Maccabean Revolt

A Jewish uprising against Seleucid rule from 167 to 160 BCE that began with resistance to religious persecution and led to Hasmonean rule in Judea.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes: A Seleucid king who ruled from 175 to 164 BCE and imposed measures restricting Jewish religious practice. His policies against Jewish observance helped trigger the revolt.
Seleucid Empire: A Hellenistic kingdom founded by Seleucus I that ruled much of western Asia after Alexander the Great. Seleucid control made Judea's religious and political disputes imperial concerns.
Eleazar Avaran: A brother of Judas Maccabeus who died during the battle of Beth-zechariah in 162 BCE. His death illustrates the costs of the revolt's later campaigns.
Hasmonean Kingdom: An independent Jewish state ruled by the Hasmonean dynasty in Judea and surrounding territories. It was the revolt's major political outcome.
Ptolemaic Kingdom: A Hellenistic kingdom based in Egypt, founded by Ptolemy I after Alexander the Great's death. Judea had previously been ruled by the Ptolemies before Seleucid control.
Mattathias: A Jewish priest from Modi'in whose refusal to obey Seleucid religious orders sparked open rebellion. His defiance began the uprising before his son Judas took command.
Hellenistic Judaism: Forms of Jewish life shaped by interaction with Greek language, institutions, and culture. Disagreement over Hellenization divided Judean communities before the revolt.
Simon Thassi: A brother of Judas Maccabeus who secured Judean independence and became high priest and ruler. His leadership consolidated the autonomy won through the uprising.
Hanukkah: A Jewish festival commemorating the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple in 164 BCE. The festival preserves the revolt's Temple-restoration story.
Roman conquest of Judea: The Roman takeover of Judea, completed by Pompey in 63 BCE. Roman domination ended the independence established after the revolt.

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