Ahaliba StudioHow Did Alexander of Macedon Transform from a Young Conqueror into the Ruler of an Entire World?
Alexander of Macedon ascended to power in Macedonia following the assassination of his father in 336 BCE. Gradually, he began to extend his control over Greece and beyond, and by 332 BCE, he conquered the Persian Empire, defeating its king and taking him and his family captive. Subsequently, he married the daughter of Darius III, the Persian king, and slowly began to dominate the ancient world, reaching as far as India. Along the way, he conquered the Land of Israel and Egypt.
Philip, Alexander’s father, hired the philosopher Aristotle as his tutor, who shaped Alexander’s worldview until the age of 16 and his entry into the military. Thus, Alexander was educated and came to believe in multiculturalism. He sought to learn much from the cultures he conquered, believing it was possible to allow people to maintain their own cultures while gradually integrating them into the Hellenistic culture he was spreading throughout his empire.
Alexander’s attitude toward the Jews was positive and respectful. Initially, when he sought their assistance, he faced refusal, as the Jews remained loyal to the Persian king and were unwilling to betray him. Later, during his conquests, after conquering Egypt, Alexander passed through the Land of Israel on his return journey. During his stay, he visited Jerusalem. On the 25th of Tevet, a day associated with Mount Gerizim, the Samaritans (Kutim) approached Alexander and requested that he destroy the Temple, and he agreed to their demand. When Simon the Just, one of the last High Priests and a leader of the Great Assembly, heard of this, he met with Alexander.
Upon Simon’s arrival, when Alexander saw Simon the Just, he descended from his chariot and bowed to him. His men were astonished, asking, “Why does a great king like you bow to this Jew?” Alexander replied, “The image of this man’s face has led me to victory in my battles.” Alexander asked Simon why he had come, and Simon explained that the Samaritans were seeking to destroy the Temple. In response, Alexander permitted the Jews to act against the Samaritans and protected their status and the sanctity of their place.
What Happened After Alexander’s Death, and Did His Empire Collapse?
After Alexander of Macedon’s death at the age of 32 (some say by poisoning), he left behind an heir who was born only a few months after his death. This triggered a full-scale struggle within the Greek world, known as the Wars of the Diadochi, among Alexander’s top generals in Macedon. Ultimately, the leading generals divided the Greek empire among themselves, the two most prominent being Ptolemy and Seleucus.
Ptolemy seized Egypt and established his rule there, while Seleucus I became ruler of the regions of Syria (Babylonia). Great wars broke out between them, with the Land of Israel caught between the powerful northern Seleucid kingdom and Ptolemaic Egypt. For most of the period, the Jews aligned with the House of Ptolemy, which effectively ruled the Land of Israel. Their attitude toward the Jews was positive, granting them autonomy and some relief from the burden of taxes.
After major struggles, Antiochus III waged war against Ptolemy and defeated him. The Jews assisted Antiochus III in his conflict with the House of Ptolemy because the tax burden had gradually become too heavy, so they supported and aided Antiochus III in his conquest. In return, Antiochus III rewarded them favorably, showing a positive attitude toward the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, exempting them from taxes, enacting laws allowing them to practice their ancestral customs, and additionally legislating that impure animals forbidden by Jewish law could not be brought into Jerusalem, establishing Judaism as the dominant religion.
Why Did the Jews Become a Target, and Was the Temple Truly in Mortal Danger?
The Jews fared well under the rule of Antiochus III for a time until the Roman kingdom entered the scene. After a great victory over the Carthaginian kingdom across the sea, Rome began to eye the East and the Greek kingdom, engaging in battles with them. In 190 BCE, the Romans defeated Antiochus, and a peace treaty—more of a surrender—was signed, requiring Antiochus to pay money and cede parts of the Seleucid kingdom to Rome. Restrictions were imposed on his movements, and Antiochus III returned to his land defeated, humiliated, and burdened with massive financial debts.
In the ancient world, dealing with economic debts was managed through banks, and the banks of that era were the temples. Temples were considered secure and safe places where people deposited money and donated treasures as gifts. Antiochus III set his sights on these temples, attempting to seize their funds to pay off his debts. During one of these temple plundering expeditions, Antiochus met his death.
His successor, Seleucus IV, ascended to the Seleucid throne, initially following in his father’s footsteps. He inherited a kingdom in severe economic and political crisis, and a Jew named Simon came to his aid.
There is debate in Maccabees B about who this Simon was; most traditions say he was from the tribe of Benjamin, though some scholars argue he was a priest from the Bilgah family. This latter claim makes geopolitical sense, as the priestly watch of the House of Bilgah had been discredited by the Jewish leadership due to the behavior of one of its female members who married a Greek officer. Regardless, Simon was frustrated; he had a role in the Temple, but it wasn’t enough—he wanted a different position, such as overseer of weights and measures in the market, a role considered economically significant and influential in the local economy. The problem was that the High Priest at the time, who was also the people’s leader—Onias III, a descendant of Simon the Just—refused to grant him this position.
Simon approached the regional commander in the kingdom. He told him that the Temple held enormous treasures and vast amounts of money, far more than needed for sacrificial services, that could be taken. The commander did not keep this information to himself and passed it on to King Seleucus IV. The king sent his most trusted deputy, Heliodorus, to seize the Temple’s treasures. Archaeological evidence suggests Heliodorus was responsible for collecting funds from the regions of Syria and the Land of Israel.
Heliodorus arrived at the Temple and approached the High Priest Onias III, who refused to cooperate in plundering the Temple. Heliodorus forcibly entered the Temple, and then a miracle, as described in Maccabees B, occurred: when Heliodorus reached the treasury with his soldiers, a terrifying horseman appeared, fully armored, and his horse struck Heliodorus with its front hooves. The rider, armed with golden weapons and two young men standing on either side of him, beat Heliodorus relentlessly until he collapsed, unconscious, and was thrown out of the treasury. Heliodorus’s soldiers and men begged High Priest Onias to pray for Heliodorus’s recovery and survival. Onias complied and prayed to God to spare Heliodorus’s life. Heliodorus recovered from his wounds and left Jerusalem defeated and terrified. He reported everything to Seleucus IV, who asked him whom he should send next to take the treasure. Heliodorus replied, “If you have an enemy, send him there, for there is divine power in that place.”
Seleucus realized he could not take the Temple’s treasures, which left him bitter toward the Jews. Meanwhile, conflicts erupted in the Land of Israel. Simon, who had wanted the Temple’s treasures plundered, did not give up; he made several attempts to incite the Greeks to seize them. Eventually, Onias III realized he had no choice but to travel to Seleucus IV and plead with him not to listen to Simon. Onias, the Priest, went to the king but was arrested and imprisoned.
Jason, the brother of High Priest Onias, approached the Greek king and offered a large sum of money—440 talents of silver—to be appointed High Priest, plus an additional 150 talents annually, on the condition that he be allowed to transform Jerusalem into a Hellenistic city, one of the central cities in the Hellenistic kingdom of the king. Seleucus agreed and appointed him, granting him authority to do as he wished in Jerusalem. Jason developed Jerusalem into a Hellenistic city, establishing two institutions essential to any Hellenistic city: a gymnasium and a palaestra. The gymnasium was a place for studying Hellenistic culture, while the palaestra was a venue for athletic activities like combat sports and games.
Jason built these institutions near the Temple Mount and persuaded the public to participate in competitions and games to the extent that it harmed the Temple’s operations. As stated in Maccabees B, “the priests ceased to show zeal for the altar, and neglecting the sanctuary and the sacrifices, they hurried to the wrestling ring, where they embraced wickedness, and the honor of their ancestors meant nothing to them.” Thus, Jason introduced Hellenistic culture deeply into Jewish society.
Jason transformed the High Priest into a Hellenistic figure, marking the first time the High Priesthood was taken from someone during their lifetime through bribery and money. Then came Menelaus, the brother of the Simon above, who also wanted to become High Priest.
He approached the Greek king, offering even more money and proposing to make Jerusalem Hellenistic. The king agreed, and Menelaus bought the High Priesthood. Jason fled Jerusalem, and Menelaus took control in an even worse manner, accused in Maccabees B of harming Jews, committing murder, and plundering Jewish property.
Who Was Antiochus Epiphanes, and Did He Truly Destroy the Soul of Judaism?
Seleucus IV was murdered by his deputy Heliodorus, and his brother, Antiochus IV, known as Antiochus Epiphanes, ascended to the throne. Like his father, Antiochus faced severe economic difficulties and thus waged war on Egypt, successfully conquering Alexandria. There, a Roman envoy arrived and, according to reports, drew a large circle around Antiochus, saying, “You can step out of this circle and conquer Alexandria, but you will make an enemy of Rome, which will wage war against you, or you can step out and return as you came.”
Antiochus realized it was unwise to fight the Romans and risk defeat, so he returned home. However, a rumor spread in the Land of Israel that Antiochus had died in battle, and Jason, the former High Priest expelled from the Temple, immediately seized the opportunity. He arrived at the Temple with a thousand men, took control, and expelled Menelaus.
Antiochus heard what had happened and came to Jerusalem. Learning that the Jews had rebelled against him, he launched a brutal campaign of massacre and plunder against the Jews of Jerusalem, with Menelaus assisting him. Afterward, Antiochus also began imposing decrees against the Jews.
Diodorus, a historian from a slightly later period, described Antiochus’s arrival in Jerusalem in his writings: “Antiochus, called Epiphanes, entered the Holy of Holies of God’s Temple in Jerusalem, a place where only priests were permitted to enter by law. There, he found a marble statue of a man sitting on a donkey with a book in hand, which he assumed was an image of Moses, the founder of Jerusalem and organizer of the nation, who also commanded the Jews in their depraved customs. Because Epiphanes was outraged by such hatred directed against all humanity, he set out to break their traditional practices. Therefore, he sacrificed a large sow before the founder and the open altar to the God of the heavens, pouring its blood over them. Afterward, having prepared its flesh, he ordered that its juices be sprinkled on their sacred books containing the laws; he extinguished the lamp called ‘eternal’ by them, which burned continuously in the Temple; and he forced the High Priest and other Jews to eat the flesh.”
Diodorus’s account is the first non-Jewish direct testimony confirming the desecration of the Temple in Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes. It reveals that while internal Jewish conflicts, driven by individuals seeking to seize the High Priesthood, initiated the struggles at the Temple, Antiochus also had his agenda against the Jewish religion. He viewed Judaism as a terrible threat to humanity and saw his struggle as a battle against Judaism itself. Thus, he imposed decrees and appointed various individuals to force the Jews to abandon their religion and eradicate Judaism from their lives.
