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1.MattathiasandJudah:InDefenseoftheAncestorsReligion
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Jerusalemtemple.ThemoveenabledthemgraduallytointroduceGreekpracticesand
customsinmainstreamsociallife.Theirreformculminatedinaremovalofmonothe-
isticworshipfromtheTemple(1Macc1:54.59;2:7–13)anditsreplacementwithpoly-
theisticGreekcults(1Macc1:43–49.54–55;cf.2Macc6:4–6).Thechangewasaccom-
paniedbyaseriesofdecrees,knownasAntiochusIV’sreligiousedicts,whichcurbed
existingreligiousfreedomsofJudea’sinhabitantsguaranteedtothembyAntiochusIII
soonafterheconqueredthelandin198.23TheHellenists’actionwaswelcomedonly
byasegmentofthepopulation(cf.1Macc1:12–15.43).Astaunchlyhostileresponse
camefromorthodoxreligiouscirclesinJudea’sruralpopulationswhichwerestrongly
attachedtoJudaismanditsrelatedcustoms.Oppositiontookvariousforms.24Atfirst
notconsideredaseriousthreattothenewrules(cf.1Macc1:53.62;2:29–37),itlater
swelledtoorganizedarmedresistance.Torestoreorder,Syrianauthoritiesdecidedto
deployastrongermilitarycontingentinJudea.25
Accordingto1Macc(1:51;2:15–25),onemethodofcoercingthepopulationtocon-
verttothenewreligion,apartfromcompulsoryattendanceatGreekreligiousservices,
wasanobligationforallinhabitantstoofferasacrificeaftertheGreekfashioninfront
oftheking’sofficials.26Aspartofenforcementefforts,atroopofSyriansoldiersar-
rivedatthevillageofModeinmorethanadozenkilometersnorth-eastofJerusalem
(1Macc2:15),27thehomeofgenerationsoftheHasmoneanfamily(1Macc2:1).28Atthat
time,theheadoftheclanwasMattathias,29thefatheroffivesons,30whoenjoyedgreat
respectandauthorityamongthelocalpopulationtothepointofbeingitsunquestioned
leader(1Macc2:17–18).Heowedthisstatusnotjusttohisage,hislargeandnotable
family,butalsotohispersonalpietyandpastpriestlyserviceattheJerusalemtemple.31
23AdetailedlistofsuchlimitationsandpenaltiesfordisobedienceisgivenbyDaniel(11:31.38),
1Macc(1:41-62;2:9–12),2Macc(5:25–26;6:7–11.18ff.),andJosephus(BJ1.34–35;AJ12.253–254).How-
ever,interpretationsaremadedifficultbysomesubstantialdifferencesbetweenthoseaccounts,seriously
limitingourchancestodeterminetherealstateofaffairs,cf.Mittag2006,256ff.FormoreonAntiochus
III’sprivileges(Jos.AJ12.138–144),seeBickerman1980:44–85.
24Cf.Sievers1990:21ff.
25TheSyrianadministrationsupportingthereligiousreformdidnotinterveneuntiladirectthreat
appearedtotheinterestsoftheSeleucidstate,cf.Mittag2006:268ff.
261Macc1:51;2:15.23.Since1Maccistheonlysourcetomentionthisdevelopment,scholarssuppose
thatitsauthorinventedittocreateanappropriatecontextandbackgroundagainstwhichtostartthestory
oftheHasmoneanroleinthefightagainstSyriansandHellenists.Yetthehypothesisseemscontradictedby
memoryoftheeventpreservedintraditionindependentof1Macc(Jos.BJ1.36):Sievers1990:29.
27Abel1967,II:391.ItisuncertainwhetherModeinwasatthattimeinJudeaorinSamaria:Sievers
1990:27n.1.
28AccordingtoJosephus(AJ12.265)Mattathias,thefamily’ssenior,camefromJerusalem(cf.Sievers
1990:27;Mittag2006:268–269).But1Macc(2:70;13:25)impliesthatthefamilyhadforsomegenerations
livedinModeinforitwastherethattheHasmoneans’ancestralgraveswere,nexttowhichweresubse-
quentlyburiedMattathiasandhissons(1Macc.9:19;13:25-30),cf.Schwartz1993:307.
29Sometimesquestioned,thehistoricityofthatfigure(Niese1900:44ff.)isnotsupportedbysuf-
ficientlyplausiblearguments(Adinolfi1964/1965:75ff.;Sievers1990:29andn.10).
30Accordingto1Macc(2:2–5),theirnameswereJohn,Simon,Judah,Eleazar,andJonathan.Thelist
tallieswiththatgivenin2Macc(2:22–23)withoneexception:thelatterspeaksofJosephinsteadofJohn
(alsocf.2Macc10:19).
311Macc2:1;14:29;Jos.AJ12.265,268;cf.Pastor1997:51.Thecredibilityofthistraditionhaslong
beenthesubjectofdisputeamongscholars.ItscriticsincludedM.Smith(1996:320ff.),whoconcluded
thattheHasmoneansneededthistraditionasanimportantfactorinjustifyingtheirclaimtohighpriest-
