Dr. Jodi Magness

And he's withdrawing and he hears that basically Judea is up in revolt and it's a mess and he has to send troops to kind of put down all of that instability. And so all of this is kind of background to what happens the following year. So the following year, 167 BC, Antiochus IV issues an edict. And this edict now really does completely change everything that had been going on before.

And that is that he basically mandates that everyone in his kingdom is now to adopt Greek culture. And he doesn't put it this way, Greek religion, what we would call Greek religion. In other words, everybody's basically to become like Greeks. And that meant that now the worship of the God of Israel was outlawed because everybody's supposed to worship the Greek gods.

And that is that he basically mandates that everyone in his kingdom is now to adopt Greek culture. And he doesn't put it this way, Greek religion, what we would call Greek religion. In other words, everybody's basically to become like Greeks. And that meant that now the worship of the God of Israel was outlawed because everybody's supposed to worship the Greek gods.

And that is that he basically mandates that everyone in his kingdom is now to adopt Greek culture. And he doesn't put it this way, Greek religion, what we would call Greek religion. In other words, everybody's basically to become like Greeks. And that meant that now the worship of the God of Israel was outlawed because everybody's supposed to worship the Greek gods.

The Jerusalem temple was rededicated to the worship of Olympian Zeus. And by the way, very interesting, the ancient Greeks and then the Romans later equated the chief deity of the Jews, who was the God of Israel, with their own chief deity. So in their minds, Jewish God was sort of equivalent to Olympian Zeus because these are chief deities who are celestial deities.

The Jerusalem temple was rededicated to the worship of Olympian Zeus. And by the way, very interesting, the ancient Greeks and then the Romans later equated the chief deity of the Jews, who was the God of Israel, with their own chief deity. So in their minds, Jewish God was sort of equivalent to Olympian Zeus because these are chief deities who are celestial deities.

The Jerusalem temple was rededicated to the worship of Olympian Zeus. And by the way, very interesting, the ancient Greeks and then the Romans later equated the chief deity of the Jews, who was the God of Israel, with their own chief deity. So in their minds, Jewish God was sort of equivalent to Olympian Zeus because these are chief deities who are celestial deities.

I mean, the difference is that the Jews didn't worship other gods, didn't have a pantheon of other gods that they worshiped alongside their chief deity. But in the minds of the Greeks and the Romans, they're kind of equivalent. And so, for example, centuries later, it's not a coincidence that the Roman emperor Hadrian builds a temple dedicated, well, supposedly,

I mean, the difference is that the Jews didn't worship other gods, didn't have a pantheon of other gods that they worshiped alongside their chief deity. But in the minds of the Greeks and the Romans, they're kind of equivalent. And so, for example, centuries later, it's not a coincidence that the Roman emperor Hadrian builds a temple dedicated, well, supposedly,

I mean, the difference is that the Jews didn't worship other gods, didn't have a pantheon of other gods that they worshiped alongside their chief deity. But in the minds of the Greeks and the Romans, they're kind of equivalent. And so, for example, centuries later, it's not a coincidence that the Roman emperor Hadrian builds a temple dedicated, well, supposedly,

There's debate about whether he actually did this, but builds a temple or shrine dedicated to Capitoline Jupiter on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and makes that god, Jupiter, Capitoline Jupiter, the new patron deity of the city of Jerusalem. So in their minds, this was kind of an equivalent thing. So now the Jerusalem temple is rededicated to the worship of Olympian Zeus.

There's debate about whether he actually did this, but builds a temple or shrine dedicated to Capitoline Jupiter on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and makes that god, Jupiter, Capitoline Jupiter, the new patron deity of the city of Jerusalem. So in their minds, this was kind of an equivalent thing. So now the Jerusalem temple is rededicated to the worship of Olympian Zeus.

There's debate about whether he actually did this, but builds a temple or shrine dedicated to Capitoline Jupiter on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and makes that god, Jupiter, Capitoline Jupiter, the new patron deity of the city of Jerusalem. So in their minds, this was kind of an equivalent thing. So now the Jerusalem temple is rededicated to the worship of Olympian Zeus.

Everybody, all Jews now are to adopt Greek customs and it is now illegal. It is now outlawed to follow biblical Jewish law. You're no longer allowed to refrain from work on the Sabbath. You're no longer allowed to, let's say, circumcise your boys. You're no longer allowed to prepare special food and abstain from eating pork and all of that sort of stuff. It all becomes outlawed on pain of death.

Everybody, all Jews now are to adopt Greek customs and it is now illegal. It is now outlawed to follow biblical Jewish law. You're no longer allowed to refrain from work on the Sabbath. You're no longer allowed to, let's say, circumcise your boys. You're no longer allowed to prepare special food and abstain from eating pork and all of that sort of stuff. It all becomes outlawed on pain of death.

Everybody, all Jews now are to adopt Greek customs and it is now illegal. It is now outlawed to follow biblical Jewish law. You're no longer allowed to refrain from work on the Sabbath. You're no longer allowed to, let's say, circumcise your boys. You're no longer allowed to prepare special food and abstain from eating pork and all of that sort of stuff. It all becomes outlawed on pain of death.

So this is obviously very different from what had happened under Jason and also, you know, dramatically different from the from sort of the position that the Jews had enjoyed now for centuries. Right. As sort of being this kind of semi-autonomous and having complete religious freedom.

So this is obviously very different from what had happened under Jason and also, you know, dramatically different from the from sort of the position that the Jews had enjoyed now for centuries. Right. As sort of being this kind of semi-autonomous and having complete religious freedom.

So this is obviously very different from what had happened under Jason and also, you know, dramatically different from the from sort of the position that the Jews had enjoyed now for centuries. Right. As sort of being this kind of semi-autonomous and having complete religious freedom.

Well, yeah, except, okay, so a couple of things. So remember with Jason, the initiative here came from within the Jewish community. It wasn't imposed on the Jews, right? The Jews requested it. You know, that's a big difference here. So it's not that what Jason did was kind of what we saw with Jason was some sort of punishment or imposition from an outside power on the Jews.