The Open court . e of the Maccabees. Seleucus was succeeded by Antiochus (175-164 B. C). When he ascended the throne there HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE JEWS. 267 were at Jerusalem two parties,—a national one, adhering to thelaws of the fathers, and the Greek, which endeavored to introduceGreek manners, vices, and idolatry. At the head of the nationalparty stood the high priest Onias III., afterwards supplanted by hisbrother Jason, who offered four hundred and forty talents (or aboutfive hundred and thirteen thousand four hundred and eighty dol-lars) annually as tribute to Antiochus, b
The Open court . e of the Maccabees. Seleucus was succeeded by Antiochus (175-164 B. C). When he ascended the throne there HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE JEWS. 267 were at Jerusalem two parties,—a national one, adhering to thelaws of the fathers, and the Greek, which endeavored to introduceGreek manners, vices, and idolatry. At the head of the nationalparty stood the high priest Onias III., afterwards supplanted by hisbrother Jason, who offered four hundred and forty talents (or aboutfive hundred and thirteen thousand four hundred and eighty dol-lars) annually as tribute to Antiochus, besides a hundred and fiftymore for permission to build a gymnasium. Jason was dislodgedby Menelaus, who offered a higher tribute to Antiochus (172 B. C).While the latter was absent on his second expedition against Egypt(170 B. C.) Jason took possession of Jerusalem for a time. Anti-ochus, who looked upon this act as rebellion, after his return fromEgypt took fearful vengeance on the Jews and the temple (i The Small continually by the orthodox Jew. I, 16-28; 2 Mace. 15, 11-23; comp. Dan. 11, 28). In the year168 a royal edict was issued, according to which the exercise of theJewish religion and circumcision was interdicted, and a statue ofJupiter Olympus was erected in the temple (i Mace, i, 43 et seq. ;2 Mace. 6, I et seq. ; Dan. 11, 30). At last the patience of the peo-ple was exhausted, and the Maccabean struggle arose, which endedin the independence of Judea. The Maccabean successors ofJudas, the son of Mattathias, united in their own persons the officesof king and high priest (i Mace. 14, 28 et seq.); but though theyproved valiant defenders of the country against foreign enemies,they could not prevent Palestine from being torn by internal fac-tions. At that time the two religious factions known as Phariseesand Sadducees opposed each other. Hitherto the Maccabees had 268 THE OPEN COURT. sided with the Pharisees, the successors of the Hasidim. But thethird
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade188, booksubjectreligion, bookyear1887
