Antiochus IV Epiphanes

Another Antiochus IV Epiphanes was king in Commagene under Caligula and Claudius.

Coin of Antiochus IV. Reverse shows Apollo seated on an omphalos. The Greek inscription reads ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ (Antiochus, image of God, bearer of victory).

Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Επιφανής, Greek: Manifest), originally named Mithradates, but renamed Antiochus either upon his ascension or after the death of his elder brother Antiochus (c.215B.C.E. - 163 B.C.E., reigned 175B.C.E. - 163B.C.E.), was one of the Seleucid emperors, son of Antiochus III the Great (224 - 187) and brother of Seleucus IV Philopator (187-75) The Seleucid's ruled the area known as Asia' (Babylon, Syria, Palestine, Upper Asia) from 312, when Alexander the Great's empire was divided among his generals. Antiochus IV's religious zeal for Zeus, of whom he believed himself to be a 'manifestation', resulted in the desecration of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and in what was a reign of terror for Jews who refused to comply with his policy of Hellenization. This resulted in revolt and eventually in territorial loss, and in the loss of political prestige, for his successors. An example of religious bigotry and intolerance, Antiochus' legacy as a ruler serves as a warning to others who choose to impose religion, or culture or ideology from the top, and to disrespect others convictions. For those people who believe that all cultures should be valued and respected, the more tolerant policy of Antiochus' predecessors that aimed at cultural fusion not fomination, is the more attractive.

Succession

Antiochus took power after the death of Seleucus Philopator. He had been hostage in Rome following the peace of Apamea in 188 B.C.E. but had recently been exchanged for the son and rightful heir of Seleucus IV, the later Demetrius I of Syria (. Taking advantage of this situation, Antiochus was able to proclaim himself as co-regent with another of Seleucus' sons, the infant Antiochus, whose murder he orchestrated a few years later.

War with Egypt

Antiochus IV was ambitious and wanted to expand both his territory and influence. He was able to make some inroads into Egypt, ruled by the Ptolemies. In 168B.C.E. he almost succeeded in conquering Egypt but was prevented from doing so as a result of Roman intervention. The Seluecids gernerally continued Alexander's policy of cultural integration but Antiochus IV was more interested in Hellenizing his subjects. He was especially eager to Hellenize the Jews, who resisted the process and he started to use force to pursue this policy. His father has excempted the Jews from the Hellenizing policy. This led to the beginning of the Jewish revolt of the Maccabees. He was succeeded by his infant son, Antiochus V Eupator.

Because the guardians of Ptolemy VI of Egypt were demanding the return of Coele-Syria, Antiochus, in 170 B.C.E. decided on a preemptive strike and invaded Egypt, conquering all but Alexandria. He then captured Ptolemy but agreed to let him continue his puppet king. This had the advantage of not alarming Rome. Alexandria thereupon chose Ptolemy's brother Ptolemy VIII (Ptolemy Euergetes) as King. In Antiochus' absence, the two brothers came to an agreement to rule jointly. Hence in 168B.C.E. Antiochus again invaded and overran all Egypt but Alexandria while his fleet captured Cyprus. Near Alexandria he was met by a Roman envoy who told him that he must at once withdraw from Egypt and Cyprus. Antiochus said he would discuss it with his council, whereupon the envoy drew a line in the sand round him. Were he to step out of the circle, the envoy said, without having first undertaken to withdraw , he would be at war with Rome. Antiochus agreed to withdraw.

In a spirit of revenge he organized an expedition against Jerusalem, which he subdued, putting vast multitudes of its inhabitants to death in a most cruel manner. From this time the Jews began the war of independence under their Maccabean leaders with marked success, defeating the armies of Antiochus that were sent against them. Enraged at this, Antiochus is said to have marched against them in person, threatening utterly to exterminate the nation; but on the way he was suddenly arrested by the hand of death (164 B.C.E.). The exact causes of the Jewish revolt, and of Antiochus' response to it, are uncertain; the Jewish accounts are in the Books of Maccabees, and the successful revolt is commemorated by the holiday of Hanukkah. His last years were spent on a campaign against the rising Parthian empire on his eastern border, which seems to have been initially successful but which terminated upon his death.

The reign of Antiochus was a last period of strength for the empire, but in some way it was fatal; because he was an usurper and left no successor except a little boy, his death was followed by devastating dynastic wars.

Antiochus and the Jews

Antiochus regarded himself as Zeus (hence his title, epiphanes, manifestation of), the Greek God. He gave livishly to Greek temples, including the Temple of Zeus in Athens. His self-view as the supreme God meant that he saw himself as having power over all the religions in his realm. He thus tried to systematically change the traditions of the Jews, based on the laws of Moses, to make them conform to Greek beliefs. He built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, where instead of learning their ancient law, the priests engaged in wrestling contests in the Greek fashion, which meant they were naked. Those who were circumcised endeavoured to hide this. Antiochus' program of Hellenization many even have involved altering the scriptures by, for example, introducing Greek cosmology was introduced into the Hebrew scriptures. Texts say that anyone caught reading the Torah were punished, even killed, Sabbath observation was abolished and circumcison banned on pain of death.

Antiouchus' influence was strengthenes because of rivalry among contenders for the High Priesthood in Jerusalem. A contest for power between Onias III and Jason resulted in the former setting up a rival Temple at Heliopolis in Egypt and the latter becoming High Priest. By cooperating with Antiochus, Jason (which was the Greek name he adopted)was able to remain in office until 172B.C.E. However, while Antiochus was campaigning in Egypt, a faction of the Jewish leadership succeeded in deposing Jason, sending him into exile. Other sources say that Antiochus engineered the change of High Priest because his successor, Menelaus (a non practicing Jew) promised more tribute and to speed the Hellenization process. Many Jews already saw the High Priesthood as too compromised to maintain their respect. Jason was able to re-take the office in 168B.C.E. Jason, however, now fell from imperial favor as Antiochus thought he was conspiring against him.

In 167B.C.E. or 168B.C.E. Antiochus marched to Jerusalem, slew Jason and dedicated the Temple to Zeus, errecting an image of Zeus in his own likeness on the altar, and, according to some sources, sacrifed a pig in the Temple. This is known to Jews as the 'great desecration'. The Temple's sacred treasures were robbed. He destroyed many buildings and re-built the city as a Seluecid fortress. Sources are confused about exactly when the desecration took place. Most have Antiochus visiting Jerusalem twice, perhaps as early as 166B.C.E. for the first and as late as 169B.C.E. for the second. Josephus describes him as robbing on both occassions.

The Jewish Revolt

The revolt began in the year 165B.C.E. when Mattathias, a priest, first kiled a fellow priest who performed a pagan sacrifice in the Temple, then the Greek official who had ordered him to do so. Mattathias fled Jerusalem with his five sons (known as the Maccabees) where, joined by many pious Jews, he started a guerrilla was against the Seluecids. The war continued against Antiochus IV's successors until 165B.C.E. when Jerusalem was taken, the Temple restored and quasi-independence under Roman protection was achieved. The feast of Hanukkah marks the restoration and the victory of the Maccabees. See Josephus' account at [1]

Legacy

For Jews, Antiochus is the 'little horn' of Daniel 7. Yet his attrocious acts sparked a successful revolt against the Seluecid Empire that allowed the Jews to achieve virtual independence. Left to deal with Hellenic influence freely, without compulsion, a more universal understanding of God's will and of the contribution that Jewish ethics could make to the rest of humanity, emerged as intellectual interaction took place between the Judaic and Hellenic traditions. A Jewish Diaspora spread over the Greek and Roman worlds, where synagogues attracted many Gentile god-fearers. Josephus observed (citing the Greek historian, Strabo, 64B.C.E. - 24C.E.) that it is hard to find a city where Jews had not settled, where the Sabbath candle was not lit. This reality became the become the ground on which Christianity would later flourish, of which Paul and Luke and other early Christians were products. Under Roman rule, the Jews again enjoyed the exemption, as a national religion, from compliance with the state cultus. Historians speculate why Antiochus IV departed from his father's policy of exempting the Jews. He is often said to have been a zealot for Alexander the Great's policy but that was more a policy of cultural fusion than of cultural imperialism. Perhaps it was his religious ideas and his belief that he was Zeus's manifestation that compelled him to pursue his policy, or perhaps he was annoyed by the Jews' own resistance to Hellenization and saw them, as did others, as haters of humanity. Antiochus performed wicked deeds yet somehow good can be said to have resulted. Perhaps the value of his legacy lies in the warning that excessive zeal and a sense of almost unlimited self-importance more often than not leads to defeat. The immediate result of Antiochus' tyranny was persecution, destruction of property and death but the longer term result was the loss for his Empire of substantial terrirory and of prestige. Pride, perhaps, does come before a fall.

Preceded by: Seleucus IV Philopator

Seleucid King 175–163 B.C.E.

Succeeded by: Antiochus V Eupator

Reference

• Josephus, Flavius The Works of Flavius Josephus, translated by William Whiston at http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/JOSEPHUS.HTM

External link

• The Deaths of Antiochus, Razias, and Nicanor, by Bede

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