Within two years the Jews had successfully driven the Syrians out of Jerusalem, relying largely on guerilla warfare tactics. When Matthathias died in 166 B.C., his son Judah, known as Judah Maccabee - ‘the Hammer - took the helm. Led by the Jewish priest Mattathias and his five sons, a large-scale rebellion broke out against Antiochus and the Seleucid monarchy. In 168 B.C., Antiochus IV Epiphanes soldiers descended upon Jerusalem, massacring thousands of people and desecrating the city’s holy Second Temple by erecting an altar to Zeus and sacrificing pigs within its sacred walls. Ancient sources recount that he outlawed the Jewish religion and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods. His son, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, proved less benevolent. Around 200 B.C., Judea - which is modern-day Israel/Palestine - came under the control of Antiochus III, the Seleucid king of Syria, who allowed the Jews who lived there to continue practicing their religion. The events that inspired the Hanukkah holiday took place during a particularly turbulent phase of Jewish history. The history of Hanukkah – much like the histories of many religious or ancient holidays – has various starting and ending points. The name was formed from the first letters of a Hebrew phrase, “Mi Kamocha Ba’eilim Hashem,” which translates to “Who is like You, God.” This group of Jews are known as the Maccabees. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt. The eight-day Jewish celebration known as Hanukkah or Chanukah commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C.
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