Dr. Jodi Magness

Since then, since Solomon's time, the high priests in the temple in Jerusalem had claimed ancestry from the original Zadok, and they were called the Zadokite line of high priests, and they became kind of the official high priestly family. So Menelaus was from a priestly family, but he was not a Zadokite. He goes to Antioch with the payment.

Since then, since Solomon's time, the high priests in the temple in Jerusalem had claimed ancestry from the original Zadok, and they were called the Zadokite line of high priests, and they became kind of the official high priestly family. So Menelaus was from a priestly family, but he was not a Zadokite. He goes to Antioch with the payment.

And what he does is he meets with the king up there and he outbids Jason. He says, you know what? If you make me high priest, I'll give you even more money.

And what he does is he meets with the king up there and he outbids Jason. He says, you know what? If you make me high priest, I'll give you even more money.

And what he does is he meets with the king up there and he outbids Jason. He says, you know what? If you make me high priest, I'll give you even more money.

Right. And what does the king care? The king's like, sure, you know, I'll take more money. And so Menelaus is able to secure the high priesthood for himself now. And he goes back to Jerusalem. Now there's a whole episode that occurs after this that I won't go into. But there ends up being kind of a little civil war between Jason and Menelaus.

Right. And what does the king care? The king's like, sure, you know, I'll take more money. And so Menelaus is able to secure the high priesthood for himself now. And he goes back to Jerusalem. Now there's a whole episode that occurs after this that I won't go into. But there ends up being kind of a little civil war between Jason and Menelaus.

Right. And what does the king care? The king's like, sure, you know, I'll take more money. And so Menelaus is able to secure the high priesthood for himself now. And he goes back to Jerusalem. Now there's a whole episode that occurs after this that I won't go into. But there ends up being kind of a little civil war between Jason and Menelaus.

And eventually Jason ends up having to leave the country, actually ends up going to Sparta. And there's a really interesting connection between some of the elite and, you know, priestly Jews of this period and Sparta, which is kind of fascinating, actually. Anyway, he ends up eventually going to Sparta. Menelaus becomes the high priest.

And eventually Jason ends up having to leave the country, actually ends up going to Sparta. And there's a really interesting connection between some of the elite and, you know, priestly Jews of this period and Sparta, which is kind of fascinating, actually. Anyway, he ends up eventually going to Sparta. Menelaus becomes the high priest.

And eventually Jason ends up having to leave the country, actually ends up going to Sparta. And there's a really interesting connection between some of the elite and, you know, priestly Jews of this period and Sparta, which is kind of fascinating, actually. Anyway, he ends up eventually going to Sparta. Menelaus becomes the high priest.

This transition, so to speak, leads to a kind of a lot of unrest. There was, you know, there was some dissatisfaction among some. And I should mention that the factions supporting Jason and Menelaus, it wasn't just religious. It was also political because they were also political factions, pro-Ptolemy, pro-Selucid, whatever, right? Anyway.

This transition, so to speak, leads to a kind of a lot of unrest. There was, you know, there was some dissatisfaction among some. And I should mention that the factions supporting Jason and Menelaus, it wasn't just religious. It was also political because they were also political factions, pro-Ptolemy, pro-Selucid, whatever, right? Anyway.

This transition, so to speak, leads to a kind of a lot of unrest. There was, you know, there was some dissatisfaction among some. And I should mention that the factions supporting Jason and Menelaus, it wasn't just religious. It was also political because they were also political factions, pro-Ptolemy, pro-Selucid, whatever, right? Anyway.

The bigger background here is that by the time we get into, let's say, the 160s BC, the country is now under the rule of a son of Antiochus III, whose name is Antiochus IV, specifically Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Epiphanes is an epithet of the god Olympian Zeus, the chief deity of the Greeks, and it means the manifest god.

The bigger background here is that by the time we get into, let's say, the 160s BC, the country is now under the rule of a son of Antiochus III, whose name is Antiochus IV, specifically Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Epiphanes is an epithet of the god Olympian Zeus, the chief deity of the Greeks, and it means the manifest god.

The bigger background here is that by the time we get into, let's say, the 160s BC, the country is now under the rule of a son of Antiochus III, whose name is Antiochus IV, specifically Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Epiphanes is an epithet of the god Olympian Zeus, the chief deity of the Greeks, and it means the manifest god.

And it's because Antiochus IV sort of venerated that particular god as his special patron deity. So he adopts the epithet of that god. Now Antiochus IV had been raised in Rome. There's a whole backstory to this too. His father had at some point sent him as a hostage to Rome.

And it's because Antiochus IV sort of venerated that particular god as his special patron deity. So he adopts the epithet of that god. Now Antiochus IV had been raised in Rome. There's a whole backstory to this too. His father had at some point sent him as a hostage to Rome.

And it's because Antiochus IV sort of venerated that particular god as his special patron deity. So he adopts the epithet of that god. Now Antiochus IV had been raised in Rome. There's a whole backstory to this too. His father had at some point sent him as a hostage to Rome.