judas Maccabaeus
proved especially popular in Israel.
Part of the piece has even become a
popular Chanukah song.
Another work of art focusing on
Judah Maccabee was Rubens' painting
showing the warrior praying for the
dead, while poet Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow wrote a five-act tragedy
focusing on Judah Maccabee.
Judah Maccabee died near Elasa,
but don't look for it on a map; scholars
have yet to identify exactly where it
was.
Judah Maccabee was an unusual
figure for his time. During the Greco-
Syrian occupation of Israel, a. major
segment of the Jewish population .
became Hellenized, adopting the cul-
ture, names, behaviors and religion of
their pagan oppressors. A relatively
small number of Jews remained loyal
to Judaism and were willing to risk
their lives for its survival.
That, under Judah Maccabee, these
few devout Jews could organize them-
selves into a fighting force and ulti-
mately defeat one of the great military
powers of the Middle East, the rabbis
tell us, was a miracle.
Through our prayers and our study
we learn the message of Chanukah is
not only a miraculous light. The lights
we kindle signify our faith in the con-
tinued existence of Judaism and the
Jewish people.
❑
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