5 min read

Hellenizers Sold Jerusalem Before Judas Struck

They went to the king for a license to live like the nations. In Jerusalem they cut away the covenant mark and called the gymnasium ease.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. They Hid the Covenant Mark
  2. Judas Turned by Night Toward Bosora
  3. The Tower That Shut the Sanctuary
  4. Men Who Thought to Do a Valiant Act

The gymnasium smelled of oil and young men showing their bodies. In the hundred and thirty-seventh year of the Greek kingdom, wicked men went out of Israel and persuaded many.

Hellenizers Sold Jerusalem Before Judas Struck Click for full size

"Let us go and make a covenant with the heathen that are round about us," they said, "for since we departed from them we have had much sorrow."

The device pleased them well. They did not wait for a foreign captain to invent the thought. They carried it to the king themselves and asked for a license to live by the ordinances of the nations. He gave it. They came home with permission in writing and began to rebuild Jerusalem in another people's image.

They Hid the Covenant Mark

They built a place of exercise in Jerusalem according to the customs of the nations. A youth lay still while a knife worked on him. He did not cry out. Blood soaked a towel. Later he ran the track with the others, and the mark of the covenant was gone. He had been sold, and he had agreed to the price.

They forsook the holy covenant. They joined themselves to the nations and were sold to do mischief. What armies might have failed to buy, appetite for a smoother street began to sell. Offerings still went up in the house. The city's young men were already training as if that house were optional.

A father who had circumcised that boy on the eighth day stood outside the gymnasium and heard the shout of a race. He did not go in.

Judas Turned by Night Toward Bosora

Judas Maccabeus did not answer with a speech. He turned by the wilderness unto Bosora. He won the city. He slew the males with the edge of the sword, took the spoils, and burned the place with fire. Then he moved again by night toward a fortress.

At dawn they looked up. An innumerable people appeared with ladders and engines of war, come to take the stronghold. The cry of the city went up to heaven with trumpets and a great sound.

Judas spoke no long oration. "Fight this day for your brethren."

The order was short enough to hold in the mouth while running. Men who had watched neighbors hide the covenant mark now had a command that named brothers, not fashion. They fought. The ladders still showed against the sky. Smoke from Bosora still clung to their clothes.

The Tower That Shut the Sanctuary

A tower near the sanctuary held men who sought the hurt of Israel and the strengthening of the nations. They shut the Israelites round about the holy place. To threaten the house was to put a hand on the people's spine.

Judas purposed to destroy them. He called the people together to besiege them in the hundred and fiftieth year. They came. He made mounts for shot against the tower, and other engines. Stones and timber rose. The house stood in the shadow of a fort that wanted it hurt.

Some of the besieged broke out. Ungodly men of Israel joined them and ran with them to the king. Betrayal kept its own road. The war was never only Greek against Judean. It was also neighbor against neighbor, the sold against the ones who would still lift a sword for the house.

Men Who Thought to Do a Valiant Act

After victories, a different failure came. Some in Israel would not obey Judas and his brothers. They thought to do a valiant act on their own. There was a great overthrow among the children of Israel, because those men came not of the seed of those by whose hand deliverance was given unto Israel.

They wanted the name of valor. They earned a beating. The appointed hand had not sent them, and the field did not forgive the gap.

Still the man Judas and his brethren were greatly renowned in the sight of all Israel and of the nations, wheresoever their name was heard. People assembled unto them with joyful acclamations. Reputation and rebellion grew in the same season.

Afterward Judas went forth with his brethren and fought against the children of Esau in the land toward the south. He smote Hebron and the towns thereof, pulled down the fortress, and burned the towers round about. Fire answered the gymnasium. A short command answered the long persuasion of year 137.

Later winters would light lamps and tell of oil. In those years the first sale came from inside, and the first answer was iron. Judas stood in the smoke of Bosora and said only, "Fight this day for your brethren." The men who had cut away their own covenant sign had already named the other side.

MaccabeesJudasHellenizersTempleAntiochus
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From the tradition

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4 sources

The texts behind this telling. Some cards carry a translation of the source; others are our own retelling of it, and each card says which. Every card links out to the original.

The Book of Maccabees I 1:17The Book of Maccabees I

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Sefaria Community Translation · CC-BY

Our tale begins in the year 137 of the Greek kingdom. Now, this wasn't just any kingdom; it was the sprawling empire that Alexander the Great had forged, now fractured and ruled by his successors. This particular slice of history focuses on the Seleucid Empire, which held sway over Judea (modern-day Israel/Palestine).

It wasn't just external forces at play. Internal divisions were brewing within the Jewish community itself. "In those days went there out of Israel wicked men, who persuaded many," the Book of Maccabees I tells us. Who were these "wicked men?" They were Jewish individuals, influenced by Hellenistic culture, who saw assimilation as the path to prosperity.

Their argument? "Let us go and make a covenant with the heathen that are round about us: for since we departed from them we have had much sorrow. A promise of ease, of fitting in, of avoiding conflict. A dangerous bargain, perhaps?

Sadly, it resonated with some. "So this device pleased them well." The lure of Hellenism – its philosophy, its art, its way of life – proved too strong for certain segments of the population. They actively sought permission from the king – Antiochus IV Epiphanes (more on him later, he's a real piece of work) – to adopt pagan practices.

What did this look like in practice? The Book of Maccabees I paints a pretty clear picture: "Then certain of the people were so forward herein, that they went to the king, who gave them a license to do after the ordinances of the heathen, whereupon they built a place of exercise at Jerusalem according to the customs of the heathen and made themselves uncircumcised, and forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the heathen, and were sold to do mischief.”

A gymnasium, a place for athletic training and, often, naked exercise, erected in the heart of Jerusalem. Jews undergoing surgery to reverse their circumcisions (a painful and dangerous procedure called epispasm) in order to appear more Greek. And most tragically, the abandonment of the brit kodesh, the sacred covenant with God. They turned their backs on everything that made them Jewish.

It's a stark reminder that the greatest threats to a community often come from within. The allure of acceptance, the promise of ease, can be powerful forces, especially when faced with external pressure. It begs the question: what aspects of our own traditions are we willing to compromise in the face of modern-day pressures? And what are the consequences of those choices? This is just the beginning of the Maccabean story, but it sets the stage for a powerful tale of resistance, faith, and ultimately, redemption. We'll see how this plays out next time.

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The Book of Maccabees I 5:30The Book of Maccabees I

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Sefaria Community Translation · CC-BY

The story plunges us right into the thick of it. Judas Maccabeus, the hammer of God, and his army are on the move. They’ve just made a sharp turn "by the way of the wilderness unto Bosora." No time for sightseeing, though.

Bosora falls quickly. The text is stark: "He slew all the males with the edge of the sword, and took all their spoils, and burned the city with fire. War was like that then. No romanticizing it.

Judas doesn't linger. "From whence he removed by night, and went till he came to the fortress." They move under the cover of darkness. Why? Because the fight's far from over.

Waking up with Judas and his men the next morning. The sun rises, and as they look up, what do they see? "Behold, there was an innumerable people bearing ladders and other engines of war, to take the fortress: for they assaulted them." An innumerable people. Overwhelming odds. Think about the courage it took to face that.

The attack is immediate, intense. "The cry of the city went up to heaven, with trumpets, and a great sound." The chaos, the fear, the adrenaline must have been overwhelming.

And in this moment, facing impossible odds, Judas Maccabeus speaks. What grand strategy does he unveil? What brilliant tactic does he reveal? He simply says, "Fight this day for your brethren."

That's it.

But maybe that's the point. True heroism isn't always about elaborate plans or earth-shattering pronouncements. Sometimes, it's about the simple, unwavering commitment to stand up for what you believe in, for the people you love, even when the odds are stacked against you.

"Fight this day for your brethren." It's a call to action that resonates across the centuries. And maybe, just maybe, that's enough to change the world.

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The Book of Maccabees I 6:23The Book of Maccabees I

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Sefaria Community Translation · CC-BY

The Book of Maccabees I turns to Judas Maccabeus at the Temple.

The story picks up with a group holed up in the tower – a strategic stronghold that allowed them to harass and threaten the Israelites around the sanctuary, constantly "seeking their hurt, and the strengthening of the heathen." The sanctuary, of course, was the heart of Jewish life, the Beit Hamikdash (the Temple) in Jerusalem. To control it, or even threaten it, was to strike at the very soul of the Jewish people.

Enter Judas Maccabeus. Bold, decisive, and driven by fierce loyalty to his people and his faith, Judas isn't one to back down from a fight. Seeing the plight of his people, he resolves to destroy those in the tower. So, he rallies the people.

"Wherefore Judas, purposing to destroy them, called all the people together to besiege them."

Talk about a call to action! They gather, they lay siege. The Book of Maccabees I tells us this happened in the "hundred and fiftieth year" – likely referring to the Seleucid era calendar. Judas, ever the strategist, orders the construction of siege mounds and other war machines, ready to bring the fight to the enemy.

But the defenders aren't passive victims. A group manages to break out of the siege. Desperate, they seek help from the king, and they aren't alone. They are joined by some "ungodly men of Israel" – Jews who had turned away from their faith and sided with the oppressors. This detail is particularly poignant. There's almost always internal division, betrayal from within. It adds a layer of complexity to the Maccabean narrative, a reminder that loyalty and faith are not always guaranteed.

And what did they say to the king? Well, that's where the story really starts to heat up. We'll have to see what happens next as this story unfolds. Will Judas and his men prevail?

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The Book of Maccabees I 5:62The Book of Maccabees I

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Sefaria Community Translation · CC-BY

The familiar telling remembers the heroic moment, the pivotal battle, the seemingly impossible triumph. But what about the days, weeks, and months that follow? What about the messy reality of rebuilding, of re-establishing order, and, perhaps most importantly, of dealing with the internal conflicts that inevitably arise?

The First Book of Maccabees offers us a glimpse into precisely that. It’s not all triumphant parades and joyous celebrations. Chapter 5, in particular, reminds us that even in the wake of Judas Maccabeus' incredible victories, challenges persisted.

One stark passage tells us, "Thus was there a great overthrow among the children of Israel, because they were not obedient unto Judas and his brethren, but thought to do some valiant act. These men came not of the seed of those, by whose hand deliverance was given unto Israel." Ouch. It speaks of insubordination, of rogue actions taken by those who, perhaps fueled by their own egos or misguided sense of righteousness, acted against the established leadership. And it highlights a painful truth: not everyone is cut out to be a leader, even if they think they are. Not everyone who wants to be a hero is a hero. They "came not of the seed of those, by whose hand deliverance was given unto Israel." They weren’t the right people for the job.

The scene. Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, having led the successful revolt against the Seleucid Empire, are trying to consolidate their power and rebuild Jewish society. But pockets of resistance remain, not just from external enemies, but also from within their own community. Individuals, or perhaps small factions, decide to take matters into their own hands, driven by their own ambitions or disagreements with Judas’ strategy. The result? A "great overthrow," a setback, a reminder that internal unity is just as crucial as external strength.

But the narrative doesn't dwell solely on the negative. The text quickly pivots, acknowledging the immense respect and admiration that Judas and his brothers commanded. "Howbeit the man Judas and his brethren were greatly renowned in the sight of all Israel, and of all the heathen, wheresoever their name was heard of; Insomuch as the people assembled unto them with joyful acclamations." Their reputation preceded them. People flocked to them, celebrating their achievements and seeking their leadership. It paints a picture of genuine admiration, evidence of their courage and effectiveness.

And what did Judas do next? He didn’t rest on his laurels. He didn’t bask in the adoration. He continued to fight. "Afterward went Judas forth with his brethren, and fought against the children of Esau in the land toward the south, where he smote Hebron, and the towns thereof, and pulled down the fortress of it, and burned the towers thereof round about." This passage describes a campaign against the descendants of Esau, a group often associated with conflict and opposition to Israel. Hebron, a city with deep historical and religious significance, became a focal point of this campaign. The destruction of the fortresses and towers symbolizes a decisive victory, a further assertion of Jewish control over the land.

So, what do we take away from this brief glimpse into the aftermath of a great victory? Perhaps it’s a reminder that leadership is never easy. That even the most celebrated heroes face internal challenges and external threats. That true strength lies not only in military might, but also in the ability to maintain unity and inspire loyalty. And that the work of rebuilding and securing peace is often just as challenging, if not more so, than the initial fight for freedom. It's a potent reminder that the story never truly ends with the "happily ever after." It just keeps unfolding.

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