The Maccabean Revolt was a rebellion of the Jews against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BC. It began in 167 BC when Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid king, outlawed Jewish religious practices and desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem. A priest named Mattathias and his five sons, led by Judas Maccabeus, revolted against Antiochus and his persecution of the Jews. After Mattathias died in 166 BC, Judas took command of the revolt.
Judas led the Jews in successful battles against the Seleucids. His first victories allowed the Jews to reclaim control of Jerusalem and purify the Temple from its desecration in 165 BC. Judas continued fighting the Seleucids and their supporters among the Hellenized Jews. His victory over the Seleucid general Nicanor allowed the Jews to rededicate the Temple in 164 BC, an event commemorated in the festival of Hanukkah. Judas was killed in battle in 160 BC.
His brother Jonathan took over leadership and negotiated an alliance with Rome in 161 BC. Under Jonathan and then Simon, another brother, the Jews consolidated their independence from the Seleucid Empire. Simon was officially recognized as high priest and ethnarch of the Jews by the Seleucids in 142 BC. His descendants, the Hasmonean dynasty, ruled Judea until 63 BC, when the Romans intervened in a civil war and conquered Jerusalem.
The Maccabean Revolt succeeded in liberating Judea from the Seleucids and allowed the Jews to reestablish traditional religious practices. However, the revolt also resulted in division among the Jews over Hellenization and tensions between the Pharisees and Sadducees that would continue in the following centuries. The Jewish celebration of Hanukkah commemorates the purification and rededication of the Temple by Judas Maccabeus in 164 BC after its desecration by Antiochus IV.
Background
After Alexander the Great’s death in 323 BC, his empire split into several kingdoms ruled by his generals. Judea came under control of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. In 198 BC, Antiochus III of the Seleucid Empire defeated the Ptolemies and annexed Judea. At first, Antiochus continued the Ptolemies’ policy of allowing a degree of autonomy to Judea, but his son Antiochus IV Epiphanes reversed this policy.
Antiochus IV sought to impose Greek culture and religion on all his subjects. Many Jews adopted elements of Greek culture in a trend known as Hellenization. In 175 BC, Antiochus appointed Jason as high priest in Jerusalem, who promoted radical Hellenization. Some Jews supported this, while more traditional Jews opposed the changes. In 170 BC, Antiochus replaced Jason with Menelaus, sparking a revolt.
In 168 BC, on returning from a campaign in Egypt, Antiochus sacked Jerusalem and desecrated the Temple. He erected an altar to Zeus on the sacrificial altar and sacrificed a pig, which was considered profane by Jews. Antiochus outlawed central practices of Judaism such as circumcision, Sabbath observance, reading of the Torah, and forbade Jews to offer sacrifices at the Temple. These harsh policies led to the Maccabean Revolt against Seleucid rule.
Revolt of Mattathias
The revolt began with Mattathias, a Jewish priest in Modiin. When Antiochus’s officials tried to force Mattathias to offer pagan sacrifices, he refused. Another Jew stepped forward to comply, but Mattathias killed him along with the Seleucid official. He and his five sons fled to the wilderness and began a guerrilla war against the Seleucids (1 Maccabees 2:15-28).
This act of defiance sparked the armed revolt against religious persecution. Other Jews who refused to worship idols joined Mattathias. His guerrilla army moved through Judea attacking Hellenized Jews and Seleucid officials who enforced Antiochus’s religious policies. Mattathias died in 166 BC after designating his son Judas as military commander of the revolt (1 Maccabees 2:49-70).
Judas Maccabeus Takes Command
Judas became known as Maccabeus, likely from the Aramaic word for “hammer.” He proved an able commander, using innovative tactics against the larger Seleucid forces. In 165 BC, after a series of victories in the wilderness of Judea, Judas led the revolt back to Jerusalem. His army reconsecrated and cleansed the Temple, which had been desecrated three years earlier by Antiochus (1 Maccabees 4:36-59). Judas then reestablished the altar and sacrifices and celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles.
This first act of liberating Jerusalem and purifying the Temple established Judas as the leader of the revolt. After Antiochus’s death in 164 BC, Lysias became regent for Antiochus’s young son. As Lysias fought civil wars within the Seleucid Empire, he granted religious freedom to the Jews in an attempt to reduce tensions in the kingdom. But Judas and the revolt continued the war for full political independence.
Rededication of the Temple
In 164 BC, the revolt faced a major threat when the Seleucid general Nicanor was dispatched with a large army against Judas. The two forces met at the Battle of Adasa, where Judas led the Jews to a stunning victory against great odds. Nicanor was killed in the battle (1 Maccabees 7:39-50).
This victory allowed Judas and his followers to recapture the Temple Mount. On the 25th of Kislev in 164 BC, exactly three years after its desecration, the Jews rededicated the Temple with sacrifices and celebration. This rededication gave rise to the festival of Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication (1 Maccabees 4:36-59).
The success of the revolt in establishing religious freedom and reclaiming the Temple marked a major triumph for the Jews over the Seleucid Empire. However, the fighting would continue for several more decades.
Continuation of the Revolt
After the rededication of the Temple, Judas continued to wage war against the Seleucids and their supporters. In 163 BC, he expanded Judean territory into Galilee and across the Jordan River. However, Judas was killed at the Battle of Elasa in 160 BC against the Seleucid general Bacchides (1 Maccabees 9:1-22).
Command of the revolt passed to his brother Jonathan, who became high priest. Jonathan won concessions from Bacchides to withdraw Seleucid forces from Judea. In 153 BC, Alexander Balas became a rival king in the disintegrating Seleucid Empire and appointed Jonathan as high priest and governor to gain his support. After Alexander’s death, his successor Demetrius confirmed these appointments in exchange for Jonathan’s support.
Jonathan expanded Judean territory and fortified Jerusalem against possible attack. He renewed the treaty with Rome that Simon Maccabeus had negotiated in 161 BC in hopes of protection from the Seleucids. But in 143 BC Jonathan was deceived and killed by the Seleucid general Tryphon (1 Maccabees 12:1-53).
Simon Gains Independence
Another brother, Simon, took over leadership of Judea. He captured and annexed the Seleucid garrison at Gezer in 141 BC, expanding Judean territory and borders. In 140 BC, Simon besieged and starved out the Seleucid garrison in Jerusalem, taking full control of the city.
Later that year, the Seleucid king Demetrius confirmed Simon as high priest, military commander, and ethnarch (ruler) of the Jews. Simon became the first leader of Judea fully independent of foreign rule since the Babylonian exile. Judea would remain independent under the Hasmonean dynasty started by Simon until the Roman conquest in 63 BC (1 Maccabees 13:36-14:49).
Effects of the Maccabean Revolt
The Maccabean Revolt succeeded in liberating Judea both politically and religiously after nearly 25 years of fighting against the Seleucids. The Jews were able to rededicate the Temple and restore traditional religious practices and worship.
However, the revolt also exacerbated divisions among the Jews. Many Jews had adopted aspects of Hellenistic culture and opposed the revolt. Tensions grew between the traditionalists led by the Maccabees and the Hellenized Jews who had supported the Seleucids. Religious differences between the Pharisees and Sadducees would continue to divide Judea.
The Maccabean dynasty descended from the revolt’s leaders ruled Judea after the Seleucid defeat. But their increasing corruption and civil conflict destabilized the country and led to Roman intervention in 63 BC. Nevertheless, the Maccabean Revolt established a fully independent Jewish state for the first time in centuries and allowed the preservation of ancient Jewish traditions and practices.
The liberation of the Temple and restoration of Jewish worship is still celebrated in the holiday of Hanukkah. The books of Maccabees detail the revolt and the heroes Judas, Jonathan, and Simon Maccabeus who fought for religious freedom and independence for the Jews in Judea.