Antiochus Epiphanes the archenemy of the Maccabees

Antiochus IV Epiphanes

Antiochus IV Epiphanes ruled the Seleucid Empire between the years 175 BC – 164 BC. He came to power after the assassination of his brother, Seleucus IV.

The Seleucid Empire which he ruled was a Hellenistic state that was founded following the division of the empire created by Alexander the Great.

Epiphanes inherited an Empire which barley recovered financially from his father's defeat to the emerging Roman Empire. At his time, it was still under the harsh conditions of surrender that were imposed by the Romans. This financial deflection led Antiochus to impose heavy taxes on the residents of his empire.

None of that seemed to have had the power to ignite the winds of revolt which were blowing in Judea, but his next act did: In 167 BC Antiochus ordered harsh decrees over the Jewish people. Observing the Jewish law was revoked and practices such as circumcision and keeping the Sabbath were banned. The holy Temple of Jerusalem was sacked and altered under his command to serve as a pagan Temple to Zeus.

Those actions led to the uprising of the Jews under the leadership of the Hasmoneans (the Maccabees).

The outbreak of the Jewish revolt in Judea led King Mithridates I of Parthia to attack the eastern part of Antiochus' kingdom, while effectively splitting the Greek world in two. Epiphanes rushed to the east and managed to quell some of the unrest, while his appointed commander Lysias was showing incompetence in eradicating the revolt in Judea.  

In 164 BC, amidst his attempts to gain back control over his kingdom, Antiochus suddenly died leaving behind a crumbling empire.

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