Tuesday, July 20, 2004
The Holy Prophet Elijah (Elias)
Kellia: 1 Maccabees 1:1-15 Epistle: James 5:10-20 Gospel: St. Luke 4:22-30
1 Maccabees 1:1-15, especially vs. 11: "In those days lawless men came forth from
Israel, and misled many, saying, 'Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles round about us.'" Today, we begin a
course reading through the first four chapters of First Maccabees. These chapters summarize the struggle of the ancient
People of God to maintain their faith and worship in purity during the time of the Seleucid King, Antiochus IV Epiphanes
(175-164 BC). It was during his reign, and as a result of his vicious repression of Judaism (167 BC), that a revolt ensued,
beginning with the martyrdom of seven brothers, their mother, Solomona, and the Scribe Eleazar (see 2 Maccabees 6, 7 as
well as 4 Maccabees).
The present reading introduces this period of antipathetical Hellenism in Palestine, an era for which the conquests of
Alexander the Great in 333 BC set the stage. The reign of the Seleucid kings came after the writing of the Hebrew Old
Testament. The last Hebrew books were penned during the age when the Persian empire ruled Palestine - after defeating
the Babylonians in 539 BC. Persian policy had been friendly toward the Jews' return to the Holy Land, toward restoring
the Temple and rebuilding Jerusalem, which deepened Jewish religious devotion and worship.
Understand that what the text reports refers to the start of a Greek cultural epoch. The defeat of Darius III, "king of the
Persians and the Medes" (vs. 1), was the result of a series of brilliant military campaigns conducted by Alexander the
Macedonian. First, in 336 BC, he united the Greek cities under him. Then in 334, he crossed the Hellespont into Asia with
30,000 to 40,000 troops. At the battle at Issis, in 333, where the south coast of Anatolia ends in the east coast of the
Mediterranean, Alexander routed the huge army of Darius. In the next two years he conquered Darius' province of Egypt,
twice crossing Palestine, first south and then north.
Alexander's next campaigns, in fact, were pursuits of Darius across what is now northern Syria and Iraq all the way to the
Tigris river. He then swept north and south through the Persian heartland (modern day Iran) during 331 and 330 until
Darius was assassinated by his own nobles. Afterwards, Alexander continued his conquests into the Kabul valley (modern
Afghanistan), taking four years to destroy the remnants of the Persian forces and some hill tribes. At last he followed the
Indus river south through what is now Pakistan to the sea (near modern Karachi).
Alexander "plundered many nations" and "the earth became quiet before him" (vs. 3). However, while retracing his steps,
he died suddenly of fever at Babylon, but not before dividing "his kingdom among [his generals] while he was still alive"
(vss. 6,7). To one of these generals, Seleucus, fell the region including the Mesopotamian valley, Syria, southern Turkey,
Lebanon, and Palestine. The infamous Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-169 BC), whom the text calls "a sinful root"(vs. 10),
was a descendant of this first Seleucus. Antiochus IV's father, Antiochus III, was defeated by the Romans in 190 BC for
sheltering Hannibal, the Carthaginian, and for invading Greece, at which time the Romans took Antiochus IV hostage (vs.
10).
Later still, the Romans permitted Antiochus IV to assume his kingdom. He then aggressively promoted Greek culture and
religion. In Judea his actions deeply divided the Jews (vss. 11-15). The gymnasium mentioned in the text (vs. 14) was a
planned part of a policy to end Jewish separatism. Also, Antiochus plundered the Jewish Temple, ended sacrifices, and
Sabbath observation, destroyed copies of the Law, and required Jews to participate in the pagan festivals. Some Jews
actually did abandon "the holy covenant [and] joined with the Gentiles" (vs. 15); yet...Thy Martyrs, O Lord, have received
imperishable crowns and crushed the powerless might of Satan. Through their intercessions, O Christ our God, save our
souls.
