A History of Western Philosophy

(Martin Jones) #1

Antiochus became involved in war with Egypt, the Jews rebelled. Thereupon Antiochus took
the holy vessels from the Temple, and placed in it the image of the God. He identified Yahweh
with Zeus, following a practice which had been successful everywhere else. * He resolved to
extirpate the Jewish religion, and to stop circumcision and the observance of the laws relating to
food. To all this Jerusalem submitted, but outside Jerusalem the Jews resisted with the utmost
stubbornness.


The history of this period is told in the First Book of Maccabees. The first chapter tells how
Antiochus decreed that all the inhabitants of his kingdom should be one people, and abandon
their separate laws. All the heathen obeyed, and many of the Israelites, although the king
commanded that they should profane the sabbath, sacrifice swine's flesh, and leave their
children uncircumcised. All who disobeyed were to suffer death. Many, nevertheless, resisted.
"They put to death certain women, that had caused their children to be circumcised. And they
hanged the infants about their necks, and rifled their houses, and slew them that had
circumcised them. Howbeit many in Israel were fully resolved and confirmed in themselves not
to eat any unclean thing. Wherefore they chose rather to die, that they might not be defiled with


meats, and that they might not profane the holy covenant: so then they died." â€


It was at this time that the doctrine of immortality came to be widely believed among the Jews.
It had been thought that virtue would be rewarded here on earth; but persecution, which fell
upon the most virtuous, made it evident that this was not the case. In order to safeguard divine
justice, therefore, it was necessary to believe in rewards and punishments hereafter. This
doctrine was not universally accepted among the Jews; in the time of Christ, the Sadducees still
rejected it. But by that time they were a small party, and in later times all Jews believed in
immortality.


The revolt against Antiochus was led by Judas Maccabæus, an able military commander, who
first recaptured Jerusalem ( 164 B.C.), and then embarked upon aggression. Sometimes he
killed all the males, sometimes he circumcised them by force. His brother Jonathan was




* Some Alexandrian Jews did not object to this identification. See Letter of Aristeas, 15, 16.

â

I Maccabees I, 60-63.
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