- Not sure who the Macedonian's are, what they have to do with Jewish history, or why their name sounds like a tree nut? Don't fret, because I'm here
to fill you in on everything. Between the reign of Alexander the Great and the establishment of
the Hasmonean dynasty, Jewish leaders are forced
to make historic sacrifices for their religious freedom and authority. Under Greek influence and oppression, these heroes stand up
for their Jewish values to the point of death, and people like Mattathias
and Judah Maccabee, and Hannah and her seven sons, are memorialized for centuries afterwards. Many wars are fought and conflicts abound even within the community. But the Jewish people persevere, fighting for their religious
and political freedom. (dramatic music) ♪ Whoa, oh, oh ♪ If you're like me, you might avoid someone who ends their name with
the title, "The Great". But ego trip aside, Alexander
is actually pretty good to the Jewish people. When he conquers Jerusalem in 332 BCE, he becomes the only
conqueror in a thousand years who does not order the
city to be destroyed. Much of the Jewish
community loves him for it, and suddenly there are a bunch of Jewish Federation
buildings named in his honor. But upon his death 11 years later, a fight breaks out between
Alexander's generals over his succession. On the right side of the ring is Seleucus, who establishes a dynasty in
the area now known as Syria. On the left side of the ring is Ptolemy, who establishes rule in Egypt. They battle for control over
the Jewish state of Judea, changing leadership at least five times over the next 30 years. Eventually, Egypt wins
rulership and holds the title for the next hundred years, until 198 BCE, when Antiochus III reconquers
Judea for the Seleucids. During the reign of Antiochus III, Judea is still its own autonomous province under Jewish rule. It's under watch but in control, like a teenager with
a new drivers license. At the center of this
province is Jerusalem, where the High Priest of the Temple acts as both religious and political leader, along with the Council
of Elders, or Gerousia, who hold authority on certain matters. But similar to the
areas of Egypt and Syria under the Macedonian Empire, Greek Hellenist culture
becomes a prominent part of the conquered people of Judea. Many Hellenist Jews
start taking Greek names, wearing Greek clothing,
and joining the AEPi frat. Greek becomes the language of
administration and literature, many Jewish people even begin
to study the Bible in Greek, the ultimate sign of
integration into Greek culture. However, not all Jews are aboard the Moussaka and lamb train. Even though the Temple
in Jerusalem still acts as the religious, political,
and social focal point of the province, many feel that the
religious capital has lost its holiness to paganism and idolatry. Non-Jewish settlers have
brought their idols, and the Hellenist Jews
do nothing to stop them. A gymnasium is established in Jerusalem, a hallmark of Greek
metropolis and social life, and begins to replace the Temple as the mecca of the province. Many Jews are offended by the desecration of their holy sites and by the Hellenistic
emphasis on the physical, which clashes with
their religious emphasis on the spiritual. Other Jews, like me, just
don't like the pressure of going to the gym. Deepening this gap with Greek
culture is the succession of power from Antiochus III
to his son Antiochus IV. Number four is not as tolerant to the Jews as his father was. He forces the people to assimilate, and punishes death upon those who refuse. In time, even the Temple begins to succumb to Greek influence. The High Priesthood, normally passed down through Aaron's family lineage, is taken over by a
Hellenist named Menelaus, who murders the previous High Priest, and steals money and
treasures from the Temple to appease the king. Many of the Hellenist Jews
support these maneuvers and may have even suggested
them to Antiochus IV. Many observant Jews, however,
feel that the foundation of their religion is threatened. Among the latter group are
Mattathias and his family, the Hasmoneans, who leave Jerusalem for the safety of the
surrounding towns and hills to gather the seeds for Jewish resistance. Antiochus IV begins to up the
ante on Jewish oppression. He orders Jews to make sacrifices to Greek gods and desecrate the Sabbath. He forbids circumcision of
newborn sons, study of the Bible, and any other observance of the Torah, making these Jewish actions
punishable by death. By outlawing these distinct
pillars of Jewish life, Antiochus introduces a new type of danger to the Jewish people. Not the physical, genocidal
anti-Semitism seen before, but rather a cultural anti-Semitism that threatens to destroy
the Jewish religion. The biggest of these cultural
threats to the Jewish people? Bacon. One man named Eleazar understands
the greater danger posed by these decrees and sets
an example of defiance. Antiochus himself orders
Eleazar to eat a pig, a major transgression in the Bible. But Eleazar knows that
any offense is a threat to his community, and even something as small as an Egg McMuffin
is a symbol of humiliation that a Jew has abandoned their beliefs. So Eleazar bravely
chooses to defy Antiochus and defends his religion. He refuses to eat the pig. As punishment, Eleazar
is tortured to death. Witnessing this act of defiance, another family of martyrs
stands up against the king. A woman named Hannah and her
seven sons are also ordered to eat pig, but they, too, choose death. One by one, each of the
sons is tortured and killed, until Hannah herself
submits to the same fate. This story of defiance is so powerful that later even Christian Europe begins to celebrate these seven martyrs, making them the symbol of heroism and Antiochus the symbol
of the Antichrist. But back in Judea, Antiochus
can't stop and won't stop. His efforts towards
Jewish oppression continue throughout the country, and
the same decree makes its way to Mattathias and his five
sons in the city of Modi'in. A group of soldiers stand before the town and order every Jew to
sacrifice a pig to Zeus and then eat its flesh. As the villagers listen in horror, Mattathias and his sons stand before them and refuse to submit. They cry out that they will
not turn aside from religion. Only this time, instead
of accepting death, Mattathias and his sons seize the soldiers and kick the altar to the ground. They stab and kill the soldiers. The Maccabees have started a revolt. That's right, it's time
to throw your latkes in the air singing eyyo
because were talking about the story of Hanukkah. The Hasmonean family is
known today as the Maccabees because of Mattathias' son Judah, who was nicknamed the
Maccabee, or The Hammer. Their story is recorded in
the Book of Maccabees 1 and 2, which are not included in
the canonical Bible text but are the crucial sources of this turning point in Jewish history. The story of a group of
untrained Jewish warriors who fight a war of beliefs and values against the world's
greatest army and empire. The reality of the
situation is mind blowing. The Hasmoneans know there are
almost no odds in their favor, but they also know they have no choice. This is their mission and it is up to God to decide whether they win. After their act of defiance, the Maccabees take up arms
against Antiochus and his army, and flee to the hills with
farmers and peasantry, all committed to defending their religion. They wage a war against their rulers, and a year later Mattathias
is killed in battle. His son Judah takes
over to lead the revolt and it is he who captures Jerusalem and restores the Temple in 164 BCE. Judah makes a bold move and
forms an alliance with Rome, at the time a growing power
and enemy of the Seleucids. After five years of continued
expansion and conquest, Judah is also killed in battle. When you hear about
the holiday of Hanukkah you probably think of the
Menorah and Eight Crazy Nights. As the Talmud recounts, the Jewish people reclaim
the Temple from the Greeks and finally restore it to its glory after years of vandalism and idolatry. When they light the Menorah once again, they can only find enough oil for one day. But a great miracle happens. The oil lasts for way longer. Six days. Just kidding, eight days, obviously. The story of Hanukkah is arguably the most famous Jewish holiday, but there's so much more to
it than most people know. We may eat latkes, jelly donuts, and other oily foods that
celebrate the Menorah and destroy our facial pores. But we also celebrate the miracle of a small Jewish army defeating the world's greatest
global power of the time. We celebrate the establishment of a prosperous, self-ruling dynasty and the successful fight for Jewish autonomy
and self-determination. We celebrate the religious
right for Jews to exist as Jews. The Hasmoneans lead Judea to victory and the boys are finally back in town. Judah's two brothers, Jonathan and Simeon, take leadership and begin
a 129 year-long reign of Jewish independence and sovereignty in the land of Israel. They continue to expand
the country borders, and reinstate the position and
authority of the High Priest. Seven years into their Jewish sovereignty, John Hyrcanus I begins
to mint coins of his own, a major mark of independence
in the ancient world. His son, Aristobulus, who
ruled for just one year, bestows upon himself the title of king. And 26 years after the
establishment of the Jewish dynasty, the Roman Senate officially
recognizes Jewish independence. The Jewish kingdom is
surviving and thriving, with military prowess
and economic prosperity. But don't get too comfy, because it isn't long before the peace of Jewish sovereignty is disrupted. Under John Hyrcanus, a rift develops between the Hasmoneans
and another group of Jews. This second group, known as the Pharisees, anchors their beliefs in the idea that the Bible has always
had both written and oral law to which Moses and his
people adhered for centuries. Based on religious grounds, they oppose the combined position of the High Priest and the monarchy, and reject the change in Hasmonean policy of military expansion. Of the more controversial
actions instituted by the later generations of
Hasmoneans is the practice of forced conversion. John Hyrcanus sets the stage
when he conquers the Idumeans and becomes the first Jewish leader to convert a full race
of people to Judaism, which is in direct
opposition to Jewish law. Later Hasmoneans follow suit with the conquest of the Itureans, setting a dangerous precedent
for future practices. Tension between the Pharisees
and the Hasmoneans grows under the rule of John Hyrcanus' two sons, Aristobulus and Alexander Yannai, when the two Hasmonean leaders begin to adopt the practices of the Sadducees. The Sadducees are another Jewish sect in direct conflict with the Pharisees, believing that only the
written Bible is holy. They take issue with the
liberal interpretations of the Pharisees traditional Judaism that occasionally
contradict their observance of the written text,
and violence soon erupts among the Jewish nation. In time, a civil war breaks out. It takes a queen to end the violence, which Salome Alexandra does after succeeding her
husband, Alexander Yannai. She's Pharisaic, unlike her husband, and creates compromise by
reinstating the Pharisaic laws that had previously been in effect. But when her reign ends, another civil war erupts
between her two sons. The war escalates between the brothers, while at the same time
the Roman Empire moves into the region. The internal conflict
between the Hasmoneans only worsens the Jewish cause, and Rome ultimately succeeds in conquering the Jewish kingdom and establishing a Roman state. As the famous Jewish
historian Josephus writes, "Because two brothers could not get along, we lost our freedom and
our liberty to Rome." 20 years later, a rift in the Roman Empire allows the next Hasmonean leader to take the throne in Judea. Mattathias Antigonus takes advantage of the shaky political situation resulting from the deaths of
Pompey and Julius Caesar to gain the support of the Parthians and restore the Hasmonean Kingdom 23 years after being abolished. The Jews in the area rush to his side in a display of national
support for the Hasmoneans. But all good things must come to an end, and Mattathias Antigonus cannot
hold his position for long against the larger Roman forces. Three years after his appointment, Mattathias Antigonus is defeated. After withstanding a five-month siege, Jerusalem falls to the Roman Empire. Though the Temple stands and the Jewish people remain in Jerusalem, the Romans give over full control of Judea to Herod to rule under the Roman Empire. The Hasmonean Dynasty is no more. The success of the Maccabees has never stopped inspiring
Jewish pride and victory. Decades later in the first
and second centuries, Jews tried to mimic the
success of the Hasmoneans by revolting against the Romans. And over 2,000 years later, the Hasmonean story is
still officially celebrated every year on Hanukkah. The story is one of Jewish freedom and religious independence, of martyrs and heroes
sacrificing their lives to save Jewish practice and culture. Names like Eleazar, Mattathias and Hannah represent the courage
of Jews to defy orders and fight for their religion. Though the Hasmonean dynasty
was ultimately defeated, these heroes imbued confidence
among the Jewish people throughout history and until today. Even now, the Jewish people fight to keep our religion and culture alive against assimilation and anti-Semitism. Yet despite our struggles,
despite even our own differences in religious belief and observance, the Jewish people continue to survive and leave a legacy of strength,
community, and nationality. Hey guys, thanks for watching this video. If you like what you see here
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