Maccabees

A priest named Mattathias and his sons were the leaders of a revolt in 168–167 BC to make Syria stop persecuting the Jews in Israel. One of the sons, Judas, was called Maccabeus (meaning “the hammerer”) because of his fighting ability. Later all the men in the revolt were called Maccabees. The revolution brought some freedom for the Jews. Judas and his men camped in the mountains and fought against the Syrians and those who sided with the Syrians. The Maccabees tore down altars to false gods and asked other Jewish people to join them. Syria sent in its army, but the Maccabees defeated the Syrian army.

After driving away the Syrians, Judas Maccabeus worked to restore the worship of God in Palestine. He cleansed the temple and began proper sacrifices to God. An eight-day celebration called the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) began during this time. The gospel of John has a record of a time when Jesus attended the Feast of Dedication at the temple.