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History |
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Antiochus wasn’t the only ruler to make such laws. At one
time or another, the same thing happened almost everywhere Jews lived.
Sometimes Jews kept the new laws and sometimes they had to leave the
country. In the time of Antiochus, the Jews revolted. At first there was only a handful of rebels, hiding in the mountains and living like partisans. Soon many people joined them, and in a short time the rebels had a whole army fighting the Greeks. After many long years, the Jews finally threw the Greek army out of the country. The first thing they did as soon as they conquered Jerusalem, was to rededicate the Temple (Chanukah means “dedication”). When they tried to light the menorah, all they could find was enough oil to last them for one day. A miracle happened and the little jar of oil burned for eight days. |
Over
two thousand years ago, the Jews of Israel were ruled by the Greeks of
Syria. At first, the Jews admired the Greeks and many Jews tried to become
more like them. They spoke Greek, wore Greek clothing, and sometimes even
observed the Greek religion. Of course, there were also many Jews who
refused to become like the Greeks. Antiochus, the Greek king, wanted all
his subjects to live like Greeks. He made laws forbidding the Jews to
practice their religion.