The Maccabean Revolt: The History and Legacy of the Jewish Uprising against the Seleucid Empire that Restored Judea's Religious Freedom

For nearly two centuries, the Jews and Greeks of the region were able to live in relative peace. The Seleucid rulers allowed the Jews to practice their religion unmolested, and many of the Jews adopted aspects of Hellenism in order to ingratiate themselves with the rulers. Eventually, though, a number of factors led to a Jewish revolt against Seleucid rule that started in 167 BCE and came to be known as the Maccabean Revolt.

The uprising came about as the result of a growing sense of Jewish ...